Amount Of Disagreement Research Articles

A unified expression for estimating Poisson’s ratio from a hinged–hinged beam with a use for abnormality detection

Cycle fatigue weakens a structure. Poisson’s ratio is a sensitive indicator of cycle fatigue. The amount of fatigue is proportional to the severity of an abnormality, such as a crack, delamination or other imperfection. Our prior work confirms that direct estimates of Poisson’s ratio by Cornu’s method must be identical for all antinodes of a mode shape of a homogeneous, thin, hinged–hinged beam. Therefore, if a direct estimate at any antinode was found to be significantly different from the other estimates at the other antinodes, then that would simultaneously indicate fatigue and identify the location of the abnormality. We use simulations of Besselograms and apply Cornu’s method to directly estimate Poisson’s ratio at all antinodes of a beam. We transform finite element simulations of the out-of-plane bending displacements of mode shapes by simulating time-average scanning digital holography. We show that amount of disagreement between the direct estimation Poisson’s ratio and the true value of Poisson’s ratio depends on the ratio of the distance between nodes of a mode shape divided by the width of the beam. We call this distance between the nodes of a mode shape the ‘Span’. We then define a unified expression for predicting the simulated direct estimate given the true value of Poisson’s ratio and the Span-to-Width ratio. Next, we invert the unified expression, which enables us to use the Span-to-Width ratio and simulated direct estimates of Poisson’s ratio as the independent variables to compute the adjusted value of Poisson’s ratio. We find that our inverse expression makes it possible to obtain an estimate of Poisson’s ratio that is within ±2% of the true value for thin hinged–hinged beams and plates that have a Span-to-Width ratio greater than 1. We also find that if the material is known to have a Poisson’s ratio greater than zero, which can be assessed by our previous statement, then we can extend our confidence to Span-to-Width ratios greater than 0.1. That was the lower limit of our testing. Finally, we show how to use direct estimates of Poisson’s ratio to statistically detect and localize an abnormality along a hinged–hinged plate or beam. We believe that our combination of Cornu’s method and time-averaging could eventually offer the ability to directly estimate Poisson’s ratio from hinged–hinged beams and plates as well as to unambiguously monitor cycle fatigue for changes in effective material properties, predict time-to-failure, and do so without contact.

Philosophical Doubts about reality

There are many pragmatisms, and it is a little misleading to present this variegated trend of thought as if it were a monolithic doctrine. The founding fathers, too, were all but unanimous. Peirce was not in agreement with James on many issues. Dewey, in turn, did not like various aspects of both Peirce’s and James’ philosophy, while C.I. Lewis’ views on logic were quite different from those held by Dewey. It should not be surprising, then, to find the same amount of disagreement in contemporary neo-pragmatism, where Rescher and Rorty, who both define themselves pragmatists, display different opinions on most subjects. I shall draw some comparisons between the ideas of these two thinkers.

Intercomparison of snow water equivalent products in the Sierra Nevada California using airborne snow observatory data and ground observations

Whereas many independent methods are used to estimate snow water equivalent (SWE) and its spatial distribution and seasonal variability, a need exists for a systematic characterization of inter-model differences at annual, seasonal, and regional scales necessary to quantify the associated uncertainty in these datasets. This study conducts a multi-scale validation and comparison, based on Airborne Snow Observatory data, of five state-of-the-art SWE datasets in the Sierra Nevada, California, including three SWE datasets from retrospective models: an INiTial REConstruction model (REC-INT), an improved REConstruction model based on the ParBal energy balance model (REC-ParBal), and a Sierra Nevada SWE REConstruction with Data Assimilation (REC-DA), and two operational SWE datasets from the U.S. National Weather Service, including the Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS) and the National Water Model (NWM-SWE). The results show that REC-DA and REC-ParBal provide the two most accurate estimates of SWE in the snowmelt season, both with small positive biases. REC-DA provides the most accurate spatial distribution of SWE (R2 = 0.87, MAE = 66 mm, PBIAS = 8.3%) at the pixel scale, while REC-ParBal has the least basin-wide PBIAS (R2 = 0.79, MAE = 73 mm, PBIAS = 4.1%) in the snowmelt season. Moreover, REC-DA underestimates peak SWE by −5.8%, while REC-ParBal overestimates it by 7.5%, when compared with the measured peak SWE at snow pillow stations across the Sierra Nevada. The two operational SWE products—SNODAS and NWM-SWE—are less accurate. Furthermore, the inter-model comparison reveals a certain amount of disagreement in snow water storage across time and space between SWE datasets. This study advances our understanding of regional SWE uncertainties and provides critical insights to support future applications of these SWE data products and therefore has broad implications for water resources management and hydrological process studies.

