bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What is Social Comparison and How Should We Study it?
Authors: Wood Joanne V.
Published: March 2007

Despite renewed vigor in the social comparison literature, little attention has been paid to methods of studying social comparison. This article examines frequently used measures and procedures in social comparison research. The question of whether a method truly captures social comparison requires a clear understanding of what social comparison is; hence a definition of social comparison is proposed, multiple ancillary processes in social comparison are identified, and definitional controversies are addressed. Then, methods are examined for how strongly they imply social comparison and for whether they capture social comparisons as they would occur naturally. It is argued that some methods may not truly capture social comparison, that some methods may be too vulnerable to alternative interpretations to be useful, and that some methods may paint an inaccurate picture of social comparison.
Generativity and Themes of Agency and Communion in Adult Autobiography
Authors: Mansfield Elizabeth D. , McAdams Dan P.
Published: March 2007

Theorists have suggested that generativity combines tendencies toward both agency and communion in adult lives. The highly generative adult is able to generate products that extend the self in a powerful way (agency) and to offer those products to others with the purpose of assisting the next generation (communion). This study examined differences between two groups of subjects, more and less generative adults, in their autobiographical expressions of agency and communion. Employing a new coding system for analyzing themes of agency and communion in significant life-story scenes, the study revealed that highly generative adults express greater levels of communion in their autobiographical scenes than do less generative adults, especially with respect to the communal themes of dialogue and care/help. Highly generative adults also show greater levels of agency/communion integration. However; in the agency themes alone, no significant differences between the two groups emerged.
When Misery Loves Categorical Company: Accessibility of the Individual Self as a Moderator in Category-Based Representation of Attractive and Unattractive In-Groups
Authors: Simon Bernd , Hastedt Claudia
Published: March 2007

In two experiments, the role of the accessibility of the individual self as a moderator variable in processing information about attractive or unattractive in-groups was examined. An indicator of category-based in-group representation served as the main dependent variable. In Experiment 1, the authors predicted and found an interaction between accessibility of the individual self and in-group attractiveness. People exhibited more category-based representations for unattractive than for attractive in-groups when accessibility was low, but the opposite trend was observed when accessibility was high. Experiment 2 showed that the difference in category-based representations of unattractive versus attractive in-groups, given low accessibility of the individual self: depends also on relative in-group size. Here, only majority members, but not minority members, showed the critical effect. The results are discussed in terms of group members' self-evaluation concerns.
Social Judgeability and the Dilution of Stereotypes: The Impact of the Nature and Sequence of Information
Authors: Yzerbyt Vincent Y. , Leyens Jacques-Philippe , Schadron Georges
Published: March 2007

Social judgeability theory holds that people rely on naive theories when forming impressions. One rule is that perceivers should not judge others on the sole basis of their stereotypes. They may, however, misattribute a category-based impression to the target information and fall prey to the illusion of being informed provided individuating evidence is present and the stereotype is not made salient. The authors suggest that such a misattribution process contributes to the dilution of stereotypes. Subjects rated a member of a stereotyped group either after or both before and after reception of target information. The authors predicted that pseudorelevant information (i.e., information nondiagnostic for the specific judgment but diagnostic for many others) but not irrelevant information would lead to a stereotypical single judgment and dilute an initial stereotyped evaluation. Results confirmed the hypotheses and stress the role of implicit rules in social inference.
Social Modeling, Monetary Incentives, and Pain Endurance: The Role of Self-Efficacy and Pam Perception
Authors: Symbaluk Diane G. , Heth C. Donald , Cameron Judy , Pierce W. David
Published: March 2007

The present experiment investigated the effects of social modeling and monetary incentives on pain endurance as mediated by self-efficacy and pain perception. Using a 3 × 3 factorial design that crossed three levels of modeling (tolerant, no model, intolerant) with three rates of pay ($0, $1, and $2 per 20 s), 90 males performed an isometric exercise. Social modeling affected pain endurance, pain threshold, pain intensity, physiological strain, and self-efficacy; money had no effects. Exposure to intolerant models led participants to detect pain immediately and to rapidly perceive extreme pain producing low endurance. Those who saw tolerant models took longer to feel pain and experienced only a gradual increase in pain enabling them to endure longer. Self-efficacy did not mediate these effects. Structural equation analyses showed that the effects of social modeling on endurance work through perceptions of pain.
Inference Under the Influence: The Impact of Alcohol and Inhibition Conflict on Women's Sexual Decision Making
Authors: Murphy Sheila T. , Monahan Jennifer L. , Miller Lynn C.
Published: March 2007

