Methodological Issue Research Articles

Proposing a Solution Towards Avoiding Ecological Fallacy While Using National Culture Dimensions in Consumer Behaviour Studies

Today web-enabled services ranging from information sharing to online purchasing of products or services have become an increasingly frequent affair. In this context, previous research has explored the nature of complex cyber transactions and the various factors, which lead to formation of perceptions about such web-based services in the consumers’ minds. One important factor, which has been intriguing management researchers in this respect, is the influence of cultural values of consumers on online purchase intentions and perceptions about e-service quality. Most studies done in this context have used Hofstede’s national-level culture dimensions to do an individual-level analysis of consumer behaviour, but in doing so, have encountered a methodological issue known as ecological fallacy. This study wishes to demonstrate an alternate approach for culture-specific consumer purchase behaviour research using individual-level cultural values as study variables, thus eradicating the issue of ecological fallacy.

Hybridizing Geographically Weighted Regression and Multilevel Models: A New Approach to Capture Contextual Effects in Geographical Analyses

Multilevel models are one of the main statistical methods used in modeling contextual effects in social sciences. A common limitation of these methods is the use pre‐set boundaries—usually administrative units—to define contexts, when these boundaries do not always match up with the “true” causally relevant contexts that may affect the outcomes of interest. In this study applied to the obesity geography in the Paris area (France), we propose a new spatially explicit two‐step procedure to tackle this methodological issue. The first step consists in estimating a geographically weighted regression model, then using it to reveal and delineate relevant nonstationarity‐based data‐driven spatial contexts, and finally including them as a random effect into a random slope multilevel model. In applying this hybrid methodology for modeling body mass index within a sample of 9,089 French adults, we demonstrate that it outperforms administrative‐based multilevel models in terms of decreasing Akaike information criteria, and is better at accounting for contextual effects through intraclass correlation coefficient and increasing slope variance. We suggest that this procedure might be generalized to quantitative geographical analyses involving contextual effects.

Low-Tech and Low-Cost System for High-Resolution Underwater RTK Photogrammetry in Coastal Shallow Waters

Monitoring coastal seabed in very shallow waters (0–5 m) is a challenging methodological issue, even though such data is of major importance to many scientific and technical communities. Over the years, Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry has emerged as a flexible and inexpensive method able to provide both a 3D model and high-resolution imagery of the seabed (~cm level). In this study, we propose a low-cost (about USD 1500), adaptable, lightweight and easily dismantled system called POSEIDON (for Platform Operating in Shallow-water Environment for Imaging and 3D reconstructiON). This prototype combines a floating support (typically a bodyboard), two imagery sensors (here, GoPro® cameras) and an accurate positioning system using Real Time Kinematic GNSS. Validation of this method was deployed in a macrotidal zone, comparing on the foreshore the point cloud provided by POSEIDON “SfM bathymetry” and by classical terrestrial SfM survey. Mean deviation was 5.2 cm and standard deviation was 4.6 cm. Such high-resolution SfM bathymetric surveys have a great potential for a wide range of applications: micro-bathymetry, hydrodynamics (bottom roughness), benthic habitats, ecological inventories, archaeology, etc.

MAiD as human connection: Stories and metaphors of physician providers’ existential lived experience

Being the one who provides an assisted death is complex and profound, and yet the lived experience of this novel act is little understood in Canada. In this article, we highlight the methodological issue of how one might peer behind emergent threads that addressed us in the data. A narrative-hermeneutic approach revealed that for the eight providers we interviewed, this is an embodied existential experience. The act of providing MAiD fostered embodied feelings of conviction, courage, compassion, and intimacy. We ultimately find that the experience of providing MAiD is human connection. The experience holds a dimension of the existential and provides a way to get closer to the unsayable profoundness that occurs in the space of providing death for a suffering other. This is important if not crucial in medicine and health care, as shared experiences connect us to what it is to be human, especially at end of life.

