bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Note on Decision Theoretic Coefficients for Tests
Authors: Wilcox Rand R.
Published: March 2007

Recently it was suggested that the Bayes risk might be used to characterize tests. To conform to common practices about indexes, a rescaling of the Bayes risk was proposed. The motivation for this new coefficient, d, was to provide an index that has a large value when the Bayes risk is small and that has a value in the closed interval [0, 1]. However, since d might have a value outside this range, a modification of d is described which yields an index that always has a value between zero and one.
Monte Carlo Evaluation of Implied Orders As a Basis for Tailored Testing
Authors: Cudeck Robert , McCormick Douglas , Cliff Norman
Published: March 2007

TAILOR, the computer program which imple ments an approach to tailored testing outlined by Cliff (1975), was examined with errorless data by monte carlo methods. Three replications of each cell of a 3 × 3 table with 10, 20, and 40 items and persons were analyzed. Mean rank correlation coef ficients between the true person and item order, specified by preassigned random numbers, and the computed order produced by the program averaged .96. The average proportion of items used was .48. A marked tendency was observed for the program to produce better results as the number of persons and items increased.
Estimating Measurement Error on Highly Speeded Tests
Authors: Whitely Susan E.
Published: March 2007

Despite many advances in test theory, estimating measurement error which arises from temporary changes in the person or test situation has re mained relatively unchanged. Unfortunately, not only are short-term instabilities the most important source of measurement error for many traits, especially those measured from highly speeded tests; but the classical test-retest formula for es timating error is based on untenable assumptions with respect to practice effects. The current paper presents a method which gives maximum likelihood estimates of measurement error within the context of a simplex model for practice effects. The appropri ateness of the model is tested for five traits, and error estimates are compared to the classical for mula estimates.
Assessing Achievement Motive of American and Israeli Managers: Design and Application of a Three-Facet Measure
Authors: Elizur Dov
Published: March 2007

A questionnaire to assess the presence of achieve ment motive in various populations was developed and its structure analyzed. A facet definition of achievement motive was suggested which provided guidelines for the creation of items and the formu lation of hypotheses. The Achievement Motive Questionnaire was administered to 132 U.S. and 114 Israeli middle managers from various public and private organizations. The results support the main hypotheses. An empirical double-ordered con ceptual system was obtained which reflects the two facets characteristic to this study: (1) kind of con frontation (being confronted or confronting an an swer with a challenge) and (2) time perspective (be fore, during, or after) relative to task performance. The behavior modalities facet was found to order the conceptual space from instrumental to affective and cognitive modality. The systematic construction of the questionnaire based on the facet definition of achievement motive made it possible to distinguish differences in achievement tendencies between the U.S. and the Israeli samples.
WISC-R Information and Digit Span Scores of American and Canadian Children
Authors: Beauchamp David P. , Samuels Douglas D. , Griffore Robert J.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated differences in per formance between third-grade American and Cana dian children on two subtests of the Wechsler In telligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R). The Information subtest, which is culturally laden, and the Digit Span subtest, which is less subject to cultural factors, were administered to 30 American and 30 Canadian children. Mean Information scores in the two groups were not significantly dif ferent, but Canadian children scored significantly higher on Digit Span. This difference was attri butable to their higher mean score on Digit Span Forward. Canadian and American Digit Span Backward mean scores did not differ. Results are discussed in terms of Canadian and American educational and test-taking experiences.
Bipolar Scales with Pictorial Anchors: Some Characteristics and a Method for their Use
Authors: Beard Arthur D.
Published: March 2007

Visual aesthetic preferences seem to be based upon a judgmental mechanism that processes non verbal cues. Yet the usual methods for measuring these cues are verbal. A nonverbal method for identifying and measuring the component cues present in slides of nonrepresentational paintings is described. The method was used to develop pic torially anchored scales that were easy for subjects to use and that elicited reliable cue ratings.
A Psychometric Investigation of the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes
Authors: Bray James H. , Maxwell Scott E. , Schmeck Ronald R.
Published: March 2007

The present study investigated the reliability of the previously hypothesized four-factor model of the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA; Brown & Holtzman, 1953, 1967). The reliabilities of the scales were marginal as measured by coefficient alpha. The hierarchical model of the SSHA was not supported by confirmatory factor analysis. Num erous test items were found to load highest on a factor other than the one hypothesized by the Brown-Holtzman model. In addition, many items exhibited very low communalities and failed to load highly on any factor.
Standard Setting Issues and Methods
Authors: Shepard Lorrie
Published: March 2007