Learning from multiple annotators for medical image segmentation

Supervised machine learning methods have been widely developed for segmentation tasks in recent years. However, the quality of labels has high impact on the predictive performance of these algorithms. This issue is particularly acute in the medical image domain, where both the cost of annotation and the inter-observer variability are high. Different human experts contribute estimates of the ”actual” segmentation labels in a typical label acquisition process, influenced by their personal biases and competency levels. The performance of automatic segmentation algorithms is limited when these noisy labels are used as the expert consensus label. In this work, we use two coupled CNNs to jointly learn, from purely noisy observations alone, the reliability of individual annotators and the expert consensus label distributions. The separation of the two is achieved by maximally describing the annotator’s “unreliable behavior” (we call it “maximally unreliable”) while achieving high fidelity with the noisy training data. We first create a toy segmentation dataset using MNIST and investigate the properties of the proposed algorithm. We then use three public medical imaging segmentation datasets to demonstrate our method’s efficacy, including both simulated (where necessary) and real-world annotations: 1) ISBI2015 (multiple-sclerosis lesions); 2) BraTS (brain tumors); 3) LIDC-IDRI (lung abnormalities). Finally, we create a real-world multiple sclerosis lesion dataset (QSMSC at UCL: Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Center at UCL, UK) with manual segmentations from 4 different annotators (3 radiologists with different level skills and 1 expert to generate the expert consensus label). In all datasets, our method consistently outperforms competing methods and relevant baselines, especially when the number of annotations is small and the amount of disagreement is large. The studies also reveal that the system is capable of capturing the complicated spatial characteristics of annotators’ mistakes.

A modified Delphi study to identify screening items to assess neglected sexual side-effects following prostate cancer treatment

BackgroundNeglected sexual side effects (NSSE) are a group of less common sexual side effects that may present after Prostate Cancer (PCa) treatment. There is currently no valid and reliable tool to identify these side effects. A modified Delphi study is an effective way of developing the content of such a screening tool.MethodsA modified Delphi study was used to obtain consensus from a multi-disciplinary group of experts over 3 rounds during a 12 week period. Ten statements were presented containing 8 closed-ended statements on individual NSSEs, and 2 open-ended statements on psychosocial impact related to NSSE. Consensus was defined as a 75% strongly agree achievement on each statement, or the final statement evolution at the end of 3 rounds. Statement support in each round was determined by mean, standard deviation and range, after a numerical value was allocated to each statement during specific rounds. All three rounds were structured and suggestions and additions were incorporated in the statement evolution of the three rounds.ResultsThirty-five participants were invited, and 27 completed Round 1 (RD 1), 23 participants completed RD2, and 20 participants completed RD3. All 3 rounds were completed in 12 weeks. Statement 1 (sexual arousal incontinence), statement 2 (climacturia) and statement 3 (orgasm intensity) reached consensus after RD2, and statement 9 (sexual dysfunction impact) and statement 10 (experiences) were removed after RD3. Statement 4 (orgasmic pain), statement 5 (anejaculation), statement 6 (sensory disturbances), statement 7 (penile length shortening) and statement 8 (penile curvature) were finalised after the conclusion of RD3. Statements 1–3 were the most stable statements with the most support and least amount of disagreement. Statements 4–8 were less stable, but support for them improved over the 3 rounds. Statements 9–10 both had good stability, but the support indicated that they needed to be removed from the set of statements. Statement 5 had the poorest range due to an outlier opinion.ConclusionsConsensus was reached on the items making up the NSSE screening tool. Health care practitioners will be able to use this tool to identify the evidence of NSSE after PCa treatment. Further testing will be undertaken to confirm the reliability and validly of the tool.