Ideal image of the head of the educational complex: Research methodology and results

The requirements for the professional and personal qualities of teachers are presented in the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”. However, the article focuses on the “ideal portrait of the head of the educational complex” as both a leader and a teacher. The analysis of the results of studies conducted in recent years has revealed a number of requirements for the personal and business qualities of leaders-teacher, and two problems. First, many authors consider ideal portraits, on which the research is theoretically based, to be “ideal types” (according to M. Weber), i.e. “utopian by nature”, “models that cannot be verified” [1], since they “cannot be found in everyday life” [2. P. 207]. Second, the pressing methodological issue of ways to identify and measure ideal qualities of real workers remains unresolved. The article aims at identifying the professionally important personal qualities of leaders-teachers, at developing an ideal portrait of the head of the educational complex, and at proposing a mathematical model for assessing the strength of personal qualities. Therefore, the following tasks were set: to identify the degree of compliance of the leaders-teachers’ personal qualities with the author’s “ideal model”; to form an empirical database for the subsequent development of a model of the effective leader-teacher of the educational complex, and to successfully solve functional problems of educational organizations. The author presents a method for identifying personal qualities of the leader-teacher, which correspond to the results of sociological surveys of employees of state educational complexes and parents; ways and methods to verify the selected requirements; and an applied empirical model of the “ideal portrait of the head of the educational complex”. This ideal portrait has some unique features: out of 16 possible personal qualities, 11 became distinctive and dominant, which is significantly more than that of the “average person”, including representatives of other professional groups.

Overcoming hybridisation in global welfare regime classifications: lessons from a single case study

Abstract The hybridisation of welfare regimes is a critical issue in social policy literature due to the lack of a uniform dependent variable and the comparative, international scope of social policy analysis, and data availability. We argue that what is presented in the global welfare regime literature as an analytical problem of classification or transitioning could also, in fact, be treated as a methodological issue. Based on this, we aim to establish a criterion for determining the membership of a welfare regime by capturing the presence of hybridisation of welfare regimes in a given country at a particular time. We present a novel methodological approach based on multistage sampling to capture the hybridisation of distinct welfare regimes and determine the most populous cluster in Pakistan. Establishing criteria for capturing and determining welfare regime membership can improve the understanding of welfare regime dynamics and factors that contribute to hybridisation. Ultimately, this knowledge can inform policy decisions and contribute to the development of more effective welfare systems for diverse populations.

Statistical Estimation Of Value Range

This paper presents a statistical model of Value Range based on Triangular Distribution which adapts the concept of Control Limits in the Control Chart Theory. It is the purpose/aim of the paper to contribute on the methodological issue of Uncertainty which takes the probabilistic nature of uncertainty into account. 
 Using market comparable data from two cases of commercial land valuation in East Jakarta and Tangerang County, the analytical results of the model suggests that Coefficient of Variation is a key aspect to consider whether the Value Range should be constructed at ± 1s or 2s. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the model works well with less data and data set with narrower variation is generally more favourable.
 The practical value of the model is its potential use as a method for valuers to self-examine their valuation output. The model may as well be used as a method to complement fairness analysis, especially when there is a request for external review or even an appeal.

The Influence of Different Inter-Trial Intervals on the Quantification of Intracortical Facilitation in the Primary Motor Cortex.

Intracortical facilitation (ICF) is a paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measurement used to quantify interneuron activity in the primary motor cortex (M1) in healthy populations and motor disorders. Due to the prevalence of the technique, most of the stimulation parameters to optimize ICF quantification have been established. However, the underappreciated methodological issue of the time between ICF trials (inter-trial interval; ITI) has been unstandardized, and different ITIs have never been compared in a paired-pulse TMS study. This is important because single-pulse TMS studies have found motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude reductions over time during TMS trial blocks for short, but not long ITIs. The primary purpose was to determine the influence of different ITIs on the measurement of ICF. Twenty adults completed one experimental session that involved 4 separate ICF trial blocks with each utilizing a different ITI (4, 6, 8, and 10 s). Two-way ANOVAs indicated no significant ITI main effects for test MEP amplitudes, condition-test MEP amplitudes, and therefore ICF. Accordingly, all ITIs studied provided nearly identical ICF values when averaged over entire trial blocks. Therefore, it is recommended that ITIs of 4-6 s be utilized for ICF quantification to optimize participant comfort and experiment time efficiency.

Phalaris & co.