Previous methodological reviews and the contro versy regarding the adequacy of standard-setting technology are summarized. The judgmental nature of all standard-setting methods is examined, and the debate about whether fallible standards are better than none is recast in the context of three different test uses: pupil diagnosis, pupil certification (for high school graduation or professional licensure), and program evaluation. Exemplary standard-set ting methods are reviewed, representing the follow ing major approaches: (1) judgments of test con tent ; (2) judgments about mastery-nonmastery groups; (3) norms and passing rates; (4) empirical methods for discovering standards; and (5) empiri cal methods for adjusting cutoff scores, given a standard on an external criterion measure. Stan dards based on the performance of judged mastery groups (the Contrasting Groups method) and cer tain uses of normative data are likened to Known Groups validation. Recommendations are made for selecting standard-setting techniques depending on test use, including pupil diagnosis, pupil certifica tion, and program evaluation. Future research on standard setting is discussed in the context of im proving practical aspects of judgmental methods.
Decision Models for Use with Criterion-Referenced Tests
Authors: van der Linden Wim J.
Published: March 2007

The problem of mastery decisions and optimizing cutoff scores on criterion-referenced tests is con sidered. This problem can be formalized as an (em pirical) Bayes problem with decisions rules of a monotone shape. Next, the derivation of optimal cutoff scores for threshold, linear, and normal ogive loss functions is addressed, alternately using such psychometric models as the classical model, the beta-binomial, and the bivariate normal model. One important distinction made is between deci sions with an internal and an external criterion. A natural solution to the problem of reliability and validity analysis of mastery decisions is to analyze with a standardization of the Bayes risk (coefficient delta). It is indicated how this analysis proceeds and how, in a number of cases, it leads to coeffi cients already known from classical test theory. Fi nally, some new lines of research are suggested along with other aspects of criterion-referenced test ing that can be approached from a decision-the oretic point of view.
Designing a Measure of Visual Selective Attention to Assess Individual Differences in Information Processing
Authors: Avolio Bruce J. , Alexander Ralph A. , Barrett Gerald V. , Sterns Harvey L.
Published: March 2007

A new method for determining individual differ ences in information processing was developed and illustrated. The measure, Visual Selective Attention, was constructed according to the parameters and specifications of a standardized measure of auditory selective attention. Emphasis was placed upon es tablishing the relationship of this new measure with traditional measures of information processing (i.e., perceptual style and selective attention). The results provided initial evidence for the reliability and val idity of the new measure. Applications for Visual Selective Attention and interpretation of the find ings are discussed in view of the current state of the information-processing literature. Implications for additional research focus upon the practical appli cations of the new measure.
Factorial Invariance in Student Ratings of Instruction
Authors: Bejar Isaac I. , Doyle Kenneth O.
Published: March 2007

The factorial invariance of student ratings of in struction across three curricular areas was investi gated by means of maximum likelihood factor analysis. The results indicate that a one-factor model was not completely adequate from a statisti cal point of view. Nevertheless, a single factor was accepted as reasonable from a practical point of view. It was concluded that the single factor was in variant across three curricular groups. The reliabil ity of the single factor was essentially the same in the three groups, but in every case it was very high. Some of the theoretical and practical implications of the study were discussed.
The Rasch Model as a Loglinear Model
Authors: Mellenbergh Gideon J. , Vijn Pieter
Published: March 2007

The Rasch model is formulated as a loglinear model. The goodness of fit and parameter estimates of the Rasch model can be obtained using the itera tive proportional fitting algorithm for loglinear models. It is shown in an example that the relation between the estimates of the iterative proportional fitting algorithm and the unconditional maximum likelihood Rasch algorithm are almost perfectly lin ear. The Rasch model can be extended with a de sign for the items, which can be formulated as a loglinear model.
Use of Individually Scaled Versus Normatively Scaled Predictor Cues in Policy-Capturing Research
Authors: Cotton Bill , Jacobs Rick , Grogan Janet
Published: March 2007

Current policy-capturing models scale the levels of the predictor cues on the basis of normative data col lected on a group of subjects. Two studies were con ducted to determine whether the performance of these models would be improved by scaling cue values indi vidually for each decision maker. The results of these studies confirmed the hypothesis that the scaling of stimulus cues for each decision maker results in a judgment model that is much more successful in re producing the decision maker's responses than models employing the same cue scales for all decision mak ers. Additionally, it was found that the relative perfor mances of models based on regression weights and those models that employ weights generated by the subject are heavily dependent on methodological vari ables. It is concluded that if there is to be an under standing of the way people utilize information, not only must there be concern about variable weighting, but there must also be consideration of the subjective experience the individual decision maker has with re spect to the levels of each variable.
Using Bayesian Decision Theory to Design a Computerized Mastery Test
Authors: Lewis Charles , Sheehan Kathleen
Published: March 2007

