Rank-order Consistency Research Articles

The link between social network density and rank-order consistency of aggressiveness in juvenile eels

The emergence of an animal’s personality is the result of interactions between genetics, environment and experience. It is known that individuals are able to modulate their behaviour according to the context or the social environment. Many studies have shown for example, that familiarity among conspecifics diminishes aggressiveness, although little is known about the underlying processes. Nevertheless, personality traits have long been determined while ignoring the social context, especially in lower vertebrates such as fish. In the present experiment, we hypothesize that group connections (network density) may be positively correlated to consistency of aggressiveness by avoiding over-aggressive acts in further encounters. To test this hypothesis, we used eels (Anguilla anguilla) as a model species and monitored both aggressiveness and sociability in 64 individuals over their first 7 months of growth from the glass eel stage. As expected, social fish were less aggressive than their non-social counterparts at all times, highlighting the existence of a behavioural syndrome in eels. Additionally, rank-order consistency of aggressiveness was higher in groups of fish with high social connectivity, compared to those in less-connected fish groups. While aggressiveness must be consistent to be considered a personality trait, our results suggest that both aggressiveness and its consistency are influenced by initial social context.

Stability and change of personality in adolescents: A 4-year longitudinal study

Adolescence is a relevant transitional stage in which important changes in personality are presumed. However, studies on development of personality in adolescence within the framework of Five-Factor Model are scarce, which is the aim of the present study. A 4-year longitudinal study was developed in 234 adolescents (61.5% females). Personality was measured using the Junior Spanish version of the NEO-PI-R (JS NEO) in T1 (11–12 years) and in T2 (15–16 years). Analyses of structural continuity showed no differences on personality structure across time. Rank-order consistency ranged from .42 to .50. Mean-level changes showed a decrease in Conscientiousness and Agreeableness. Ipsative stability presented a median of .58 in the q-correlations, and changes of 9.8% in the Cronbach and Gleser’s indices. Finally, the highest individual-level changes were found for Neuroticism (22.2%) and Conscientiousness (34.6%). These results suggest that the five basic personality dimensions in adolescence are more stable than it was expected.

What does high and low have to do with it? Performance classification to identify health system factors associated with effective prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission of HIV delivery in Mozambique

IntroductionEfforts to implement and take to scale highly efficacious, low-cost interventions to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (pMTCT) have been a cornerstone of reproductive health services in sub-Saharan Africa for over a decade. Yet efforts to increase access and utilization of these services remain far from optimal. This study developed and applied an approach to systematically classify pMTCT performance to identify modifiable health system factors associated with pMTCT performance which may be replicated in other pMTCT systems.MethodsFacility-level performance measures were collected at 30 sites over a 12-month period and reviewed for consistency. Five combinations of three indicators (1. HIV testing; 2. CD4 testing; 3. antiretroviral prophylaxis and combined antiretroviral therapy initiation) were compared including a composite of all three, a combination of 1. and 3., and each individually. Approaches were visually assessed to describe facility performance, focusing on rank order consistency across high, medium and low categories. Modifiable and non-modifiable factors were ascertained at each site and ranking process was reviewed to estimate association with facility performance through unadjusted Chi-square tests and logistic regression. After describing factors associated with high versus low performing pMTCT clinics, the effect of inclusion of the 10 middle performers was assessed.ResultsThe indicator most consistently associated with the reference composite indicator (HIV testing, antiretroviral prophylaxis and combined antiretroviral therapy) was the single measure of antiretroviral prophylaxis and combined antiretroviral therapy. Lower performing pMTCT clinics ranked consistently low across measurement strategies; high and middle performing clinics demonstrated more variability. Association between clinic characteristics and high pMTCT performance varied markedly across ranking strategies. Using the reference composite indicator, larger catchment area, higher number of institutional deliveries, onsite CD4 point-of-care capacity, and higher numbers of nurses and doctors were associated with high clinic performance while clinic location, NGO support, women's support group, community linkages patient-tracking systems and stock-outs were not associated with high performance.ConclusionsClassifying high and low performance provided consistent results across ranking measures, though granularity was improved by aggregating middle performers with either high or low performers. Human resources, catchment size and utilization were positively associated with effective pMTCT service delivery.

Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Types of Change

In this research, the authors present theoretical explanations for quantitative and qualitative types of changes to evaluate the malleability of general self-efficacy (GSE) and specific self-efficacy (SSE) measures due to domain-specific training. First, the authors hypothesize that the change in the GSE measure due to sales training is a quantitative mean-difference (alpha) change. Second, they hypothesize that the change in SSE due to sales training is a qualitative (beta or gamma) change. Results of latent variable cross-lagged analysis on sales trainee data ( N = 417) support the authors’ hypothesis that the difference in GSE was quantitative. Findings also provide partial support of the second hypothesis that a change in a SSE measure was qualitative. The qualitative change is attributed to the novelty and complexity of the particular SSE tasks (i.e., direct selling). Additional analysis of rank-order consistency further validates the measures and demonstrates the GSE measure was consistent before and after training whereas the SSE scales were not as consistent. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