Integrating Zajonc's affective primacy framework with Steele and Southwick's Inhibitory Conflict Model, we hypothesized that alcohol would have its strongest impact when one's initial affective reaction was in direct conflict with more cognitively based inhibitory cues. In an alcohol by expectancy balanced placebo design, women viewed potential partners from a fictitious video dating service who varied in attractiveness and sexual risk. Only under high inhibitory conflict (i. e., an attractive, sexually risky partner) did alcohol enhance perceived relationship potential. Interestingly, women who consumed alcohol were not less likely to notice risk cues than their sober counter-parts. Alcohol expectancy resulted in both lower estimates of risk and elevated estimates of relationship potential for the high inhibitory conflict target. Thus, in situations involving high but not low inhibitory conflict, alcohol and alcohol expectancy may suppress the impact of inhibitory cues, enabling women to more readily pursue their initial affective reactions.
The Influence of Group Variability and Processing Goals on the Ease of Making Judgments about Social Categories
Authors: Lambert Alan J. , Barton Lauren R. , Lickel Brian , Wells Jennifer
Published: March 2007

This article examined the effects of group variability and processing goals on the ease of making judgments about social groups. Participants were presented with a heterogeneous or homogeneous category and were instructed either to form an impression of the group (impression set) or to attend to the similarities among, and the differences between, group members (integration set). Under impression sets, we predicted that participants would find it harder to judge heterogeneous groups as compared to homogeneous groups. Under integration sets, however, judgments were predicted to be relatively easy, regardless of group variability. These predictions were supported, regardless of whether judgment ease was operationalized via response latencies (Experiment 1) or through subjective reports (Experiment 2). Experiment 2 suggested that these effects were driven by the effects of group variability and instructional set on the importance of subtypes formed at the subordinate level. Implications of these results for research on the consequences of group variability are discussed.
Auxiliary Theory and Multitrait-Multimethod Validation: A Review of Two Approaches
Authors: Avison William R.
Published: March 2007

Althauser and Heberlein (1970) and Costner and Schoenberg (1973) have developed path analytic techniques for assessing the validity of indicators in multitrait-multimethod matrices. Both procedures involve the application of Costner's (1969) auxiliary theory. These approaches represent improvements on Campbell and Fiske's early procedures for test ing for validity. This article examines these tech niques and demonstrates their applications. It is ar gued that the diagnosis of indicator ills by means of confirmatory factor analysis is especially useful: This technique not only tests the adequacy of a measurement model, but also estimates the para meters of the specified model. An empirical example of these techniques is presented.
Pretesting as Determinant of Attitude Change in Evaluation Research
Authors: Hoogstraten Joh.
Published: March 2007

Two experiments were done to study the biasing effects of a pretest on subsequent posttest results. The problem of the first experiment was the evalua tion of a programmed textbook used by psychology freshmen. It used a separate-sample pretest-posttest design and showed that a pretest containing mostly negative statements on programmed instruction confounded posttest results. The second experi ment, using a different treatment, studied the pre test effects of positive or negative statements. The positive version counteracted the development of negative feelings towards the treatment. The negative version did not show a similar sensitizing effect. This was considered a consequence of the rather controversial character of the treatment and the obligatory participation of subjects. The nega tive statements perhaps confirmed existing at titudes. Three suggestions to control for pretest sen sitization effects were given: (1) use research de signs with control conditions; (2) separate the pre test phase from the posttest phase; and (3) give more emphasis to designs without pretests.
Interrelationships among Interests, Life-History, and Educational Criteria
Authors: Brush Donald H. , Schoenfeldt Lyle F.
Published: March 2007

The relationship between measures of vocational interest, life history data, and two major educa tional criteria—performance and number of courses taken by area—was explored in a university sample of 1,900 students. Canonical correlation analysis was used to uncover and to describe the major rela tionships between the variable sets. The largest and most important dimension emerging was a general academic achievement dimension. Indices of vari ance overlap suggested that background data, rather than vocational interests, exhibited a stronger relationship with the educational criteria.
Common Space Analysis of Several Versions of The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children
Authors: Bell Richard C.
Published: March 2007

A joint analysis was made of three versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children using an individual differences multidimensional scaling ap proach. The versions of the test considered were the original version, an Australian partial revision, and the current revised version. Common Space Analy sis of the correlation data from the manuals showed a common three-dimensional structure. There was a compact group of verbal subtests and a more loose ly defined group of performance tests. Arithmetic, Digit Span, and Coding were found to be more peripheral to the battery. No systematic variations in structure could be related to the different age groups.
Scaling Distortion in Numerical Conjoint Measurement
Authors: Nickerson Carol A. , McClelland Gary H.
Published: March 2007

