Random Permutation Testing Applied to Measurement Invariance Testing with Ordered-Categorical Indicators

We describe and evaluate a random permutation test of measurement invariance with ordered-categorical data. To calculate a p-value for the observed (?)χ², an empirical reference distribution is built by repeatedly shuffling the grouping variable, then saving the χ² from a configural model, or the ?χ² between configural and scalar-invariance models, fitted to each permuted dataset. The current gold standard in this context is a robust mean- and variance-adjusted ?χ² test proposed by Satorra (2000), which yields inflated Type I errors, particularly when thresholds are asymmetric, unless samples sizes are quite large (Bandalos, 2014; Sass et al., 2014). In a Monte Carlo simulation, we compare permutation to three implementations of Satorra’s robust χ² across a variety of conditions evaluating configural and scalar invariance. Results suggest permutation can better control Type I error rates while providing comparable power under conditions that the standard robust test yields inflated errors.     

The Immigrant Paradox in the Problem Behaviors of Youth in the United States: A Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis synthesizes the empirical data on problem behaviors among foreign- (G1) and U.S-born (G2+) youth and explores the effects of immigrant status on youth internalizing and externalizing problems. A random effects meta-regression with robust variance estimates summarized effect sizes for internalizing and externalizing problems across 91 studies (N = 179,315, M_age = 13.98). Results indicated that G1 youth reported significantly more internalizing problems (g = .06), and fewer externalizing problems than G2+ youth (g = −.06). Gender and sample type moderated the effects. The findings provide a first-step toward reconciling mixed support for the immigrant paradox by identifying for whom and under what conditions the immigrant experience serves as a risk or protective factor for youth.     

The beneficial effect of sleep on behavioral health problems in youth is disrupted by prenatal cannabis exposure: A causal random forest analysis of Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development data

Studies suggest prenatal cannabis exposure is associated with mood/behavioral problems in children. However, it is unclear if targeting modifiable domains like sleep behaviors would improve outcomes in exposed youth. Using a causal inference framework, the effect of changing sleep-hours on changing internalizing/externalizing problems in children was examined using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development™ study baseline (ages 9–10; collected during 2016–2018) and year-1 follow-up data (N = 9825; 4663 female; 5196 white). Average treatment effects (ATE) indicated that more sleep predicted less internalizing (ATE = −.34, SE = .08, p < .001) and externalizing (ATE = −.29, SE = .07, p < .001) problems over time. However, prenatal cannabis exposure moderated the ATE on internalizing (conditional-ATE = .91, SE = .39, p = .019), whereby participants with exposure (n = 605) did not show any effect of changing sleep-hours on mood (B = .09, SE = .24).     

Paternal Sensitivity and Children’s Cognitive and Socioemotional Outcomes: A Meta-Analytic Review

In a series of meta-analyses, paternal sensitivity was associated with children’s (age range: 7 months–9 years) overall cognitive functioning (N = 3,193; k = 23; r = .19), including language skills (k = 9; r = .21), cognitive ability (k = 9; r = .18), and executive function (k = 8; r = .19). Paternal sensitivity was not associated with children’s overall socioemotional functioning (N = 2,924; k = 24; r = −.03) or internalizing problems, but it was associated with children’s emotion regulation (k = 7; r = .22) and externalizing problems (k = 19; r = −.08). In the broad cognitive functioning, executive function, broad socioemotional functioning, and externalizing problems meta-analyses, child age was a significant moderator.     

A Path Analysis of Nutrition,Stimulation, and Child Development Among Young Children in Bihar,India

Nutrition plays an important role in the development of a child, particularly in low‐ and middle‐income countries where malnutrition is often widespread. The relation between diet, hemoglobin, nutritional status, motor development, stimulation and mental development was examined in a cross‐sectional sample of 1,079 children 12–18 months of age living in rural Bihar, India. Path analysis revealed associations between (a) length‐for‐age z‐scores and motor development, standardized β (β) = .285, p < .001, and (b) motor and all mental development outcomes (language: β = .422; personal‐social: β = .490; memory: β = .139; and executive function: β = .072, all p < .001). Additionally, stimulation was significantly associated with language scores and hemoglobin concentration with memory. These findings inform interventions aimed at improving child development in Northern India.     