Assessing the Deinstitutionalization of Marriage Thesis: An Experimental Test

This article seeks to experimentally evaluate the thesis that marriage is deinstitutionalized in the United States. To do so, we map the character of the norm about whether different-sex couples ought to marry, and we identify the extent to which the norm is strong or weak along four dimensions: polarity, whether the norm is prescriptive, proscriptive, bipolar (both prescriptive and proscriptive), or nonexistent; conditionality, whether the norm holds under all circumstances; intensity, the degree to which individuals subscribe to the norm; and consensus, the extent to which individuals share the norm. Results of a factorial survey experiment administered to a disproportionate stratified random sample of U.S. adults ( N = 1,823) indicate that the norm to marry is weak: it is largely bipolar, conditional, and of low-to-moderate intensity, with disagreement over the norm as well as the circumstances demarcating the norm. While the norm to marry is different for men and women and for Black and White respondents, the amount of disagreement (or lack of consensus) within groups is comparable between groups. We find no significant differences across socioeconomic status (education, income, and occupational class). Overall, our findings support key claims of the deinstitutionalization of marriage thesis.

Effect of vessel wall segmentation on volumetric and radiomic parameters of coronary plaques with adverse characteristics

BackgroundQuantitative coronary plaque parameters are increasingly being utilized as surrogate endpoints of pharmaceutical trials. However, little is known whether differences in segmentation significantly alter parameter values. MethodsOverall, 100 coronary plaques with adverse imaging characteristics were segmented automatically, by two experts (R1-R2) and three nonexperts (R3-R5). Low attenuation noncalcified (LANCP), noncalcified and calcified plaque volume were calculated and 4310 radiomic features were extracted. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were calculated between the segmentations. ResultsICC values between expert readers were 0.84 [CI: 0.77–0.89] for total; 0.83 [CI: 0.76–0.88] for noncalcified; 0.96 [CI: 0.94–0.98] for calcified and 0.65 [CI: 0.51–0.75] for LANCP volumes. Comparing nonexperts’ and experts’ results, ICC ranged between 0.64 and 0.90 for total; 0.63–0.91 for noncalcified; 0.86–0.96 for calcified and 0.34–0.84 for LANCP volume. All readers (R1-R5) showed poor agreement with automatic segmentation (range: 0.00–0.27), except for calcified plaque volumes (range: 0.73–0.88). Regarding radiomic features, expert readers (R1-R2) achieved good reproducibility (ICC>0.80) in 88.6% (39/44) of first-order, 62.0% (424/684) of gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), 75.8% (50/66) of gray level run length matrix (GLRLM) and 19.8% (696/3516) of geometrical parameters. Between experts and nonexperts, ICC ranged between: 70.5%–86.4% for first-order, 31.0%–58.3% for GLCM, 24.2%–78.8% for GLRLM and 6.2%–21.1% for geometrical features, while between all readers and automatic segmentation ICC ranged between: 25.0%–38.6%; 0.0%–0.0%; 0.0%–3.0% and 1.1%–1.4%, respectively. ConclusionsEven among experts there is a considerable amount of disagreement in LANCP volumes. Nevertheless, expert readers have the best agreement which currently cannot be replaced with nonexperts’ or automatic segmentation.

Evaluating Goldmann Applanation Tonometry Intraocular Pressure Measurement Agreement Between Ophthalmic Technicians and Physicians

To examine IOP measurement disagreement between technicians and physicians and the impact of an educational intervention on the short and long-term disagreement in IOP measurement using Goldmann applanation tonometry. Prospective study designed to enhance measurement reliability. A glaucoma clinic at a university hospital. StudyPopulation: 6 technicians and 2 physicians. An educational intervention was implemented for the technicians to improve IOP measurement agreement with physicians. MainOutcomeMeasures: Frequency of IOP measurement disagreement between physicians and technicians, defined as a difference in IOP of >2 or >3mm Hg and assessed at baseline and immediately and 6months postintervention. IOP was evaluated for a total of 529 eyes (physician measured mean IOP= 16.4mm Hg [SD= 5.9]), 30 per technician-physician pair for each data collection period: baseline, immediately postintervention and 6months postintervention. At baseline, physicians disagreed 17% and 7% of the time when measuring IOP using >2 and >3mm Hg to define disagreement, respectively, whereas the average disagreement between technicians and physicians was 25% and 13%. Disagreement was greater at IOPs greater than 20mm Hg. No significant changes were noted in the frequency of disagreement between technicians and physicians immediately or 6months postintervention. Two physicians measuring the same patient in the same room disagreed by >2mm Hg in 17% of patients' eyes, and this amount of disagreement was even higher when comparing physicians to certified technicians. An educational intervention did not improve agreement in IOP measurements between technicians and physicians. This highlights an important limitation of Goldmann tonometry.

