A study examined the evaluative structures employed by voters in making decisions about political contenders, specifically as a function of the level of the election involved and the incumbent-challenger status of the candidates. Data were obtained by questionnaires administered within two weeks prior to the 1984 general election to 550…

The issues in the interpretation of discriminant analyses presented are restricted to the typical uses of discriminant analysis by behavioral science researchers. Because behavioral researchers use computer programs packages, the issues discussed deal with information obtainable from the package discriminant analysis programs. The following issues…

Describes the test item analysis used in test construction. (JR)

Subjects (n=24), 12 of whom were in the age range of 18-30 years and 12 of whom were between 55-65 years, performed two semantic memory tasks. Results suggested that subjects in the older group may have retrieved information faster than the young subjects, but that they required longer to decide upon a response. (Author)

Results of a study of voter behavior in three actual and two hypothetical school budget and bond elections in Missouri's Columbia Public School District suggest that voters can be effectively classified so that voting behavior can be predicted. Over 450 registered voters responded to a mailed questionnaire featuring 46 items that measured…

Since statistics on television viewing and television ownership suggest that this medium is a pervasive and powerful influence on most people's lives, it is potentially informative to identify and study that relative handful of people who are not regularly exposed to television, identifying their defining characteristics. In contrast to previous…

The advantages of the Delphi Technique are that it relies on collective expert judgment, prevents the excessive influence in decision-making of those in positions of status, and encourages consensus. The technique consists of five steps: (1) asking experts to list items relevant to a topic; (2) returning the list to the participants and asking…

Generalized expectancies for problem solving referred to by Rotter appear to have significant relevance to the field of psychotherapy, particularly four specific expectancies of interest: (1) looking for alternatives; (2) understanding the motives of others; (3) long-term planning; and (4) discriminating differences in psychological situations. A…

CLASSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS INVOLVES THREE DISTINCT PROCESSES-- (1) DEFINING A STRUCTURE OF CATEGORIES, (2) DETERMINING A BASIS FOR A CLASSIFICATION DECISION, AND (3) CLASSIFYING DOCUMENTS INTO CATEGORIES. OF THE THREE COMPUTER TECHNIQUES ARE DISCUSSED FOR THE LAST TWO. A WORD SELECTION MEASURE IS USED TO DELETE THOSE TERMS IN THE DOCUMENT THAT…

This is a research report concerned with the availability of computer programs which made it advisable to try not only the factors dictated by a criterion, but successive additional factors until the meaning of the pattern is clarified. Examples illustrate the application of sequential factor analyses using a principal axes solution and varimax…

Most successful vocational education programs are identified in 16 community colleges through the use of the Delphi method. The design provided for a reliability check on the Delphi technique through the use of two independent Delphi panels on each campus. Hard data on 36 "most successful" and 36 "other" programs on 12 campuses…

Attitude data were obtained from 556 employees in a western telephone company. Respondents held one of sixteen "craft" jobs in the department selected for study. Multiple discriminant function analysis was performed using sixteen groups formed on the basis of subjects' job titles. Variables used in this primary analysis included job satisfaction,…

One approach to the use of socioeconomic indicators for analyzing rural development alternative strategies is presented in this paper. The underlying assumptions of such an analysis are discussed. Necessary analytic information include (1) data on rural opinions about each facet of the socioeconomic environment and selected socioeconomic…

Age effects on increasing number of targets in a letter-canceling task were examined. Age differences increased with practice but reached significance only in Session 9. The oldest group made the most omission errors. All age groups improved with practice. (Author)