Multidimensional scaling reveals two dimensions of thermal pain.

Used the individual differences scaling model of multidimensional scaling to explore the dimensions of thermal pain. 20 male undergraduates made 66 similarity judgments to all pairs of 12 different thermal stimulus intensities ranging from zero to noxious. Results reveal a 2-dimensional group stimulus space. The major dimension ordered the stimuli with respect to their intensity. This quantitative, strength-of-sensation dimension may be interpreted as indicating how weak or strong a stimulus feels, apart from any secondary qualities of warmth or pain. The 2nd dimension was related to the qualitative aspects of the stimuli and contained 2 attributes: (1) a pain attribute ranging from just detectable warmth to painful and (2) a warm–hot attribute running from just detectable warmth to hot. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling versus components analysis of test intercorrelations.

Considers the relation between coordinate estimates in components analysis and multidimensional scaling (MDS) and reviews algebraic relations between metric MDS and components analysis. Previous studies suggest that the same relations usually characterize components and nonmetric MDS analyses of correlation matrices. Merits of the MDS and factor approaches are compared, and results are related to other methodological issues surrounding research on the general ability factor, response tendencies in self-ratings, and halo in employee evaluations. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling of synthetic musical timbre: Perception of spectral and temporal characteristics.

Investigated the perceptual correlates of acoustic parameters involved in musical timbre by examining judgements of timbre dissimilarity. Nine synthetic sounds were created, derived from crossing 3 levels of spectral and temporal parameters (number of harmonics and rise time). Two separate conditions were tested, 1 using single tones, the other using short melodies. 15 musically untrained 20–47 yr olds were presented with pairs of stimuli and judged dissimilarity on an 8-point scale. The spatial configuration resulting from multidimensional analysis of the data was best fit by a 3 dimensional model, with the 1st 2 dimensions accounting for most of the variance. The perceptual space derived from the analysis indicates that these 2 orthogonal dimensions corresponded closely to the spectral and temporal differences inherent to the stimuli. Similar results were obtained with both melodies and single tones. A 2nd experiment replicated the findings despite the introduction of random loudness variation. It is concluded that even musically unselected subjects are sensitive to spectral and temporal information in musical tones, and are able to use them independently in making perceptual judgements of musical timbre. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling of the causes for negative interpersonal behavior.

Conducted studies to determine empirically the dimensions underlying attributions made for negative behavior in a close interpersonal relationship (a marriage). 96 university students rated the similarity of 13 causes given either by the enactor of a negative behavior (i.e., the actor) or by the person affected by the behavior (the partner or spouse). A multidimensional scaling analysis of these data yielded 2 dimensions in each condition. The interpretation of these dimensions was guided by data from 68 additional Ss who rated the 13 causes on bipolar scales (e.g., temporary–permanent). Dimension 1 in both conditions was interpreted as "positive vs negative attitude toward spouse." Dimension 2 of the actor condition was interpreted as "intentional vs unintentional" and Dimension 2 of the partner condition as "actor's traits vs circumstances or states." These dimensions are discussed in relation to the a priori causal distinctions made in current attribution writings and previous findings concerning actor–observer biases. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling of emotional facial expressions: Similarity from preschoolers to adults.

Structural models of emotion represent the fact that emotions are perceived as systematically interrelated. These interrelations may reveal a basic property of the human conception of emotions, or they may represent an artifact that is due to semantic relations learned along with the emotion lexicon. The 1st alternative was supported by results from a series of scalings of 20 emotional facial expressions, results that could not easily be attributed to word similarity. Similarity data on the facial expressions were obtained from 30 undergraduates and 42 4–5 yr olds. For both groups, similarity was measured without the use of emotion labels by asking Ss to group together people who appear to feel alike. The structure of emotions obtained from both children and adults was as predicted: a roughly circular order in a 2-dimensional space, the axes of which could be interpreted as pleasure–displeasure and arousal–sleepiness. The form and meaning of this structure was supported through 2 additional scalings of the facial expressions with adults: a multidimensional scaling based on direct ratings of similarity–dissimilarity and unidimensional scalings on the pleasure–displeasure and arousal–sleepiness dimensions. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The strange case of Dr. Jensen and Mr. Hyde?

Responds to G. Dworkin's (1974) article that compared the views of "Professor Hyde" (actually, A. Jensen, the author of the present comment) on the nature of intelligence as presented in a little-known 1967 article (see record 1968-08786-001) in Educational Research with those presented in the author's well-known Harvard Educational Review article in 1969. Differences in the articles are attributed to further refinements of the author's views on genetics and the publication of additional data in the interval between the 2 publications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dr. Mises and Mr. Fechner: How early was their identity uncovered?