Measuring the Directional or Non-directional Distance Between Type-1 and Type-2 Fuzzy Sets With Complex Membership Functions

Fuzzy sets (FSs) may have complex, non-normal, or non-convex membership functions that occur, for example, in the output of a fuzzy logic system or when automatically generating FSs from data. Measuring the distance between such non-standard FSs can be challenging as there is no clear correct method of comparison and only limited research currently exists that systematically compares existing distance measures (DMs) for these FSs. It is useful to know the distance between these sets, which can tell us how much the results of a system change when the inputs differ, or the amount of disagreement between individual's perceptions or opinions on different concepts. In addition, understanding the direction of difference between such FSs further enables us to rank them, learning if one represents a higher output or higher ratings than another. This paper builds on previous functions of measuring directional distance and, for the first time, presents methods of measuring the directional distance between any type-1 and type-2 FSs with both normal/non-normal and convex/non-convex membership functions. In real-world applications, where data-driven, non-convex, non-normal FSs are the norm, the proposed approaches for measuring the distance enables us to systematically reason about the real-world objects captured by the FSs.

Impact of quality management systems on teaching-learning processes

Purpose Quality management systems are being used more frequently in educational institutions, although their application has generated a certain amount of disagreement among education experts, who have at times questioned their suitability and usefulness for improving schools. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this discussion by providing additional knowledge on the effects in educational institutions of implementing quality management systems. Specifically, this study investigates teachers’ and managers’ perception of the impact that quality management systems have on one essential dimension of schools, the teaching–learning processes, with impact being understood as sustained medium- and long-term organisational change. Design/methodology/approach The responses were analysed and classified into a set of sub-dimensions linked to quality management processes in a total of 29 Spanish primary and secondary education schools that have used such systems for at least three years. Findings The results showed that, according to the respondents, the following sub-dimensions were improving as a result of implementing quality management plans: teaching and learning processes, the analysis of student results, tutoring, consideration of attitudes and values and assessment processes. Conversely, quality management systems did not seem to have a clear impact on the teaching methodologies used by teachers or on family involvement in student learning. In fact, the perceived impact in these sub-dimensions varied among teachers of public and private schools as well as when comparing different regional autonomous communities. Originality/value As the main objective of a school is to guarantee student learning, one of the essential purposes of school quality assurance systems is to perform all the activities aimed at ensuring high levels of student performance.

Supreme Court Justices’ Economic Behaviour: A Multilevel Model Analysis

Supreme Court justices are overlooked, but important, national policy‐making players who render final and consequential decisions in cases on economic conflicts. The research question asks what forces explain the decisional behaviour of Supreme Court justices in economic rights cases between a private and a public party. Theoretically, the decisional behaviour of an individual justice is a function of his or her notion as to what makes ‘good’ law, pursued in a cultural‐collegial setting that is oriented by majoritarian requirements, while constrained by the legal nature of the case being considered. Empirically, all economic decisions made by Norwegian Supreme Court justices in five‐justice panels from 1963 to 2012 are analyzed. Our multilevel model demonstrates that individual, collegial and case‐level forces all contribute to explain the justices’ votes. These results suggest that case‐related dynamics, such as who the plaintiff is or the amount of disagreement between justices, matter, but also that ideology – via appointment mechanisms – matters when a nation's high court justices decide economic cases. Understanding the foundational assumptions and the institutional procedures is vital when transporting judicial behaviour models across polities.

Determining cut-off points in functional assessment scales in stroke.