Proponents of numerical conjoint measurement gen erally assume that the technique's goodness-of-fit mea sure will detect an inappropriate composition rule or the presence of random response error. In this paper a number of hypothetical and real preference rank order ings are analyzed using both axiomatic conjoint mea surement and numerical conjoint measurement to dem onstrate that this assumption is not warranted and may result in a distorted scaling.
Bias and Information of Bayesian Adaptive Testing
Authors: Weiss David J. , McBride James R.
Published: March 2007

Monte carlo simulation was used to investigate score bias and information characteristics of Owen's Bayesian adaptive testing strategy and to examine pos sible causes of score bias. Factors investigated in three related studies included effects of an accurate prior θ estimate, effects of item discrimination, and effects of fixed versus variable test length. Data were generated from a three-parameter logistic model for 3,100 simu lees in each of eight data sets, and Bayesian adaptive tests were administered, drawing items from a "per fect" item pool. Results showed that the Bayesian adaptive test yielded unbiased θ estimates and rela tively flat information functions only in the situation in which an accurate prior θ estimate was used. When a constant prior θ estimate was used with a fixed test length, severe bias was observed that varied with item discrimination. A different pattern of bias was ob served with variable test length and a constant prior. Information curves for the constant prior conditions generally became more peaked and asymmetric with increasing item discrimination. In the variable test length condition, the test length required to achieve a specified level of the posterior variance of θ estimates was an increasing function of θ level. These results indicate that θ estimates from Owen's Bayesian adap tive testing method are affected by the prior θ estimate used and that the method does not provide measure ments that are unbiased and equiprecise except when an accurate prior θ estimate is used.
A Comparison of Three Linear Equating Methods for the Common-Item Nonequivalent-Populations Design
Authors: Woodruff David J.
Published: March 2007

Three linear equating methods for the common-item nonequivalent-populations design are compared using an analytical method. The analysis investigated the be havior of the three methods when the true-score corre lation between the test and anchor was less than unity, a situation that may occur in practice. The analysis is graphically illustrated using data from a test equating situation. Conclusions derived from the analysis have implications for the practical application of these equating methods.
Selection of Unidimensional Scales From a Multidimensional Item Bank in the Polytomous Mokken I RT Model
Authors: Hemker Bas T. , Sijtsma Klaas , Molenaar Ivo W.
Published: March 2007

An automated item selection procedure for selecting unidimensional scales of polytomous items from multi dimensional datasets is developed for use in the context of the Mokken item response theory model of monotone homogeneity (Mokken & Lewis, 1982). The selection procedure is directly based on the selection procedure proposed by Mokken (1971, p. 187) and relies heavily on the scalability coefficient H (Loevinger, 1948; Molenaar, 1991). New theoretical results relating the latent model structure to H are provided. The item selec tion procedure requires selection of a lower bound for H. A simulation study determined ranges of H for which the unidimensional item sets were retrieved from multidimensional datasets. If multidimensionality is suspected in an empirical dataset, well-chosen lower bound values can be used effectively to detect the unidi mensional scales.
Implementation of Marginal Bayesian Estimation with Four-Parameter Beta Prior Distributions
Authors: Zeng Lingjia
Published: March 2007

Item parameter estimation for the threeparameter logistic model (3PLM) is sometimes problematic. The estimation algorithm of the 3PLM maximum likelihood estimation procedure often fails, which results in invalid parameter estimates. A procedure based on the marginal Bayesian estimation method introduced by Bock & Aitkin (1981), Swaminathan & Gifford (1985, 1986), and Mislevy & Bock (1990) is proposed here to improve the item parameter estimates for the 3PLM. Four-parameter beta distributions are used as prior distributions for estimating item parameters. A computer simulation study suggested that implementing the marginal Bayesian estimation algorithm with four-parameter beta prior distributions and then updating the priors with empirical means of the updated intermediate estimates can improve item parameter estimation when accurate prior information about the unknown parameters is not available.
Psychometric Modeling of Componentially Designed Synonym Tasks
Authors: Janssen Rianne , De Boeck Paul
Published: March 2007

Cognitive tasks can be analyzed into cognitive components by using a subtask design, with the subtasks representing the components. The multi-component latent trait model (MLTM; Embretson, 1980, 1984) was used here for three different tasks: providing a synonym for a stimulus word (composite task), and generating and evaluating synonym candidates (subtasks). The MLTM did not fit the synonym task data. Therefore, a heuristic evaluation procedure was developed that tested the important features of the model. This procedure provided explanations for why the MLTM did not fit the data and, more importantly, which other new models would fit better.
Technology and Regional Development: A Survey
Authors: Malecki Edward J.
Published: March 2007

