Relationships between age and raw score increases on the Kaufman-assessment battery for children

Raw scores on the 16 K-ABC subtests and the total raw scores on the sequential and simultaneous processing scales and the achievement scale were correlated with age in months for two separate samples, each subdivided by race and sex: the K-ABC standardization sample (N = 2000) and an additional group of blacks and whites tested during the development of the K-ABC sociocultural norms (N = 615). Within each sample, the highest and lowest correlations from all race/sex groups were contrasted across all K-ABC subtests and scales. All correlations between age and raw scores were statistically significant (p ⩽ .05). No significant differences occurred in the magnitude of these relationships as a function of race/sex grouping, supporting the construct validity of the K-ABC as a developmental measure of children's aptitude and achievement for blacks, whites, Hispanics, males, and females.     

Preliminary norms and technical data for use of the Revised-Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale with kindergarten children

The Revised-Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (Reynolds & Richmond, 1978) was administered to 97 kindergarten children. Coefficient alpha reliabilities of .79 for males (N = 53), .85 for females (N = 44), and .82 for the total sample resulted. Contrary to findings with older children, no sex differences occurred in scoring on the anxiety scale. The kindergarten children generally scored higher on the anxiety scale than did older children. Lie scale scores were comparable to those of other primary grade children. Implications for use of the scale with young children are discussed.     

Validation of self-report measures of physical activity: a case study using the New Zealand Physical Activity Questionnaire

Accurate measurement of physical activity is fundamentally important in epidemiological research of physical activity behavior A widely used telephone-based physical activity questionnaire was compared with other methods of administration and objective measures (pedometers and accelerometers) among 80 adults (43 women). The telephone questionnaire was comparable to both the self-administered form and international telephone-administered equivalent. Although moderate correlation coefficients with objective measures supported the use of the questionnaire, wide prediction intervals generated using Bland Altman methods highlighted large discrepancies between the measures, particularly in the moderate intensity category. These findings illustrate the limitations of correlation coefficients in validation studies and the inaccuracy of self-report questionnaires in measuring physical activity.     

A comparison of the criterion-related validity (academic achievement) of the WPPSI and the WISC-R

Correlations of WPPSI IQs with concurrently administered subtests from the WRAT were compared with analogous WISC-R/WRAT correlations in a group of children referred by regular classroom teachers for school psychological services. Although the magnitudes of all correlations were reduced, due to restriction of range, the comparisons indicated no significant differences in the magnitudes of the correlations of the WPPSI and the WISC-R with the WRAT. These results support the use of the two instruments as equivalent predictors of achievement.     

Factorial validity of the 1976 edition of the metropolitan readiness tests for males and females

The 1976 edition of the Metropolitan Readiness Tests was factor analyzed from the responses of 408 beginning first graders. A single General Readiness factor, consistent with prior research, best described the battery of eight subtests. This factor was found to be invariant across sex when separate analyses for males and for females were compared. The coefficient of congruence for the general factor across sex was .98, and the salient variable similarity index reached a value of 1.00.     

Predictive validity of the K-ABC for exceptional preschoolers

This 5-year follow-up study examined the predictive validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) for 39 children identified during preschool as exhibiting language impairment (n = 10), behavior control deficits (n = 13), or normal language and behavioral development (n = 16). Mean age at follow-up was 9.75 years. The results generally supported the predictive validity of the K-ABC (p<.001). However, analyses by group indicated that the relationship between baseline K-ABC and follow-up K-ABC, language, and achievement measures for the language-impaired subjects was weak (p>.05). Although these results must be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample size, they suggest that for young children likely to be referred as at risk for future learning problems, the K-ABC may not be useful for prediction of later cognitive skills. Implications for practitioners are discussed.     

排名的困境

分析了大学排行榜产生的原因,指出了大学排名活动中存在的问题,如评估指标的选取、大学的不同定位等,进而指出世界范围内的排名活动会加大英语国家大学的强势,不利于发展中国家大学的发展,并认为大学排名活动应以准确的评估和科学的指标体系作为基础。     

Factorial Invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale among Senior Women in the Nurses’ Health Study Cohort

The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial invariance of the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-A) across subgroups based on demographic, health-related, behavioral, and environmental characteristics among Nurses’ Health Study participants (N = 2,919; age M = 73.0, SD = 6.9 years) living in California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. A series of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate increasingly restrictive hypotheses of factorial invariance. Factorial invariance was supported across age, walking limitations, and neighborhood walking. Only partial scalar invariance was supported across state residence and neighborhood population density. This evidence provides support for using the NEWS-A with older women of different ages, who have different degrees of walking limitations, and who engage in different amounts of neighborhood walking. Partial scalar invariance suggests that researchers should be cautious when using the NEWS-A to compare older adults living in different states and neighborhoods with different levels of population density.     

Static and dynamic accuracy of a magnetic-inertial measurement unit used to provide racket swing kinematics

Magnetic-inertial measurement units (MIMUs) are becoming more prevalent in sports biomechanics and may be a viable tool to evaluate kinematic parameters. This study examined the accuracy of a MIMU to estimate orientation angles under static conditions and dynamically from a squash racket during a forehand drive shot. A MIMU was mounted onto a goniometer and moved through 0–90°, with static data collected at 10° increments during 10 repetitions of all three axes. Typical error analyses showed the MIMU to be very reliable (TE ≤ 0.03°). MIMU accuracy was determined via intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) (r > 0.999, p < 0.001). An ordinary least products regression showed no proportional bias and minimal fixed bias for all axes. Dynamic accuracy was assessed by comparing MIMU and optical motion capture data of squash racket swing kinematics. A MIMU was fixed onto a racket and 10 participants each hit 10 forehand shots. Mean orientation angle error at ball impact was <0.50° and ICC showed very high correlations (r ≥ 0.988, p < 0.001) for all orientations. Swing phase root mean squared errors were ≤2.20°. These results indicate that a MIMU could be used to accurately and reliably estimate selected racket swing kinematics.