Abstract The letters of Phalaris are among the letter collections assembled by Rudolf Hercher in his, ‘Epistolographi graeci’, published in 1873. They differ from other collections in that volume in the size of the corpus ( 148 letters ) and the breadth of the manuscript tradition ( more than 132 manuscripts ). Moreover, the number and the order of the letters vary greatly from one manuscript to another. These characteristics explain why there is no modern critical edition of the letters of Phalaris. This paper addresses a methodological issue: how can we get a comprehensive view of the transmission of the letters of Phalaris? It examines these letters from the perspective of the collection, given that the letters of Phalaris are often transmitted within manuscripts that combine several corpora of letters, thus forming large epistolary collections. This paper shows to what extent the results obtained by the editors of other epistolary texts can be applied to the letters of Phalaris and what is gained, on a literary level, by replacing these letters in their context of transmission.

Challenges and Opportunities to the Flow of Communication: Online Focus Groups with Parents of Young Children, Professional Caregivers, and Intermediaries

To explore the information behavior in the context of child injury prevention, we conducted online focus groups with parents, professional caregivers, and intermediaries as part of a larger project. In this paper, we discuss our qualitative interview design: audiovisual, synchronous online focus groups. To do so, we analyze a crucial methodological issue of focus group interviews: the flow of communication. In our study, three main topics emerged that influenced the flow of communication in online focus groups: (a) communication mode(s), (b) (co-)moderation, and (c) distractions and interjections of other people. We conclude that depending on the research topic and target group, audio-only communication may be advantageous compared to audiovisual communication because lay people may disclose more on sensitive topics. Moreover, the considerate composition of the focus group is essential for participants’ interaction, so that all participants feel they have an important part to contribute to the discussion. Skilled co-moderation is crucial to successfully integrating all participants and evolving communication threads, and dealing with disruptions.

Problematic consequences of the inclusion of capital goods inventory data in Environmental Product Declarations

PurposeA recent update to the Product Category Rules (PCRs) for Construction Products (of the International EPD System) has triggered a methodological issue for owners and users of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). The updated PCR has led to capital goods data being implicitly included in the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) of EPDs. This paper critically examines the role of capital goods in EPDs and establishes major shortcomings in the current methodology, LCI datasets and interpretation.MethodsTo evaluate the role of capital goods in EPDs, this paper provides a discourse on the fundamentals of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, scope, available LCI data and the impact of capital goods on EPD outcomes. Using the ecoinvent database, we analyse the impact of the inclusion and exclusion of capital goods in selected 38 construction products based on the EN 15804+A2 (2019) Standard. Finally, we estimate the relative contribution of capital goods to a suite of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) indicators based on the archetypes of capital goods available in ecoinvent and apply Monte Carlo simulation to establish the range of uncertainties in the capital goods data for the selected construction products.Results and discussionOur research confirms that when capital goods are included based on currently available background LCI data, they mostly have a low effect (<10% increase) on climate change, but they can have an enormous effect (>100% increase) on abiotic depletion (minerals and metals), land use and/or human toxicity indicators. Interestingly, when looking further into the ecoinvent capital goods LCI datasets, it becomes clear that there are inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and possibly incorrect estimates of capital goods and infrastructure data. These findings raise questions about the suitability of the underlying LCI background data and whether non-attributable capital goods should be allowed to define EPD outcomes.ConclusionThe requirement for the inclusion of capital goods leads to a major conundrum for LCA practitioners. It is suggested that capital goods be excluded until there is better refinement and improvement of the quality of LCI datasets and EPD programs provide clearer guidance on dealing with capital goods. Alternatively, EPDs could document transparently the inclusion or exclusion of capital goods, so that there is a clear separation of the effects of capital goods on LCIA indicators.

Task sequencing does not systematically affect the factor structure of cognitive abilities.

Latent variable analyses of cognitive abilities are among the major means by which cognitive psychologists test theories regarding the structure of human cognition. Models are fit to observed variance-covariance structures, and the fit of those models are compared to assess the merits of competing theories. However, an often unconsidered and potentially important methodological issue is the precise sequence in which tasks are delivered to participants. Here we empirically tested whether differences in task sequences systematically affect the observed factor structure. A large sample (N = 587) completed a battery of 12 cognitive tasks measuring four constructs: working memory, long-term memory, attention control, and fluid intelligence. Participants were assigned to complete the assessment in one of three sequences: fixed and grouped by construct vs. fixed and interleaved across constructs vs. random by participant. We generated and tested two hypotheses: grouping task sequences by construct (i.e., administering clusters of tasks measuring a cognitive construct consecutively) would (1) systematically increase factor loadings and (2) systematically decrease interfactor correlations. Neither hypothesis was supported. The measurement models were largely invariant across the three conditions, suggesting that latent variable analyses are robust to such subtle methodological differences as task sequencing.

