Psych

Some evidence suggests body postures can elicit emotion. Compared to neutral postures, constrictive postures are associated with negative affect and low arousal, whereas expansive postures have shown mixed effects. Qualitative methods may allow insights into this phenomenon. We asked 15 participants (mean age 43 years) to adopt eight different expansive, constrictive, or neutral postures, drawn from previous power posing or postural studies. After a minute in each posture, participants were interviewed about how they felt and when they might adopt the posture in real life. Interviews were audio recorded and inductive thematic analysis conducted. Power poses were associated with power and confidence, but also aggression, arrogance, intimidation, and disrespect. The slumped posture was associated with sadness and low control, and the upright seated posture with being alert and apprehensive as well as formality. Neutral postures were associated with feeling relaxed and comfortable. These results suggest that expansive postures have mixed emotional effects, but are inappropriate in some contexts. Full article

A large body of evidence highlights the importance of psycho-behavioural skills as a key feature of talent development in sport. The purpose of this study was to explore pedagogic intentions of coaches in the psychological development of athletes. Eleven coaches were purposefully sampled for interview based on a track record of expert practice. Using reflexive thematic analysis, three overarching themes were generated as representing the coaches’ work: knowing and shaping the athlete’s needs, purposeful breadth and flexibility of teaching approaches, using challenge to test skill development, and the necessity of review and refinement. Reflecting these data, we suggest the need for an increased appreciation of the role of the sports coach beyond the technical and tactical, with the recommendation that coaches build their knowledge and skillset across a breadth of domains to support the psychological development of athletes more effectively. Full article

This study investigates the performance of estimation methods for multidimensional IRT models with dichotomous and polytomous data in two well-known IRT programs: SAS PROC IRT and the mirt package in R. A simulation study was used to compare performance on a simple structure Rasch model, complex structure 2PL model, and bifactor graded response model. Under RMSE and bias criteria regarding item parameter recovery, PROC IRT and mirt showed nearly identical performance in the simple structure condition. When a complex structure was used, mirt performed better in terms of the recovery of intercept parameters, while the recovery of slope parameters depended on the program and the sample sizes: PROC IRT tended to be better with small samples ($N=500$) according to RMSE, and mirt was better for larger samples ($N=1000$ and $2500$) according to RMSE and bias for the slope parameter recovery. When a bifactor structure was used, mirt was preferred in all cases; differences lessened as sample size increased. Full article

The latent space item response model (LSIRM) is a newly-developed approach to analyzing and visualizing conditional dependencies in item response data, manifested as the interactions between respondents and items, between respondents, and between items. This paper provides a practical guide to the Bayesian estimation of LSIRM using three open-source software options, JAGS, Stan, and NIMBLE in R. By means of an empirical example, we illustrate LSIRM estimation, providing details on the model specification and implementation, convergence diagnostics, model fit evaluations and interaction map visualizations. Full article

In psychological research, comparisons between two groups are frequently made to demonstrate that one group exhibits higher values. Although Welch’s unequal variances t-test has become the preferred parametric test for this purpose, surpassing Student’s equal variances t-test, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test remains the predominant nonparametric approach despite sharing similar limitations with Student’s t-test. Specifically, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test is associated with strong, unrealistic assumptions and lacks robustness when these assumptions are violated. The Brunner–Munzel test overcomes these limitations, featuring fewer assumptions, akin to Welch’s t-test in the parametric domain, and has thus been recommended over the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test. However, the Brunner–Munzel test is currently unavailable in user-friendly statistical software, such as SPSS, making it inaccessible to many researchers. In this paper, I introduce the bmtest module for jamovi, a freely available user-friendly software. By making the Brunner–Munzel test accessible to a wide range of researchers, the bmtest module has the potential to improve nonparametric statistical analysis in psychology and other disciplines. Full article