449 Empowerment of Mentally 111 Clients to Obtain Employment in Kalmunai Region

The current study investigates stability and change in self-esteem among Russian emerging adults. Self-esteem of 1004 undergraduates (Mage = 19.50, SDage = 1.25) was assessed during their bachelor's program (T1). Eight years later, 242 of them took part in an online follow-up (T2). Self-esteem was measured with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. We conducted a longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis with strict measurement invariance constraints. Self-esteem showed substantial mean-level stability and rank-order consistency, both for women and men. No sex differences, effects of parenthood and change in the place of residence were found. Those participants who had had higher self-esteem at T1 were more likely married by T2 compared to singles, and those who cohabited with their partner by T2. Although individual differences in the self-esteem change cannot be excluded, the findings support the idea of self-esteem stability during emerging adulthood, both in the mean-level and rank-order terms.

Direct Evidence for Methyl Group Coordination by Carbon-Oxygen Hydrogen Bonds in the Lysine Methyltransferase SET7/9

SET domain lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) are S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)-dependent enzymes that catalyze the site-specific methylation of lysyl residues in histone and non-histone proteins. Based on crystallographic and cofactor binding studies, carbon-oxygen (CH · · · O) hydrogen bonds have been proposed to coordinate the methyl groups of AdoMet and methyllysine within the SET domain active site. However, the presence of these hydrogen bonds has only been inferred due to the uncertainty of hydrogen atom positions in x-ray crystal structures. To experimentally resolve the positions of the methyl hydrogen atoms, we used NMR (1)H chemical shift coupled with quantum mechanics calculations to examine the interactions of the AdoMet methyl group in the active site of the human KMT SET7/9. Our results indicated that at least two of the three hydrogens in the AdoMet methyl group engage in CH · · · O hydrogen bonding. These findings represent direct, quantitative evidence of CH · · · O hydrogen bond formation in the SET domain active site and suggest a role for these interactions in catalysis. Furthermore, thermodynamic analysis of AdoMet binding indicated that these interactions are important for cofactor binding across SET domain enzymes.

A three-wave longitudinal study of self-evaluations during young adulthood

This investigation provides much needed data on stability and change in self-evaluations during young adulthood. The Messer and Harter [Messer, B. & Harter, S. (1986). Manual for the adult self-perception profile. Unpublished manuscript. Department of Psychology, University of Denver] Adult Self-Perception Profile was given to a sample of over 400 young adults in 1999, 2001, and 2003. Several conclusions emerged from this study. Generally speaking, domain-specific self-evaluations showed rank-order consistency and very small normative changes during this interval. Nonetheless, there were individual differences in change in self-evaluations that warrant additional theoretical and empirical attention. In terms of the prediction of global self-esteem, physical self-esteem was one of the strongest independent predictors of global self-esteem. Finally, weighting domain specific self-evaluations by importance ratings did not consistently improve the prediction of global self-esteem. The implications of these results for understanding the psychological nature of young adulthood and for designing future studies using importance ratings are discussed.

Personality plasticity after age 30.

Rank-order consistency of personality traits increases from childhood to age 30. After that, different summaries of the literature predict a plateau at age 30, or at age 50, or a curvilinear peak in consistency at age 50. These predictions were evaluated at group and individual levels using longitudinal data from the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey and the Revised NEO Personality Inventory for periods of up to 42 years. Consistency declined toward a nonzero asymptote with increasing time interval. Although some scales showed increasing stability after age 30, the rank-order consistencies of the major dimensions and most facets of the Five-Factor Model were unrelated to age. Ipsative stability, assessed with the California Adult Q-Set, also was unrelated to age. These data strengthen claims of predominant personality stability after age 30.

Stabiliteit van persoonlijkheid op latere leeftijd

The relation of aging and the stability of personality in late life is evaluated by a literature review. The findings of six longitudinal studies reveal that rank-order consistency continues into old age. The mean-level stability reveals a concave curve for 'neuroticism' with an increase after age 80, a decrease for 'extraversion', and an increase for 'agreeableness'. The methodological and conceptual issues of personality assessment with old adults can be resolved by using a self report scale which corresponds to the capacities and the lifestyle of older adults and by involving age related variables into analyses.

Criterion-related validity, self-other agreement, and longitudinal analyses for the Iowa personality questionnaire: A short alternative to the MPQ

The 42-item Iowa Personality Questionnaire (IPQ) was designed to briefly assess the same dimensions of personality measured by the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; Tellegen, 1982). Results from three studies indicate that the IPQ can be used as a reasonable alternative to the MPQ when time constraints place limits on the length of questionnaires. For example, correlations between self-reports on the IPQ and the MPQ were .67 for Constraint, .75 for Negative Emotionality, and .77 for Positive Emotionality and the IPQ and MPQ demonstrate similar criterion-related validity (Study 1). Importantly, Study 3 illustrates how the IPQ can be used to address the substantive issue of the rank-order consistency of personality traits across time. Specifically, longitudinal results indicated that scores on the MPQ assessed in 1994 forecast scores on the IPQ in 2001. These findings provide further evidence for the continuity of individual differences across time.

