A Rasch method is proposed to measure variables of nonadditive conjoint structures, where dichotomous response conditions are evaluated. In this framework, both the number of endorsed items and their latent positions are considered. The four steps of the method are explained and illustrated with simulated person responses. (SLD)

Honors the contribution of Efraim Fischbein to the study and analysis of probabilistic thinking. Summarizes Fischbein's early work, then focuses on the role of intuition in mathematical and scientific thinking; the development of probabilistic thinking; and the influence of instruction on that development. (Author/MM)

Provides background information on genetics and presents a mathematics activity that uses genetics to study probability. (ASK)

Describes an activity that springs from the classic fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. Presents a game in which students simulate the race and use a die to move the animals in position. (CCM)

Anti-evolutionists are fond of presenting their audiences with numbers of dizzying magnitude that they use to represent incredibly low probabilities for such events as the chance formation of a protein molecule or the origin of life by invoking beloved mathematical law by Borel. Presents an illustration to reveal what Borel really meant. (ASK)

Some of the most impressive-sounding criticisms of the conventional theory of biological evolution involve probability. Presents a few examples of how probability should and should not be used in discussing evolution. (ASK)

Women (n=265) and men (n=103) aged 17-61 predicted the probability that a career-related dream from adolescence would come true. More women's than men's dreams included family (but only 15%). Older adults believed their dreams were less likely to come true but reported less disappointment about it. More education correlated with less…

We present a framework for the rational analysis of elemental causal induction--learning about the existence of a relationship between a single cause and effect--based upon causal graphical models. This framework makes precise the distinction between causal structure and causal strength: the difference between asking whether a causal relationship…

nstraints, phonotactic probabilityThe effects of phonotactic constraints (i.e., the status of a sound as correctly or incorrectly articulated) and phonotactic probability (i.e., the likelihood of a sound sequence) on lexical acquisition have been investigated independently. This study investigated the interactive influence of phonotactic…

Effects of the contingency for submission of homework assignments on the probability of assignment submission and on quiz grades were assessed in an undergraduate psychology course. Under an alternating treatments design, each student was assigned to a points condition for 5 of 10 quiz-related homework assignments corresponding to textbook…

Purpose: This study examined the relation of dual and single sensory impairments, within the context of cognitive function, by using the framework of everyday competence in terms of the probability of difficulty with specific personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADLs and IADLs, respectively). Design and Methods: The Longitudinal…

Objective: To examine whether children with substantiated maltreatment reports between 4 and 8 years of age differ from children with unsubstantiated reports on any of 10 behavioral and developmental outcomes. Method: Longitudinal data from 806 children and their adult caregivers collected in four US study sites were pooled and analyzed using…

Using data from 13 liberal arts colleges, we test for a preference for men in the college admissions process. We find that gender does matter, but in a complex way. Men do appear to be given preference as college applicant pools become more female. Consistent with this pattern, we find clear evidence of a preference for men in historically female…

This study examined the relationship between school tobacco policies and tobacco use prevalence among school personnel. Two subsets of schools were identified in Bihar, India: Federal schools (with a tobacco policy), and State schools (without a tobacco policy). Stratified probability samples of 50 schools each were selected. The survey was…

It is very well known that the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is an important property shared by all inner product spaces and the inner product induces a norm on the space. A proof of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for real inner product spaces exists, which does not employ the homogeneous property of the inner product. However, it is shown that a real…