This paper reviews the literature on the role of technology and technological change in regional development. Three specific themes are identified. First, traditional approaches to technology include those found in models of regional growth, in analyses of innovation diffusion, and in economic analysis of technological change. Second, recent research on regional development has involved technology from two perspectives—that of regional economic structure and that of innovation in the strategies and management of large corporations. Third, the underdevelopment of Third World countries has been attributed in part to technological dependence. The possibilities are abundant for research that would add to current understanding of regional development in an age of rapid technological change.
From Village to City: Reforming Urban-Rural Relations in China
Authors: Zweig David
Published: March 2007

This paper documents the increased urban-rural interaction in China and argues that the new developmental strategy apparently has helped narrow the urban-rural gap. Income differentials between peasants and workers have declined. Direct commercial interaction between peasants and rural factories and urban residents and urban factories have increased dramatically, and peasants have begun to play a significant role in developing the previously moribund urban service sector. Since 1984, rural surplus labor, previously hidden by the over employment of the rural collective sector, has begun to stream into China's urban centers, particularly the new small towns springing up in the countryside. At the same time, peasants are precipitating an increase in China's medium-size cities as well. Moreover, the creation of a vigorous rural economy, with its increased demand for consumer and producer goods and the closer integration of the urban and rural sectors, has generated strong pressures for the liberalization and decentralization of the urban economy.
Spatial Aspects of Development in China the Motor Vehicle Industry, 1956-1985
Authors: Lyons Thomas P.
Published: March 2007

The spatial pattern of development in China's motor vehicle industry differs from that expected on the basis of both the technological characteristics of vehicle production and the historical experiences of other large countries. Distortions in the locations and sizes of plants and in the extent of specialization resulted primarily from distinctive features of the prereform planning system and, in particular, from the highly compartmentalized structure of the planning organization. Early post-Mao reforms addressed some of the more conspicuous and costly distortions; however, recent evidence suggests persistence of the prereform spatial pattern.
Host Regions and the Globalization of the Offshore Oil Supply Industry: The Case of Aberdeen
Authors: Hallwood C. Paul
Published: March 2007

This article considers some of the problems which the globalization of the offshore oil supply industry pose for an industrialized host country. Although the vertical decomposition of the industry eases some entry problems for host country firms, substantial barriers to entry into the technological core of the supply industry persist. American companies are technological leaders in the supply industry. Their affiliates were among the first to arrive in the Northeast of Scotland in the early days of the development of the northern North Sea oil province. British companies, even by 1984, had made limited progress in creating a competitive presence with the leading foreign offshore oil supply firms, and they remained primarily as suppliers of locationally determined inputs.
The Reversal of the Migration Turnaround: Resumption of Traditional Trends?
Authors: Champion Anthony G.
Published: March 2007

Cochrane and Vining's study of recent trends in core-periphery migration, while suffering from some weaknesses in methodology and interpretation, confirms very clearly that the reversal of the metropolitan migration turnaround is a widespread phenomenon in the developed non-Communist world. Evidence from the United Kingdom also supports this observation. An examination of the possible factors responsible for the rise and fall of counterurbanization over the past two decades suggests that two major forces—population deconcentration and regional restructuring — are operating simultaneously but relatively independently and that they both fluctuate in their nature and strength over time in response to prevailing demographic and economic circumstances.
Approaches to Locating Urban Functions in Developing Rural Areas
Authors: Belsky Eric S. , Karaska Gerald J.
Published: March 2007

This article compares two approaches to planning the locations of urban functions in developing rural regions. The prevailing functional integration approach gives more weight to integrating and articulating an urban hierarchy than to increasing the access of rural populations to urban-based services. It relies on supply-side descriptions of functional urban hierarchies and linkages and fails to consider effective demand when assessing the provision of services. A demand-based location-allocation approach can be used instead to develop rigorous plans that provide the rural population access to urban facilities, and contain the costs of providing services.
The REMI Economic-Demographic Forecasting and Simulation Model
Authors: Treyz George I. , Rickman Dan S. , Shao Gang
Published: March 2007

This article presents the Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) Economic-Demographic Forecasting and Simulation (EDFS) model, which is used for regional forecasting and policy simulation in both the private and public sectors in the United States. The detailed structure of the model is presented. To illustrate the dynamic simulation properties of the model, results of two sample simulations for a REMI multi-area model of a region in Southern California are presented. Post-sample historical forecasts for all U.S. states are provided to evaluate the forecasting capabilities of the model.
The Structure of Small Service Centers under Conditions of Uncertain Supplies
Authors: Pedersen Poul Ove
Published: March 2007

