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…

This collection of diverse conference papers discusses work in the traditions of factor analysis, ordinal psychometrics, structural equations, and some special purpose models for the analysis of change. It is a useful source, but does little to link the psychometric framework to general developments in statistics and other disciplines. (SLD)

A survey of 1,000 Americans with self-ascribed disabling conditions identified 6 factors differentiating individuals who did and did not consider themselves "disabled," including (1) belief that others considered them disabled, (2) self-rated severity of disability, (3) identification with others with disabilities, (4) gender, (5)…

Using simulated and real data, this study compares the performance of three methodologies for assessing unidimensionality: (1) DIMTEST; (2) the approach of Holland and Rosenbaum; and (3) nonlinear factor analysis. All three models correctly confirm unidimensionality, but they differ in their ability to detect the lack of unidimensionality.…

Examined mothers' representations of their relationship with toddler sons over a 13-month period. Found that the three factors characterizing mothers' representations for 15-month olds also fit data for 28-month olds. Found significant increases in anger but no changes in joy, pleasure, coherence, guilt, and separation distress. Changes in…

This study explored to what extent perinatal morbidity is a risk factor for maltreatment through review of the medical charts of 206 children, ages 0-3, who had been referred to child protective services based on either prenatal findings of maternal inadequacy or postnatal findings of child maltreatment. Perinatal complications were associated…

Explains that the English Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) has built an extensive database of information through inspections of secondary schools. Analyzes various factors from database scales at the school and student levels through factor analysis. Explains that the findings indicate the usefulness of the OFSTED database for school…