Linear logistic models with relaxed assumptions (LLRA) as introduced by Fischer (1974) are a flexible tool for the measurement of change for dichotomous or polytomous responses. As opposed to the Rasch model, assumptions on dimensionality of items, their mutual dependencies and the distribution of the latent trait in the population of subjects are relaxed. Conditional maximum likelihood estimation allows for inference about treatment, covariate or trend effect parameters without taking the subjects' latent trait values into account. In this paper we will show how LLRAs based on the LLTM, LRSM and LPCM can be used to answer various questions about the measurement of change and how they can be fitted in R using the eRm package. A number of small didactic examples is provided that can easily be used as templates for real data sets. All datafiles used in this paper are available from http://eRm.R-Forge.R-project.org/.

abstract: Statistical mediation analysis allows researchers to identify the most important the mediating constructs in the causal process studied. Information about the mediating processes can be used to make interventions more powerful by enhancing successful program components and by not implementing components that did not significantly change the outcome. Identifying mediators is especially relevant when the hypothesized mediating construct consists of multiple related facets. The general definition of the construct and its facets might relate differently to external criteria. However, current methods do not allow researchers to study the relationships between general and specific aspects of a construct to an external criterion simultaneously. This study proposes a bifactor measurement model for the mediating construct as a way to represent the general aspect and specific facets of a construct simultaneously. Monte Carlo simulation results are presented to help to determine under what conditions researchers can detect the mediated effect when one of the facets of the mediating construct is the true mediator, but the mediator is treated as unidimensional. Results indicate that parameter bias and detection of the mediated effect depends on the facet variance represented in the mediation model. This study contributes to the largely unexplored area of measurement issues in statistical mediation analysis. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2016

No description available.

The main aim of this thesis is the proposal and implementation of the support of decision making with the help of Business Intelligence tools in Audit CI, company limited providing economic and financial consultancy. Business Intelligence tools are applied at the creation of reports which company provides for its clients in terms of its services. On the basis of these reports subsequently suggests recommendations in the field of finance and intradepartmental management. The whole thesis is divided into two parts. In the theoretical part are described fundamental principles of BI solution. Main components of which can be BI solution set up, its place in the architecture of the information system of company, finally fundamental base of the proposal of BI solution. The practical part includes the proposal and implementation of BI solution, from multidimensional analysis through the solution of the data pump, multidimensional cubes, to set up the output in the client application.

The purpose of this study was to take a multidimensional perspective to prosocial behavior and self-regulation by analyzing longitudinal, bidirectional relations between prosocial behavior toward strangers, friends, and family members and behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of self-regulation across adolescence. Participants included reports from 500 adolescents (age Time 1 = 12, Time 2 = 14, Time 3 = 16, Time 4 = 18; 52% female, 77% European American) taking part in the Flourishing Families Project. Nine cross-lagged panel models were conducted analyzing longitudinal associations between each target of prosocial behavior and each dimension of self-regulation. Results revealed that in early adolescence, prosocial behavior toward strangers and cognitive self-regulation were bidirectionally related. Prosocial behavior toward strangers was significantly associated with cognitive self-regulation from age 12 to age 18 and cognitive self-regulation was significantly associated with prosocial behavior toward friends across adolescence. Further, behavioral and emotional self-regulation were significantly related to prosocial behavior toward family from age 12 to age 18. Gender was significantly associated with initial levels of study variables but was not significantly relate to patterns of association. Discussion focuses on how findings fit into existent theory and research.