A theoretical framework for mastery testing based on item response theory and Bayesian deci sion theory is described. The idea of sequential testing is developed, with the goal of providing shorter tests for individuals who have clearly mastered (or clearly not mastered) a given subject and longer tests for those individuals for whom the mastery decision is not as clear-cut. In a simulat ed application of the approach to a professional certification examination, it is shown that average test lengths can be reduced by half without sacrifi cing classification accuracy. Index terms:
Standard Errors of Levine Linear Equating
Authors: Hanson Bradley A. , Lingjia Zeng  , Kolen Michael J.
Published: March 2007

The delta method was used to derive standard errors (SEs) of the Levine observed score and Levine true score linear equating methods. SEs with a normality assumption as well as without a nor mality assumption were derived. Data from two forms of a test were used as an example to evalu ate the derived SEs of equating. Bootstrap SEs also were computed for the purpose of comparison. The SEs derived without the normality assumption and the bootstrap SEs were very close. For the skewed score distributions, the SEs derived with the normality assumption differed from the SEs derived without the normality assumption and the boot strap SEs.
Estimation of Composite Reliability for Congeneric Measures
Authors: Raykov Tenko
Published: March 2007

A structural equation model is described that permits estimation of the reliability index and coefficient of a composite test for congeneric measures. The method is also helpful in exploring the factorial structure of an item set, and its use in scale reliability estimation and development is illustrated. The modeling. estimator of composite reliability it yields does not possess the general underestimation property of Cronbach's coefficient a.
A Comparison of Procedures to Detect Item Parameter Drift
Authors: Donoghue John R. , Isham Steven P.
Published: March 2007

Monte carlo methods were used to compare several measures of item parameter drift. Number of examinees, number of items, and number of drift items in the test were manipulated. Overall, Lord's x2 measure was the most effective in identifying items that exhibited drift. However, the measure was accurate only when the studied item's c parameter was constrained to be equal across the two assessment years. Of the remaining measures, the best methods (a z test based on Raju's exact unsigned integral, the NAEP BILOG/PARSCALE computer program's x2 by subgroup, and Kim and Cohen's closed-interval signed-area measure) required empirical estimates of critical values for the test statistics in order to function well. This requirement detracts from their usefulness.
Political Influence Behavior and Career Success
Authors: Judge Timothy A. , Bretz Robert D.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined an important yet under-investigated topic, the effect of political influence behavior on career success. Drawing from past research on influence behavior and relevant theory from social psychology, the effect of political influence behavior on career success was hypothesized to depend on the type of influence tactic employed. Results from a sample of past graduates of two universities indicated that supervisor-focused tactics, manifesting a strategy of ingratiation, resulted in higher levels of career success while job-focused tactics, manifesting a strategy of self-promotion, resulted in lower levels of success. Implications of the results for the study of careers and career management processes are discussed.
Strategies for the Promotion and Diffusion of Consumer Goods and Services: An Overview
Authors: Semple R. Keith , Brown Lawrence A. , Brown Marilyn A.
Published: March 2007

THIS PAPER DISCUSSES MANY FACTORS WHICH AFFECT AGENCY STRATEGIES FOR THE PROMOTION AND DIFFUSION OF CONSUMER GOODS AND SERVICES. IT EXAMINES STRATEGIES FOR MARKET SELECTION, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, PRICE DETERMINATION AND PROMOTIONAL COMMUNICATION. ALSO DISCUSSED ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOODS AND SERVICES, AGENCY ATTRIBUTES, THE LIFE CYCLE OF GOODS AND SERVICES WITH THE ASSOCIATED INFORMATIONAL FEEDBACK MECHANISMS, AND THE IMPACT OF THE SPATIAL EXTENT OF INNOVATION DIFFUSION ON STRATEGY FORMULATIONS.
Goal Programming and the Goals-Achievement Matrix
Authors: Hill Morris , Werczberger Elia
Published: March 2007

The paper describes a hybrid model which combines the goals-achievement matrix approach with goal programming. It allows for the explicit incorporation of the different objectives and values of the partners to the decisionmaking process and other affected parties in the determination of the preferred set of policies. In addition, it can deal with diminishing utility and the lexicographic ordering of objectives. The use of the model is demonstrated with a hypothetical example of a neighbor hood rehabilitation program. The application of sensivity analysis in the decisionmaking process is discussed also.
Regional Development in a Socialist, Developing and Multinational Country: The Case of Yugoslavia
Authors: Pleskovic Boris , Dolenc Marjan
Published: March 2007