A wide variety of well-validated assessment scales of functioning and disability have been developed for stroke population. However, these instruments have limitations in their interpretation. Therefore, determining cut-off points for their categorization becomes necessary. To determine cut-off points for the BI, FIM and FAM scales to differentiate clinical disability categories and to establish the relationship between mRS and DOS scales. One hundred and six adults with ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke were mainly recruited from a rehabilitation facility (Hospitales Nisa, Valencia, Spain). A high correlation was observed between the DOS and mRS scales (Kendall's tau-b = 0.475; p = 0.000) although a certain amount of disagreement between the two scales was detected. The cut-off points were 62.90 (95% CI, 57.26-69.29) and 21.30 (95% CI, 16.34-26.03) for the BI; 70.62 (95% CI, 66.65-75.22) and 38.29 (95% CI, 34.07-42.25) for the FIM; and 116.07 (95% CI, 110.30-122.68) and 66.02 (95% CI, 59.20-72.35) for the FAM. DOS was observed to be more demanding than the mRS, in terms of patient independence. Additionally, the lower cut-off points separating the levels of severe and moderate disability in the BI, FIM and FAM were determined. These findings would facilitate practitioners clinical interpretation of disability levels in post-stroke patients.

Choice Shifts in Small Groups Engaging in Repeated Intellective Tasks

We examine the propensity of individuals working in small groups to shift choices from their initial positions, following a group discussion, when engaged in multiple intellective tasks. We study the factors that may influence such shifts including perceptions of oneself and others, one’s specialized knowledge level, and the amount of disagreement among the initial choices. Ordered-logit regression is used to model the odds and hence the likelihood that team members switch their decisions a given number of times on the multiple tasks. Group members with high achieved status differences and distances, as measured by their ability relative to their teammates, were less likely to change positions in deference to the group. Perceptions of self were non-significant. Whether an individual was perceived to be a top performer by two or more of the other group members interacted with time, producing a positive longitudinal effect that occurs when one has influence over a majority in the group: The individual with such influence is less likely to shift while the others are more likely to shift, as the group gains experience over multiple tasks.

Projecting date palm distribution in Iran under climate change using topography, physicochemical soil properties, soil taxonomy, land use, and climate data

This study set out to model potential date palm distribution under current and future climate scenarios using an emission scenario, in conjunction with two different global climate models (GCMs): CSIRO-Mk3.0 (CS), and MIROC-H (MR), and to refine results based on suitability under four nonclimatic parameters. Areas containing suitable physicochemical soil properties and suitable soil taxonomy, together with land slopes of less than 10° and suitable land uses for date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) were selected as appropriate refining tools to ensure the CLIMEX results were accurate and robust. Results showed that large regions of Iran are projected as likely to become climatically suitable for date palm cultivation based on the projected scenarios for the years 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2100. The study also showed CLIMEX outputs merit refinement by nonclimatic parameters and that the incremental introduction of each additional parameter decreased the disagreement between GCMs. Furthermore, the study indicated that the least amount of disagreement in terms of areas conducive to date palm cultivation resulted from CS and MR GCMs when the locations of suitable physicochemical soil properties and soil taxonomy were used as refinement tools.

Estenosis carotídea asintomática grave: una perspectiva neurológica

Asymptomatic carotid stenosis is a relatively frequent pathology, although when considering the possibility of managing it surgically, there is still an important amount of disagreement concerning the criteria to be taken into account. This study conducts a broad examination of the condition, from its concept and epidemiology to the studies that triggered the boom in its surgical treatment during the nineties. The research also reviews the tools available for a better selection of cases that could potentially benefit most from surgery, the presence of silent brain lesions, the severity of the stenosis, its progression, the characteristics of the plaque, colaterality and vasoreactivity studies, the detection of micro-emboli, the presence of risk factors independently associated to the symptomatic conversion of the stenosis, and other elements that have recently been reported either clinically or experimentally. Finally, the article outlines the current state of the surgical technique and the advances being made in its pharmacological treatment. This review is not intended to be a set of clinical practice guidelines, but to offer a global integrating overview of the management of high-grade asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

