Comment on Simonton's "Cross-sectional time-series experiments: Some suggested statistical analyses."

Suggests that the equation on which multiple time-series analysis is based is applicable to more than experimental and control groups that are identical prior to intervention as D. K. Simonton indicated (see record 1978-00178-001). The present article suggests that the equation is also applicable to cases in which comparable though not identical groups are investigated and in which nonequivalent groups are analyzed. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of outpatient psychotherapy: Some suggested guidelines.

Suggests guidelines for developing evaluative procedures to fit the needs and constraints of specific treatment settings. The orientation is practical, recognizing that clients and professionals alike must carefully attend to cost–benefit factors. It is felt that psychotherapists can move beyond their current impressionistic, global evaluations and develop procedures with greater value for corrective feedback and communication to both lay and professional audiences. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loneliness predicts reduced physical activity: Cross-sectional & longitudinal analyses.

Objective: To determine cross-sectional and prospective associations between loneliness and physical activity, and to evaluate the roles of social control and emotion regulation as mediators of these associations. Design: A population-based sample of 229 White, Black, and Hispanic men and women, age 50 to 68 years at study onset, were tested annually for each of 3 years. Main Outcome Measures: Physical activity probability, and changes in physical activity probability over a 3-year period. Results: Replicating and extending prior cross-sectional research, loneliness was associated with a significantly reduced odds of physical activity (OR = 0.65 per SD of loneliness) net of sociodemographic variables (age, gender, ethnicity, education, income), psychosocial variables (depressive symptoms, perceived stress, hostility, social support), and self-rated health. This association was mediated by hedonic emotion regulation, but not by social control as indexed by measures of social network size, marital status, contact with close ties, group membership, or religious group affiliation. Longitudinal analyses revealed that loneliness predicted diminished odds of physical activity in the next two years (OR = 0.61), and greater likelihood of transitioning from physical activity to inactivity (OR = 1.58). Conclusion: Loneliness among middle and older age adults is an independent risk factor for physical inactivity and increases the likelihood that physical activity will be discontinued over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quantitative and qualitative analyses for psychotherapy research: Integration through time-series designs.

Proposes the generalized least squares method, a time-series multiple-regression analysis, to simultaneously assess treatment efficacy and process correlates of outcome and to test alternative hypotheses of treatment efficacy. This approach can be applied to small samples by capitalizing on repeated measurements. Criteria for qualitative analysis are presented in an attempt to provide guidelines for the identification of significant therapeutic change events and the generation of hypotheses regarding factors involved in therapeutic change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomized single-subject experiments and statistical tests.

The importance of intensive study of the individual subject in counseling research and the importance of the development of appropriate designs and analytical procedures for single-subject research has been recognized. Single-subject experiments are not always possible or ethical, but when they can be performed, treatment times should be randomly assigned to treatments, as this randomization is essential to provide the basis for a statistical test. The assumption of random sampling is not met in single-subject experiments. However, the data from a randomized single-subject experiment can be analyzed by use of a randomization test because such tests do not require random sampling. Randomized single-subject experiments can be helpful in determining what is best for a particular client, and systematic replications of such experiments can help in generalizing to other subjects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alternatives to Simonton's analyses of the interrupted and multiple-group time-series designs.

D. K. Simonton (see record 1978-00178-001) discussed the use of several linear models for the analysis of data arising in the interrupted time-series design and the multiple-group time-series design. The present authors contend that the objectives of Simonton's analyses can be realized using profile analysis. Statistical procedures for analyzing the interrupted time-series and the multiple-group time-series designs are outlined. The procedures are applicable when several Ss are observed on several pre- and posttreatment occasions and when the number of Ss is greater than the number of occasions. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a theory of "hypnotic" behavior: Experimental analyses of suggested amnesia.

Suggestions of amnesia were given to 144 Ss in a 2 X 2 X 4 factorial experiment. The independent variables were: (1) spoken vs. recorded presentation of suggestions, (2) presence vs. absence of hypnotic induction, and (3) 3 types of suggestions for amnesia—authoritative ("You will not rememberp"), permissive ("Try to forget"), suggestions to simulate, and no suggestions. Variable 1 did not produce important differences in amnesic performance. Variable 2 significantly affected 1 of the 5 tests for amnesia, with the presence of hypnotic induction resulting in less amnesia. Variable 3 exerted the most powerful effect. Irrespective of the presence or absence of hypnotic induction, Ss differed on the tests for amnesia depending on which suggestion they were given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Declines in divergent thinking with age: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cross-sequential analyses.

