The authors examined the subtype structure of smokers classified in the precontemplation stage of change within the transtheoretical model. From a general practice-based sample of 1,499 daily smoking patients from Germany (participation rate 80%), they used a subgroup of 929 smokers who were classified in the precontemplation stage and applied…

Users of logistic regression models often need to describe the overall predictive strength, or effect size, of the model's predictors. Analogs of R[superscript 2] have been developed, but none of these measures are interpretable on the same scale as effects of individual predictors. Furthermore, R[superscript 2] analogs are not invariant to the…

We propose an integration of aspects of several developmental and systems of beliefs models of personal epistemology. Qualitatively different positions, including realism, dogmatism, skepticism, and rationalism, are characterized according to individuals' beliefs across three dimensions in a model of epistemic and ontological cognition. This model…

The Deductive-Nomological (D-N) model of human behavior is useful and provides the most objective explanation when it is appropriate but it is not necessarily an all-inclusive statement. For instance, explaining human behavior is always an act that entails languages and theories that are value laden and reveal human choices; however the D-N model…

Statistical fit of model predictions to empirical evidence is found to be an insufficient condition for establishing the validity of a planning model where the dynamic behavior is of particular importance. Describes a spectral analysis statistical test that can be used to validate the structure of a planning model by comparing the time series…

This paper presents a model for the identification and validation of competencies, designed as an all-inclusive framework, which may be adapted for specific situations. The criteria for including data in the validation process are as follows: (a) if the data are to be employed in making decisions about individuals or groups, all available evidence…

The problem of modeling information systems is studied with a focus on predictability. Syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic criteria are discussed, and 11 references are cited. (Author/BK)

Presents an accumulation model of learning in which incorrect response tendencies remain constant and correct response tendencies increase with practice. This model contrasts with the traditional replacement model in which correct response tendencies replace incorrect ones. The two models are compared in their ability to describe and predict…

An attempt to judge beforehand one's chances of academic success is described and evaluated. (CK)

The Yudofsky scale is considered to be one of the best scales for measuring aggressive behavior developed to date. One of the chief shortcomings of the scale, however, is appropriate methods for scoring it in ways that make the resulting scores well-suited for data analyses. The basic scoring problem with the Yudofsky scale is that the scale is…

Self-reports about 70 masculine and feminine behaviors were collected from 177 undergraduates and their families and were correlated within family pairs to assess family resemblances in masculine or feminine preferences. The obtained family correlations were compared with those predicted by three theoretical models of gender-identity acquisition.…

Compared three models to predict recidivism in juvenile offenders. Discriminant analyses performed on data from 91 juvenile parolees (42 nonrecidivists, 49 recidivists) revealed that Orange County Risk Assessment Instrument and Arizona Juvenile Risk Assessment Form were able to predict recidivism 18-22 percent better than chance. Contra Costa Risk…

This paper presents an analysis of the stability of principal components. Stability is measured by the expectation of the absolute inner product of the sample principal component with the corresponding population component. The usefulness and predictive validity of the model were supported through simulation. (SLD)