Utility of confirmatory factor analysis in test validation research.

The multitrait–multimethod ({mtmm}) design is often used in test validation research to disentangle problems due to shared method variance. However, {mtmm} research requires extensive data collection that may be prohibitive in clinical settings. Furthermore, interpretation of {mtmm} data can be ambiguous and misleading. In the current article, maximum-likelihood confirmatory factor analysis ({cfa}) is presented as a means for less ambiguous interpretation of complete and incomplete {mtmm} designs. Confirmatory Factor analysis is applied to four data sets that represent four designs: monotrait–monomethod, multitrait–monomethod, monotrait–multimethod, and multitrait–multimethod. In all four cases, {cfa} results provided more rigorous support of the original authors' positions and provided valuable supplemental findings as well. Additionally, {cfa} was applied to an artificial data set. Intuitive interpretations of the artificial data were compared with the results of the {cfa}. The results showed that the intuitive approach can lead to highly spurious conclusions regarding convergent and discriminant validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual lexical access is initially phonological: I. Evidence from associative priming by words, homophones, and pseudohomophones.

In 9 experiments, a target word (e.g., frog) was named following an associate ({TOAD}), or a word (e.g., {TOWED}) or nonword (e.g., {TODE}) homophonic with the associate. At brief (e.g., 50 msec) stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), the 3 primes produced equal associative priming. At a long SOA (250 msec), priming by {TOAD} was matched by {TODE} but not by {TOWED}. Equal priming at brief SOAs by the 3 primes and no priming by orthographic controls ({TOLD}, {TORD}) suggests that lexical access is initially phonological. {TOWED} priming less than {TODE} at SOA?=?250 msec suggests that phonologically activated representations whose input orthography does not match the addressed spelling (available only for words) are eventually suppressed. Phonological constraints on lexical access precede and set the stage for orthographic constraints. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of the Crisis Call Outcome Rating Scale.

We constructed a rating scale of caller behavior to be used as an outcome measure at a telephone hotline facility. Hotline volunteers supplied an initial pool of critical incidents, which described caller behavior that suggested whether or not a successful outcome had occurred. Psychology students used an initial version of the Crisis Call Outcome Rating Scale ({ccors}) to rate caller behavior on role-played audiotapes. Items that demonstrated respectable item–total correlations were retained for the final 26-item version of the {ccors}, which had an alpha coefficient of .95 and detected meaningful differences among audiotapes as indicated by analyses of variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the validity of three scales for the assessment of dietary restraint.

The construct validity of Herman and Polivy's Restraint Scale (RS), the restraint factor of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire ({tfeq-r}), and the restraint scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire ({debq-r}) were investigated by relating these scales to self-reported mean caloric intake per day and to other measures associated with disordered eating and figure consciousness. A factor analysis showed that the three restraint scales measure different components of the restraint construct. A high score on the RS was closely related to consequences of mostly unsuccessful dieting, such as disinhibited eating and weight fluctuations, but not to successful overall caloric restriction in everyday life. High scores on the {tfeq-r} and the {debq-r} represented the more successful dieting behavior component of restraint. The three scales have in common a motivational component of restrained eating, including concerns about shape and weight, and desire for thinness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate analysis of variance by multiple regression methods.

Discusses multivariate analysis of variance as a general case of familiar multiple regression analysis. A consequence of this approach is a unified treatment of multivariate analysis of variance which can be used by psychologists who are generally familiar with multiple regression approaches to univariate analysis of variance. It is suggested that the generality of the approach permits solutions consistent with any of the several available strategies for dealing with problems of unequal and disproportionate cell frequencies. Inherent in the multiple regression formulation is the otherwise not so obvious fact that univariate analysis of variance results are an integral part of the multivariate solution and that both are important for understanding complex data. Methods of interpreting multivariate analysis of variance results in complex factorial experimental designs are discussed. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Abnormal fusion" of stereopsis and binocular rivalry.

Wolfe (1986) has proposed a theory of binocular vision with the following characteristics: It consists of an exclusively binocular ({and}) process, an either-eye binocular ({or}) process, and two monocular ({only}) processes. All these processes function simultaneously, and perception derives from the combination of their outputs. Critically, the theory asserts that binocular rivalry and stereopsis can be active at the same site in the visual field. We argue that Wolfe's theory is needlessly complex in that simultaneous action of binocular rivalry and stereopsis is unnecessary, yet it is unable to account for data on detection of monocular probes that are easy to explain within current models of binocular vision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contribution of individual variables to Hotelling's T2, Wilks' lambda, and R2

We examine the effect of each variable on the following statistics: the one-sample and two-sample Hotelling's T2, Wilks' lambda for multivariate analysis of variance, and R2 in multiple regression. For T2, the net effect of each variable is an increase in the multivariate statistic, and the particular factors determining the amount of increase are (i) the multiple correlation of the variable with all other variables, and (ii) how well the variable's contribution to falsifying the hypothesis can be linearly predicted from the other variables. The effect of each predictor variable on R2 is similar to the effect of each variable on T2. For Wilks' lambda, each variable induces a decrease, due to (i) the F for that variable alone, and (ii) the change in multiple correlation from within-sample to total-sample.     