In response to public concern over fairness in testing, conducting a differential item functioning (DIF) analysis is now standard practice for many large-scale testing programs (e.g., Scholastic Aptitude Test, intelligence tests, licensing exams). As highlighted by the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing manual, the legal and ethical need to avoid bias when measuring examinee abilities is essential to fair testing practices (AERA-APA-NCME, 1999). Likewise, the development of statistical and substantive methods of investigating DIF is crucial to the goal of designing fair and valid educational and psychological tests. Douglas, Roussos and Stout (1996) introduced the concept of item bundle DIF and the implications of differential bundle functioning (DBF) for identifying the underlying causes of DIF. Since then, several studies have demonstrated DIF/DBF analyses within the framework of “unintended” multidimensionality (Oshima & Miller, 1992; Russell, 2005). Russell (2005), in particular, examined the effect of secondary traits on DBF/DTF detection. Like Russell, this study created item bundles by including multidimensional items on a simulated test designed in theory to be unidimensional. Simulating reference group members to have a higher mean ability than the focal group on the nuisance secondary dimension, resulted in DIF for each of the multidimensional items, that when examined together produced differential bundle functioning. The purpose of this Monte Carlo simulation study was to assess the Type I error and power performance of SIBTEST (Simultaneous Item Bias Test; Shealy & Stout, 1993a) for DBF analysis under various conditions with simulated data. The variables of interest included sample size and ratios of reference to focal group sample sizes, correlation between primary and secondary dimensions, magnitude of DIF/DBF, and angular item direction. Results showed SIBTEST to be quite powerful in detecting DBF and controlling Type I error for almost all of the simulated conditions. Specifically, power rates were .80 or above for 84% of all conditions and the average Type I error rate was approximately .05. Furthermore, the combined effect of the studied variables on SIBTEST power and Type I error rates provided much needed information to guide further use of SIBTEST for identifying potential sources of differential item/bundle functioning.

Le modèle de Rasch est utilisé de nos jours dans de nombreuses applications en sciences sociales et en médecine. Parmi les applications de ce modèle, on trouve l’étude de la qualité psychométrique des items d’un test, le calibrage des items pour les tests adaptatifs, la production des mesures d’habileté en sciences de l’éducation. Il est particulièrement mis à profit dans des enquêtes internationales à grande échelle comme l’enquête PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). L’une des hypothèses que doivent vérifier l’ensemble des items du test devant mesurer un trait donné est celle de l’unidimensionnalité, c’est-à dire que tous mis ensemble ne doivent mesurer que le trait en étude, et la réponse que donne un individu à chacun de ces items n’est fonction que du niveau de ce trait chez cet individu. Il se pose donc l’épineuse question de la détermination de la dimensionnalité de l’outil de mesure, car l’objectif étant de ne conserver ensemble que des items concourant à mesurer un seul et même trait. En pratique, les tests auxquels sont soumis les individus ne sont pas strictement unidimensionnels car nos réponses sont aussi conditionnées par nos habitudes et notre milieu. Le plus important selon Stout (1987) est d’avoir un test ayant une dimension dominante, car sinon on devra utiliser des modèles multidimensionnels qui s’avèrent souvent complexes et difficiles à interpréter pour un preneur de décision non expert en mesure. Notre travail a consisté à explorer un ensemble de conditions dans lesquelles le modèle de Rasch unidimensionnel peut produire des mesures acceptables malgré la présence de plusieurs traits déterminants dans les données. Nous avons travaillé avec des données bidimensionnelles simulées, et avons mis à profit le modèle linéaire multiple et les statistiques d’ajustement infit t du modèle de Rasch unidimensionnel. / Today, the Rasch model is most used in many applications of the social sciences and in medicine. Among the applications of this model, one can cite the study of the psychometric qualities of test items, items calibration in adaptive testing and the production of skill measures in education science. It is particularly used in international large-scale surveys such as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) survey. One of the assumptions test items selected to measure a given trait must satisfied is the unidimensionality assumption, that is all items put together should measure the trait under study, and the response given by an individual to each of these items is a function only of the level of the trait that the individual possesses. This raises the issue of determining the dimensionality of a measurement tool, because the goal is to keep only items that contribute to measure the single trait. In practice, not all test instruments developed to collect data from individuals are strictly unidimensional because our responses are also influenced by our habits and our environment. According to Stout (1987) the most important thing is to have a test with a dominant dimension, otherwise we will use multivariate models that are often complex and difficult to interpret for a decision maker who is not an expert in measurement theory. Our work has been to explore a set of conditions under which the Rasch model can produce acceptable measures despite the presence of several dimensions in the data. We worked with two-dimensional simulated data and have used the multiple linear regression model and infit statistics t produced by the unidimensional Rasch model. / Le logiciel de simulation des données et d'analyse est Conquest V.3

