Composite scores are an exceptionally important psychometric tool for behavioral science research applications. A prototypical example occurs with self-report data, where researchers routinely use questionnaires with multiple items that tap into different features of a target construct. Item-level missing data are endemic to composite score…

I have written before about the importance of applied behavior analysis to basic researchers. That relationship is, however, reciprocal; it is also critical for practitioners to understand and even to participate in basic research. Although applied problems are rarely the same as those investigated in the laboratory, practitioners who understand…

Developmental psychologist Damon's (Damon, Menon, & Cotton Bronk, 2003) ongoing research program on youth purpose may have important practical implications for education. However, in the course of the development of this research, two fundamental conceptual questions have not yet been resolved satisfactorily: (a) How should "sense of purpose" be…

The use of multivariate statistics in behavioral research is investigated, with emphasis on the reasons why multivariate methods can be so important. The concepts of testwise and experimentwise error are explained, and it is noted that multivariate methods can be used to control the inflation of experimentwise Type I error. It is also noted that…

Argues that the two most common interpretations of the Meadian "I" in George Herbert Mead's theory of social self have failed to place the concept within the context of Mead's philosophy of social behaviorism. Stresses also that Mead's theory of social behaviorist interpretation is applicable to sociological inquiry when it is properly…

Does the name of the special interest group, "The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior," imply that those who analyze the behavior of human animals must organize themselves apart from those who analyze the behavior of nonhuman animals? Is the use of nonhumans in experiments really not relevant to the analysis of the behavior of humans? If so,…

Differences in agreement between observers and analysts of naturalistic narrative data cause problems in observation research. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of several possible solutions. (Author/GDC)

Studies (N=168) describing the use of behavioral interventions with behavior-disordered students were analyzed in terms of their reporting on four classes of marker variables: descriptive, substantive, topical, and background. Data showed that more thorough descriptions of research populations are required in the areas of selection criteria,…

This paper analyzes ways in which the methods used to measure psychological constructs contribute invalidity to measurements. The analysis distinguishes between inadequacies stemming from the behaviors selected for measurement and the harmful effects generated by the measurement operations themselves. (BS)

Challenges the view that the social sciences are theoretically impoverished disciplines when compared with the natural sciences. Demonstrates that the synthesis of an abstract Darwinian model of systemic adaptation and the behavioral principles of social learning produces a logical theory of sociocultural evolution. (DB)

Evaluates empirical studies on child development. Suggests that most such research consists of studies of a priori, nonempirical, logical relations between concepts, whose definitions guarantee the relationship studied. Argues that hypotheses are empirical if variables involved are semantically and logically independent. Research that is not based…

In an Internet study unrelated to handedness, 134,317 female and 120,783 male participants answered a graded question as to which hand they preferred for writing. This allowed determination of hand preference patterns across 7 ethnic groups. Sex differences in left-handedness were found in 4 ethnic groups, favoring males, while no significant sex…

In educational research, nonessential factors are commonly ignored and when accounted for, they are often treated statistically as fixed effects. Yet many researchers in these situations generalize their findings beyond the specific levels selected; however, the analyses may require treating the factor as a random effect. Such inappropriate…

Comments on the ideas espoused by Smedslund (PS 522 552) in this issue. Agrees to the idea of spending more intellectual energy in distinguishing between a priori and empirical hypotheses but emphasizes that concepts are not always accurate reflections of reality and that even empirical disconfirmation of an a priori hypothesis sometimes can…

This commentary focuses on the application of D. Rogosa and G. Ghandour's work to observational research on classroom processes. Rogosa and Ghandour have shown that the short length of an observation is typically the dominant source of error. Investigators should conduct observations for as long as possible. (SLD)