31 research outputs found
Cognitive Organization of Person Attributes: Measurement procedures and statistical models
Theories of social cognition state that person attributes are cognitively organized either by means of a limited number of dimensions or in terms of discrete person types, where traits within a given person type have a unique internal structure. Associated with these two theoretical views are dierent measurement techniques and statistical models. A methodological study compared trait ratings, trait sortings and subset assignments as typical measurement procedures within the theoretical approaches according to the appropriateness of a dimensional or a categorical statistical model. As expected, the results indicate a dimensional model for rating data and a categorical model for sorting data. In contrast, both statistical models failed to explain the structure of subset assignments. It is shown that trait ratings and sortings dier from subset assignments in that only the rst allow for data aggregation and dimension reduction, whereas subset assignments induce a much more complex structure and require a more nely grained data analysis methodology which is provided by Formal Concept Analysis
Gifted and Maladjusted? Implicit Attitudes and Automatic Associations Related to Gifted Children.
Strategies of model construction for the analysis of judgment data
This paper is concerned with the types of models researchers use to
analyze empirical data in the domain of social judgments and decisions. Models
for the analysis of judgment data may be divided into two classes depending on
the criteria they optimize: Optimizing an internal (mathematical) criterion function
with the aim to minimize the discrepancy of values predicted by the model from
obtained data or incorporating a substantive underlying theory into the model where
model parameters are not only formally defined, but represent specified components
of judgments. Results from applying models from both classes to empirical data
exhibit considerable differences between the models in construct validity, but not in
empirical validity. It may be concluded that any model for the analysis of judgment
data implies the selection of a formal theory about judgments. Hence, optimizing a
mathematical criterion function does not induce a non-theoretical rationale or neutral
tool. As a consequence, models satisfying construct validity seem superior in
the domain of judgments and decisions