Predictive physiological anticipatory activity preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli: An update of Mossbridge et al\u2019s meta-analysis

Background: This is an update of the Mossbridge et al\u2019s meta-analysis related to the physiological anticipation preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli which overall effect size was 0.21; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.13 - 0.29 Methods: Nineteen new peer and non-peer reviewed studies completed from January 2008 to June 2018 were retrieved describing a total of 27 experiments and 36 associated effect sizes. Results: The overall weighted effect size, estimated with a frequentist multilevel random model, was: 0.28; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.18-0.38; the overall weighted effect size, estimated with a multilevel Bayesian model, was: 0.28; 95% Credible Intervals: 0.18-0.38. The weighted mean estimate of the effect size of peer reviewed studies was higher than that of non-peer reviewed studies, but with overlapped confidence intervals: Peer reviewed: 0.36; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.26-0.47; Non-Peer reviewed: 0.22; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.05-0.39. Similarly, the weighted mean estimate of the effect size of Preregistered studies was higher than that of Non-Preregistered studies: Preregistered: 0.31; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.18-0.45; No-Preregistered: 0.24; 95% Confidence Intervals: 0.08-0.41. The statistical estimation of the publication bias by using the Copas selection model suggest that the main findings are not contaminated by publication bias. Conclusions: In summary, with this update, the main findings reported in Mossbridge et al\u2019s meta-analysis, are confirmed

Computing Variances from Data with Complex Sampling Designs: A Comparison of Stata and SPSS

Most of the data sets available through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) are based on complex sampling designs involving multi-stage sampling, stratification, and clustering. These complex designs require appropriate statistical techniques to calculate the variance. Stata employs specialized methods that appropriately adjust for the complex designs, while SPSS does not. Researchers using SPSS must obtain the design effects through NCES and adjust the standard errors generated by SPSS with these values. This presentation addresses the pros and cons of recommending Stata or SPSS to novice researchers. The first presenter teaches research methods to doctoral students and uses Stata to conduct research with NCES data. She uses SPSS to teach her research methods course, due to its user-friendly interface. The second presenter is a doctoral student conducting dissertation research with NCES data. In his professional life as an institutional researcher, he uses SPSS. NCES data sets are a rich resource, but the complex sampling designs create conceptual issues beyond the immediate grasp of most doctoral candidates in the field. The session considers and invites comment on the best approaches to introducing new researchers to complex sampling designs in order to enable them to use NCES data.

Feeling the future: A meta-analysis of 90 experiments on the anomalous anticipation of random future events

In 2011, one of the authors (DJB) published a report of nine experiments in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology purporting to demonstrate that an individual\u2019s cognitive and affective responses can be influenced by randomly selected stimulus events that do not occur until after his or her responses have already been made and recorded, a generalized variant of the phenomenon traditionally denoted by the term precognition. To encourage replications, all materials needed to conduct them were made available on request. We here report a meta-analysis of 90 experiments from 33 laboratories in 14 countries which yielded an overall effect greater than 6 sigma, z = 6.40, p = 1.2 7 10 with an effect size (Hedges\u2019 g) of 0.09. A Bayesian analysis yielded a Bayes Factor of 5.1 7 10 , greatly exceeding the criterion value of 100 for \u201cdecisive evidence\u201d in support of the experimental hypothesis. When DJB\u2019s original experiments are excluded, the combined effect size for replications by independent investigators is 0.06, z = 4.16, p = 1.1 7 10 , and the BF value is 3,853, again exceeding the criterion for \u201cdecisive evidence.\u201d The number of potentially unretrieved experiments required to reduce the overall effect size of the complete database to a trivial value of 0.01 is 544, and seven of eight additional statistical tests support the conclusion that the database is not significantly compromised by either selection bias or by intense \u201cp -hacking\u201d\u2014the selective suppression of findings or analyses that failed to yield statistical significance. P-curve analysis, a recently introduced statistical technique, estimates the true effect size of the experiments to be 0.20 for the complete database and 0.24 for the independent replications, virtually identical to the effect size of DJB\u2019s original experiments (0.22) and the closely related \u201cpresentiment\u201d experiments (0.21). We discuss the controversial status of precognition and other anomalous effects collectively known as psi