Responds to M. E. Marshall's (1981) and R. K. Siegel's (see record 1981-25195-001) determination of the date that Gustave Fechner dropped his pen name. Evidence is presented to refute Marshall and Siegal and to support the belief that, while the exact date Fechner's Dr. Mises identity became publicy known is unsure, it was likely before 1830. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling analyses of the perceived social structure of informal groups.

Four groups of student hallmates provided similarity ratings of each other, and they rated each other on various characteristics. Group-level multidimensional scaling analyses suggested that there was no consensual social structure in any of the four groups. In contrast, individual-level analyses found that individuals had coherent perceptions of the social structures of their groups, although no 2 members of any group perceived the social structure of their group similarly. Nevertheless, there was considerable similarity among people in the dimensions underlying their perceived structures. Conventionality, friendliness, influence, and interpersonal openness served as organizing dimensions for the majority of participants, and sense of humor, how hard it was to get along with people, introversion, interesting, and academic orientation were important bases for about a third of the participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consistency of posttreatment alcoholics' drinking patterns.

Tested the clinical assumption that the posttreatment drinking of alcoholics is consistent and predictable over fairly substantial periods of time by studying the intercorrelations between control-over-drinking ratings made in 10 follow-ups. 98 males (mean age 40.1 yrs) released from an abstinence-oriented program were rated on control over drinking by a person with whom they would be in contact. Raters (e.g., wives, parents, siblings) were interviewed postdischarge at Week 2 and Months 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. Results show low intercorrelations, particularly for periods beginning during the 1st mo after discharge. Thus, it appears that control among treated alcoholics is generally inconsistent and only marginally predictable. Recidivism for the entire sample increased up to the 9th-mo follow-up, after which it stabilized and even seemed to decline slightly. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling of complex sounds by school-aged children and adults

A paired-comparisons procedure was used to evaluate the processing of complex, nonspeech sounds by 7- and 10-year-old children and adults. Stimuli were brief duration and included pure tones, harmonic complexes, and bands of noise. From their similarity ratings, a three-dimensional multidimensional scaling solution was derived. Results suggested that listeners classified the stimuli into clusters based upon periodicity and the number of spectral peaks. Within each cluster, the stimuli were ordered according to frequency. Because individual differences in the overall weightings of features were large, separate solutions were derived for two subgroups of listeners, formed based upon similarities in the pattern of dimension weights obtained in the group analysis. One subgroup, for whom the full group analysis captured a large proportion of the variance in the ratings, included the adults, many of the 10-year-olds, and a few of the 7-year-olds. The solution derived for this subgroup suggested that spectral and temporal information were weighted equally and integrated into all dimension weights. Frequency information was coded but given less weight and was not used for stimulus classification. A second subgroup of listeners included most of the 7-year-old and some of the 10-year-old children. Examination of their data suggested that they relied heavily on an analysis of the signals according to periodicity as was reflected in their temporal fine structure. Also encoded but of lesser importance were aspects of spectral shape and absolute frequency.     

Parental evaluations of children and children's self-evaluations.

"Two self-evaluative measures, labelled Self-Favorability and Self-Acceptance, were derived from self-ratings by 74 8th- and 9th-grade children. Analogous measures of parental Favorability and Acceptance with respect to the child were derived from ratings by parents of 51 of the children. Sociometric information was available for the children. Although the measures of Favorability and Acceptance had adequate reliability, correlations between the two variables were low in both parents and children. Correlations between parental evaluations and children's self-evaluations tended to be small but consistently positive." From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:1FG90H. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Capitalizing on one's advantages: Role of core self-evaluations.