Predicting creativity from early to late adulthood: Intellect, potential, and personality

In 1950 (at age 27) a sample of 80 male graduate students was assessed on potential, intelligence–intellect, personality and creativity, and then personality and career outcome data were collected again at age 72. Intelligence (primary mental abilities, spatial, and number), intellect, potential, and personality (e.g., self-confidence, tolerance, openness, psychological mindedness, and introversion) at age 27 were expected to covary with creativity at age 27 and predict lifetime creativity at age 72. Yet, due to the non-intellective nature of personality, we predicted that personality would explain unique variance in creativity over and above that already explained by intellect and potential. Results supported each of these expectations. For instance, observer-rated potential and intellect at age 27 predicted lifetime creativity at age 72, and yet personality variables (such as tolerance and psychological mindedness) explained up to 20% of the variance over and above potential and intellect. Rank-order consistency coefficients revealed consistency over 44 years in some traits (e.g., psychological mindedness) and inconsistency in other traits (e.g, dominance). If traits function to lower behavioral thresholds in given situations, then the traits of self-confidence, openness, tolerance, and psychological mindedness (among others) may serve as a relatively direct link to creative behavior.

Looking back and looking ahead: adult age differences in consistency of diachronous ratings of subjective well-being.

The goal of this study is to investigate the consistency of diachronous ratings of subjective well-being (SWB). A heterogeneous sample (25-74-year-olds; N = 3,596) provided ratings of their present SWB, reconstructed their SWB of 10 years ago, and anticipated their SWB 10 years from now. Developmental tasks and self-evaluative principles were used to predict age differences in diachronous consistency. As predicted, in young adulthood, past SWB was rated lower and future SWB higher than present SWB. In contrast, in later adulthood, the past was rated higher and the future lower than present SWB. Analyses of rank-order consistency demonstrated that in later adulthood both future and past SWB were more strongly related to present SWB than in young adulthood. Results show how models of self-evaluation play out at different points in the life span.

The rank-order consistency of personality traits from childhood to old age: A quantitative review of longitudinal studies.

The rank-order consistency of personality traits from childhood to old age: A quantitative review of longitudinal studies.

The rank-order consistency of personality traits from childhood to old age: a quantitative review of longitudinal studies.

The present study used meta-analytic techniques to test whether trait consistency maximizes and stabilizes at a specific period in the life course. From 152 longitudinal studies, 3,217 test-retest correlation coefficients were compiled. Meta-analytic estimates of mean population test-retest correlation coefficients showed that trait consistency increased from .31 in childhood to .54 during the college years, to .64 at age 30, and then reached a plateau around .74 between ages 50 and 70 when time interval was held constant at 6.7 years. Analysis of moderators of consistency showed that the longitudinal time interval had a negative relation to trait consistency and that temperament dimensions were less consistent than adult personality traits.

Measurement of the validity of utility elicitations performed by computerized interview.

The authors evaluate a measure of the validity of utility elicitations and study the potential effects of invalid elicitations on population utility values. The authors used a computerized survey to describe and measure preferences for three common side-effects of anti-psychotic drugs (tardive dyskinesia [TD], akathesia [AKA], pseudo-parkinsonism). The authors compared the validity of elicitations in 41 healthy volunteers to 22 schizophrenic patients. Preferences were measured using visual analog scale (VAS), pair-wise comparison (PWC), and the Standard Gamble (SG) methods. To assess the validity of each groups' responses, the authors compared the consistency of subjects' rank-order of the desirability of states across methods of preferences assessment (CAMPA). All healthy volunteers and 82% of patients completed the computer survey; of these subjects, 97% of healthy volunteers and 70% of patients indicated they thought they understood the task required of them. However, only 78% of healthy subjects and 44% of patients had a consistent rank ordering of preferences among VAS and PWC ratings; only 80% and 61%, respectively, had a consistent rank ordering preferences among SG and PWC ratings. For two of the three health states, inconsistent subjects had statistically higher SG utilities (for TD, 0.94 versus 0.87, and for AKA 0.92 versus 0.86; P < 0.05). The CAMPA test can identify potentially invalid preference ratings. Potentially invalid preference ratings may bias the "population" utilities for health states.

A note on a method to ensure rank-order consistency in the analytic hierarchy process

Abstract Suppose a decision-maker can specify, with confidence, the rank-order of objects in an AHP pairwise comparison matrix. What he or she is uncertain about is the precise weights that will result. In our experience most decision-makers in this situation feel that the pairwise comparison matrix ought to satisfy some minimal transitive consistency requirements. For instance, if a ij is assessed to be at least 1 (that is w i w j is at least 1) then the transitive product a ik a kj , which also measure w i w j , should also be at least 1. And similarly, if a ij is less than 1, then a ik a kj should also be less than 1. We formalize this idea with a notion termed rank-order consistency and then describe a procedure which allows a decision-maker to guarantee that a matrix is rank-order consistent.