Applying an extended theoretical framework for data collection mode to health services research

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Over the last 30 years options for collecting self-reported data in health surveys and questionnaires have increased with technological advances. However, mode of data collection such as face-to-face interview or telephone interview can affect how individuals respond to questionnaires. This paper adapts a framework for understanding mode effects on response quality and applies it to a health research context.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Data collection modes are distinguished by key features (whether the survey is self- or interviewer-administered, whether or not it is conducted by telephone, whether or not it is computerised, whether it is presented visually or aurally). Psychological appraisal of the survey request will initially entail factors such as the cognitive burden upon the respondent as well as more general considerations about participation. Subsequent psychological response processes will further determine how features of the data collection mode impact upon the quality of response provided. Additional antecedent factors which may further interact with the response generation process are also discussed. These include features of the construct being measured such as sensitivity, and of the respondent themselves (e.g. their socio-demographic characteristics). How features of this framework relate to health research is illustrated by example.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>Mode features can affect response quality. Much existing evidence has a broad social sciences research base but is of importance to health research. Approaches to managing mode feature effects are discussed. Greater consideration must be given to how features of different data collection approaches affect response from participants in studies. Study reports should better clarify such features rather than rely upon global descriptions of data collection mode.</p

Conservative Protestantism and skepticism of scientists studying climate change

Politicians who proclaim both their skepticism about global warming and their conservative religious credentials leave the impression that conservative Protestants may be more skeptical about scientists' claims regarding global warming than others. The history of the relationship between conservative Protestantism and science on issues such as evolution also suggests that there may be increased skepticism. Analyzing the 2006 and 2010 General Social Survey, we find no evidence that conservative Protestantism leads respondents to have less belief in the conclusiveness of climate scientists' claims. However, a second type of skepticism of climate scientists is an unwillingness to follow scientists' public policy recommendations. We find that conservative Protestantism does lead to being less likely to want environmental scientists to influence the public policy debate about what to do about climate change. Existing sociological research on the relationship between religion and science suggests that this stance is due to a long-standing social/moral competition between conservative Protestantism and science. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Prediksi Kenaikan atau Penurunan Indeks Pasar Keuangan Indonesia dengan Menggunakan Bayesian Network

Investasi saham pada pasar keuangan dilakukan untuk meningkatkan aset pada masa depan. Dalam melakukan investasi harus mempertimbangkan hasil yang akan didapatkan atau biasa disebut return. Setiap investor akan berusaha mendapatkan return semaksimal mungkin dari investasi yang dilakukannya. Oleh karena itu, perlu dilakukan prediksi perubahan kenaikan atau penurunan pada pasar saham. Beberapa metode untuk membuat prediksi adalah Bayesian Network dan Algoritma Naive Bayes. Pada Tugas Akhir ini, dilakukan pemodelan jaringan sektor-sektor pasar keuangan Indonesia dengan menggunakan Bayesian Network, lalu melakukan prediksi berdasarkan kenaikan atau penurunan harga penutupan dari tiap sektor. Metode yang digunakan adalah menggunakan Algoritma Naive Bayes Diskrit dan Kontinu. Setelah itu, menentukan metode yang terbaik untuk perhitungan prediksi dengan melihat tingkat akurasi dari setiap metode dengan confusion matrix. Sektor pasar keuangan yang digunakan yaitu nilai tukar USD/IDR, IHSG, dan Obligasi. Perhitungan dilakukan berdasarkan ketergantungan antara nilai tukar USD/IDR terhadap IHSG, dan nilai tukar USD/IDR terhadap Obligasi. Metode Naive Bayes Diskrit menunjukan hasil yang lebih akurat dengan akurasi sebesar 84% untuk IHSG dan 76% untuk Obligasi. Sedangkan perhitungan dengan metode Naive Bayes Kontinu memiliki akurasi sebesar 52% untuk IHSG dan 48% untuk Obligasi. Sektor nilai tukar USD/IDR lebih mempengaruhi IHSG, karena tingkat akurasi yang diperoleh IHSG lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan Obligasi

Selective Exposure to Campaign Communication: The Role of Anticipated Agreement and Issue Public Membership

This article explores two hypotheses about how voters encounter information during campaigns. According to the anticipated agreement hypothesis, people prefer to hear about candidates with whom they expect to agree. The ‘‘issue publics’ ’ hypothesis posits that voters choose to encounter information on issues they consider most important personally. We tested both hypotheses by distributing a multimedia CD offering extensive information about George W. Bush and Al Gore to a representative sample of registered voters with personal computers and home Internet connections during the closing weeks of the 2000 campaign. Exposure to information was measured by tracking individuals ’ use of the CD. The evidence provided strong support for the issue public hypothesis and partial support for the anticipated agreement hypothesis. Republicans and conservatives preferred to access information about George Bush, but Democrats and liberals did not prefer information about Vice President Gore. No interactions appeared between these two forms of selective exposure. Classical theories of democracy presume that citizensarereasonablywellinformedaboutpublic affairs. Revisionist accounts, while acknowledging that most citizens fall short of the democratic ideal, still presume some minimal level of exposure to political information. The question of just how much exposure occurs is relevant to a wide range of scholarship exploring everything from the impact of campaigns on voters ’ level of knowledge about the candidates (see, fo