The paper presents an overview of the problems, policies, and shortcomings of regional planning practices in Yugoslavia and makes recommendations for future regional planning policy with respect to inter-regional inequalities. Since World War II the government has invested considerable effort and resources experimenting with various policies to reduce spatial disparities among its principal regions. As a socialist country, Yugoslavia could presumably use direct control of interregional allocation of investment funds and skilled labor to avoid the classic pattern of regional growth. However, various institutional problems, conflicts between goals and policies, demographic characteristics, and the lack of adequate conceptual structure for regional development policies have limited the government's success in reducing absolute and relative income disparities.
Reducing Energy Consumption in Housing: An Assessment of Alternatives
Authors: Neels Kevin
Published: March 2007

Physical characteristics of housing far outweigh the importance of household behavior as determinants of energy use. Analysis of residential energy consumption in two metropolitan areas in the north central United States suggests that household behavior affects energy use only within relatively narrow limits determined by the design, construction, and condition of the dwelling. The greatest reduction in per-unit energy consumption can result from changing the design of newly constructed housing. Savings of 20 to 50 percent appear to be readily attainable. Alterations of existing housing would have a more modest effect, from 5 to 10 percent, whereas feasible changes in occupant behavior would reduce energy use only 2 to 5 percent.
Location, Social Categories, and Individual Labor Market Experiences in Developing Economies: The Venezuelan Case
Authors: Brown Lawrence A. , England Kim V. L. , Goetz Andrew R.
Published: March 2007

Individual labor market experiences are examined in terms of educational attainment, labor force participation, and wages received. Explanatory factors include personal attributes and two multivariate scales measuring place characteristics related to development. The results indicate that place characteristics associated with development have important effects on labor market experiences. Labor market experiences particularly for women are likely to be better in locales that have a greater incidence of contemporary characteristics and less population pressure.
Interregional Wage Transmission in an Urban Hierarchy: Tests Using Vector Autoregressive Models
Authors: Lesage James P. , Reed J. David
Published: March 2007

This study applies vector autoregressive modeling techniques to examine a wage transmission hypothesis. The techniques produce a model that quantifies the magnitude and timing of intercity interdependencies in the determination of wage rates. The Granger-Sims notion of causality is used to establish and test the statistical significance of the intercity wage relations. Impulse response functions provide a graphic depiction of the dynamics of the relations determined by the vector autoregressive model. A Granger-causal structure is found that is consistent with the hypothesis of downward wage diffusion through an urban hierarchy of cities. The approach used here holds great promise in many areas of regional science research.
Residential Mobility Differences among Developed Countries
Authors: Long Larry
Published: March 2007

Micro-level theories of why households change residence contrast with macro-level approaches that relate the level of spatial mobility to development. This article compares the rate of residential mobility in 16 countries or other areas and examines both regional variations within countries and changes in rates of local and nonlocal moving. Hypotheses that explain why countries differ in rates of residential mobility are examined.
Small Towns, Rural Linkages, and Employment
Authors: Leinbach Thomas R.
Published: March 2007

Despite the utility of both the urban functions approach and the location-allocation model, further research is required before methods to locate urban activities are widely applied. Both regional objectives and local effects must be recognized within the broad goals of decentralized development planning. In light of Indonesia's emphasis on employment creation, the processes supporting urban-rural linkages and the nature of nonfarm employment must be identified more clearly. Interaction between the formal and informal sectors and its effect on employment potential in small towns needs to be specified, and the impact of road access and improved transport services on population mobility, especially in connection with employment, must be more thoroughly researched.
Does Space Matter? International Comparisons of the Prices of Tradables and Nontradables
Authors: Aten Bettina H.
Published: March 2007

One view of the consequence of trade among countries is that it tends to equalize prices of tradable goods in different countries. This paper reexamines this view when both geographic proximity and trade flows are taken into account. Two hypotheses are presented. The first is that distance is more strongly associated with countries' relative prices than the extent of trade between them. The second hypothesis is that, at given income levels, countries that are strong trading partners will have more similar prices. In both cases, this appears to be true for nontradables and even more so for low income countries. Additionally, much of the nontradable price difference can be captured by geographic variables. The implication is that a spatial component would enhance conventional approaches to the study of prices and incomes at the national level, particularly studies that include nontradable goods and services.
Those Taxes are all over the Map! A Test for Spatial Independence of Municipal Tax Rates in British Columbia
Authors: Brett Craig , Pinkse Joris
Published: March 2007

A test for spatial independence based on characteristic functions is introduced. The test is shown to be consistent against a fairly general class of alternatives, and the asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is determined. The test is then put to use in analyzing the spatial pattern of municipal property tax rates for the province of British Columbia. Results of the new test are compared with those of Moran's test on this data set. Some intriguing differences are found.
A Review and Comparison of Shift-Share Identities
Authors: Loveridge Scott , Selting Anne C.
Published: March 2007