Belsky and Karaska claim that Rondinelli's functional integration approach to locational planning in rural areas gives more weight to the integration and articulation of an urban hierarchy than to increased access of rural populations to urban-based services. They advocate a demand-based location-allocation approach. Neither approach is concerned with the organization of the supply system. A study of rural centers in Zimbabwe shows that the structure of rural service centers in developing countries depends as much on supply factors as on demand factors.
Improving Access to Services and Facilities in Developing Countries
Authors: Tewari Vinod K.
Published: March 2007

In an earlier symposium on location analysis and rural economic development, the debate focused on two commonly advocated methodologies of planning the locations of services and infrastructural facilities in rural areas in developing countries: the urban functions in rural development approach and the location-allocation model. This article discusses the utility and appropriateness of the two methodologies in the context of actual planning processes and some of the major research efforts in India.
The STS Curriculum: What Have We Learned in Twenty Years?
Authors: Cutcliffe Stephen H.
Published: March 2007

The interdisciplinary academic field of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Studies is now approximately two decades old. As the field has evolved, its central curricular mission has come to be the explication of science and technology as complex enterprises that take place in specific social contexts shaped by, and in turn, shaping, human values as reflected and refracted in cultural, political, and economic institutions. Despite, or perhaps because of, the field's maturation, there remain a number of as yet unanswered questions that bear consideration as STS enters the decade of the 1990s.
What Do Engineers Want? Work Values, Job Rewards, and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Watson James M. , Meiksins Peter F.
Published: March 2007

This article reexamines the classical distinction between professional and organizational work orientations for the case of engineers. Based on data from a survey questionnaire mailed to a sample of 800 engineers in the Rochester, New York, area in 1986, it argues that the two orientations are not opposites. Instead, it is possible to score high on measures of both orientations, or to score low on both. The result is a more complex, fourfold typology of engineers' work orientations. This fourfold typology is then applied to the analysis of engineers' job satisfaction. The most important finding is that the content of engineers' work—that is, the level of challenge and the intrinsic interest of the work—is the central predictor of their satisfaction. The results thus support the conjecture that contemporary engineers have become highly focused—perhaps overly focused—on the gratifications derived from technical work as a process.
The Social Practice of Independent Inventing
Authors: Whalley Peter
Published: March 2007

The history of modern innovation is primarily that of the industrial research laboratory, but the demise of the independent inventor —like that of the entrepreneur —has been much exaggerated. Independent inventing, in fact, continues to flourish as a cultural and technical practice in the contemporary United States. There are, however, a number of structural and cultural impediments in the way of independent inventors who seek to translate their invention into a commercial innovation. By drawing a comparison with the art world, this article explores these impediments and argues that their existence is revealing of the deep social embeddedness of the invention and innovation process.
Turn, Turn, and Turn Again: The Woolgar Formula
Authors: Pinch Trevor
Published: March 2007

This response to a recent article in ST&HV by Woolgar ("The Turn to Technology in Social Studies of Science") investigates Woolgar's concept of analytic ambivalence. The response points out how this notion originates in a formula applied to social problems research and how this formula is used as the basis for Woolgar's critique of work in the social studies of technology. The response then goes on to show that Woolgar's own application of the formula of analytic ambivalence is formulaic and glosses over many of the interesting features of the social studies of technology. Woolgar's article seems set to become another exemplification of the reflexivist formula rather than an occasion for questioning the idea of applying formulas altogether.
On Some Failures of Nerve in Constructivist and Feminist Analyses of Technology
Authors: Grint Keith , Woolgar Steve
Published: March 2007

Whereas many constructivist and feminist approaches to the social study of technology share an antipathy to technological tietenninism, they offer an insufficiently radical critique of technolagy. Three main problems in "anti-essentialist" critiques of techno logical determinism are identified, all of which mean that such critiques remain committed to a form of essentialism. These characteristics recur in many recent feminist arguments about technology, illustrated by the example of reproductive technologies. To overcome weaknesses in political radicalism based on anti-essentialism, it is necessary to move to a "past-essentialist" approach. The unwillingness to do so is shown to be based on unfounded objections to "excessive" relativism.
Patenting Culture in Science: Reinventing the Scientific Wheel of Credibility
Authors: Packer Kathryn , Webster Andrew
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the emergence of a patenting culture in university science. Patenting culture is examined empirically in the context of the increasing commerciali zation of science, and theoretically within debates over scientific "credibility." The article explores the translation of academic credit into patents, and vice versa, and argues that this process raises new questions for our understanding of scientific recognition and of scientists' networks. In particular, the analysis suggests that scientists must move between two distinct social worlds to manage the rewards that academic and patent cultures carry.
"It's Like You Use Pots and Pans to Cook. It's the Tool": The Technologies of Safer Sex
Authors: Moore Lisa Jean
Published: March 2007

