Research with 38 undergraduates studied a technique for assessing conformity on a ratio scale and variables used to analyze normative and information factors. Computer presentation of the statistics and storage of responses allows assessment of discrepancies between actual line length and length of the reproductions made with/without peer…

Discussion of screen layout design for computer assisted instruction focuses on the perceptions of the viewers. Combinations of text format design variables that facilitate specific learning processes are investigated; evaluative criteria for text displays are discussed; individual and group perceptions are analyzed; and future research topics are…

A 12-item Self-Confidence in Teaching Scale was completed by 1,176 students entering a teacher preparation program and 861 teacher candidates completing their final semester. For the total sample, gender subsamples, and "entry"/"exit" subsamples, principal axis factor analyses yielded only one factor with an eigenvalue greater…

Narratives from three studies were analyzed using seven variables hypothesized to measure a variety of language abilities used in narrative production. Results indicated that the variables represented global organization of content, and within- and across-sentence structure. Variables representing sentence structure were most effective as…

Measurement fidelity (reliability, factor structure, and validity) of Aschenbach's Youth Self-Report scale was studied with 226 adolescents at a psychiatric hospital. Findings confirm convergent validity and reliability of four of the measure's seven narrowband syndromes, and seven meaningful subdimensions were extracted from the other three…

Combines costs of fund raising and college-relations data for each of 3 years from 17 colleges and universities with the schools' institutional characteristics to predict ratios of alumni donors to each school's total alumni. With factor analysis, classifies expenditure and institutional variables according to fund-raising effort, donor wealth,…

Critiques ideas expressed by Gould in "The Mismeasure of Man." Agrees with Gould that many scientists who studied human intelligence were racist, but disagrees that their work must therefore necessarily be dismissed. Disputes Gould's claim that factor analysts who study human intelligence have reified their factors and that factor…

Basic principles that should be followed by anyone developing a scale are reviewed, with emphasis on verbally mediated measures. The essential first step is a clear conceptualization of the target construct. Item development and ensuring unidimensionality follow. Factor analysis can be crucial in establishing unidimensionality and discriminant…

Investigates the factors that constrain and promote the selection of noun compound types in spoken and written Hebrew. Three types of data were examined, one spoken and two written. Lexical, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic analyses revealed that construct-state compounds are the default form for expressing relations. (55 references) (Author)

Argues that before autonomous approaches to language learning are implemented, it is necessary to gauge learners' readiness for the behavioral change that autonomy implies. Data collected from a questionnaire on learner beliefs about language learning is presented. Factor analysis of subjects' responses indicated six underlying dimensions. (41…

The relationship between creative thought processes and hemispheric asymmetry was examined in 47 right-handed male undergraduates. Four factors were identified, accounting for 75 percent of the total variance: Verbal Divergent Thinking Factor, Nonverbal Divergent Thinking Factor, Convergent Verbal Search Factor, and Cognitive Complexity Factor.…

Examined dimensions of personal loss from such events as divorce, career change, geographical relocation, illness, institutional change, aging, injury, death, or loss of one's personal dreams among 251 college students. Findings support notion that personal loss is multidimensional human experience involving unique interaction of several important…

Validity studies conducted with the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:FE) are reviewed. Results support its validity as a measure of general mental ability and that it can distinguish between groups of youngsters with differing intellectual abilities. Recommendations are made for use of the SB:FE. (SLD)

The original factor structure of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist was cross-validated with a U.S. sample of 470 persons with moderate to profound mental retardation (27 percent nonambulatory). Results replicated previous findings, suggesting that the original five factors (irritability, lethargy, stereotypic behavior, hyperactivity, and…

Self-efficacy may be an important determinant of Hispanic student adjustment to college. The 20-item College Self-Efficacy Inventory was validated with 164 Hispanic college students. Principal components analysis yielded three subscales (course, social, and roommate efficacy) with strong internal consistency and good convergent and discriminant…