An Instructional Module on Mokken Scale Analysis

Mokken scale analysis (MSA) is a probabilistic‐nonparametric approach to item response theory (IRT) that can be used to evaluate fundamental measurement properties with less strict assumptions than parametric IRT models. This instructional module provides an introduction to MSA as a probabilistic‐nonparametric framework in which to explore measurement quality, with an emphasis on its application in the context of educational assessment. The module describes both dichotomous and polytomous formulations of the MSA model. Examples of the application of MSA to educational assessment are provided using data from a multiple‐choice physical science assessment and a rater‐mediated writing assessment.     

Counteracting detrimental effects of misconceptions on learning and metacomprehension accuracy: The utility of refutation texts and think sheets

Instructional Science - Previous research has shown that misconceptions impair not only learners’ text comprehension and knowledge transfer but also the accuracy with which they predict their...     

Effiziente Vertr?glichkeitsprüfung und automatische Migration von Workflow-Instanzen bei der Evolution von Workflow-Schemata

Sollen Workflow-Management-Systeme (WfMS) in umfassender Weise für die rechnerbasierte Verwaltung und Steuerung von Gesch?ftsprozessen einsetzbar sein, müssen die von ihnen verwalteten Workflow-Schemata und -Instanzen bei Bedarf rasch anpassbar sein. Dabei müssen die auf Basis eines (alten) Workflow-Schemas erzeugten Instanzen auch nach dessen ?nderung ungest?rt weiterlaufen k?nnen, etwa durch Bereitstellung geeigneter Versionskonzepte. Sehr viel schwieriger wird es, wenn die angewandten Schema?nderungen – wo gewünscht und m?glich – auch auf die bereits (vielleicht in gro?er Zahl) laufenden Workflow-Instanzen übertragen werden sollen. Dies bei Bedarf zu k?nnen – und zwar ohne Inkonsistenzen oder Fehler zu verursachen – ist aber ungemein wichtig, wenn ein WfMS breit und flexibel einsetzbar sein soll. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Ansatz zur effizienten Prüfung der Vertr?glichkeit von Workflow-Instanzen mit einem ge?nderten Workflow-Schema vorgestellt. Durch Einbeziehung aller Beschreibungskonstrukte (z.B. auch Schleifen und Datenflüsse) und damit zusammenh?ngender Fragestellungen wird darüber hinaus zum ersten Mal die Grundlage für ein umfassendes ?nderungsmanagement geschaffen. Au?erdem wird aufgezeigt, wie der Benutzer bei der Migration vertr?glicher Instanzen auf das neue Schema konkret unterstützt werden kann.     

Looking at Eye Gaze Processing and Its Neural Correlates in Infancy—Implications for Social Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder

The importance of eye gaze as a means of communication is indisputable. However, there is debate about whether there is a dedicated neural module, which functions as an eye gaze detector and when infants are able to use eye gaze cues in a referential way. The application of neuroscience methodologies to developmental psychology has provided new insights into early social cognitive development. This review integrates findings on the development of eye gaze processing with research on the neural mechanisms underlying infant and adult social cognition. This research shows how a cognitive neuroscience approach can improve our understanding of social development and autism spectrum disorder.     

YouTube-based course orientation videos delivered prior to matriculation fail to alleviate medical student anxiety about anatomy

Gross anatomy is a source of anxiety for matriculating medical students due to the large volume of information presented in a truncated timeline, and because it may be their first exposure to human cadavers. This study aimed to assess if video-based resources would affect matriculating medical students' anatomy state anxiety levels. Videos were designed to be short, YouTube-based units that served to provide orientation information about the anatomy course, dissection facilities, and available study resources to dispel anxiety around beginning their anatomy studies. To evaluate the impact of the videos, students in two consecutive matriculating years (2018 and 2019) completed the validated State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a demographic questionnaire. The 2019 cohort (n = 118) served as the experimental group with access to the videos; while the 2018 cohort (n = 120) without video access served as a historical control. Analyses revealed that the groups were equivalent in terms of trait anxiety (P = 0.854) and anatomy state anxiety even when student video exposure was controlled (P = 0.495). Anatomy state anxiety was only significantly lower in students with prior formal anatomy exposure (P = 0.006). Further inquiry into students' prior anatomy experience identified that individuals with post-secondary dissection experience were significantly less anxious than those without formal anatomical experience (P = 0.023). These results may serve as a cautionary tale to educators; while preference for video-based instructional materials is prevalent in the literature, videos delivered on public social media platforms fail to prepare students for the psychological impact of studying human anatomy.     

When Parents’ Praise Inflates,Children's Self‐Esteem Deflates

Western parents often give children overly positive, inflated praise. One perspective holds that inflated praise sets unattainable standards for children, eventually lowering children's self‐esteem (self‐deflation hypothesis). Another perspective holds that children internalize inflated praise to form narcissistic self‐views (self‐inflation hypothesis). These perspectives were tested in an observational‐longitudinal study (120 parent–child dyads from the Netherlands) in late childhood (ages 7–11), when narcissism and self‐esteem first emerge. Supporting the self‐deflation hypothesis, parents’ inflated praise predicted lower self‐esteem in children. Partly supporting the self‐inflation hypothesis, parents’ inflated praise predicted higher narcissism—but only in children with high self‐esteem. Noninflated praise predicted neither self‐esteem nor narcissism. Thus, inflated praise may foster the self‐views it seeks to prevent.