The effect of extreme response and non-extreme response styles on testing measurement invariance

Extreme and non-extreme response styles (RSs) are prevalent in survey research using Likert-type scales. Their effects on measurement invariance (MI) in the context of confirmatory factor analysis are systematically investigated here via a Monte Carlo simulation study. Using the parameter estimates obtained from analyzing a 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study data set, a population model was constructed. Original and contaminated data with one of two RSs were generated and analyzed via multi-group confirmatory factor analysis with different constraints of MI. The results indicated that the detrimental effects of response style on MI have been underestimated. More specifically, these two RSs had a substantially negative impact on both model fit and parameter recovery, suggesting that the lack of MI between groups may have been caused by the RSs, not the measured factors of focal interest. Practical implications are provided to help practitioners to detect RSs and determine whether RSs are a serious threat to MI

How was it for you? A cross-disciplinary study of ‘troublesome knowledge’ as identified by undergraduate students and lecturers in Geography, Medical Science and Psychology

We carried out a small scale pilot study to determine whether participants would spontaneously identify Threshold Concepts (TC’s) and/or troublesome knowledge during open questioning on the characteristics of their disciplines. Students and lecturers reflected upon both easy and difficult aspects of their studies or teaching practice in either group discussions or one-to-one interviews. We compared students and staff observations both within and between the disciplines we examined (Geography, Medical Sciences and Psychology undergraduate degrees). Our intention was to provide specific examples of TC’s within our three disciplines to inform further discussion of embedding the enhancement theme both in our practice and in the learning experiences of our students. Our working hypothesis was that if TC’s exerted an influence on the teaching and learning experience either negatively or otherwise, then we would find ample evidence supplied in our interviews. What we found was that overwhelmingly our interviewees focussed on generic skills-based aspects of teaching and learning. Only three potential content-specific TC’s were offered spontaneously by students and these were all from the discipline of geography

The Structured Process Modeling Method (SPMM) : what is the best way for me to construct a process model?

More and more organizations turn to the construction of process models to support strategical and operational tasks. At the same time, reports indicate quality issues for a considerable part of these models, caused by modeling errors. Therefore, the research described in this paper investigates the development of a practical method to determine and train an optimal process modeling strategy that aims to decrease the number of cognitive errors made during modeling. Such cognitive errors originate in inadequate cognitive processing caused by the inherent complexity of constructing process models. The method helps modelers to derive their personal cognitive profile and the related optimal cognitive strategy that minimizes these cognitive failures. The contribution of the research consists of the conceptual method and an automated modeling strategy selection and training instrument. These two artefacts are positively evaluated by a laboratory experiment covering multiple modeling sessions and involving a total of 149 master students at Ghent University

Text and artefacts for creating a "World of Investment Decision-Making" : an empirical study into investment procedures

The investment procedure prescribes the stages and tests through which all investment projects must pass before being accepted or not. It governs the conditions of acceptability and constitutes a powerful device of a priori control. In this paper, we intend to understand how investment procedures enable grand ideals regarding investment to be institutionalised. In particular, over and above the assumed effectiveness and rationale of these procedures, we identify the mechanisms through which these procedures construct social roles. In this respect, this research goes beyond the procedures’ technical functions and focuses on the very form of procedures. Indeed, the form of a procedure presents two features: it is written, generally consigned to a “manual”; and it relies on “cognitive artefacts” (Norman, 1991) or “technologies of the intellect” (Goody, 1977) such as lists, tables and formulae like Discounted Cash Flow. This paper shows how this specific form takes effect during the process of institutionalisation, through which grand investment ideals (e.g. competitiveness, value creation) are transformed into concrete devices and into roles (Miller, 1991). Thanks to an enquiry conducted in 2003 and 2004, investment procedures in six large companies in a French context are analysed. It is argued that (1) the formalisation of the objectives of the procedures, as well as the definitions of investment through typologies shape the actors’ boundaries of action; (2) valuation methods based on the domination of economic-mathematical formula favour short-term over long-term reflection; (3) the setting of decision-making thresholds formalise individuals’ tasks and responsibilities. Therefore, the very form of procedures shape each phase of the institutionalisation process as defined by Hasselbladh and Kallinikos (2000) and contribute to creates a singular world – that of investment decisions.procedure; investment; written text; artefacts; technologies of the intellect; institutionalisation