Parametric statistics and levels of measurement: Factorial designs and multiple regression.

Let Y be a continuous, ordinal measure of a latent variable Θ. In general, for factorial designs, an analysis of variance of the observed variable Y cannot be used to draw inferences about main effects and interactions on the latent variable Θ even when the standard normality and equality of variance assumptions hold. If Y is a continuous, ordinal measure of a latent variable Θ; X?,…, Xn are continuous, ordinal measures of latent variables Φ?,…, Φn; and the observed measures have a multivariate normal distribution, then a multiple regression analysis of the observed criterion measure Y and predictors X?,…, Xn can be used to test hypotheses about multivariate associations among the latent variables. Furthermore, the predicted values Y′ are unbiased estimates of quantities that are monotonically related to predicted values on the latent criterion variable Θ. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate statistics for family psychology research.

The application of selected multivariate statistics is illustrated for use in family psychology research. The use of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and discriminant analysis in factorial designs and profile analysis is discussed. Profile analysis provides a method for dealing with unit of analysis issues in family psychology research. Applications of confirmatory factor analysis are also discussed as useful methods for researchers examining multiple components of families and handling multiple perspectives of various family members. Limitations and applications of these methods in family psychology research are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multisample item response theory analysis of the Beck Depression Inventory-1A.

The widespread employment of the Beck Depression Inventory-1A ({bdi}-1{a}) has spawned a number of practices: (1) The employment of an unweighted total score as a measure of depression; (2) Its use in populations other than that in which it was normed; and (3) The employment of {bdi}-1{a} total scores in hypothesis tests about population differences in mean depression. A sequential procedure based on item response theory was employed to assess the validity of these practices for the case of 4 populations: clinical depressives (n?=?210), mixed nondepressed psychiatric patients (n?=?98), and students from 2 different universities (n?=?624). The findings suggest that the 1st practice was not justified for any of these populations, that the {bdi}-1{a} was employable only with clinical depressives and with 1 of the university populations, and that mean comparisons were not allowable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vasopressin analogue ({ddavp}) facilitates recall of narrative prose.

The effects of treatment with l-desamino-D-arginine vasopressin ({ddavp}) on memory in healthy adult human subjects were investigated. Each subject (males only) received 60 μg of {ddavp} intranasally and then heard six narrative passages of prose presented at differing rates of presentation. Proportion of recall was measured at high, medium, and low levels of importance of idea units within the passage. The results indicated that treatment with {ddavp} facilitated recall for both high and medium importance idea units. There was no interaction between treatment and either rate of presentation or level of verbal ability. These findings provide further evidence for the modest facilitation provided by acute administration of {ddavp} on human memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Temperature activation of courtship behavior in the male red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis): Role of the anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area.

Adult male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) received radio-frequency lesions prior to 17 weeks of low-temperature hibernation. Animals found to have bilateral lesions of the anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area ({ah-poa}) failed to exhibit courtship behavior on emergence from hibernation. Those individuals in which the major portion of the destruction was centered in the anterior POA also exhibited deficits in thermoregulatory behavior. Animals that received unilateral lesions of the {ah-poa} initiated courtship behavior after controls and had an abbreviated period of courtship; these animals exhibited normal responses to thermal stimuli. Male snakes with lesions outside the {ah-poa} courted normally and demonstrated no differences in thermoregulatory behavior compared with the surgical controls. These results indicate that in male red-sided garter snakes, an intact {ah-poa} is critical for the integration of thermal stimuli that activate seasonal courtship behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What to do with significant multivariate effects in multivariate analyses of variance.

Significant multivariate tests in the multivariate analysis of variance are often followed by analyses of the contributions of individual dependent variables to those significant effects. There has been little agreement, however, as to which specific analyses should be performed. The use of the 2 most common techniques, analysis of variance for each dependent variable and discriminant analysis, are discussed and then illustrated in a computer study. It is suggested that the purpose of the user should determine the technique chosen as the 2 methods are not alternative approaches to the same problem. Analysis of variance can be used for hypothesis testing of individual variables and is appropriate for research. The value of discriminant analysis is in prediction and classification, although it can indicate complex relationships between measures in hypothesis testing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response variable hypotheses in the multivariate analysis of variance.

Es using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) usually want to analyze effects separately for each response variable after rejecting a null hypothesis of multivariate dispersion. From the standpoint of the multivariate general linear model, 4 measures of importance for response variables are discussed: univariate F statistic for each response, standardized canonical coefficient for each response, contribution to the MANOVA test criterion by each response, and simultaneous confidence intervals on estimates of treatment effects on each response. Artificial data are presented to illustrate problems in using these measures. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pupillographic assessment of sleepiness in sleep-deprived healthy subjects

Medical research frequently involves the statistical comparison of >2 groups, often using data obtained through the application of complex experimental designs. Fortunately, inferential statistical methodologies exist to address these situations. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) in its many forms is used to simultaneously test the equality of all groups in a study. One-way (with 1 independent variable), 2-way (with 2 independent variables), and repeated-measures (patients serve as their own controls) ANOVAs are forms of this technique. Each form has been developed to analyze data from a specific experimental design. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) allows the researcher to control for confounding variables that may influence the response of the dependent variable. Finally, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) evaluates the simultaneous responses of multiple dependent variables to > or = 1 independent variable. Whereas ANOVA is the correct alternative to statistically inappropriate multiple t-tests, MANOVA is the correct alternative to statistically inappropriate multiple univariate ANOVA calculations. Use of each of these statistical methods requires an appropriate experimental design and data meeting a number of assumptions. When used properly, each of these methods provides a powerful statistical analysis technique.     