The authors examined (a) whether core self-evaluations in adolescence and young adulthood predict income at midlife and (b) whether people with positive core self-evaluations are more likely to capitalize on advantages resulting from family socioeconomic status and academic achievement, resulting in even higher levels of income at midcareer. The sample consisted of participants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a national probability sample that first surveyed participants in 1979. The authors found that core self-evaluations and family socioeconomic status and academic achievement predict income and that, furthermore, high core self-evaluations enhance the benefits derived from these factors. Overall, it appears that individuals with positive core self-evaluations are particularly adept at translating early advantages into later economic success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional scaling of color patterns of the DIN color chart

The DIN color chart was developed in the 1950s by Manfred Richter using of classical psychophysical scaling techniques. It is based upon the idea that colors are ordered along three subjective dimensions, i.e. hue, saturation, and brightness. Furthermore, it is assumed that the colors of the DIN color chart fulfill the principle of specific equidistancy. The main aim of this study was to investigate this claim empirically. More specifically, it was tested whether colors of the same hue and brightness are equally spaced along the dimension of subjective saturation. The data were collected in three paired comparisons experiments and were analyzed using multidimensional scaling. According to the results, the psychological properties of the DIN color system can be replicated approximately. In addition to a confirmation of the postulate of equidistancy this research contributes to the understanding of the convergence of different scaling methods.     

Children's achievement and self-evaluations in mathematics: A longitudinal study.

Investigated changes in the correlation between mathematics achievement and self-ratings from 105 children who were tested in Grades 2, 5, and 10. Ss had completed the WISC Arithmetic subtest in Grades 2 and 5; the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) Arithmetic subtest in Grades 2, 5, and 10; and the WRAT and 3 additional mathematics tests in Grade 10. Structural modeling with LISREL was used to estimate the reciprocal relationship between constructs measured by computational and problem-solving tests and self-rating scales. Results show that between Grades 2 and 5 mathematics achievement is causally related to self-ratings of ability. There was evidence that between Grades 5 and 10 the strength of this causal relationship diminished. The importance of this developmental finding derives from the fact that theorists' generalizations about achievement and self-concept often have not been sensitive to the factor of age. During neither time span did self-perceptions have any significant causal influence on later achievement. The accuracy of Ss' self-ratings, as assessed by correlations with actual achievement, increased between Grades 2 and 5; there was no appreciable change after that. Mathematics achievement showed very high stability from year to year, whereas stability of self-ratings was considerably less. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic achievement and self-evaluations of academic performance.

College students often make informal evaluations of their own course performance. Previous research has shown that the accuracy of these self-evaluations is correlated positively with actual course achievement; however, no one has yet explained why such a relationship exists. It was hypothesized that poor students make less accurate performance evaluations because they know less about the criteria by which their work will be judged. To test that hypothesis, 52 students in an introductory psychology course graded their own work and that of others on both a midterm and a final examination and described their instructor's grading criteria on each occasion. As expected, poor students were less accurate than others at evaluating their own course performance. Poor and good students did not differ, however, in their ability to accurately evaluate the performance of others. The relative inaccuracy of the poor students' self-evaluations was not due to a lack of knowledge about the instructor's grading criteria, but instead involved a failure to apply those criteria to their own course work. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of visual alcohol cues on alcoholics' autonomic arousal.

Determined whether visual alcohol cues alone (slides showing drinking environments and alcohol beverage bottles) were sufficient to elicit autonomic arousal. 82 male alcoholics (aged 25–64 yrs) were shown alcohol-related or control slides while electrodermal responses were being recorded. Each slide was presented for 4 sec and interstimulus intervals varied between 20 and 30 sec. The frequency of skin conductance responses (SCRs) and the amplitude of the first SCR to each picture presentation were greater to alcohol slides than to control slides. The Ss showed slower habituation to alcohol-related slides as compared with control slides. Pictures of hard liquor yielded higher SCR amplitudes than did pictures of beer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Core self-evaluations and job performance: The role of the perceived work environment.

Using trait activation theory as a framework, the authors examined the moderating role of two situational variables—perceptions of organizational politics and perceptions of leader effectiveness—on the relationship between core self-evaluations and job performance. Results from two samples (N = 137 and N = 226) indicate that employee perceptions of their work environment moderated the relationship between their core self-evaluations and supervisor ratings of their performance. In particular, those with higher core self-evaluations received higher performance ratings in environments perceived as favorable than in environments perceived as unfavorable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading Motivation: Multidimensional and Indeterminate.

The Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ) contains 54 items that are posited to tap 11 dimensions of reading motivation. The structural validity of the MRQ was investigated with 2 samples: (a) 328 students in Grades 3-5 from 2 suburban mid-Atlantic elementary schools and (b) 735 students in Grades 3-5 in 2 suburban southwestern elementary schools. With confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), the theoretical 11-factor structure did not adequately fit the data in either sample. Subsequently, exploratory factor analyses found 8 factors for each sample with 6 factors defined by only 3 or 4 common items. However, a double CFA cross-validation found an inadequate fit for both samples. Given these results, the authors suggest that the MRQ be revised. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)