Measurement in marketing

We distinguish three senses of the concept of measurement (measurement as the selection of observable indicators of theoretical concepts, measurement as the collection of data from respondents, and measurement as the formulation of measurement models linking observable indicators to latent factors representing the theoretical concepts), and we review important issues related to measurement in each of these senses. With regard to measurement in the first sense, we distinguish the steps of construct definition and item generation, and we review scale development efforts reported in three major marketing journals since 2000 to illustrate these steps and derive practical guidelines. With regard to measurement in the second sense, we look at the survey process from the respondent's perspective and discuss the goals that may guide participants' behavior during a survey, the cognitive resources that respondents devote to answering survey questions, and the problems that may occur at the various steps of the survey process. Finally, with regard to measurement in the third sense, we cover both reflective and formative measurement models, and we explain how researchers can assess the quality of measurement in both types of measurement models and how they can ascertain the comparability of measurements across different populations of respondents or conditions of measurement. We also provide a detailed empirical example of measurement analysis for reflective measurement models

Some Empirical Criteria for Attributing Creativity to a Computer Program

Peer reviewedPostprin

An EEG study on emotional intelligence and advertising message effectiveness

Some electroencephalography (EEG) studies have investigated emotional intelligence (EI), but none have examined the relationships between EI and commercial advertising messages and related consumer behaviors. This study combines brain (EEG) techniques with an EI psychometric to explore the brain responses associated with a range of advertisements. A group of 45 participants (23females, 22males) had their EEG recorded while watching a series of advertisements selected from various marketing categories such as community interests, celebrities, food/drink, and social issues. Participants were also categorized as high or low in emotional intelligence (n = 34). The EEG data analysis was centered on rating decision-making in order to measure brain responses associated with advertising information processing for both groups. The findings suggest that participants with high and low emotional intelligence (EI) were attentive to different types of advertising messages. The two EI groups demonstrated preferences for “people” or “object,” related advertising information. This suggests that differences in consumer perception and emotions may suggest why certain advertising material or marketing strategies are effective or not

Interactive effects of information systems interfaces (ISI) and personal cognitive preferences in museum learning experiences

The advent of information communications technology (ICT) and digital technology has gradually changed the museum landscape. As an informal learning context, many museums around the globe have been working very hard to enhance and enrich their visitors' museum learning experiences by taking advantages of the possibilities offered by technology. Nevertheless, in doing so, museums are desperate to find an effective formula in designing their educational exhibit content; mainly how to represent and deliver in their online exhibit counterparts and to fulfil their role facilitating the formal education context. In designing and developing digital materials for such a complex pedagogical environment requires much detailed attention in dealing with individual cognitive differences. As such, human-beings' information processing not only affects how they learn but more importantly, how they influence the overall preferences of the exhibit design elements. Thus, this thesis investigates the interactive effects between cognitive preference and the instructional strategies as they were received during their museum learning experiences. The research study utilised the existing content of the Melbourne Museum's Dinosaur Walk exhibition. The cognitive preferences, on the other hand, represents the human-beings' information processing differences that are often described as an individual's preferred and habitual approach to represent the information they receive while undergoing the instruction. The research employed a three-phase quasi-experimental design; the fieldwork experiments were conducted to examine the instructional outcomes of children aged 10 to 12 (from Victorian primary schools, in Australia). This student cohort, therefore, involved children with different cognitive preferences within two museum instructional exhibit strategies; the web-based exhibit and the physical museum exhibit content of the Dinosaur Walk exhibition in the Melbourne Museum. The data collected were scores from: i) the cognitive style analysis (CSA) and ii) the cognitive performance (pretest and posttest) from 91 school children aged 10 to 12 years old from Australian primary schools in the Melbourne suburbs. The validity and reliability of the cognitive performance measurements tools (the pretest and posttest) were established under the auspices of the Rasch model applying the Quest Interactive Test Analysis System. The cognitive performance measurement scale was found to have reliability estimates of 1.00 with item fit statistics ranges 0.87 to 1.18. These statistics show that all the test-items were measuring the one construct. Cohen's effect size has been utilised to compare the magnitude of differences between the experimental groups. Further analysis confirmed the interactive effect between cognitive preferences and the museum instructional strategies on their museum learning experiences. It was also found that Wholist-Verbalisers achieved their best performance under the web-based museum instructional strategies compared to the physical museum with an effect size of 1.44. The results also revealed that participants with lower prior domain knowledge benefits more from the web-based instructional strategies. This thesis enhances the formulation of the interactivity between the human and technological dimensions of the online museum learning environment. It highlights the essentials and degree of interaction and knowledge that may be utilised to improve the design and evaluation practices of personalised museum learning and other learning environments. The study also demonstrates the effectiveness of the Rasch measurement approach for instructional design and performance measurement