Safer sex has emerged as a collection of practices and ideas deployed to combat the spread of AIDS. Prevention messages and rituals of safer sex each rely on constructing a potential user's relationship to latex devices. This article is based on an analysis of twenty-seven interviews conducted with people in the sex trade. Since sex workers make it their business to exchange sexual services for economic compensation, many have become extremely sophisticated in their innovations and expressions of eroticism using safer sex techniques. Sex workers are one of a group of key (new) knowledge producers focused on safer sexual practices. Their worlds are metaphoric laboratories for empiri cal studies of emergent sexual practices. This article describes the innovations of the use of technologies of safer sex and the configuration of users.
Egg Timers, Human Values, and the Care of Autistic Youths
Authors: Hendriks Ruud
Published: March 2007

This article argues that autistic people occasionally experience greater comfort from imposed routines than from a yielding form of love and understanding, which I will call naive humanism. Collins's theory of action, with its attention toward the achievements residing in a reductionist approach, can help to point out the flaws of a naive humanistic stance. It would, however, be a mistake to stop at this point and remain satisfied with the problem-solving capacity of such a reductionist stance. In a ward for autistic youths, the risk of cruelty resides in a purely mechanistic stance as much as in a naive humanistic approach. Thus, the social context of care of autistic people urges us to question the scope of a traditional scheme of thought, which cherishes a deep distinction between humans and machines.
Services for Mentally Retarded Persons
Authors: Isett Robert , Spreat Scott
Published: March 2007

Data regarding client discharge and client developmental growth were examined in an attempt to assess the viability of a short-term residential facility within the context of Pennsylvania's service delivery system for mentally retarded persons. While developmental growth was evi denced by all levels of retardation, dis charge was notably absent for the profoundly retarded group. A closer examination of the findings highlighted the restraints imposed on the evaluation of a single component of a service system by the larger system in which it operates.
Utilizing Nonparametric Statistical Techniques
Authors: Campbell Deanna , Elliott J.F.
Published: March 2007

A system of measures was designed to evaluate the effect of a change in management of an alcoholic treatment center. The measures also were used to indicate the causes for the changes in performance. Because the treatment center's physical plant is to be replaced in the near future, regression techniques, using one of the evaluation measures, were used to predict the size of the replacement facility and when it should become operational. The evaluation was made approximately a year after the management change occurred. Because only a limited amount of data was available, it was necessary to use nonparametric statistical techniques.
Health Services Administrator Role Delineation Methodology
Authors: Cyr A. Bruce
Published: March 2007

Health services administrators (HSA) are the cynosure of much current research because of their pivotal positions vis-à-vis quality of care and cost-effective policies. Role delineation methods used to date are too simple and/or too subjective to reflect the actual complexities of these roles. Dimensional anahl sis, as used to delineate complex organizational processes, more succinctly and accuratetly relfects these complexities and is more objetive. The inherent weakness of dimensional analisis in devising the initial list of tasks can be counteracted by, the use offact analysis. A set of L TC administrator tasks from a national study is dimensionally analized to produce a role delineation and the subroles are validated through Criterion analyses and amplified through reference to the literature. A similar strategy could usefully and readily be applied to extant data sets for other HSAs.
Pediatric Resident Performance
Authors: Levine Harold G. , Yunker Rose , Bee David
Published: March 2007

A large pediatric residency program conducted an extensive analysis of the reliability and validity of the ratingforms used to evaluate the pediatric residents enrolled in the program. Analyses were conducted on groups of residents who took the Pediatric InTraining Program (PITE) from 1977 through 1981. An average of 7.1 faculty members rated each resident on a standard form. The data indicate that although the reliability of individual ratings is very low, several factors achieved acceptable levels of reliability when aggregated. The firstyear rating of history-taking ability correlated significantly with the PITE but ratingsfor more advanced residents did not correlate with PITEscores, mostly because of ceiling effects.
Setting, Evaluating, and Maintaining Certification Standards with the Rasch Model
Authors: Grosse Martin E. , Wright Benjamin D.
Published: March 2007

Expert judgments about the ability of candidates were combined with expert judgments about the content of test items to arrive at a passing standardfor a test. This article describes how Rasch measurement can facilitate the use of the test content judgments in setting a standard. It also describes how Rasch measurement can then be used to evaluate and improve the precision of the standard and to hold it constant across time.
Measuring Perception and Satisfaction Dimensions of Dental Problems, Behaviors, and Services
Authors: Zapka Jane G. , Stoddard Anne M.
Published: March 2007