Detroit blues women

ABSTRACT DETROIT BLUES WOMEN by Michael Duggan Murphy August 2011 Advisor: Dr. John J. Bukowczyk Major: History Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Detroit Blues Women explores how African American women\u27s blues survived the twentieth century relatively unscripted by the image-makers of the male-dominated music industry. In the 1920s, African American blues queens laid out a foundation for assertive and rebellious women\u27s blues that the many musical heirs who succeeded them in the twentieth century and into the first decade of the twenty first century sustained, preserved and built upon. The dissertation argues that women\u27s blues, which encouraged women to liberate themselves and seek sexual, social and political freedom, survived into the twenty-first century despite facing the formidable obstacles of racism, capitalism and patriarchy. The story of African American women\u27s blues in the twentieth century relates to two different types of migration, the first being the very physical and concrete Great Migration of 1910 to 1930 that brought blues music and many southern African Americans north. The second migration was the more abstract, aesthetic, transcendent journey that took blues women, and their blues across barriers of race, class and gender. Both of these migrations were crucial to the ongoing formation of women\u27s blues and to the development of the women who sing the blues

Improving Services for Students with Disabilities at Community Colleges

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover ways in which community college faculty and administrators can better facilitate learning for students with disabilities. Semi-structured interviews, preinterview questionnaires, and a review of relevant documents were used to gain an understanding of how community college faculty perceive the challenges of teaching students with disabilities. Additional research goals included an exploration of strategies community college faculty have found effective in assisting students with disabilities to be successful, actions community college administrators have taken that effectively address issues related to success for students with disabilities, and approaches community college administrators use to enhance their support of faculty who teach students with disabilities. The primary findings were constraints on funding and staffing negatively effecting support for students with disabilities. In addition, participants felt faculty and administrators lack sufficient knowledge concerning specific disabilities and need to learn new ways to work with students with disabilities in and out of the classroom. Other findings included faculty participants’ frustration with a variety of issues students bring to the classroom such as high levels of immaturity and overly intrusive parents intervening with faculty. Faculty participants also expressed dissatisfaction with a variety of erroneous beliefs; for example, some students expect services identical to those they received in high school. Moreover, faculty were dissatisfied with inadequate skills exhibited by colleagues when working with students with disabilities, such as providing excessive assistance to students and thereby setting unrealistic standards for future faculty. Administrators also reported students often experience inconsistent intervention strategies in working with different faculty members. Exploration of effective intervention methods used by faculty and administrators revealed the application of specific behavioral strategies, relationship focused communication, and individual creativity in teaching and communication strategies. Many of these strategies do not involve a large cost to the institution, but faculty and administrator training is needed to make better use of current campus resources. Conclusions drawn from the research suggest that administrators need to clarify the responsibilities both faculty and administrators have in working with students with disabilities. Moreover, faculty and administrators need to take greater responsibility in serving these students, and not rely solely on the college’s Disability Services office to provide all of the support. In order to accomplish this transition, more disability specific training for faculty and administrators is necessary. Finally, a pedagogical paradigm shift should be examined at the institution to better address the needs of students with disabilities, particularly in view of the current funding environment. Also, the needs of students should be included in short term operational and long term strategic planning at the college

Rearing the bay scallop, Aequipecten irradians

Bay scallops, Acquipcctcn irradians, collected from various bays along the Eastern Shore of Virginia and from Bogue Sottnd, North Carolina, were conditoned and spawned in the laboratory, out of their normal spawning period. A thermal stimulus of 21-2100 was used to stimulate spawning, and larvae set in 10-19 days using cultured algae as food. Juvenile scallops were held in plastic trays in the laboratory for one week, then moved to outdoor tanks with flowing, unfiltered seawater. They remained there until they were about 2 mm in width, then moved to plastic screened wooden floats in the field where they reached an average minimum market size (50 mm) in 12·13 months. Mortality of larvae, early post-set scallops and adults is described. The bay scallop appears to be amenable to mariculture. The biological feasibility of rearing bay scallops from egg to market size has been established