Performance of Nonrecursive Latent Variable Models under Misspecification

A problem central to structural equation modeling is measurement model specification error and its propagation into the structural part of nonrecursive latent variable models. Full-information estimation techniques such as maximum likelihood are consistent when the model is correctly specified and the sample size large enough; however, any misspecification within the model can affect parameter estimates in other parts of the model. The goals of this study included comparing the bias, efficiency, and accuracy of hypothesis tests in nonrecursive latent variable models with indirect and direct feedback loops. We compare the performance of maximum likelihood, two-stage least-squares and Bayesian estimators in nonrecursive latent variable models with indirect and direct feedback loops under various degrees of misspecification in small to moderate sample size conditions.     

Engaging New Faculty in the Scholarship of Teaching

This article describes how scholarly teaching projects were conceived, implemented, and evaluated by junior faculty from a variety of disciplines at a medium-sized midwestern university. The authors explore: considerations in designing scholarly teaching projects, methods used to evaluate teaching effectiveness, and outcomes of the teaching projects. Finally, two of the teaching projects illustrate how junior faculty with diverse courses, class sizes, and teaching concerns approached the task of improving their teaching.     

Drug education in bolivian schools: A feasibility study for cross-cultural application of a preventive curricular unit

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of adapting and implementing in La Paz, Bolivia a drug education course originally developed for use in the middle schools in the United States. On the basis of teacher and student evaluations, it was concluded that the unit is a viable, culturally relevant and effective method of drug education in the public and private schools in La Paz. Implications for the prevention of other health-related problems and for implementation of a demandreduction strategy to prevent drug abuse throughout the Americas are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Ziel dieser Studie war es herauszufinden, inwieweit die Anwendung eines Kurses zur Drogenerziehung in La Paz, Bolivien durchführbar ist. Dieser Kurs wurde ursprünglich für Mittelschulen in den Vereinigten Staaten entwickelt. Auf der Basis von Bewertungen durch Lehrer und Schüler fand man heraus, daß dieser Kurs eine lebensfähige, kulturell relevante und effektive Art der Drogenerziehung in öffentlichen und privaten Schulen in La Paz ist. Außerdem wird diskutiert, welche Auswirkungen auf die Verhütung anderer Gesundheitsprobleme erzielt werden, sowie auf die Durchführung einer Strategie zur Verringerung der Nachfrage, um den Drogenmißbrauch in ganz Amerika zu reduzieren.

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Resumen El objetivo de este estudio residía en comprobar la factibilidad de adaptar e implementar en La Paz, Bolivia, un curso de educación antidrogas que se ha desarrollado para aplicarlo en las escuelas de enseñanza media de los Estados Unidos. Sobre la base de evaluaciones hechas por docentes y estudiantes se ha llegado a la conclusión de que el curso es un método viable, de relevancia cultural y efectivo para realizar una educación antidrogas en los colegios públicos y privados de La Paz. Se discuten las implicaciones del estudio para la prevención de otros problemas relacionados con la salud y para implementar una estrategia de reducción de demanda, a efectos de prvenir el abuso de drogas en todo el continente.

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Résumé L'objectif de cette étude est de tester la faisabilité de l'adaptation et de la mise en oeuvre à La Paz, en Bolivie, d'un programme de prévention contre la drogue, développé à l'origine pour être utilisé dans les écoles primaires aux Etats-Unis. D'après les évaluations des enseignants et des apprenants, il s'est avéré que ce programme constitue une méthode de prévention contre la drogue valable, culturellement pertinente et efficace, pour les écoles publiques et privées de La Paz. La discussion porte sur les répercussions sur la prévention d'autres problèmes de santé et sur la mise en oeuvre d'une stratégie de réduction de la dépendance afin de s'opposer aux méfaits de la drogue sur le continent américain.

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This project was made possible by a grant from the North-South Center, University of Miami, Florida, USA.     

Simultaneous contrast in goldfish

Two groups of goldfish were trained to strike an illuminated target for food reward. The experimental group was reinforced with 10 worms for response to one color and with 1 worm for response to a different color. The control group was reinforced with 1 worm for response to each color. The experimental group gave clear evidence of discrimination of reward magnitude and also of simultaneous negative contrast. These results bear on the relation of the mechanisms of simultaneous and successive contrast.     

Communication systems simulator with error correcting codes using MATLAB

In this work, the characteristics of a simulator for channel coding techniques used in communication systems, are described. This software has been designed for engineering students in order to facilitate the understanding of how the error correcting codes work. To help students understand easily the concepts related to these kinds of codes, a user-friendly interface has been developed using the MATLAB environment, since it provides many toolboxes related to communication systems.     

Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Children's Development

Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children's development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father–child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies on parenting and children's development. The first aim of this monograph was to provide a brief update on the current state of research on fathering and to lay out a developmental ecological systems perspective as a conceptual framework for understanding the different spaces fathers inhabit in their children's lives. Because there is wide variability in fathers’ roles, the ecological systems perspective situates fathers, mothers, children, and other caregivers within an evolving network of interrelated social relationships in which children and their parents change over time and space (e.g., residence). The second aim was to present examples of empirical studies conducted by members of the international working group that highlighted different methods, data collection, and statistical analyses used to capture the variability in father–child relationships. The monograph ends with a commentary that elaborates on the ecological systems framework with a discussion of the broader macrosystem and social-contextual influences that impinge on fathers and their children. The collection of articles contributes to research on father–child relationships by advancing theory and presenting varied methods and analysis strategies that assist in understanding the father–child relationship and its impact on child development.