Sexual behavior and nonsexual deviance: A sibling study of their relationship.

Analyzed the correlation of nonsexual deviance and physical, sexual behavior using a sibling design. Hypothesized that both types of behavior are partly determined by a latent trait of deviance proneness, d. In two separate studies—one based on an Oklahoma dataset of college students and their siblings, and the other, on the Adolescent Sexuality Project ({adsex}) dataset of high-school students and their siblings in Tallahassee, Florida—found a strong relationship between relatively early sexual intimacy and nonsexual forms of deviance. Siblings were more alike than chance in deviance and in physical sexual behavior. Most critical for the model, there was also an association between one sibling's sexual intimacy with a partner and the other's deviance. Using {lisrel}, tested the latent-trait model statistically and accepted it as consistent with the obtained correlations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serial learning with wild card items by monkeys (Cebus apella): Implications for knowledge of ordinal position.

We investigated monkeys' knowledge of the ordinal positions of stimuli that formed a 5-item serial list, {abcde}, with wild card items ({w}) that could substitute for items in the original series. In Experiment 1, training with wild cards was given on 3-, 4-, and 5-item series. In the last of these series, the wild card substitutions created five wild card sequences, {wbcde} through {abcdw}. During the final 10 sessions of training with each of 2 different wild cards (Items {x} and {y}), the 3 Ss were able to successfully complete almost 60% of the wild card sequences. In Experiment 2, the 2 wild cards were presented on the same trial in 10 different double wild card sequences (e.g., {axcdy}). The 2 monkey Ss correctly completed about 59% of the double wild card sequences during the final 2 training sessions. The performance levels achieved on single and on double wild card sequences, although well below that observed on the baseline sequence {abcde} (90% or better), support the view that the monkeys possessed some knowledge regarding the ordinal position of each baseline item. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of eating abnormalities and gender on perceptions of desirable body shape.

A. E. Fallon and P. Rozin (see record 1985-14553-001) found that men and women differ when choosing the figure drawings that most resemble (a) their own current figures ({current}), (b) their ideal figures ({ideal}), and (c) the figure thought most attractive to the opposite sex ({opposite}). In the present experiment, women with high Eating Attitude Test (EAT) scores, indicating abnormal eating patterns, choose differently from those with low scores. All women's {ideal} and {opposite} figures are thinner than their {current} figures, whereas men rate all three nearly identically. Only the high-scoring women choose an {ideal} figure thinner than their {opposite}. This suggests that whereas men are satisfied with their figures, women desire to be thinner than they think they are, and women with abnormal eating behaviors desire to be even thinner than what they think men find attractive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Repetition priming is not purely episodic in origin.

The sufficiency of similarity among surface attributes of prime-target pairs to account for the pattern of facilitation obtained in the repetition priming paradigm was evaluated. In Experiment 1, morphological primes were singular, inflected case forms of Serbo-Croatian words, and visual similarity of prime and target was manipulated by alternating the two alphabets in which the Serbo-Croatian language is written. Results indicated that the magnitude of facilitation in the alphabetically alternating condition was not reduced relative to the nonalternating condition ({rupi}–{rupi} vs. {p}–{rupi}) which suggested that visual similarity is not a necessary condition for facilitation in the present task. In Experiment 2, related pairs included (a) base forms with diminutives, a class of highly productive and semantically predictable derivations marked in Serbo-Croatian by suffixes and (b) base words with morphologically unrelated monomorphemic words whose orthographic pattern encompassed the target in initial position and a sequence of letters in final position that elsewhere functions as a diminutive suffix. Collectively, the experiments suggested that structural similarity of prime and target is not a sufficient condition for facilitation in the repetition priming paradigm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subliminal psychodynamic activation in depression: A failure to replicate.

Attempted to replicate S. Nissenfeld's (1979) application of L. H. Silverman's (see record 1977-05955-001) technique of subliminal psychodynamic activation in which a significant effect on statelike psychopathology symptomatic of depression was found for the "symbiotic" stimulus. 30 depressed female inpatients (aged 17–62 yrs) were administered 3 subliminal stimuli: a control stimulus ({people talking}), the symbiotic stimulus ({mommy and i are one}), and a rapproachement stimulus ({mommy loves me as i am}). Dependent variables were anxious and depressed affect as measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, depressed and hypomanic themes rated from the TAT, the Digit Symbol subscale from the WAIS, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Silverman's measure of pathological nonverbal behavior. MANOVA found no significant effects for any of the independent variables. Neither the inadequate power of statistical tests nor deficient methodology accounted for this failure to replicate Nissenfeld's findings. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)