Six measures of divergent thinking were administered to 825 men ranging in age from 17 to 101 over the period from 1959 to 1972; repeat administrations were given to a subset of 278 men after a 6-year interval. Cross-sectional analyses showed curvilinear trends, with an increase in scores for men under 40 and a decline thereafter. Repeated measures analyses on subjects initially aged 33 to 74 generally replicated this finding, whereas cross-sequential analyses suggested a decline for all cohorts tested at a later time. Additional analyses suggested that not all of the decline could be attributed to reduced speed of response production. These longitudinal findings confirm earlier cross-sectional reports of decline in divergent thinking abilities with age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loneliness as a specific risk factor for depressive symptoms: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

The extent to which loneliness is a unique risk factor for depressive symptoms was determined in 2 population-based studies of middle-aged to older adults, and the possible causal influences between loneliness and depressive symptoms were examined longitudinally in the 2nd study. In Study 1, a nationally representative sample of persons aged 54 and older completed a telephone interview as part of a study of health and aging. Higher levels of loneliness were associated with more depressive symptoms, net of the effects of age, gender, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, social support, and perceived stress. In Study 2, detailed measures of loneliness, social support, perceived stress, hostility, and demographic characteristics were collected over a 3-year period from a population-based sample of adults ages 50-67 years from Cook County, Illinois. Loneliness was again associated with more depressive symptoms, net of demographic covariates, marital status, social support, hostility, and perceived stress. Latent variable growth models revealed reciprocal influences over time between loneliness and depressive symptomatology. These data suggest that loneliness and depressive symptomatology can act in a synergistic effect to diminish well-being in middle-aged and older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The criterion method: Some analyses and remarks.

The distribution of trials to criterion under the null hypothesis of no learning is obtained for 2 broad classes of criteria. Tables are provided which give the maximum permissible number of trials which may be run such that the probability of reaching criterion when learning does not occur remains less than a selected value. These results include Grant's analysis of the "runs" criterion as a special case. Illustrations of a number of problems which arise in the use of the criterion method also are presented to emphasize the often ignored dependence of method upon theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived control, effort, and academic performance: Interindividual, intraindividual, and multivariate time-series analyses.

A naturalistic study tested a model depicting how perceived control functions to regulate and interpret children's cognitive performances. Data, collected daily in the classroom over 4 mo, were organized around children's cognitive performances (graded assignments). For each homework and test, children provided information about effort, performance, attributions (effort, ability, concentration/help, task difficulty, and unknown causes), and expected control. The data formed a sequence of beliefs–performance–beliefs "loops" for each child. Although data at the interindividual level were consistent with the model, intraindividual data revised each link; furthermore, exploratory multivariate time-series analyses suggested that different models may best fit single Ss. Intraindividual implications included adding mediators to the model and designing interventions to fit individual children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement error in subliminal perception experiments: Simulation analyses of two regression methods.

A. G. Greenwald, M. R. Klinger, and E. S. Schuh (1995) investigated subliminal perception using a regression-based test for a dissociation between direct and indirect measures of perceptual ability. Direct and indirect measures were obtained for each observer, and a regression analysis was used to predict the amount of indirect perception at the point where the direct measure showed zero sensitivity. A significant positive intercept, obtained with both standard regression and a modified regression developed by K. C. Klauer, S. C. Draine, and A. G. Greenwald (1998), was used to argue for the key dissociation. When the assumptions of these methods are not met, however, simulations indicate that significant positive intercepts can often be obtained even if there is no dissociation. Moreover, the assumptions are theoretically implausible and inconsistent with some aspects of the results. Thus, the significant positive intercept is not strong evidence of the key dissociation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological distress following criminal victimization in the general population: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and prospective analyses.

Samples of 105 violent crime victims, 227 property crime victims, and 190 nonvictims provided normative data regarding levels of psychological distress following criminal victimization. At points approximately 3, 9, and 15 mo post-crime, symptoms of depression, somatization, hostility, anxiety, phobic anxiety, fear of crime, and avoidance were assessed. Although crime victims showed substantial improvement between 3 and 9 mo, thereafter they did not. Over the course of the study, violent crime victims remained more distressed than did property crime victims who, in turn, remained more distressed than nonvictims. Regression analyses revealed that the effects of crime could not be accounted for by pre-crime differences between victims and nonvictims in either social status or psychological functioning. However, lasting effects were often contingent on the occurrence of subsequent crimes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability of measurement and the power of statistical tests: Some new results.