‘I’ve Got Nothing Against Vegans… But’: To Divulge, Dissemble or Divert Positionality in Rural Research Settings

Changes in diet and related purchasing habits at a societal level have become a significant source of stress for farmers in recent years. The rise of vegetarianism and veganism means that the use of these dietary terms, and those who identify with them, may act as potential triggers for those working with livestock. This paper considers the specific methodological issue of how to position oneself within the research process in rural domains, with regards to personal identity related to diet. Focussing on non-meat eaters conducting research with livestock farmers, it explores the moral implications and appropriateness of how and whether authors choose to truthfully present their own diet-related identities in research settings. Using ethnographic descriptions of personal experience as well as secondary source material, the authors conclude that three possible response behaviours at the farmer-researcher interface are available when it comes to potentially ‘exposing’ one’s dietary identity – to divulge, to dissemble, or to divert, and that each comes with its own ethical and moral challenges. We argue that the research field and the researcher’s personal world are separate, though blurred, realms and, while the collection of quality data is important to any study, behavioural decisions should always be undertaken with boundaries of safety, and emotional and moral comfort in mind.

Writing Sámi Memory and Trauma into Swedish History: Linnea Axelsson’s Ædnan. Epos (2018) and Elin Anna Labba’s Herrarna Satte Oss Hit. Om Tvångsförflyttningar i Sverige (2020)

After Sweden and Norway signed the reindeer grazing convention agreement in 1919, reindeer-herding Sámi families selected by the Swedish authorities were forced to migrate from the Karesuando area in Norway to more southern regions within the reindeer husbandry area in Sweden. These relocations at the beginning of the twentieth century are the source of memory and trauma in both Linnea Axelsson’s Ædnan. Epos (2018; Ædnan. An Epic) and Elin Anna Labba’s Herrarna satte oss hit. Om tvångsförflyttningar i Sverige (2020; The Masters Put Us Here. On Forced Relocations in Sweden). Furthermore, the two works contain paratextual fragments that express the desire to make the silenced past of the Sámi audible in Swedish history. Each text transmits memories and traumas from different genre perspectives: those of poetry and partly autobiographical non-fiction. The texts reveal processes of colonization and oppression within national borders, with scientific racism as an underlying ideology.In this contribution also a methodological issue will be discussed. How should we study texts that deal with writing about trauma and memory of a minority people such as the Sámi? An indigenous methodology, as presented by authors such as Jelena Porsanger in “An Essay about Indigenous Methodology” (2004), should be an important guide, as it concerns a respectful approach to the study of indigenous minority people.“

LexCHI: A quick lexical test for estimating language proficiency in Chinese.

A prominent methodological issue in cognitive research on bilingualism is the lack of consistency in measuring second language (L2) proficiency. To reduce the inconsistency in L2 proficiency measurements, brief and valid vocabulary tests have been developed as an objective measure of proficiency in a variety of languages (e.g., English, French, Spanish). Here, we present LexCHI, a valid lexical test to measure Chinese proficiency. This freely available short test consists of 60 two-character items presented in simplified Chinese. Although it only takes a few minutes to complete LexCHI, the LexCHI scores in two studies correlated significantly with L2 participants' performance in a translation task and a cloze test. We believe that LexCHI is a useful tool for researchers who need to objectively measure Chinese proficiency as part of their investigations.

The need for a contextualized adaptation of the evaluation of the destination image

The literature stresses the importance of measuring the destination brand image to determine a successful tourism promotion strategy, a strategy that is likely to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of a destination in a highly competitive and changing environment. Measurement scales are commonly used by academics and practitioners. An empirical study was conducted with French tourists, regarded as the main source market for the competing destinations of Tunisia and Spain. In light of a prior qualitative study, the brand image was quantitatively measured using semantic differential scales taken from the literature and adapted following expert advice. The results raised the issue of the international adaptation of measurement scales, despite the proper use of the operative procedures for measurement scales valid in several countries. The main objective of the present study is to raise a methodological issue regarding the desirable degree of adaptation of the measurement scales used by Destination Marketing Organizations while taking into account the validity and reliability constraints of the tools. To what extent is the adapted version of the chosen scale equivalent to the source version? The present study, conducted on two destinations and different cultural contexts, shows that a rigorous adaptation might lead to a loss of about 40% of the original scales.

