Attrition in developmental psychology: A review of modern missing data reporting and practices

Inherent in applied developmental sciences is the threat to validity and generalizability due to missing data as a result of participant drop-out. The current paper provides an overview of how attrition should be reported, which tests can examine the potential of bias due to attrition (e.g., t-tests, logistic regression, Little\u27s MCAR test, sensitivity analysis), and how it is best corrected through modern missing data analyses. To amend this discussion of best practices in managing and reporting attrition, an assessment of how developmental sciences currently handle attrition was conducted. Longitudinal studies (n = 541) published from 2009-2012 in major developmental journals were reviewed for attrition reporting practices and how authors handled missing data based on recommendations in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010). Results suggest attrition reporting is not following APA recommendations, quality of reporting did not improve since the APA publication, and a low proportion of authors provided sufficient information to convey that data properly met the MAR assumption. An example based on simulated data demonstrates bias that may result from various missing data mechanisms in longitudinal data, the utility of auxiliary variables for the MAR assumption, and the need for viewing missingness along a continuum from MAR to MNAR

Moderators of Stability and Change in Attachment

Collaborative project on moderators of stability and change in adult attachment styles

Changes in attachment security and mindfulness as predictors of changes in depression and general anxiety

Two studies examined the role short-term changes in adult attachment and mindfulness play in depression and general anxiety. Study 1, using a sample of college students (n = 121) who were not engaged in any clinical intervention, showed that changes in attachment anxiety and security, but not in avoidance, predicted changes in depressed and anxious mood. Study 2, using a college age clinical sample (n = 28), showed that changes in adult state attachment (avoidant, anxious, and secure) predicted reductions in depression, but that only changes in avoidant attachment, not anxious or secure attachment, predicted reductions in general anxiety. These findings suggest that reducing avoidant attachment is particularly important in successful therapy, but plays less of a role in natural fluctuations in depressed and anxious mood in non-clinical settings. Mindfulness predicted changes in depression and general anxiety in both the clinical and class studies. Mediation analyses showed that mindfulness partially mediated the association between adult attachment and depression and general anxiety. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed

USING MOMENTARY DERIVATIVE ESTIMATES TO GAUGE DRIVER PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT Measurement of driver performance and the subsequent initiation of safety measures is of increasing interest to automotive manufactures and users. Many studies of driver performance are based on indicators that are likely to be difficult to collect in real-life conditions (e.g., lane position). These measures are easily measured in simulators, but may not be easily measured across a variety of road conditions (e.g., deterioration, roadwork, snow). To increase the possibility of implementing safety measures, the current paper examines the estimation of derivatives from in-vehicle measures of vehicle control such as steering wheel angle. At very short time scales (e.g., <1 second) many in-vehicle measures may be indicative of drivers who are making small corrections to their trajectories. Drivers making a large number of ongoing corrections may indicate characteristics such as fatigue and inattention. This paper compares derivative estimates to other common measures of driving performance and models changes in momentary derivative estimates in a 90-minute simulation with 19 participants

Integrating Developmental Theory and Methodology: Using Derivatives to Articulate Change Theories, Models, and Inferences

Matching theories about growth, development, and change to appropriate statistical models can present a challenge, which can result in misuse, misinterpretation, and underutilization of different analytical approaches. We discuss the use of derivatives: the change of a construct with respect to the change in another construct. Derivatives provide a common language linking developmental theory and statistical methods. Conceptualizing change in terms of derivatives allows precise translation of theory into method and highlights commonly overlooked models of change. A wide variety of models can be understood in terms of the level, velocity, and acceleration of constructs: the zeroth, first, and second derivatives, respectively. We introduce the language of derivatives, and highlight the conceptually differing questions that can be addressed in developmental studies. A substantive example is presented to demonstrate how common and unfamiliar statistical methodology can be understood as addressing relations between differing pairs of derivatives

Synchronization in Dancing is Not Winner--Takes--All: Ambiguity Persists in

al Symmetry Between Dancers Steven M. Boker # Eric Covey Stacey Tiberio Pascal Deboeck May 4, 2005 Symmetry formation, symmetry breaking, and the strength of symmetric coupling in social interaction are investigated using motion capture data from pairs of individuals dancing to repeating rhythms. Repeating auditory rhythms are a simple form of temporal symmetry in which local entropy can be controlled. Spatio--temporal symmetry is formed when an individual performs cyclic movements, such as dancing to a repeating rhythm. Social spatio--temporal symmetry is formed when two individuals dance together. Rhythmic patterns can be ambiguous, having two or more segmentation points that listeners might perceive as the beginning of a rhythmic pattern. But subjects report hearing only one organization, implying that temporal symmetry is Gestalt--like: a winner--takes--all process. In the present study, the degree of temporal ambiguity in auditory stimuli was found to have a significant e#ect