The authors (see record 1979-00153-001) argued that the reliability coefficient for the dependent variable in a controlled experiment has no direct relevance for hypothesis testing. Specifically, they demonstrated that increasing the reliability coefficient for the dependent variable did not necessarily increase the power of standard statistical tests. The authors present further evidence that large reliability coefficients are not always desirable in true experiments, and replies to J. P. Sutcliffe's (see record 1980-29332-001) basic criticisms of Nicewander and Price's contentions. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selecting a time-series strategy.

Tests of hypotheses implying a longitudinal association between or among time series have become increasingly common in the psychological literature. These tests, however, vary greatly in analytic approach and, therefore, focus attention on methodological rather than on substantive issues. The present authors contend that the lack of methodological convergence is due to the fact that time-series analyses have historically evolved to meet forecasting rather than hypothesis testing needs. A scheme is presented by which researchers can choose among time-series methods to test various classes of hypotheses. The scheme is derived from experimental logic and should help psychologists converge on time-series conventions that will allow attention to focus on substance rather than method. Empirical applications of the scheme are illustrated with several examples of psychiatric admissions series. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the generality of trait relationships: Some analyses based on Fiske's paper.

Examines D. W. Fiske's (see record 1974-03164-001) argument that different methods of measuring 12 Murray needs have different intertrait relationships. A series of analyses of the correlation matrices upon which Fiske based his argument indicated that (a) the different assessment methods varied in the average absolute correlation between scales; (b) there was a substantial amount of similarity in the interattribute relationships for the 5 methods; and (c) the underlying factor structures were highly comparable, with 3 factors common to all factor matrices. Thus, within the domain of Murray needs, there is a large degree of generality of intertrait relationships and underlying structural dimensions, regardless of measurement procedures. Implications for the construct validation of personality constructs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of tests of statistical significance and other analytic choices in a school psychology journal: Review of practices and suggested alternatives.

This article has 4 purposes. First, some of the criticisms of contemporary practice regarding the use of statistical tests are reviewed briefly; these concerns have been reflected in a series of articles in the American Psychologist and in the appointment of an American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Statistical Inference, which will consider recommendations for improving the use of statistical significance tests. Second, a brief overview of effect indices is presented. Third, related practices within 7 volumes of an APA division journal, School Psychology Quarterly, are reviewed; it was found that some contemporary authors continue to use and interpret statistical significance tests inappropriately. Fourth, suggestions for improved practice are briefly explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the documentation of statistical analyses in the "clicky-box" era.

The proliferation of user-friendly computer packages that perform statistical analyses has led to what we call the "clicky-box" era in statistics: It is now possible to run complicated statistical analyses by clicking on menu options and reading the output. Although the advent of such technology has had a profoundly positive impact on psychological research (think of doing a factor analysis or fitting a structural equation model without such software!), it has also led to a greater opportunity for confusion. This article provides some essential procedures for the documentation and safe handling of data. The procedures outlined serve as a guide to help avoid the problems and confusions that can easily arise in the clicky-box era of highly automated data analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability of assessment tools in rehabilitation: an illustration of appropriate statistical analyses

Kinetic evidence is presented for the interaction of prothrombin with several distinctive topological regions of the thrombin molecule. Modulations of thrombin catalytic activity on the protein substrates prothrombin and prethrombin 1 are demonstrated that involve the fragment 1 and fragment 2 portions. The inhibitory effects are demonstrably non-competitive. In addition to exhibiting non-competitive inhibition, fragment 2 is capable of enhancing proteolysis by thrombin; and therefore to react with a second region of the enzyme. On the basis of the crystallographic studies of the complex between fragment 2 and thrombin (Arni et al., Biochemistry 32 (1992) 4727), this activating site is proposed to be associated with exosite II. The allosteric switch between procoagulant and anticoagulant activities identified from studies by Di Cera (Dang et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 92 (1995) 5977) could be 'thrown' by a macromolecular effector that is generated during thrombin formation--a plausible mechanism for switching that deserves further investigation.