Religious Beliefs in ‘Aboriginal Taiwan’

Abstract There are various approaches to building a picture of the ‘spiritual’ entities in which indigenous Formosans believed in ‘Aboriginal Taiwan’. This article does so by studying what sources written in the seventeenth century tell us about them. One source was written by a Chinese observer, and others by two groups of Europeans: Dutch East India Company employees and Spanish missionaries. Thus, one methodological issue is that these authors looked at Formosan belief systems through the different lenses of their own religious experience and tried to fit the Formosan belief systems into their own ‘existing knowledge grids’. A related problem is that the authors’ usage of terms may differ and indeed does differ from modern usage in the anthropology of religion. Despite these methodological issues, the article argues that these sources indicate that different Formosan tribes believed in different spiritual entities and were therefore marked by their heterogeneity.

A machine learning‐based multiple imputation method for the health and aging brain among latino elders study

AbstractBackgroundThe Health and Aging Brain among Latino Elders Study (HABLE) project seeks to understand the biological, social and environmental factors that impact brain aging among diverse communities. HABLE, like many other NIH funded data‐sharing projects, has important data assets for various uses, including social, environmental and behavioral data, and multiple data flow pathways. A common methodological issue for data collection in such a large survey‐based, behavior, behavioral, or environmental epidemiology study is missing data. It is impossible to achieve machine learning (ML) if data contains missing values. Therefore, developing new imputation methodology has become a very urgent task for HABLE.MethodIn this study, we developed a ML‐Based Multiple Imputation method. First, we built four ML‐Based Imputation models (Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and lasso and elastic‐net regularized Generalized Linear Model (GLMNET)). Then we adapted the above four ML‐Based methods to multiple imputation. Lastly, we evaluated our ML‐Based Multiple Imputation method in comparison with lowest of detection (LOD), random drawing from a lef‐censored normal distribution (ND), k‐nearest neighbors (kNN), local least squares (LLS), and random forest (RF), Singular value decomposition (SVD), Bayesian principal component analysis (BPCA).ResultOur results show that ML‐Based Multiple Imputation method can have lower Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) in missing value imputation and higer prediciton performance in machine learning.ConclusionThe choice of missing handling methodology has a significant impact on the accompanying statistical analyses of alzheimer’s disease. The Machine Learning‐Based Multiple Imputation Method performs well for our alzheimer’s disease models. It can also be applied to other disease data analysis.

Governments measure during the COVID crisis and statistical implications in national accounts: The case of tax deferrals1

During the COVID-19 crisis many European governments have implemented major policy measures to support companies and households coping with the sharp decline in economic activity. Correctly interpreting and recording these measures in the national accounts was a major challenge for compilers who had to ensure not only timely but also independent, reliable, and comparable statistics in exceptional circumstances. High quality official statistics are fundamental for public finance monitoring, both at quarterly and at annual level. They provide informative basis for policy makers and economic analysts and play a central role in the context of the European fiscal surveillance process. This paper discusses how the Italian Statistical institute (ISTAT) managed to quickly respond to the sudden increase in the need for public finance information in the aftermath of government interventions to contrast the consequences of COVID-19 crisis. In particular, the paper focuses on one of the first fiscal actions Italian government enforced immediately following the outbreak that is deferrals of tax obligations. According to OECD (2021) this is the main fiscal relief European countries have introduced in response to Covid crisis. The urgency of giving appropriate trace of these actions in the framework of national accounts has raised a significant methodological issue for compilers, and its solution can be exemplary of an innovative approach to provide data during extraordinary periods remaining as compliant as possible with the conventional processes and codified rules. The approach is based on the combination of new data sources with already existing data, on a strengthen interaction among data providers and government agencies to assure a speedier access to administrative data (Ministry of Finance and Revenue Agency), and on a strict collaboration with European institutions (Eurostat).

Situating masculinity, labour migration and care over the life course in Lesotho: foregrounding survivor bias in researching care

The literature on later-life care is dominated by a focus on women as carers and older people as receivers, not providers, of care, as well as the analytical disembedding of care from wider social and economic processes. We examine the experiences of care and caring of former labour migrants who had migrated from Lesotho to work in South Africa’s mines in order to examine how these have changed over their lives. The latter demanded the tying of experience into wider social, economic and demographic processes. The research identified a methodological issue in the study of later-life care: survivor bias.