Item response theory models and applications are affected by many sources of variability, including errors associated with item parameter estimation. Metric stability analysis (MSA) is one method to evaluate the effects of item parameter standard errors that quantifies how well a model determines the latent trait metric. This paper describes how to evaluate MSA in dichotomous and polytomous data and describes a Bayesian implementation of MSA that does not require a positive definite variance–covariance matrix among item parameters. MSA analyses are illustrated in the context of an oral-health-related quality of life measure administered before and after prosthodontic treatment. The R code to implement the methods described in this paper is provided. Full article

In this study, we present a package for R that is intended as a professional tool for the management and analysis of data from educational tests and useful both in high-stakes assessment programs and survey research. Focused on psychometric models based on the sum score as the scoring rule and having sufficient statistics for their parameters, dexter fully exploits the many theoretical and practical advantages of this choice: lack of unnecessary assumptions, stable and fast estimation, and powerful and sensible diagnostic techniques. It includes an easy to use data management system tailored to the structure of test data and compatible with the current paradigm of tidy data. Companion packages currently include a graphical user interface and support for multi-stage testing. Full article

Cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) are increasingly being used in various assessment contexts to identify cognitive processes and provide tailored feedback. However, the most commonly used estimation method for CDMs, marginal maximum likelihood estimation with Expectation–Maximization (MMLE-EM), can present difficulties when sample sizes are small. This study compares the results of different estimation methods for CDMs under varying sample sizes using simulated and empirical data. The methods compared include MMLE-EM, Bayes modal, Markov chain Monte Carlo, a non-parametric method, and a parsimonious parametric model such as Restricted DINA. We varied the sample size, and assessed the bias in the estimation of item parameters, the precision in attribute classification, the bias in the reliability estimate, and computational cost. The findings suggest that alternative estimation methods are preferred over MMLE-EM under low sample-size conditions, whereas comparable results are obtained under large sample-size conditions. Practitioners should consider using alternative estimation methods when working with small samples to obtain more accurate estimates of CDM parameters. This study aims to maximize the potential of CDMs by providing guidance on the estimation of the parameters. Full article

The present study validated the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI) in the Arabic language (A) by assessing its factor structure, construct validity, reliability, and concurrent validity. A total of 864 Tunisian Physical Education and Sport students provided data which was used to perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, using samples comprising 366 (aged 19–25 years) and 498 (aged 19–26 years) students, respectively. The A-USEI, grade-point average (GPA), and Physical Education Grit (PE–Grit) scales were completed via online surveys. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that the A-USEI had three dimensions. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the second-order model was more suitable than the first-order multi-factor model. Using the indicators for the second-order model, the three factors showed good reliability, with their average variance extracted (AVE) values reflecting sufficient validity. The correlation analyses between the two scales’ scores and the A-USEI scores showed a moderate correlation, confirming the adapted scale’s concurrent validity. The study concludes that A-USEI is a valid tool for assessing student engagement among Arabic students. In addition, the practical implications and directions for future research are discussed. Full article

Background: Currently, educational attainment has risen significantly among young people, causing changes in the labor market where skills have become more important. Thus, tertiary education has become an “essential vehicle” to develop high-level skills that would boost students’ professional, social, and personal lives. Methods: The aim of the survey is to study the effects of an intervention program based on two methodologies, service-learning and peer mentoring, to enhance the learn-to-learn and social skills of undergraduate students. The sample was composed of 69 undergraduate students of four different degrees. The methodological design adopted was quasi-experimental pretest–posttest. The intervention consisted of 955 mentoring sessions (878 one-to-one and 77 in groups) among the undergraduate students and students in compulsory education. The undergraduate students participated as mentors. Before, they had three sessions of training. Weekly mentoring sessions were spread out during out-of-school time for 90 min each. Results: The results show a few statistically significant differences in favor of the posttest phase in strategies for the learning and social skills of the participants. Conclusions: Although the program did not obtain the expected results, these outcomes agree with the other studies that investigate intervention programs that use service-learning and peer mentoring methodologies. Full article

