Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Floor Effects (floor + effects)
Selected AbstractsA Method for Simulating Signal Evolution Using Real AnimalsETHOLOGY, Issue 10 2000Björn Forkman We studied response biases to visual stimulation using a new experimental technique. The subjects (hens, Gallus gallus domesticus) were confronted with several rewarding and non-rewarding patterns on a computer screen. In contrast with standard discrimination tasks the rewarding patterns were not identical and varied in a dimension differentiating them from the non-rewarding patterns. The rewarding patterns changed in response to hens' biases in selection of patterns. The aim of the study was to examine the possibility of receivers being a driving force in signal evolution. In one of the experiments a clear-cut result was obtained. During the course of the experiment the rewarding patterns became gradually more different from the non-rewarding one, a result expected from theoretical studies of the effect of response bias in signal evolution. A second similar experiment was less conclusive, with ceiling and floor effects influencing the results. [source] ADHD rating scale IV: psychometric properties from a multinational study as clinician-administered instrumentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2005S. Zhang Abstract The development of rating scales for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has traditionally focused on parent- or teacher-rated scales. However, clinician-based instruments are valuable tools for assessing ADHD symptom severity The ADHD Rating Scale IV (ADHD RS), clinician administered and scored, has been validated as a useful instrument to assess ADHD symptoms among American children and adolescents. In this study, we assessed the psychometric properties of the scale in a recent clinical trial conducted mainly in Europe with over 600 children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. The trial was conducted in 11 European countries plus Australia, Israel, and South Africa. Results based on data in the study indicate that this version of the scale has acceptable psychometric properties including inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, factor structure, convergent and divergent validity, discriminant validity, and responsiveness. There were low-to-moderate ceiling and floor effects. The psychometric properties were comparable with other validated scales for assessing ADHD symptom severity. These results were consistent across the 14 countries participating in this trial. Overall, the data from this study support the use of the ADHD RS as a clinician-rated instrument for assessing the severity of ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents in Europe. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparing the Psychometric Properties of the Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Behaviors (CNPI) and the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAIN-AD) InstrumentsPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 3 2010FAAN, Mary Ersek PhD Abstract Objective., To examine and compare the psychometric properties of two common observational pain assessment tools used in persons with dementia. Design., In a cross-sectional descriptive study nursing home (NH) residents were videotaped at rest and during a structured movement procedure. Following one training session and one practice session, two trained graduate nursing research assistants independently scored the tapes using the two pain observation tools. Setting., Fourteen NHs in Western Washington State participating in a randomized controlled trial of an intervention to enhance pain assessment and management. Participants., Sixty participants with moderate to severe pain were identified by nursing staff or chosen based on the pain items from the most recent Minimum Data Set assessment. Measures., Checklist of Nonverbal Pain Indicators (CNPI) and the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD), demographic and pain-related data (Minimum Data Set), nursing assistant reports of participants' usual pain intensity, and Pittsburgh Agitation Scale. Results., Internal consistency for both tools was good except for the CNPI at rest for one rater. Inter-rater reliability for pain presence was fair (K = 0.25 for CNPI with movement; K = 0.31 for PAINAD at rest) to moderate (K = 0.43 for CNPI at rest; K = 0.54 for PAINAD with movement). There were significant differences in mean CNPI and PAINAD scores at rest and during movement, providing support for construct validity. However, both tools demonstrated marked floor effects, particularly when participants were at rest. Conclusions., Despite earlier studies supporting the reliability and validity of the CNPI and the PAINAD, findings from the current study indicate that these measures warrant further study with clinical users, should be used cautiously both in research and clinical settings and only as part of a comprehensive approach to pain assessment. [source] Using tests to enhance 8th grade students' retention of U.S. history facts,,APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Shana K. Carpenter Laboratory studies show that retention of information can be powerfully enhanced through testing, but evidence for their utility to promote long-term retention of course information is limited. We assessed 8th grade students' retention of U.S. history facts. Facts were reviewed after 1 week, 16 weeks or not reviewed at all. Some facts were reviewed by testing (Who assassinated president Abraham Lincoln?) followed by feedback (John Wilkes Booth), while others were re-studied. Nine months later, all students received a test covering all of the facts. Facts reviewed through testing were retained significantly better than facts reviewed through re-studying, and nearly twice as well as those given no review. The best retention occurred for facts that were reviewed by testing after a 16-week time interval. Although the gain in item was numerically small, due to floor effects, these results support the notion that testing can enhance long-term retention of course knowledge. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||