Research and evaluation that includes study of psychosocial variables have generally not systematically studied the construct validity of the measurement of the variables. This study investigates the measurement of selected theoretical constructs and data reductionprocedures related toperception and satisfaction dimensions of dental problems, self-care behaviors, and dental services.
Pretesting Enhancement of Parent Compliance in a Prevention Program for High-Risk Children
Authors: Dush David M. , Stacy E. Webb
Published: March 2007

The potential impact and biases introduced by pretesting were studied in a prevention program for improving parenting skills of low-socioeconomic-status (SES) families with preschool children. A total of 65 families were randomly assigned to four variations of pretests, posttests, and 6-month follow-up. Subjects not pretested showed three times the attrition of the pretested subjects at the outset (p < .02). No contamination of outcome variables due to pretesting was evident. Implications are discussed within the perspective that certain types of pretesting may represent potent preparatory techniques for highrisk clients.
The Development and Use of the Behavioral Pediatrics Questionnaire
Authors: Spiegel Nancy H. , Reis Harry T. , Hodgman Christopher H. , Hoekelman Robert
Published: March 2007

This manuscript describes the development and utility of a questionnaire assessing interpersonal attitudes relevant to pediatric practice. Entitled the Behavioral Pediatrics Questionnaire, the scale measures a wide array of beliefs ranging from attitudes toward physical disabilities to parenting and empathy. Scale development, reliability and normative data from two samples of pediatric residents are presented. Finally, the spectrum ofpotential usage of this questionnaire is discussed.
An Evaluation of the Quality Assurance System for Skilled Nursing Facilities in New York State
Authors: Hannan Edward L. , O'Donnell Joseph F. , Lefkowich Wendy K.
Published: March 2007

A new quality assurance system for nursing homes was implemented by the New York State Department of Health in 1981 in response to widespread dissatisfaction with the previous survey and Inspection of Care programs. The new program combined the Inspection of Care, which is a patient centered review, and the survey, which is a structurally oriented facility review. In this study, the old and new quality assurance systems are compared with respect to (1) the amount of surveillance staff resources spent on on-site and off-site activities, (2) the types and quantity of deficiency citations issued, and (3) the correction of deficiencies. The results indicate that the new system devotes more resources to on-site activities and identifies more patient care deficiencies, hut also has led to the identification of more repeat deficiencies.
Process Evaluation
Authors: Brunk Susan E. , Goeppinger Jean
Published: March 2007

Although complete program evaluation includes assessment of the program implementation process as well as examination of impact and outcome variables, such process evaluation does not always occur. Duringfield implementation programs may be changed, or reinvented, by those adopting the innovation. A case study of the A rthritis Self-Care Project, a rural community-based intervention study, demonstrates the importance of process evaluation in determining the actual independent variable. Instances of reinvention uncovered by theArthritis Self-Care Project are explored, and suggestions are provided for dealing with the reinvention inevitable in field research.
Reliability and Validity of A Procedure to Measure Diagnostic Reasoning and Problem-Solving Skills Taught in Predoctoral Orthodontic Education
Authors: Albanese Mark A. , Jacobs Richard M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a procedure to measure diagnostic-reasoning and problemsolving skills taught in predoctoral orthodontic education. The procedure consisted of stimulus material and a constant set of 33 multiple-choice items. Intercase correlations obtained from 71 second-year dental students rangedfrom .41 to .85 and average .60. These correlations changed by at most .05 when different measures of general achievement (DA T, undergraduate GPA and freshman Dental GPA) were partialed out, suggesting that only a small portion of the relationship between cases can be attributed to general achievement. The correlations of attendance with test scores ranged from .06 to .43. These data were interpreted as supporting the reliability and construct validity of the measurement procedure. The experimental testing method has a number of features that are appealing, including a relatively realistic testing situation, ease of making case changes, and ability lo be administered to large groups. It was concluded that the experimental procedure offers a viable method of assessing problem-solving skills in orthodontics and may have applications in other areas.
Discerning Views
Authors: Cleave-Hogg Doreen , Rothman Arthur I.
Published: March 2007

Learning environment characteristics influence, to a degree, students' approaches to learning and the ways by which students achieve their personal goals. This study was undertaken at a large medical school to identify the major characteristics that students perceive to dominate their learning environment. Over a period of 2 years, 112 medical students were individually interviewed in order to obtain their personal views. These interviews were analyzed and categorized by emergent themes and provided rich descriptions of the perceived major influential environmental characteristics. It was found that students perceived that the structures of the learning environment fostered a highly competitive milieu, thus influencing their approach to learning. However, the processes of teaching were viewed more positively, and this somewhat ameliorated the learning experiences for the students.
Toward the Development of Integrative Risk-Adjusted Measures of Quality Using Large Clinical Data Bases
Authors: Fleming Steven T.
Published: March 2007

