Introduces a measure of natural supportive behaviors in studies that examine the relationship between stress, social support, and health among older adults. Based on data from a random community survey of 351 older adults, the psychometric properties and factor structure of the scale are explored. (Author/TE)

This study sought to identify clusters or subtypes of children with learning disabilities (LD, n=24) and brain damage (BD, n=36) using a neuropsychological battery. Five clusters were determined, but no one cluster was composed exclusively of LD or BD subjects. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences between clusters were found.…

Describes development of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), self-report inventory for measuring severity of anxiety in psychiatric populations. Describes study results which showed BAI to have high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and to discriminate anxious diagnostic groups from nonanxious diagnostic groups. (Author/NB)

Two studies were conducted to demonstrate the importance of subordinates' perceptions of superiors' intentions in the feedback process. Study 1 included 49 undergraduates, graduates, or professors; and Study 2 included 220 undergraduates. Results indicate that subordinates make fine distinctions concerning their perceptions of supervisors'…

A model is proposed that describes subject behavior on repeat paired comparison preference tests. The model extends prior work in this area in that it explicitly allows for abstentions and permits the derivation of individual true scores of discrimination ability as well as conditional estimates of proportionate preference. (Author/TJH)

A response to comments on internal correlation for statistical analysis, as proposed by the present authors (1989), is provided. Focus is on issues raised by W. W. Rozeboom (1989). Comments by J. H. Schuenemeyer (1989) and R. Bargmann (1989) are briefly considered. (TJH)

Tested effectiveness of Conflict Tactics Scales and adaption of Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory to differentiate between aggressive and nonaggressive inner-city black adolescent males. Subjects (N=83) were classified as either institutionalized aggressive, noninstitutionalized aggressive, or noninstitutionalized nonaggressive. Results indicated…

In restricted factor analysis, each element of the matrices of factor loadings and correlations and unique variances and covariances can be constrained. It is argued that the practice of constraining some parameters at zero is not psychologically meaningful. Alternative procedures are presented and illustrated. (TJH)

The distinction between deterministic and statistical reasoning in the application of models to educational measurement is explicated. Issues addressed include the relationship between data and estimation equations, distinction between parameters and parameter estimates, and power of tests of fit of responses across the ability continuum. (TJH)

Administered anticipated adjustment form of Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) to entering college freshmen majoring in science or engineering, then administered actual adjustment form in October of freshman year. Results support use of SACQ for this group. Comparison of results from anticipated and actual adjustment forms suggests…

The structural validity of the Index of Organizational Reactions (IOR)--an eight-factor job satisfaction scale--was investigated via confirmatory factor analysis. Results of first- and second-order factor analyses of data concerning a stratified random sample of 445 employees of a large financial institution are reported. (TJH)

The partitioning of squared Euclidean--E(sup 2)--distance between two vectors in M-dimensional space into the sum of squared lengths of vectors in mutually orthogonal subspaces is discussed. Applications to specific cluster analysis problems are provided (i.e., to design Monte Carlo studies for performance comparisons of several clustering methods…

Introduces a theoretical framework for mastery testing, using Item Response Theory and Bayesian Decision Theory. The idea of sequential testing is developed, with the goal of providing longer or shorter tests as needed, and a computerized application to a hypothetical professional knowledge examination is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Items previously described as "negatively worded" are redefined as "connotatively inconsistent" because this term has a broader base for generalization. Using generalizability theory with a sample of 102 graduate students, the study showed that connotatively consistent and reversed connotatively inconsistent items were not…

A test item is defined as connotatively consistent (CC) or connotatively inconsistent (CI) when its connotation agrees with or contradicts that of the majority of items on a test. CC and CI items were examined in the Life Orientation Test and were shown to measure correlated but distinct traits. (SLD)