abstract: The existing minima for sample size and test length recommendations for DIMTEST (750 examinees and 25 items) are tied to features of the procedure that are no longer in use. The current version of DIMTEST uses a bootstrapping procedure to remove bias from the test statistic and is packaged with a conditional covariance-based procedure called ATFIND for partitioning test items. Key factors such as sample size, test length, test structure, the correlation between dimensions, and strength of dependence were manipulated in a Monte Carlo study to assess the effectiveness of the current version of DIMTEST with fewer examinees and items. In addition, the DETECT program was also used to partition test items; a second feature of this study also compared the structure of test partitions obtained with ATFIND and DETECT in a number of ways. With some exceptions, the performance of DIMTEST was quite conservative in unidimensional conditions. The performance of DIMTEST in multidimensional conditions depended on each of the manipulated factors, and did suggest that the minima of sample size and test length can be made lower for some conditions. In terms of partitioning test items in unidimensional conditions, DETECT tended to produce longer assessment subtests than ATFIND in turn yielding different test partitions. In multidimensional conditions, test partitions became more similar and were more accurate with increased sample size, for factorially simple data, greater strength of dependence, and a decreased correlation between dimensions. Recommendations for sample size and test length minima are provided along with suggestions for future research. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Educational Psychology 2012

No description available.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A humanidade vive um momento de grandes transformaÃÃes; o pensamento cartesiano, que por muito tempo foi dominante, com seu aspecto tradicional, reduzindo o humano tÃo somente a dimensÃo material, nÃo responde mais aos anseios da modernidade. Estamos diante de uma nova era para a homem, o limiar de um novo paradigma, cuja base à a dimensÃo espiritual do ser: o paradigma do espÃrito. Esse novo olhar nos convida a desenvolver nos sujeitos a educaÃÃo do espÃrito como forma de contemplar no processo educativo todas as dimensÃes do ser humano. A pesquisa em questÃo foi desenvolvida a partir do eixo temÃtico EducaÃÃo, Direitos Humanos e Espiritualidade. Partindo dessa perspectiva, propomos como lÃcus desse trabalho o Lar Fabiano de Cristo, uma instituiÃÃo de educaÃÃo formal, que tendo por base a visÃo espÃrita de educaÃÃo, desenvolvida travÃs de um projeto intitulado âEducaÃÃo Integral do Ser que considera a crianÃa como ser espiritual. Essa proposta educativa busca desenvolver as mÃltiplas dimensÃes do educando, entendendo-o enquanto sujeito espiritual em constante processo evolutivo, em meio a desafios de transformaÃÃo concretos. Nesse sentido, o objetivo geral dessa pesquisa à descrever e analisar a produÃÃo de saber ÃntrÃnseca no diÃlogo entre Direitos Humanos e Espiritualidade, a partir do projeto EducaÃÃo do Ser Integral no contexto educativo do Lar Fabiano de Cristo, enfocando a dimensÃo espiritual do sujeito da educaÃÃo e apresentando a prÃtica dessa instituiÃÃo como ambiÃncia de problematizaÃÃo do acesso aos direitos da infÃncia. Para contemplar os objetivos propostos no estudo em questÃo, trabalhamos com a metodologia da HistÃria de Vida e FormaÃÃo, calÃada em Josso e Warschauer (2004; 2001), em especial, utilizando tÃcnicas de observaÃÃo participante, entrevistas grupais e individuais, bem como fontes documentais, capazes de nos permitir capturar o modo como a vivÃncia dos direitos da crianÃa e seus devires sÃo vivenciados por jovens, adultos e crianÃas no Lar Fabiano de Cristo. LanÃamos mÃo, de modo a complementar à fala das crianÃas, da linguagem do desenho prÃpria à expressividade do pensamento infantil. Dessa forma à que a pesquisa pretende ter como um dos referenciais teÃricos a aproximaÃÃo entre os Direitos Humanos e a espiritualidade, tendo por base a visÃo espÃrita do Direito e as contribuiÃÃes da Pedagogia EspÃrita para a formaÃÃo do sujeito crÃtico, autÃnomo e reflexivo. Destacamos como referenciais teÃricos dessa pesquisa: HERRERA FLORES,1999; SILVA, 2010; DINIZ 1996 ( Direitos Humanos); TILLMANN & PILAR, 2003, 2009; SCHELER, 2008; YUS, 2002; ÃNGELIS, 1994; KARDEC, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005; BARSANULFO, 2000 (EducaÃÃo e Valores Humanos), EducaÃÃo das CrianÃas ( MONTESSORI, 2001; PACHECO, 2012).