Licensure of an HIV vaccine could reduce or eliminate HIV among vulnerable populations. However, vaccine effectiveness could be undermined by risk compensation (RC), defined by an increase in risky behavior due to a belief that the vaccine will confer protection. Interest in an HIV vaccine for reasons indicative of RC may serve as an indicator of…

In institutional research, modern data mining approaches are seldom considered to address predictive analytics problems. The goal of this paper is to highlight the advantages of tree-based machine learning algorithms over classic (logistic) regression methods for data-informed decision making in higher education problems, and stress the success of…

Improving graduation rates is one of the biggest missions in many universities across the country and it is surely the case on the campus of this institution. The work here presents a statistical tool box to use early academic performance as a predictor for graduation with logistic regression and machine learning techniques. The methods described…

The structure of natural languages give rise to many dependencies in the linear sequences of words, and within words themselves. Detecting these dependencies is arguably critical for young children in learning the underlying structure of their language. There is considerable evidence that human adults and infants are sensitive to the statistical…

In basic regression discontinuity (RD) designs, causal inference is limited to the local area near a single cutoff. To strengthen the generality of the RD treatment estimate, a design with multiple cutoffs along the assignment variable continuum can be applied. The availability of multiple cutoffs allows estimation of a pooled average treatment…

In basic regression discontinuity (RD) designs, causal inference is limited to the local area near a single cutoff. To strengthen the generality of the RD treatment estimate, a design with multiple cutoffs along the assignment variable continuum can be applied. The availability of multiple cutoffs allows estimation of a pooled average treatment…

Purpose: The toddler years are a critical period for language development and growth. We investigated how event-related potentials (ERPs) to repeated and novel nonwords are associated with clinical assessments of language in young children. In addition, nonword repetition (NWR) was used to measure phonological working memory to determine the…

Problem Statement: Self-regulated learning strategies (cognitive, metacognitive, resource management, and motivational strategies) influence students' academic achievement, conceptual understanding, and motivation. Reviewing the national literature about self-regulated learning strategies, studies have indicated both significant and insignificant…

This study examined differences in the relationship of drinking motives to drinking behavior among sanctioned and nonsanctioned 1st-year students (N = 298). Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that for both sanctioned and nonsanctioned students, alcohol use was predicted by social and enhancement motives, and alcohol-related…

Purpose: We sought to determine whether speech perception and language skills measured early after cochlear implantation in children who are deaf, and early postimplant growth in speech perception and language skills, predict long-term speech perception, language, and neurocognitive outcomes. Method: Thirty-six long-term users of cochlear…

Humans possess a remarkable ability to recognise both simple patterns such as shapes and handwriting and very complex patterns such as faces and landscapes. To investigate one small aspect of human pattern recognition, in this study participants position lines of "best fit" to two-dimensional scatter plots of data. The study investigates…

This study capitalizes on the performance identification system under the No Child Left Behind waivers to estimate the school-level impact of just missing formal state recognition as a high-performing school. Using a fuzzy regression-discontinuity design and data from the early years of waiver implementation in Rhode Island, we find that, when…

Purpose: Childhood stuttering is common but is often outgrown. Children whose stuttering persists experience significant life impacts, calling for a better understanding of what factors may underlie eventual recovery. In previous research, language ability has been shown to differentiate children who stutter (CWS) from children who do not stutter,…

Using a panel data set of scientists in the US, we examine the hypothesis that workers in jobs poorly matched to their education are more likely to retire. In pooled estimates, we confirm that the mismatched are more likely to retire and that among retirees, the mismatched retire at younger ages. Hazard function estimates also support the…

In science and engineering courses, instructors administer multiple examinations as major assessments of students' learning. When a student is unable to take an exam, the instructor might estimate the missing exam score to calculate the student's course grade. Using exam score data from multiple offerings of two large courses at a public…