This article is an introduction to Cluster Optimized Proximity Scaling (COPS) aimed at practitioners, as well as a tutorial on the usage of the corresponding R package cops. COPS is a variant of multidimensional scaling (MDS) that aims at providing a clustered configuration while still representing multivariate dissimilarities faithfully. It subsumes most popular MDS versions as special cases. We illustrate the ideas, use, flexibility and versatility of the method and the package with data from clinical psychology on how modules of the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH) are used by clinicians in the wild. We supplement the COPS analyses with density-based hierarchical clustering in the original space and faceting with support vector machines. We find that scaling with COPS gives a sensible and insightful spatial arrangement of the modules, allows easy identification of clusters of modules and provides clear facets of modules corresponding to the MATCH protocols. In that respect COPS works better than both standard MDS and clustering. Full article

Generalizability theory provides a comprehensive framework for determining how multiple sources of measurement error affect scores from psychological assessments and using that information to improve those assessments. Although generalizability theory designs have traditionally been analyzed using analyses of variance (ANOVA) procedures, the same analyses can be replicated and extended using structural equation models. We collected multi-occasion data from inventories measuring numerous dimensions of personality, self-concept, and socially desirable responding to compare variance components, generalizability coefficients, dependability coefficients, and proportions of universe score and measurement error variance using structural equation modeling versus ANOVA techniques. We further applied structural equation modeling techniques to continuous latent response variable metrics and derived Monte Carlo-based confidence intervals for those indices on both observed score and continuous latent response variable metrics. Results for observed scores estimated using structural equation modeling and ANOVA procedures seldom varied. Differences in reliability between raw score and continuous latent response variable metrics were much greater for scales with dichotomous responses, thereby highlighting the value of doing analyses on both metrics to evaluate gains that might be achieved by increasing response options. We provide detailed guidelines for applying the demonstrated techniques using structural equation modeling and ANOVA-based statistical software. Full article

Stevens’s classification of scales into nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio types is among the most controversial yet resilient ideas in psychological and educational measurement. In this essay, I challenge the notion that scale type is essential for the development of measures in these fields. I highlight how the concept of scale type, and of interval-level measurement in particular, is variously interpreted by many researchers. These (often unstated) differences in perspectives lead to confusion about what evidence is appropriate to demonstrate interval-level measurement, as well as the implications of scale type for research in practice. I then borrow from contemporary ideas in the philosophy of measurement to demonstrate that scale type can only be established in the context of well-developed theory and through experimentation. I conclude that current notions of scale type are of limited use, and that scale type ought to occupy a lesser role in psychometric discourse and pedagogy. Full article

The moral dilemma task developed by Greene et al., which comprises personal and impersonal moral dilemmas, is useful for clarifying people’s moral judgments. This study develops and validates a Japanese version of this questionnaire. Ten new questions were added to the Japanese version using back-translation, and its internal validity was tested. A second survey was conducted among the same participants one month after the first survey (n = 231). The intraclass correlation coefficient through retesting was found to be 0.781. Test-retest, internal consistency, and criterion-related validity were confirmed by retesting the Japanese version of the moral dilemma task. Moral judgments differed in gender, with women and men tending to be more utilitarian in situations where emotions were less and more likely to be involved, respectively. The association between age and deontological moral judgments was also observed. Full article

Developments in remarriage and divorce have led to an influx of research on stepfamilies. However, previous studies show that the experiences of stepmothers are underreported. Therefore, a scoping review of the currently available academic literature (2012–2022) on stepmother experiences was conducted to identify the way forward for future research. A final sample of 11 articles indicate that stepmother research is mainly WEIRD and qualitative. Stepmothers reportedly experience ambivalent emotions which they often deal with silently, whilst navigating ambiguous stepmother roles with possibly limited support or acknowledgement under the wicked stepmother stereotype. Counselling and research are encouraged to assist this forgotten member of the stepfamily. Gaps in research and further research opportunities are identified. Full article

