A Hierarchical Analysis of 1,710 English Personality-Descriptive Adjectives.

The structure of the English personality lexicon was investigated using self-ratings (N = 310) on a set of 1,710 personality-trait adjectives. The 5-factor solution resembled the Big Five structure, but included rotational variants of Agreeableness and Emotional Stability similar to those of other languages. In the 6-factor solution an additional factor, defined by terms such as unpretentious versus sly, resembled an Honesty-Humility factor observed in other languages. The 6-factor solution also produced an especially clear 5th factor, defined by Intellect, Imagination, and Unconventionality content. The hierarchical emergence of factors from 1 to 7 was explored, and the 7-factor solution yielded a Religiosity factor, adding to the diverse array of 7th factors observed in other languages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

通讯数据的可靠性分析

利用概率论中的二项式分布和中心极限定理等理论 ,对通讯系统的可靠性作了较为详细的定量分析 ,并对报文长短的截取作了优化设计 .此种方法已应用于某热轧厂运输链通讯系统的可靠性分析 .     

Control of spurious association and the reliability of the controlled variable.

The techniques of matched groups, analysis of covariance, and partial correlation represent various approaches to the prevention of a spurious association between X1 and X2 due to a confounding variable, X3. In all these techniques the use of an unreliable measure for X3 leads to a systematic bias of undercorrection. Adequate corrections are possible for the case of known reliability of X3. Groups should be matched on true scores rather than observed scores, but no correction is possible for the factorial design in which groups are formed on the basis of unreliable correlated measures. Partial correlations should be corrected for the effects of unreliability of the controlled variable. Spuriously high partials are usually obtained when this correction is not applied. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consistent Finite-Element Response Sensitivity Analysis

This paper examines the important issue of response sensitivities of dynamic models of structural systems to both material and (discrete) loading parameters. Plasticity-based finite-element models of structural systems subjected to base excitation such as earthquake loading are considered. The two methods for computing the response sensitivities, namely, (1) discretizing in time the time continuous-spatially discrete response equations and differentiating the resulting time discrete-spatially discrete response equations with respect to sensitivity parameters, and (2) differentiating the time continuous-spatially discrete response equations with respect to sensitivity parameters and discretizing in time the resulting time continuous-spatially discrete response sensitivity equations, are clearly distinguished. The discontinuities in time of the response sensitivities arising due to material state transitions in the plasticity models, and their propagation from the quadrature point level to the global structural response level are discussed using a specific one-dimensional plasticity model. The procedure to obtain the exact sensitivities of the numerical nonlinear finite-element response, including proper capture of their discontinuities, is formalized. Application examples illustrating the concepts are presented at the end.     

Estimation of the reliability of average of rankings.

A formula for estimating the average reliability of a set of rankings, based on n sets, each reduced to standard score form, is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recent reliability reporting practices in Psychological Assessment: Recognizing the people behind the data.

Helms, Henze, Sass, and Mifsud (2006) defined good practices for internal consistency reporting, interpretation, and analysis consistent with an alpha-as-data perspective. Their viewpoint (a) expands on previous arguments that reliability coefficients are group-level summary statistics of samples' responses rather than stable properties of scales or measures and (b) encourages researchers to investigate characteristics of reliability data for their own samples and subgroups within their samples. In Study 1, we reviewed past and current reliability reporting practices in a sample of Psychological Assessment articles published across 3 decades (i.e., from the years 1989, 1996, and 2006). Results suggested that contemporary and past researchers' reliability reporting practices have not improved over time and generally were not consistent with good practices. In Study 2, we analyzed an archival data set to illustrate the real-life repercussions of researchers' ongoing misconstrual and misuse of reliability data. Our analyses suggested that researchers should conduct preliminary analyses of their data to determine whether their data fit the assumptions of their reliability analyses. Also, the results indicated that reliability coefficients varied across racial or ethnic and gender subgroups, and these variations had implications for whether the same depression measure should be used across groups. We concluded that the alpha-as-data perspective has implications for one's choice of psychological measures and interpretation of results, which subsequently affect conclusions and recommendations. We encourage researchers to recognize the people behind their data by adopting better practices in internal consistency reporting, analysis, and interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The test-retest reliability of the Form 90-DWI: An instrument for assessing intoxicated driving.

Although driving while intoxicated (DWI) is a pervasive problem, reliable measures of this behavior have been elusive. In the present study, the Form 90, a widely utilized alcohol and substance use instrument, was adapted for measurement of DWI and related behaviors. Levels of reliability for the adapted instrument, the Form 90-DWI, were tested among a university sample of 60 undergraduate students who had consumed alcohol during the past 90 days. The authors administered the instrument once during an intake interview and again, 7-30 days later, to determine levels of test-retest reliability. Overall, the Form 90-DWI demonstrated high levels of reliability for many general drinking and DWI behaviors. Levels of reliability were lower for riding with an intoxicated driver and for variables involving several behavioral conjunctions, such as seat belt use and the presence of passengers when driving with a blood alcohol concentration above .08. Overall, the Form 90-DWI shows promise as a reliable measure of DWI behavior in research on treatment outcome and prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

同步电动机矢量标幺值制图分析法

由于交-交变频同步电动机磁场定向控制系统非常复杂,对其运行特性进行分析成为长期以来困扰现场维护技术人员的一大难题.文章所介绍的利用矢量标幺值进行工程制图的方法,能够较为快速、便捷地确定出电机的运行参数,从而大大简化了对交-交变频同步电动机磁场定向控制系统的分析.     

The reliability of relationship satisfaction: A reliability generalization meta-analysis.