Shift-share analysis is a means of decomposing change. Several alternative shift-share formulations appear in the literature. This research compares seven shift-share models through intra-model component correlations. The widely cited Esteban-Marquillas model performs less well under this test than do the classic model and two of its other derivatives. The Esteban-Marquillas model has other previously undetected weaknesses: 1) some components should logically sum to zero when all sectors and regions are added together, but do not; and 2) some components produce unrealistically high values for small volatile sectors.
What Is Private and What Is Public About Technology?
Authors: Nelson Richard R.
Published: March 2007

Technology has a proprietary aspect and a public good aspect. The proprietary aspect makes it profitable for firms to invest in its advance. The public aspect enables the community as a whole to benefit from technological advance. In order for technical advance to proceed rapidly and for the gams to be widely shared, there must be an appropriate balance between the proprietary and public aspects. Recent policy discussions have emphasized the proprietary aspects of technology, calling for a tightening and broadening of intellectual property rights. Universities have been encouraged to be more proprietary. We may be in danger of leaning too far in this direction.
Science, Technology, and Society: Considerations of Method
Authors: Beckwith Guy V.
Published: March 2007

This article attributes the many conflicting theories about the nature and direction of contemporary technological society to the revolutionary and paradoxical character of technology itself. Commentators come to very different conclusions about the same basic phenomena; but their differences, while reflecting divergent assumptions and intellectual styles, also reveal contradictions within the subject matter. Dialectical and historical methods are introduced as ways to redefine the basic terms involved, augment traditional studies, and indicate directions for authentic interdisciplinary research. A neo-Hegelian approach can help resolve problems of method and interpretation in the field of science, technology, and society, and reveal new possibilities for rational action and effective social control.
Promoting Remedial Response to the Risk of Radon: Are Information Campaigns Enough?
Authors: Weinstein Neil D. , Klotz M.L. , Sandman Peter M.
Published: March 2007

New Jersey residents who tested their homes for radon and found more than four picocuries per liter were surveyed (and a subsample interviewed) about their knowledge, emotions, attitudes, and intentions to take remedial action Respondents proved well informed, but radon levels were not highly correlated with any of the response variables. Overoptimism was more common than overreaction. The results suggest that active guidance is needed to ensure appropriate responses to environmental hazards, like radon, that require individual remediation. Simple information dissemination alone seems inadequate.
An Intermediary Between Production and Consumption: The Producer of Popular Music
Authors: Hennion Antoine
Published: March 2007

Trying to reduce the divide between culture and science, this article follows the producer of popular records, as an interface between music and its market. Like the innovator when he does not obey scientific, technical, and commercial reasons in succession, but reshapes them all together through a double task of giving its form to the product and the interesting people within it, the producer represents the public to the artist and the music to the media. First in a local scale, then in larger and larger ones, alone with the singer, in the studio, and into the media, this sociology of the intermediary shows the producer experimentally organizing, as in a laboratory, a complete production-consumption cycle. Success is then not the mysterious leap to the public, but the last extension of an equation into which the public has been incorporated in many forms from the very beginning.
Tacit Networks, Heterogeneous Engineers, and Embodied Technology
Authors: Sorensen Knut H. , Levold Nora
Published: March 2007

Social studies of science and technology are dominated by action and macro approaches. This has led to a neglect of institutions and institutional arrangements at the meso level, which are important, in particular to the student of technology. The transfer of concepts and methods from social studies of science to technology studies has conserved this lack of concern with the meso level. This article suggests a more critical evaluation of this transfer, along with a review of the now popular assumption of a high degree of similarity between science and technology. Two case studies show how meso-level considerations are important to an understanding of the nature of technological innovation and illustrate the lack of similarity between scientific and technological development.
What Kind of Inquiry Can Best Help Us Create a Good World?
Authors: Maxwell Nicholas
Published: March 2007

In order to create a good world, we need to learn how to do it—how to resolve our appalling problems and conflicts in more cooperative ways than at present. And in order to do this, we need traditions and institutions of learning rationally devoted to this end. When viewed from this standpoint, what we have at present—academic inquiry devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and technological know-how—is an intellectual and human disaster. We urgently need a new, more rigorous kind of inquiry that gives intellectual priority to the tasks of articulating our problems of living and proposing and critically assessing possible cooperative solutions. This new kind of inquiry would have as its basic aim to improve, not just knowledge, but also personal and global wisdom — wisdom being understood to be the capacity to realize what is of value in life. To develop this new kind of inquiry, we will need to change almost every branch and aspect of the academic enterprise.
The Politics of Technology: On Bringing Social Theory into Technological Design
Authors: Berg Marc
Published: March 2007