Sexual intimacy is a basic human need that is associated with quality of life whereby its absence can significantly impact both interpersonal and personal wellbeing. This systematic review aimed to provide an up-to-date evaluation of the available literature on mindfulness treatments for sexual functioning in women diagnosed with cancer. Electronic searches including PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and registered clinical trials yielded 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that treatment intervention designs varied and included mixed methods, randomised clinical trials, single arm non-randomised trials and those with the absence of any control. Furthermore, both brief and longer-term mindfulness interventions were trialled across different sexual domains. Whilst inconclusive, mindfulness-based interventions appear to support sexual function and quality of life in both early- and post-cancer survivors. However, in some instances, there were outcome inconsistencies in sexual desire, arousal and orgasm. This review has identified a current shortage in research on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based treatments for supporting sexual functioning in women with cancer; and so far, no research has been conducted in palliative care. This unmet need in supporting sexual functioning in women with cancer, including palliative care, carries important implications for both psychosexual and oncological healthcare services as sexual intimacy does not end with cancer diagnosis or prognosis. Full article

In this report, the concept of “Home First” is introduced for those children who require long-term, non-kin placements. The term “Home First” connotes a placement engendering stability and continuity; this concept is introduced in conjunction with an evaluation of the historical, theoretical, and empirical evidence surrounding different forms of out-of-home placement, including group-care placements and foster family care. In light of these observations and studies, this report will argue that stability is a major factor, perhaps a necessary if not a sufficient condition, in successful child development. It will argue for the initiation of a new focus on the creation of long-term positive and stable residential placements within the out-of-home care system and show that such placements can and have contributed to the development of healthy, happy, and successful adulthoods. This report offers a bio-psycho-social perspective on child development in out-of-home care. It provides a brief overview of the multiple bio-psycho-social theoretical perspectives that inform us on the necessary role of stability in growth and development and the contribution of instability to dysfunction. This report considers stability in out-of-home care in relation to its associated outcomes and those factors believed to enhance or detract from these outcomes. It reviews the history of substitutive care provision for children and youth and the role of the “stability objective” in that history. Finally, it looks at how child welfare system priorities have influenced stability, and it offers some suggestions for ensuring more stable growth and development in child placement provision. Full article

Differential item functioning (DIF) is a critical step in providing evidence to support a scoring inference in building a validity argument for a psychological or educational assessment. Effect sizes can assist in understanding the accumulation of DIF at the test score level. The current simulation study investigated the performance of several proposed effect size measures under a variety of conditions. Conditions under study included varied sample sizes, DIF effect sizes, the proportion of items with DIF, and the type of DIF (additive vs. non-additive). DIF effect sizes under study included sDTF%, uDTF%, ${\widehat{\tau }}_w^2$, $d$, ${\overline{R}}_{\Delta }^2$, $I_{DIF}^{2*}$, and $S-DIF-V$. The results of this study suggest that across study conditions, ${\widehat{\tau }}_w^2$, $I_{DIF}^{2*}$, and $d$ were consistently the most accurate measures of the DIF effects. The effect sizes were also estimated in an empirical example. Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed. Full article

Although there has been considerable research on the interplay between intelligence and second language (L2) learning, research focusing on the intelligence and L2 speech perception link is limited. The present study aims to fill this gap. The native language of the participants was Cypriot Greek and they spoke English as an L2. The participants completed a forced-choice psychoacoustic test in which they discriminated L2 sound contrasts and a nonverbal intelligence test which measured their nonverbal intelligence capacities. They were divided into two groups according to their performance in the intelligence test, namely, a low IQ and a high IQ group. The results showed that the high IQ group discriminated the majority of the L2 contrasts better than the low IQ group. In addition, the degree of perceived difficulty for most L2 contrasts differed between the two groups. It is concluded that nonverbal intelligence is associated with the discrimination of L2 sounds. This can be explained by the possibility that either intelligence triggers the more efficient functioning of other domains, such as information processing and attention, leading to increased speech perception skills, or that it directly affects the categorization of speech sounds resulting in the development of more robust L2 categories. Full article