Comparison of Different Instructional Multimedia Designs for Improving Student Science-Process Skill Learning

This study developed three forms of computer-based multimedia, including Static Graphics (SG), Simple Learner-Pacing Animation (SLPA), and Full Learner-Pacing Animation (FLPA), to assist students in learning topographic measuring. The interactive design of FLPA allowed students to physically manipulate the virtual measuring mechanism, rather than passively observe dynamic or static images. The students were randomly assigned to different multimedia groups. The results of a one-way ANOVA analysis indicated that (1) there was a significant difference with a large effect size (f = .69) in mental effort ratings among three groups, and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA imposed less cognitive load on students than did SG (p = .007); (2) the differences of practical performance scores among groups reached the statistic significant level with a large effect size (f = .76), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA fostered better learning outcomes than both SLPA and SG (p = .004 and p = .05, respectively); (3) the difference in instructional efficiency that was computed by the z-score combination of students’ mental effort ratings and practical performance scores among the three groups obtained the statistic significant level with a large effect size (f = .79), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA brought students higher instructional efficiency than those of both SLPA and SG (p = .01 and .005, respectively); (4) no significant effect was found in instructional time-spans between groups (p = .637). Overall, FLPA was recommended as the best multimedia form to facilitate topographic measurement learning. The implications of instructional multimedia design were discussed from the perspective of cognitive load theory.     

Does defending victimized peers put youth at risk of being victimized?

Defending peers who have been bullied is often thought to put defenders at risk of becoming victimized themselves. The study investigated the concurrent and prospective associations between defending and (peer- and self-reported) victimization, and examined popularity and classroom norms as potential moderators. Participants included 4085 Finnish youth (43.9% boys; M_age = 14.56, SD = .75; 97% born in Finland). Concurrently, defending was positively associated with self-reported victimization in classrooms with high bullying-popularity norms (b = .28, SE = .16). Defending was negatively associated with peer-reported victimization in classrooms with high defending-popularity norms (b = −.07, SE = .03). Defending was not significantly associated with future victimization, suggesting that it is generally not a risk factor for victimization.     

Random walk models for top-N recommendation task

Recently there has been an increasing interest in applying random walk based methods to recommender systems. We employ a Gaussian random field to model the top-N recommendation task as a semi-supervised learning problem, taking into account the degree of each node on the user-item bipartite graph, and induce an effective absorbing random walk （ARW） algorithm for the top-N recommendation task. Our random walk approach directly generates the top-N recommendations for individuals, rather than predicting the ratings of the recommendations. Experimental results on the two real data sets show that our random walk algorithm significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art random walk based personalized ranking algorithm as well as the popular item-based collaborative filtering method.     

Child Care Quality and Cognitive Development: Trajectories Leading to Better Preacademic Skills

The associations between trajectories of child care quality from ages 2 to 4 years and children's cognitive performance at 4 years (n = 250) were tested. Distinct quality trajectories were identified: low and high ascending Teaching and Interactions trajectory; low and high Provision for Learning trajectory. Membership in the high ascending Teaching and Interactions trajectory was associated with better numeracy (effect size [ES] = .39, confidence interval [CI] = .21–.66), receptive vocabulary (ES = .41, CI = .14–.68), and school readiness (ES = .32, CI = .06–.58). The results suggest that a pattern of increasing quality of teacher–child interactions during the preschool years, particularly with regard to supporting the development of language, has a moderate impact on children's cognitive development.     

Meta‐Analysis of Theory of Mind and Peer Popularity in the Preschool and Early School Years

It has been argued that children who possess an advanced theory of mind (ToM) are viewed positively by their peers, but the empirical findings are mixed. This meta‐analysis of 20 studies including 2,096 children (aged from 2 years, 8 months to 10 years) revealed a significant overall association (r = .19) indicating that children with higher ToM scores were also more popular in their peer group. The effect did not vary with age. The effect was weaker for boys (r = .12) compared to girls (r = .30). ToM was more strongly associated with popularity (r = .23) than with rejection (r = .13). These findings confirm that ToM development has significant implications for children's peer relationships.     