New approaches in the design of information technologies for work practices are drawing upon theories from sociology, anthropology, and social philosophy. Under the labels of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and Participatory Design (PD), work is done to "neturn" to design insights gained in the social study of the use of technological artifacts. Aftera brief introduction of these developments, the article zooms in on those authors for whom "better" technologies refer to hopes for more democratic and more worker-oriented workplaces. How do these approaches conceptualize "humans, " "machines, " and their interrelation in work practices? The conceptual engine which generates the analytical and political power of this approach, I argue, thrives upon the assertion of an ontological difference between the realms of "technology" and "human work. " What are the consequences of such conceptualizations for design? How do different ways of depicting "technology" and "work practice" yield different politics of technology?
Bayesian Statistics, Credentialing Examinations, and the Determination of Passing Points
Authors: Schoon Craig G. , Gullion Christina M. , Ferrara Philip
Published: March 2007

The Bayesian approach to setting passing points presents an attractive alternative to the normative and absolute standard approaches. The Bayesian approach takes into explicit consideration important variables such as loss ratios, well-defined minimum criterion levels, the nature of existing data on candidate competence, and the true level of functioning of a candidate. In this article, the Bayesian approach to setting passing points on credentialing examinations in the health fields is considered in the context of the Normal model. Several theoretical examples are given to demonstrate the mechanics of the Bayesian procedure. The theoretical example is followed by an application of the method to a credentialing examination in one of the allied health professions, in order to determine a ration al passing point.
Male Alcoholics
Authors: O'Leary Michael R. , Donovan Dennis M.
Published: March 2007

Pilot data have provided tentative evidence that the degree of cognitive impairment may be a meaningful classificatory variable with respect to subsequent outcome. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the differential effectiveness of short- and long-term intensive therapy for alcoholic subtypes defined by different levels of current problem-solving abilities. Subjects will be male alcoholic veterans participating in an inpatient treatment program at the Seattle Veterans Adminis tration Hospital. Patients volunteering to participate in thepresent study will initially be administered a neuropsychological test battery including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and tests from the Halstead battery. Scores from these tests will be used to determine the individuals' Brain-Age Quotient (BAQ), a measure of current adaptive abilities developed by Reitan. Measures of personality traits, psychosocial functioning, and drinking-related behavior will be collected on admission and at three-, six, and nine-month follow-up periods. Based on the antici pated findings of the present study, the length of the treatment program may be tailored to meet the specific needs, defined in terms of current adaptive abilities, of the individual client. Such a program would appear to maximize both the probabihty of a successful treatment outcome and mini mize unnecessary expenses.
Psychotherapy in a Community Mental Health Facility
Authors: Wilderman Robert
Published: March 2007

The paper demonstrates how one community mental health facility has engaged in outcome evaluation on a very limited budget. The evaluation model employs quasi-experimental research methodology. Clerical workers were trained to collect the data. Statistical analyses suggested that the treatment was beneficial, a finding further supported by a high level of client satisfaction. A group personality profile of clients seeking treatment from an outpatient center is presented, and the results of the study are discussed in relation to the psychotherapy research literature. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the results of the study were utilized.
Methodological Factors in Studying Medical Graduates
Authors: Woodward Christel A. , Dinham Sarah M.
Published: March 2007

This "state of the art" article examines six internship performance studies of medical school graduates that use rating scales as the vehicle for data collection. The methodological decisions investigators faced in designing the studies are described and the range of options used is illustrated. The content and format of rating forms employed are compared. No methodological standards currently exist for internship performance studies. We call for greater attention to methodological issues in study design, including examination ofpotential sources of bias. How structural aspects of the internship performance study design may influence the results obtained needs careful study.
The Use of Paired Comparisons for Developing Criteria for the Observation of Student Clinical Performance
Authors: Rippey Robert M. , Krutchkoff David J.
Published: March 2007

The method of paired comparisons was used to obtain rankings of 42 students in terms of their performance in emergency and screening clinic rotations. Although the comprehensive nature of the ranking might suggest a divergence of opinion regarding individual ranks, the composite ranking byfourfaculty members achieved a reliability of.86. This suggests that paired comparisons may provide a method of obtaining internally consistent assessments of students on more subtle aspects of clinical performance than those assessed by conventional multiple-choice tests or noncommittal written performance ratings.
Assessing the Test-Wiseness of Health Science Students
Authors: Harvill Leo M.
Published: March 2007

