Modeling Unobserved Heterogeneity Using Latent Profile Analysis: A Monte Carlo Simulation

Latent profile analysis (LPA) has become a popular statistical method for modeling unobserved population heterogeneity in cross-sectionally sampled data, but very few empirical studies have examined the question of how well enumeration indexes accurately identify the correct number of latent profiles present. This Monte Carlo simulation study examined the ability of several classes of enumeration indexes to correctly identify the number of latent population profiles present under 3 different research design conditions: sample size, the number of observed variables used for LPA, and the separation distance among the latent profiles measured in Mahalanobis D units. Results showed that, for the homogeneous population (i.e., the population has k = 1 latent profile) conditions, many of the enumeration indexes used in LPA were able to correctly identify the single latent profile if variances and covariances were freely estimated. However, for a heterogeneous population (i.e., the population has k = 3 distinct latent profiles), the correct identification rate for the enumeration indexes in the k = 3 latent profile conditions was typically very low. These results are compared with the previous cross-sectional mixture modeling studies, and the limitations of this study, as well as future cross-sectional mixture modeling and enumeration index research possibilities, are discussed.     

Measuring Pharmacy Student Attitudes Toward Prayer: The Student Prayer Attitude Scale (SPAS)

The objective of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess the attitude of student pharmacists toward prayer in general and in particular as it relates to their academic performance. To fulfill the study objective, faculty from seven colleges of pharmacy located at Christian universities collaboratively developed the Student Prayer Attitude Scale (SPAS). The items were used to assess the attitudes of student pharmacists toward prayer as well as the effects of prayer on personal lives and academic performance. Faculty investigators asked 1,563 students to complete the survey and received 677 valid responses. A principal components analysis with promax rotation was conducted and revealed a two-factor structure: (a) general attitude toward prayer and (b) specific attitude regarding the impact of prayer on academic performance. Analysis of variance was used to compare student responses by religious identity. Students identifying as atheist or agnostic were significantly different in their responses than students from theistic religions; however, the responses of students from various theistic religions were not significantly different from one another. Faculty concluded that SPAS is a reliable tool for measuring student attitudes toward prayer. The use of such a tool could help faculty tailor educational opportunities to allow pharmacy students to explore prayer more fully and be aware of its impact on the patients they serve.     

Factors which comprise salary

A linear causal model is postulated and path analysis procedures are used to examine the direct, indirect, and total influence of 39 variables (grouped into eight general measures) on the salaries of 24.461 faculty members associated with virtually every discipline and type of postsecondary institution in the academic community. The results show wide variation in the relative influence of characteristics of postsecondary institutions and the personal and professional characteristics of faculty members on faculty salaries. The implications of these findings are discussed and specific guidelines are provided to assist those interested in examining the external and internal consistency of the faculty salary structures of their respective institutions.     

Elementary school teachers' beliefs about and perceptions of elementary school science,science reading,science textbooks,and supportive instructional factors

This article is a report of elementary school teachers' beliefs about and uses of text material in science. Survey results from 522 K-8 teachers from 299 schools in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were analyzed along three dimensions: teacher attitudes toward teaching of reading in science; teacher beliefs and understanding about models of reading, factors influencing science reading and reading skills; and teacher use of various teaching strategies. Results suggest that teachers do not see reading science as different from any other narrative material. And though most agreed to the importance of having students do activities to support and enhance the use of text material, responses suggest that covering topics is still a concern for most elementary teachers.     

The university brand and social media: using data analytics to assess brand authenticity

Recent economic pressures have demanded higher education institutions respond with strong, authentic brand promises. This mixed method multi-case study explored the authenticity of common brand promises at three Universities in Canada through Twitter and Facebook postings from February to April 2016 using a cloud-based text and network analytic tool. Our study revealed the content shared on social media channels, while largely trustworthy, was fraught with shades of gray and revealed that sometimes brand promises were used against the university when they appeared disingenuous or threatened institutional norms around equity and social justice. Further, social media strategies are still largely limited to push notification suggesting universities are missing opportunities to strengthen their brand and counter negative messaging. For marketing managers it reinforces investments should be directed toward creating engaging and authentic content that can be expressed through multiple touch-points including social media and this can be monitored through low-cost analytic tools.     

Summation and configuration between and within sensory modalities in classical conditioning of the rabbit

Three experiments examined “atomistic” and “configurai” processes in stimulus compounding using the rabbit’s conditioned nictitating membrane response. Two conditioned stimuli (CSs) were trained separately and then tested together in a compound. Animals trained with CSs from different modalities—namely, tone and light—showed summation in both acquisition and extinction. That is, the probability of a response to the compound could be predicted by the statistical sum of responding to the CSs. In contrast, animals trained with CSs from the auditory modality, tone and noise, showed a level of responding to the tone + noise compound that was the same as that of the CSs, well under the level predicted by the statistical sum of responding to the CSs. In conclusion, atomistic processes appear to predominate in cross-modal compounding. Configurai processes may occur during compounding within the auditory modality, but atomistic alternatives—namely, common elements and selective attention hypotheses—may be able to explain the results.     

Cognitive and Neural Development of Individuated Self-Representation in Children

Processing the self-relevance of information facilitates recall. Similarly, processing close-other-related information facilitates recall to a lesser degree than processing self-relevant information. This memory advantage may be viewed as an index of the degree to which the representation of self is differentiated from representations of close others. To test developmental hypotheses concerning the self, this study examined the relation of memory for self- and mother-referentially processed information in participants age 7–13 years (Experiment 1: N  = 37; Experiment 2: N  = 14). Memory for words encoded with reference to oneself increases with age, relative to memory for words encoded with reference to one's mother. When used as an individual difference measure, the difference in self versus mother memory correlates with regions of the rostral anterior cingulate associated with affective salience.