Goldmann Applanation Tonometry and Dynamic Contour Tonometry are not Correlated With Central Corneal Thickness in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) and assess their relationship to central corneal thickness (CCT) in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (OAG). GAT, DCT, and CCT were assessed in 116 patients with OAG [mean age 65.9 (10.5); 59% female] participating in the Indianapolis Glaucoma Progression Study. GAT and DCT were measured in a randomized order followed by CCT (ultrasonic corneal pachymetry) during a single study visit. Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate the limits of agreement between tonometery methodologies whereas multivariate regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of CCT on GAT and DCT IOP measurements. IOP values obtained by DCT and GAT showed a strong positive correlation in patients with OAG (r=0.93; P<0.001). Mean IOP measured with DCT [18.4 (5.1) mm Hg] was significantly higher (P<0.001) than GAT IOP measurements [16.5 (4.5) mmHg]. CCT did not seem to influence either GAT or DCT measurements (r=0.1025, P=0.16; r=0.05, P=0.46), respectively. The Bland-Altman data showed that the amount of disagreement between IOP assessment techniques varied, suggesting a proportional bias. In this group of patients with OAG, there was a strong correlation between GAT and DCT measurements of IOP. IOP measured with DCT was consistently higher than IOP measured with GAT. Neither GAT nor DCT measurements were correlated with CCT. This data suggests that factors other than CCT may be involved in the tendency of DCT to produce higher measures of IOP than GAT.

Importance of the relaxation stage for adequate modeling of nuclear fission accompanied by light particle emission

We investigate the importance of accounting for the transient time within the framework of the statistical approach (SA) for describing the fission process beginning from the quasistationary nuclear configuration. Two arguments are given in favor of the positive point of view on this problem. First, the average scission time is shown to be always larger than the inverse quasistationary fission rate by the value that is close to the transient time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{r}$. Second, comparing the SA and the combined dynamical statistical approach (CDSA), we have found that suppressing the fission process for some delay time in the framework of the SA significantly reduces the amount of disagreement between the values of proper observables calculated using the SA and the CDSA.

What limits performance in the amblyopic visual system: Seeing signals in noise with an amblyopic brain

Amblyopia results in a loss of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and position acuity. However, the nature of the neural losses is not yet fully understood. Here we report the results of experiments using noise to try to better understand the losses in amblyopia. Specifically, in one experiment we compared the performance of normal, amblyopic, and ideal observers for detecting a localized signal (a discrete frequency pattern or DFP) in fixed contrast white noise. In a second experiment, we used visibility-scaled noise and varied both the visibility of the noise (from 2 to 20 times the noise detection threshold) and the spatial frequency of the signal. Our results show a loss of efficiency for detection of known signals in noise that increases with the spatial frequency of the signal in observers with amblyopia. To determine whether the loss of efficiency was a consequence of a mismatched template, we derived classification images. We found that although the amblyopic observers' template was shifted to lower spatial frequencies, the shift was insufficient to account for their threshold elevation. Reduced efficiency in the amblyopic visual system may reflect a high level of internal noise, a poorly matched position template, or both. To analyze the type of internal noise we used an "N-pass" technique, in which observers performed the identical experiment N times (where N = 3 or 4). The amount of disagreement between the repeated trials enables us to parse the internal noise into random noise and consistent noise beyond that due to the poorly matched template. Our results show that the amblyopes' reduced efficiency for detecting signals in noise is explained in part by reduced template efficiency but to a greater extent by increased random internal noise. This loss is more or less independent of external noise contrast over a log unit range of external noise.

Die Kodierqualität in der stationären Versorgung

Routine data in the electronic patient record are frequently used for secondary purposes. Core elements of the electronic patient record are diagnoses and procedures, coded with the mandatory classifications. Despite the important role of routine data for reimbursement, quality management and health care statistics, there is currently no systematic analysis of coding quality in Germany. Respective concepts and investigations share the difficulty to decide what's right and what's wrong, being at the end of the long process of medical decision making. Therefore, a relevant amount of disagreement has to be accepted. In case of the principal diagnosis, this could be the fact in half of the patients. Plausibility of coding looks much better. After optimization time in hospitals, regular and complete coding can be expected. Whether coding matches reality, as a prerequisite for further use of the data in medicine and health politics, should be investigated in controlled trials in the future.

Learning or Succeeding? Conflict Regulation With Mastery or Performance Goals

The present study aimed to integrate research on mastery and performance goals into research on sociocognitive conflict (confrontation involving divergent points of view). Participants interacted by discussing conflictual issues in a context enhancing either performance goals, mastery goals, or no goals. The amount of disagreement during the interaction was measured. Results indicated that disagreement predicted epistemic conflict regulation (focused on task comprehension) in the mastery goals condition, but relational conflict regulation (focused on affirmation of competence) in the performance goals condition. Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to the conflict regulation framework.