Two alternate test forms were developed to assess several test-wiseness (TW)principles for use with students in the health sciences. Each of the 24-item tests has six subtests consisting of four multiple-choice items that assess the examinee's skill in using the TWprinciples of similar options, umbrella term, item give-away, convergence principle, length of correct option, and stemoption cue. Analysis of responses from 39 entering medical students showed reasonable internal consistency (KR-20 = .79 for the combinedforms) and alternate form (r = .68) reliabilities. The means (64.1% and 65.7%, standard deviations (13.9% and 14.1%, and KR-20 reliabilities (.65 and .65) were similar for the two forms of the test. Some degree of validity for measuring TW is indicated by the significant gain made on the test by nursing and medical students specifically instructed in test-taking skills and by the correlations with course grades. The test is appropriatefor use with health science students because of the medical nature of the content of the test items and the level of performance on the test by both nursing and medical students, although some question remains concerning the appropriateness of retaining the current items that measure the use of the convergence principle.
Setting Standards for Credentialing Examinations
Authors: Meskauskas John A.
Published: March 2007

Progress in the field of standard setting during the 1980s is reviewed under the headings of conceptual and theoretical developments, guides to application, and comparative and applied research studies. Two new indices of stability of contentreferenced standard-setting results are presented, relating variability ofjudges'standard-setting decisions to the variability of candidate scores and to the reliability of the test. These indices are used to indicate whether the passing scores resultingfrom a standard-setting study are ofsufficientprecision. Recommendations based on the current research literature are made. Several neglected areas for research are identified.
A Comparison of the Relative Efficiency and Validity of Tailored Tests and Conventional Quizzes
Authors: Kent Thomas H. , Albanese Mark A.
Published: March 2007

Two types of computer-administered unit quizzes in a systematic pathology course for second-year medical students were compared. Quizzes composed of questions selected on the basis of a student's ability (tailored or adaptive testing) had higher correlations with the final examination than did quizzes composed of questions randomly selectedfrom topic areas (conventional testing). Further, tailored tests obtained optimum correlations with 25% fewer test items.
Interviewer Preferences for Respondent Groups
Authors: Dworkin Rosalind J.
Published: March 2007

Interviewer effects upon respondents are documented, but little is known about interviewer preferences and experiences. Questionnaire data obtained from 188 interviewers regarding their experience with and preferences for 18 targets and six locales indicates that patients form a preference factor distinct from other groups (common folk, dangerous people, children, and elites) and ranked fourth in preference out of the five groups. Six locales formed a Guttman Scale with the interviewing office the favored environment. Interviewers' experiences are not specialized; suggesting that interviewer recruitment can be broad based. Experience with patients increases preference for patients and preference for less controlled locales.
Subjective Quality of Life Measures for Evaluating Medical Intervention
Authors: McCauley Clark , Bremer Barbara A.
Published: March 2007

Medical interventions are usually evaluated in terms of mortality and morbidity data, but there is recent interest in going beyond medical data to assess the impact of the therapy on the objective and subjective quality of the patient's life. Objective quality of life measures such as employment and functional status are relatively straightforward, but measuring subjective quality of life is a more complex task. This article reviews psychometric issues relevant to using subjective quality of life scales developed by Bradburn and by Campbell, Converse, and Rodgers for research with patient populations. The evidence indicates that these relatively brief scales assess both affective and cogitaiive aspects of subjective quality of life. that they are measuring somethingmore stable than mood but less enduring than personality and that they can be as sensitive as physiological measures in distinguishing among treatment groups. It is concluded that these scales offer a useful complement to more objective measures of patient status for research evaluating medical interventions.
Using Physician Caller Follow-Ups to Improve the Response Rate to a Physician Telephone Survey
Authors: Bostick Roberd M. , Pirie Phyllis , Luepker Russell V. , Kofron Phillip M.
Published: March 2007

Physician survey response rates are generally low, raising questions of response bias. In the present study, a telephone survey ofphysicians was used to determine (a) whether physician telephone survey response rates obtained by experienced telephone survey teams can be improved by adding physician investigator telephone contact; (b) whether physicians responding after this extra effort ("late responders") differ from their "early responder" colleagues; and (c) whether higher response rates affect the results of physician surveys. Adding physician investigator telephone contact improved a response rate of 66% to 92%. Early and late responders differed significantly in respect to substantive questions, but did not in demographic characteristics. Addition of late responders, however, had limited impact on survey findings. Physician telephone survey response rate maximization remains advisable and can be accomplished by utilizing physician callers.
Consumer-Focused Data Collection in Prevention Program Evaluation
Authors: Spoth Richard , Molgaard Virginia
Published: March 2007