Infant Attachment Insecurity and Baseline Physiological Activity and Physiological Reactivity to Interpersonal Stress: A Meta-Analytic Review

This meta-analytic review (k = 5–10; N = 258–895) examined links between attachment insecurity and physiological activity at baseline and in response to interpersonal stress elicited by separation–reunion procedures in the early life course (1–5 years). Insecurity was trivially, nonsignificantly associated with baseline physiological activity (heart rate [HR]: g = −.06; respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]: g = −.06; cortisol: g = .01) and nonsignificantly associated with physiological reactivity to separation from parents (HR: g = −.001; RSA: g = .24). However, insecurity was moderately associated with heightened RSA (g = .26) and cortisol (g = .27) reactivity upon reunion with parents. Findings provide insight into the biobehavioral organization of attachment, suggesting that early insecurity is associated with heightened physiological reactivity to interpersonal stress.     

Developing experience-based (tacit) knowledge through reflection

This investigation examined the effectiveness of reflection methods derived from Sternberg's theory of practical intelligence [Sternberg, R.J., and Hedlund, J. (2002). Practical intelligence, g, and work psychology. Human Performance 15(1/2), 143–160.; Sternberg, R.J., Forsythe, G.B., Hedlund, J., Horvath, H.A., Wagner, R.K., Williams, W.M., et al. (2000). Practical intelligence in everyday life. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2000] on the acquisition of experience-based, tacit knowledge. Two related experimental studies were conducted to test the effect of brief tacit-knowledge reflection training on practical problem solving. Reflection methods were developed based on Sternberg's conceptualized condition–action structure of tacit knowledge. In the first study, 101 U.S. Army officers participated in a reflection intervention or practice control. Results showed an effect of reflection condition on post-test tacit-knowledge scores (F [3, 91] = 3.74, p = .01, 2 = .03). In the second study, 235 college students participated in a reflection intervention or an academic-type reflection control. Results showed that the reflection condition approached significance on post-test scores (F [1, 233] = 3.47, p = .06, p = .06, 2 = .01). The investigation suggests this line of inquiry warrants continued study.     

Supporting Child Welfare and Parent Involvement in Preschool Programs

This article discusses the findings from a mixed-method study examining the relationship between social resources and levels of parent involvement in state-funded preschool programs in Illinois. Using survey data from the Illinois Birth to Five Evaluation (n = 843) and interviews with ten preschool administrators who completed the survey, the study found the number of social resources provided by a program was positively associated with levels of parent involvement. The correlation analysis (r = −0.22, p = .0001) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) F(2,708) = 23.19, p = .0001 findings both demonstrated positive relationships wherein high numbers of social resources were associated with higher levels of parent involvement in programs. Administrator interviews confirmed survey findings and suggested additional influences on parent involvement levels and use of social resources in programs. Implications for supporting child welfare and policy recommendations for early childhood programs are provided.     

Collaborative sense-making in print and digital text environments

This study describes the sense-making behaviors of sixth- and seventh-grade students (n = 46 dyads) as they read and discussed expository articles in print and digital formats. Most dyads approached the digital text as if it were static and linear, despite the availability of hyperlinks. Reading through (or covering) the text was the most commonly observed behavior, occurring in 89% of the coded intervals in the print condition and 76% of intervals in the digital condition. Students were observed discussing a variety of cognitive and metacognitive strategies. The most common strategies were process monitoring, summarizing, connecting, and reacting. The dyads used at least one overt sense-making strategy in about 50% of the intervals when reading the print text and about 65% of the intervals with the digital text. Previewing and progress monitoring, which serve important planning and self-regulative functions, were used more frequently in the digital condition. Regression analyses show that several collaborative behaviors were associated with text comprehension, as measured by a researcher-designed multiple choice test, in the print condition but not in the digital condition. These included word recognition monitoring (β = 1.84; SE = 0.90; p = .05), summarizing (β = 2.43; SE = 1.21; p = .05), and connecting (β = −5.20; SE = 2.06; p = .02) at the student level and attending to illustrations (γ = −7.08; SE = 2.17; p = .003) at the dyad level. In both conditions, prior reading achievement and prior knowledge were strong predictors of comprehension.     