This article describes a process to risk-adjust multiple outcomes of care and aggregate them into integrative measures ofquality. A methodology is outlined for anesthesia services which is designed to use the new data base that is being constructed by the American Association for Nurse Anesthetists. Most of the methods should apply to otherhealthprofessions as well if outcomes of care and risk factors can be identified. The basic approach is to choose either exemplary or adverse outcomes of care which are under the control of the provider and to standardize these outcomes to take into consideration multiple risk factors.
Impact Studies in Continuing Education For Health Professionals
Authors: Umble Karl E. , Cervero Ronald M.
Published: March 2007

Documenting impact has been a continual pursuit in continuing education (CE) for health professionals. Hundreds ofprimary impact studies have been published, along with 16 impact study syntheses that have sought to generalize about the effectiveness of CE and sometimes how and why the effects occur This article describes and critiques the methodology of the 16 syntheses and summarizes their findings. Afirst wave of syntheses established a general causal connection between CE and impacts, but explained impact variability only in the dependent variable-knowledge, competence, performance, or outcome. A second wave added a search for causal explanation through analysis of variables that moderate impact. This wave has begun to identify the most appropriate types of programs for promoting performance changes. The article concludes by suggesting questions and methods forfuture primary studies and meta-analyses, including improved experimental and metaanalytical methods, along with case and naturalistic studies and action research.
Gao's Role in the Evaluation of Federal Health Programs
Authors: Nadel Mark V.
Published: March 2007

The General Accounting Office (GAO) is a legislative branch agency whose mission is to support the oversight role of Congress. Health policy issues have constituted a substantial part of GAO's recent workload. Whereas GAO's work on health has ranged broadly, it has often focused on fraud and abuse in federal programs, particularly Medicare and Medicaid; the lack of meaningful indicators and other information, particularly on outcomes in health programs; access to care, increasingly connected to managed care; quality of care; and issues related to cost control.
Evaluation of U.S. Public Health Service Programs
Authors: Johnson Paul L.
Published: March 2007

This article provides an overview of evaluation in the Public Health Service (PHS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The kinds of evaluation activities are outlined with illustrations of recently completed studies. The overview includes information on resources, policies, and management of evaluations conducted by the various PHS agencies andprograms. In particular the department's new efforts to better disseminate evaluation results through the Internet are described. The article concludes with a discussion of future prospects of how PHS evaluations will play a role in implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
The Proper Use of Self-Report Questions in Effective Measurement of Health Outcomes
Authors: Schechter Susan , Herrmann Douglas
Published: March 2007

Outcomes research often relies on the use of general population survey data. The recent efforts to employ cognitive science theory in the development of data collection instruments has led to the establishment of new questionnaire design research methods. Intensive cognitive techniques are used in laboratory interviews to develop and pretest self-report survey questions with the goal of reducing nonsampling response error. This article presents the theoretical and applied approach used in the cognitive laboratory to study the ways people respond to surveys, and offers guidelines for improving self-report survey questions.
Responsibility for Clinical Innovation
Authors: Mike Valerie , Krauss Alfred N. , Ross Gail S.
Published: March 2007

Proper evaluation of clinical innovations and of the process of their diffusion is essentialfor the development of sound health care policy. This case study examines transcutaneous oxygen monitoring in neonatal intensive care, a procedure that was rapidly adopted in the late 1970s as a scientific breakthrough of great promise, then all but abandoned within a decade in favor of pulse oximetry, a still more recent technology. The study incorporates the results of interviews with representatives of industry as well as biomedical researchers and clinicians involved with these devices. Factors in technology diffusion are analyzed, with special attention to those susceptible to change by policy makers. Participants in the diffusion process also include nurses, hospital administrators, the legal profession, the news media, and the public, but the pivotal roleand hence ultimate responsibility-is seen to be that of the physician. The discussion is presented in the context of a proposed "ethics of evidence " pertinent to medical decision making.
Argentina's blockbuster movies and the politics of culture under neoliberalism, 1989-98
Authors: Falicov Tamara L.
Published: March 2007

The film industry in Argentina has witnessed a recent `boom' in commercial blockbuster movies that is bringing audiences back to see national films. These high budget productions are produced in part by large television channels that are utilizing state subsidies for these projects. While this translates into healthy growth for the film industry, it is transforming the character of national film production from a cultural project to a commercial product. Consequently, smaller, less commercial filmmakers are being slighted in favor of these larger corporate entities; a move that contradicts the original intent of improved film legislation passed in 1994. This tension between film production as a form of national culture or a commercial industry is emblematic of the cultural politics waged in current President Menem's administration - a government characterized by its neoliberal economic reform and ties to global business.