This article presents a rationalefor consumer-focused data collection at multiple points in the process ofprevention program evaluation. Recommended procedures include data collection on consumer responses to various recruitment strategies and consumer preferences for specific program delivery features. Following the general rationale for use of these procedures, a summary description of their relationship with existing approaches to program evaluation is presented. Finally, illustrations of consumer-focused data collection procedures applied during several phases of an ongoing program evaluation project are provided.
Narratives of Construct Validation
Authors: Engel John D.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a critique of the social and political context in which the idea of construct validation developed. Itoutlines the rhetorical as well as the empirical andphilosophical dimensions of the concept Finaly, the essay offers an alternative viewpoint for the conceptulizaton of construct validation and links it to current treatments of the topic by members of the measurement community.
Impact of Direct Mail Intervention on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavioral Intentions Regarding use of Emergency Medical Services for Symptoms of Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Meischke Hendrika , Eisenberg Mickey S. , Schaeffer Sheri M. , Larsen Mary Pat , Henwood Daniel K.
Published: March 2007

This study evaluated a direct mail intervention called the "Call Fast, Call 911" campaign designed to increase use of emergency medical services for symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. The campaign was targeted at individuals over the age of 50. Persons over 50 years of age (N = 130,000) in King County, Washington, were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. Individuals in the intervention groups received six direct mail pieces over a 1-year period encouraging them to call 911 quickly in response to chest pain. A postintervention telephone survey of a random sample of households (N = 434) assessed the impact of the campaign on knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding use of emergency medical services for symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. The results showed no significant differences between intervention and control groups in terms of knowledge of AMI. However, there were significant differences in beliefs and behavioral intentions to call 911 in a cardiac emergency.
Meta-Analysis at 20
Authors: Kavale Kenneth A.
Published: March 2007

It has been 20 years since Gene Glass reinvigorated research integration through the formalization of meta-analysis. This article explores the nature of meta-analysis by placing it within the context of research synthesis. The methods of meta-analysis are described briefly and compared and contrasted with other forms of research integration. In addition, the findings from several meta-analyses are provided to show the advantages of quantitative review methods. Finally, criticisms of meta-analyses are analyzed; as are several unanswered questions about the direction of meta-analysis.
Long-Term Findings from Woodridge in Reducing Illegal Cigarette Sales to Older Minors
Authors: Jason Leonard A. , Billows William D. , Schnopp-Wyatt Daniel L. , King Caroline
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present study is to assess the effectiveness of an enforcement program in reducing cigarette sales to older minors in a community that had been successful in reducing illegal sales of cigarettes to younger minors. Cigarette sales rates were monitored over a 3-year period with quarterly compliance testing in Woodridge, Illinois. Sales rates for older minors werefound to be only slightly higher than those of younger minors with one exception. Thesefindings suggest that the enforcement of cigarette control laws is an effective means by which access to cigarettes can be reducedforbothyoungerand olderminors.
Evaluating the Healthy Start Program
Authors: Raykovich K. S. T. , McCormick Marie C. , Howell Embry M. , Devaney Barbara L.
Published: March 2007

The national evaluation of the federallyfunded Healthy Start program involved translating a design for a process and outcomes evaluation and standard maternal and infant data set, both developed prior to the national evaluation contract award, into an evaluation design and client data collection protocol that could be used to evaluate 15 diverse grantees. This article discusses the experience of creating a process and outcomes evaluation design that was both substantively and methodologically appropriate given such issues as the diversity of grantees and their community-based intervention strategies; the process of accessing secondary data sources, including vital records; the quality of client level data submissions; and the need to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative approaches into the evaluation design. The relevance of this experience for the conduct of otherfield studies of public health interventions is discussed
Evaluation of a School Climate Instrument for Assessing Affective Objectives in Health Professional Education
Authors: Cavanaugh Sally , Simmons Priscilla
Published: March 2007

A conceptual framework for the study of school climate and development of professional caring ability is proposed that is compatible with research on learning environment and socialization. Student input characteristics were measured demographically and through use of previously validated scales from the Parental Bonding Instrument; student outcome characteristics were measured on the CaringAbility Inventoryforwhich considerable empirical validity evidence exists. The primary focus of this evaluation addressed reliability and validity of an instrument designed to assess learning environment that had not previously been used in postsecondary education. Four abbreviated School Climate scales were studied: Respect, Trust, Morale, and Caring. Source data were obtainedfrom the initial phase of a longitudinal study of baccalaureate nursing students throughout the United States. Factor analysis, score reliability, and itemtotal correlation results indicate the School Climate instrument has theoretical and practical utility for program evaluation and improvement in health professional education.