Attachment and Temperament in the Early Life Course: A Meta‐Analytic Review

This meta‐analytic review examines the association between early attachment (assessed at 1–5 years) and child temperament (assessed at birth–12 years), and compares the strength of this association with recently documented meta‐analytic associations between early attachment and social competence, externalizing behavior, and internalizing symptoms. Based on 109 independent samples (N = 11,440) of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, temperament was weakly associated with attachment (in)security (d = .14, CI [0.08, 0.19]) but modestly associated with resistant attachment (d = .30, CI [0.21, 0.40]). Temperament was not significantly associated with avoidant (d = .10, CI [?0.02, 0.19]) or disorganized (d = .11, CI [?0.03, 0.25]) attachment. Across developmental domains, early attachment security was more strongly associated with social competence and externalizing behaviors than internalizing symptoms and temperament.     

Interparental conflict as a quadratic predictor of children’s reactivity to interparental conflict and school adjustment: Steeling effects or risk saturation?

This study examined interparental conflict as a curvilinear predictor of children's reactivity to interparental conflict and, in turn, their school problems across three annual measurements. Participants included 243 preschool children (M_age = 4.60 years; 56% girls) and their parents from racially (e.g., 48% Black; 16% Latinx) diverse backgrounds. Interparental conflict was a significant quadratic predictor of children's emotional reactivity (β = .23) and behavioral dysregulation (β = .27) to conflict over a 1-year period. The robust association between interparental conflict and behavioral dysregulation weakened at high levels of interparental conflict. In contrast, interparental conflict more strongly predicted children's emotional reactivity as conflict exposure increased. Children's emotional reactivity, in turn, predicted their greater school problems 1 year later (β = .25).     

CHILD‐CENTERED PLAY THERAPY IN THE SCHOOLS: REVIEW AND META‐ANALYSIS

The authors conducted a meta‐analysis and systematic review that examined 23 studies evaluating the effectiveness of child centered play therapy (CCPT) conducted in elementary schools. Meta‐analysis results were explored using a random effects model for mean difference and mean gain effect size estimates. Results revealed statistically significant effects for outcome constructs, including externalizing problems (d = 0.34), internalizing problems (d = 0.21), total problems (d = 0.34), self‐efficacy (d = 0.29), academic (d = 0.36), and other behaviors (d = 0.38). Further, a systematic review was conducted on all studies compared with Outcome Research Coding Protocol criteria. Results indicated that CCPT studies provided quantitative support and qualitatively promising to strong evidence in support of its use in the schools.     

Impact of Process Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care on Academic Outcomes: Longitudinal Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis studies the association of pedagogical processes in early childhood care and education with outcomes in two academic domains: language and literacy as well as mathematics. It synthesizes evidence from 17 longitudinal studies in nine European countries with 16,461 children in regular center-based care spanning the period between ages 3 and 16. Results of a three-level meta-analysis provided small overall effect sizes for both global and domain-specific process quality, and indicated lasting associations with academic development over children’s school career (ES = .11, Cohen’s d = .22, and ES = .10, Cohen’s d = .20). Effects varied by outcome domain, type of process measure, and differences in adopted analyses, with important implications for pedagogical practice and future research.     

An investigation of the relationship between metacognition and mathematics achievement

The aim of this study is to determine fifth-grade students’ metacognitive knowledge and skills and its relationship with mathematics achievements. A total of 242 primary school students from six different schools were participated in the study. Turkish version of Metacognitive Knowledge and Skills Assessment (MSA-TR) was used to measure metacognitive knowledge and skills. The results demonstrated a significant and positive relationship (r = .648, p < .01) between metacognition and mathematics achievement. Furthermore, research results showed that 42% of total variance of mathematics achievement could be explained with metacognitive knowledge and skills.     

Random quadralinear forms and schur product on tensors

In this work, we made progress on the problem that lr(○×)lp(○×)lq is a Banach algebra under schur product. Our results extend Tonge's results. We also obtained estimates for the norm of the random quadralinear form A:lMr×lNp×lKq×lHs→ C, defined by: A(ei, ej, ek, es)=aijks, where the (aijks)'s are uniformly bounded, independent, mean zero random variables. We proved that under some conditions lr(○×)lp(○×)lq (○×)ls is not a Banach algebra under schur product.