We conducted a reliability-generalization meta-analysis of 7 of the most frequently used measures of relationship satisfaction: the Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (LWMAT), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMS), the Quality of Marriage Index, the Relationship Assessment Scale, the Marital Opinion Questionnaire, Karney and Bradbury's (1997) semantic differential scale, and the Couples Satisfaction Index. Six hundred thirty-nine reliability coefficients from 398 articles and 636,806 individuals provided internal consistency reliability estimates for this meta-analysis. We present the average score reliabilities for each measure, characterize the variance in score reliabilities across studies, and consider sample and study characteristics that are predictive of score reliability. Overall, the KMS and the LWMAT appear to be the strongest and weakest measures, respectively, from a reliability perspective. We discuss the importance of considering reliability invariance when making cross-group comparisons and provide recommendations for researchers when electing a measure of relationship satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the reliability of the anamnestic interview.

Relatively structured interviews (involving a 27-item scale to be covered) were used to investigate the accounts by mothers regarding details of the lives of their children and their original attitudes regarding the imminent birth of the child during pregnancy. On the assumption that most interviewers assume data gleamed from anamnestic interviews have validity, Es sampled the maternal attitudes at different times. The mothers' statements were found to be differentially accurate; some information (such as height and weight of child at birth) were recalled accurately; anxiety served to distort the accuracy of some data, increase the degree of accuracy of other. The overall finding was to question the validity of most data derived from anamnestic interviews. From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2HE11H. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and validation of the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales.

The Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scales were developed to assess self-efficacy for performing helping skills, managing the counseling process, and handling challenging counseling situations. Factor analyses of data from 345 students in undergraduate and graduate counseling courses yielded 6 factors. Factor-derived scale scores produced adequate internal consistency and short-term test-retest reliability estimates. The scale scores were strongly related to scores on an existing measure of counseling self-efficacy, weakly related to social desirability, sensitive to change over the course of a 1-semester practicum, and able to differentiate among students with differing levels of counseling experience. The scale scores were also related to interests, occupational goals, outcome expectations, and affective experience related to the counselor role. Implications for future research and training applications are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rater reliability and the heterogeneity of scale anchors.

"Raters (N=200) used 5-category rating scales, which varied in the heterogeneity of the verbal anchors defining the end categories, to rate for preference value two lists of ten foods. The food lists differed in the homogeneity of food stimuli on each list. Measures of individual rater reliability and rater bias were computed and analyzed as to the effect of scale and list differences. Reliability was significantly smaller for the more homogeneous list and increased linearly as a function of the heterogeneity of the end anchors. Rater bias was unaffected by either scale or list differences." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An experimental study of the effectiveness of brainstorming.

In the study of conditions favorable to creativity 2 different ways of conducting brainstorming groups were compared. 3 groups each composed of 7 university students were given instructions to uncritically invent names for 3 kinds of articles; 3 other groups of students each composed of 7 persons were given instructions to also invent names for the same articles only to do so critically. 150 different students rated the invented names of both groups for quality. "For each product, the noncritical condition produced a greater number or responses than the critical condition… . If it is the purpose of problem solving to produce a specific number of ideas of highest possible quality, these best ideas will tend to be of higher or equal quality when the noncritical method is used." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2HD45W. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of Extreme Response Statistics of Narrow-Band Random Vibrations

The paper focuses on the development of a general method for extreme response estimation of dynamical systems subjected to random excitations. One of the most important elements in structural safety is an assessment of the exceedance or failure probability. The frequently used Poisson assumption tends to overestimate the exceedance level if the response spectrum has narrow-banded features since the so-called clustering effects occur. The latter inaccuracy may be corrected by using an alternative approach studied in this paper, which enables accurate prediction of extremes irrespective of clustering effects.     

Psychometric inferences from a meta-analysis of reliability and internal consistency coefficients.

A meta-analysis of the reliability of the scores from a specific test, also called reliability generalization, allows the quantitative synthesis of its properties from a set of studies. It is usually assumed that part of the variation in the reliability coefficients is due to some unknown and implicit mechanism that restricts and biases the selection of participants in the studies' samples. Sometimes this variation has been reduced by adjusting the coefficients by a formula associated with range restrictions. We propose a framework in which that variation is included (instead of adjusted) in the models intended to explain the variability and in which parallel analyses of the studies' means and variances are performed. Furthermore, the analysis of the residuals enables inferences to be made about the nature of the variability accounted for by moderator variables. The meta-analysis of the 3 studies' statistics—reliability coefficient, mean, and variance—allows psychometric inferences about the test scores. A numerical example illustrates the proposed framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

宝钢钢管厂120m烟囱地震响应分析

应用半解析有限单元法对烟囱（附有水塔）进行地震响应动力分析，所得到的烟囱的固有振动频率、固有振动振型及地震响应总设计内力是比较合理的，其计算结果可以作为有关设计人员的设计参考。     

Assessing paraprofessional competence with the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory.

This article reports the development and validation of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the paraprofessional's ability to select an appropriate response to the self-destructive client. The Suicide Intervention Response Inventory demonstrated the ability to discriminate among three groups of 28 respondents known to differ in suicide counseling skills, and it detected enhancement of such skills in 127 volunteers over the course of crisis intervention training. As predicted, the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory also showed moderate convergence with the Counseling Skills Evaluation technique, an instrument devised to tap more general capacities for facilitative responding. These preliminary indications of the validity of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, coupled with its high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, suggest that it may be a useful adjunct to more general indices of counseling effectiveness in screening, evaluating, and researching paraprofessionals who deal with potentially suicidal clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response set in the F scale.

"An attempt was made to evaluate acquiescence response-set variance in the F scale measure of authoritarian personality trends by employing reversed wordings of items. Response set is found to be an important factor in the F scale which cannot easily be corrected by the practice usual in attitude test construction of employing both positively and negatively worded items. Evidence seems to indicate in addition that the content component of the F scale is correlated with the acquiescence response set." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)