Active and passive sentences were presented with probable and improbable semantic content to 100 first graders and 100 kindergartners. "Irreversible" sentences were considered improbable. In a design employing syntax, probability, grade, and sex as factors, probability and syntax were found significant both as main effects and in their…

Part I of the teachers' guide for "Detecting Patterns" gives a brief description of the mathematical skills needed for the unit, lists the substantive areas touched on by the problems in the pamphlet, suggests classroom uses for the booklet, and gives background information on the individual chapters of the unit. Part II provides complete…

Pearson's unrestricted chi-square procedure is reviewed, and an historical presentation of Neyman's restricted chi-square test is introduced with a discussion of its theory and applicability to education. An example of the Neyman procedure is discussed in detail to familiarize researchers with this useful technique for analyzing contingency…

Three topics in factor analysis are covered: a) a reliability coefficient for assessing the quality of a maximum likelihood factor analysis, b) an application of three-mode factor analysis to serial learning data, showing variations in learning curves over stages of learning and individuals, and c) the use of personal probability functions to…

This extension of Harris' classification system permits classification of the interval-scale properties of any 2 x 2 (two person, two choice) game. The system is compared to taxonomies developed by various previous researchers. It is shown to permit compact description of any 2 x 2 game as an octet of numbers. It also permits rapid classification…

It was hypothesized that subjects who liked a source of potential harm would estimate the probability of receiving harm mediated by him as lower than would subjects who disliked the source. To test the hypothesis, subjects were asked to estimate the probability that a liked or disliked confederate would deliver an electric shock on each of 10…

Aitkin's generalized least squares (GLS) principle, with the inverse of the observed variance-covariance matrix as a weight matrix, is applied to estimate the factor analysis model in the exploratory (unrestricted) case. It is shown that the GLS estimates are scale free and asymptotically efficient. The estimates are computed by a rapidly…

The subjective magnitude estimation (SME) procedure was used to obtain estimates of relative word frequency from two adult groups (15 lexicographers, 13 other adults) for 60 words ranging widely in objective frequency. Lexicographers rendered more reliable estimates, and their averaged data correlated more highly with objective log frequency than…

The construction cost estimate, often expressed as an absolute cost, leads to misunderstanding between client, designers, and builders. If estimates are to be used as adequate cost indicators, their probabilistic nature must be recognized and they must be expressed not as absolute numbers but in terms of a number with some indication of the…

The problem of comparing proportions when some data are missing is investigated, and determination is made of what statistical techniques are appropriate under each of several probability models describing the observations likely to be missing. Monte Carlo methods were used to investigate the properties of standard estimators under each of the…

Statistics are an essential tool for making proper judgement decisions. It is concerned with probability distribution models, testing of hypotheses, significance tests and other means of determining the correctness of deductions and the most likely outcome of decisions. Measures of central tendency include the mean, median and mode. A second…

A method for estimating power scores is described. By way of illustration, it is applied to 21 students who were improperly timed on a standard test. Some empirical results are given in support of the estimation procedure. (Author)

Two basic issues are discussed that involve the Carver model of the relationship between test score and knowledge. The first of these concerns different types of tests which have different probabilities of obtaining the correct answer due to guessing. A derivation is shown which places different test types "on-a-par"--meaning that two tests are…

Since the primary purpose of classical testing is to rank order examinees consistently, the absolute value of the true score has been relatively unimportant. However, the major purpose of criterion referenced testing is to estimate the true capabilities of examinees to perform specific tasks. Hence, the problems of true score determination assume…

Potential uses for computers include: programing the solutions to problems; simulating situations in order to test hypotheses; gaming, as a study of probability and statistics; and practicing, testing, and tutoring. (MP)