Interviewer Effects on Nonresponse

In face-to-face surveys interviewers play a crucial role in making contact with and gaining cooperation from sample units. While some analyses investigate the influence of interviewers on nonresponse, they are typically restricted to single-country studies. However, interviewer training, contacting and cooperation strategies as well as survey climates may differ across countries. Combining call-record data from the European Social Survey (ESS) with data from a detailed interviewer questionnaire on attitudes and doorstep behavior we find systematic country differences in nonresponse processes, which can in part be explained by differences in interviewer characteristics, such as contacting strategies and avowed doorstep behavior.

Reliability of the Dutch Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory

Objective: To evaluate the reliability of the Dutch version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), an instrument for measuring functional status (capability and performance in self-care, mobility and social function) of young children using parent interviews. Design: Inter-interviewer reliability was studied after scoring audiotaped interviews by a second researcher. For test-retest reliability the same parent was interviewed twice within three weeks; in inter-respondent reliability both parents of a child were interviewed independently within a few days. On item level, percentage identical scores were computed, and on scale level intraclass correlation coef cients (ICC) and Cronbach's alphas were calculated. Subjects: Parents of 63 nondisabled and 53 disabled (various diagnosis) children aged between 7 and 88 months were interviewed. Results: On scale level, all ICCs were above 0.90 and Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for the self-care domain, 0.74 for the mobility domain and 0.87 for the social function domain. On item level for the Functional Skills Scale, the mean percentage identical scores varied from 89 to 99, and for the Caregiver Assistance Scale from 54 to 90. Different scores between interviewers resulted partially from ambiguous interpretation of the item and/or the explanation. Conclusions: Although small adaptations have to be made, the psychometric properties of the Dutch PEDI are found to be good. 458 JE Wassenberg-Severijnen et al

Educational psychology in latin america: with linear hierarchical models

Research in clinical psychology, since its inception, has been aimed at analyzing, predicting and explaining the effect of treatments, by studying the change of patients in the course of them. To study the effects of therapy, research based on quantitative analysis models has historically used classical methods of parametric statistics, such as Pearson correlations, least squares regressions Student’s T-Tests and Variance Analysis (ANOVA). Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) represent a fundamental statistical strategy for research in psychotherapy, as they allow to overcome dependence on the observations usually presented in your data. The objective of this work is to present a guide to understanding, applying and reporting HLMs to study the effects of psychotherapy

Impact of age norms and stereotypes on managers' hiring decisions of retirees

Purpose -Our study investigates the role of managers in the re-employment of early retirees and asks what the effect is of managers’ age norms and stereotypes on managers’ employment decisions. Design/methodology/approach- A combination of a factorial study and a survey was conducted. First, information on the age norms and stereotypes was collected. Secondly, profiles of hypothetical retired job applicants were presented to the employers, who were asked to make a specific hiring decision. The information collected during both studies was combined in the analysis and multilevel models were estimated. Findings -The results indicate that higher age norms result in a higher propensity to hire an early retiree. Stereotypes, by contrast, do not influence managers’ decisions. Early retirees’ chances for re-employment are also related to their own circumstances (physical appearance and relevant experience) and organisational forces, as they are hired when organisations face labour force shortages. Research limitation / implications – with the use of vignettes study we deal with hypothetical hiring situation. Originality value- Although the effect of age norms and age stereotypes has been often suggested, not much empirical evidence was presented to support this notion. Our study estimates the effect of age norms and stereotypes on hiring decision. key words: bridge employment; early retirees; age norms; age stereotypes; multilevel models.

Multilevel analysis : techniques and applications, 2nd ed./ Hox

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