Split-half Procedure Research Articles

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of Alternate Short Forms of the Action Naming Test.

The action naming test (ANT) is a confrontation naming task used to assess the ability to name action words. This study aimed to create two short forms of the ANT and assess their equivalence, reliability, and comparability to the long form. In total, 100 healthy adults (31 females and 69 males), aged 34-89years (M=64 and SD=10.4) were recruited. Short forms were developed using a split-half procedure. No significant differences were observed between short forms on mean performance and distribution of scores for correct spontaneous responses, responses after semantic cue and total correct responses after cueing, but a higher number of accurate responses were prompted after phonemic cueing for Form A. Significant strong correlations between short forms and with the full form were encountered, although a weak correlation was found between short forms on performance after semantic cueing. IQ and age were significant predictors of action word retrieval. Whereas IQ also predicted post-cueing performance in all ANT forms, age predicted performance only for Form B. The two ANT short forms are equivalent when considering total spontaneous responses and total correct responses after cueing, but semantic and phonemic cues evoked different responses on the two forms. The two short forms were also affected differently by demographics. When the psychometric equivalence of Forms A and B was examined, the strict conditions for parallel forms were not met for all performance indices. Therefore, these newly developed short versions should be considered as alternate forms.

Albatross R package to study PARAFAC components of DOM fluorescence from mixing zones of arctic shelf seas

We have developed the package albatross in freely available R environment to perform parallel factor analysis of excitation–emission matrices (EEM/PARAFAC) analysis of seawaters. The key pre-processing steps for successful data analysis included intensity corrections for the instrument response function; inner filter effect correction; Raman and Rayleigh scattering handling. After implementing the necessary routines, we have focused on evaluation of their robustness for analysis of real data as well as on model validation and the assessment of adequacy of identified factors. The tolerance of 10−9 in the absolute change of R2 was found to be enough to prevent stopping before reaching the solution during the modeling. We have found that widely used S4C6T3 split-half procedure for validation cannot result in an unequivocal selection of the number of components. We have instead suggested a statistical evaluation of 100 randomly obtained splits to optimize number of factors (“randomized split-half”). The median split-half distance allows finding the unique optimal decomposition of EEM (4-component model in our case), and, therefore, it can serve as a criterion for model validation. The validation of the model was additionally supported by monitoring of a number of iterations before convergence and a decomposition R2.Finally, the validated EEM/PARAFAC model with 4 components for seawater obtained during the 63rd cruise of RV Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in 2015 (66 Arctic seawater samples)to those obtained by drEEM package in MatLab and to previous studies with the use of OpenFluor spectral library. A brief characterization of oceanographic data is provided.

Methods for computing the maximum performance of computational models of fMRI responses.

Computational neuroimaging methods aim to predict brain responses (measured e.g. with functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]) on the basis of stimulus features obtained through computational models. The accuracy of such prediction is used as an indicator of how well the model describes the computations underlying the brain function that is being considered. However, the prediction accuracy is bounded by the proportion of the variance of the brain response which is related to the measurement noise and not to the stimuli (or cognitive functions). This bound to the performance of a computational model has been referred to as the noise ceiling. In previous fMRI applications two methods have been proposed to estimate the noise ceiling based on either a split-half procedure or Monte Carlo simulations. These methods make different assumptions over the nature of the effects underlying the data, and, importantly, their relation has not been clarified yet. Here, we derive an analytical form for the noise ceiling that does not require computationally expensive simulations or a splitting procedure that reduce the amount of data. The validity of this analytical definition is proved in simulations, we show that the analytical solution results in the same estimate of the noise ceiling as the Monte Carlo method. Considering different simulated noise structure, we evaluate different estimators of the variance of the responses and their impact on the estimation of the noise ceiling. We furthermore evaluate the interplay between regularization (often used to estimate model fits to the data when the number of computational features in the model is large) and model complexity on the performance with respect to the noise ceiling. Our results indicate that when considering the variance of the responses across runs, computing the noise ceiling analytically results in similar estimates as the split half estimator and approaches the true noise ceiling under a variety of simulated noise scenarios. Finally, the methods are tested on real fMRI data acquired at 7 Tesla.

The clinical integrative puzzle for teaching and assessing clinical reasoning: preliminary feasibility, reliability, and validity evidence.

Expertise in clinical reasoning is essential for high-quality patient care. The Clinical Integrative Puzzle (CIP) is a novel assessment method for clinical reasoning. The purpose of our study was to further describe the CIP, providing feasibility, reliability, and validity evidence to support this tool for teaching and evaluating clinical reasoning. We conducted a prospective, randomized crossover trial assessing the CIP in second-year medical students from a single institution. Feasibility was estimated through the time taken to complete a CIP during a CIP session and through comments from faculty developers. Reliability was addressed through calculating odd-even item reliability (split-half procedure) for grid questions within each CIP. Evidence for content, concurrent, and predictive validity was also measured. 36 students participated in the study. Data suggested successful randomization of participants and nonparticipants. The CIP was found to have high feasibility, acceptable reliability (0.43-0.73 with a mean of 0.60) with a short time for CIP completion. Spearman-Brown correction estimated a reliability of 0.75 with completing two grids (estimated time of 50 minutes) and 0.82 for three grids (estimated time of 75 minutes). Validity evidence was modest; the CIP is consistent with clinical reasoning literature and the CIP modestly correlated with small group performance (r = 0.3, p < 0.05). Assessing clinical reasoning in medical students is challenging. Our data provide good feasibility and reliability evidence for the use of CIPs; validity data was less robust.

Developing A Cloze Procedure As A Reading Comprehension Achievement Test

The project was concerned with developing a doze procedure as a reading comprehension achievement test. The subjects were students of the English Education Department of the Faculty of Letters, State University of Malang, who were halfway in the semester to complete Reading II course. The test was planned and constructed on the foundation of existing theory of doze test construction. A review of theory concerning reading comprehension, testing reading comprehension, and doze testing led to the construction of the test, including the decision concerning how to score the test and to interpret the scores. Using a class of 28 students, the test was tried out a week after the midsemester test was administered by the Reading 11 teacher. It was found that the test is sufficiently reliable on the basis of a reliability coefficient of .79 through split-half procedure and a coefficient value of .78 by K-R 20 The test also showed high inter-section correlation. The validity of the test was viewed in terms of face, content, and construct. The test scores correlate moderately with those obtained from the mid-semester test by the teacher. Some problems are discussed and a suggestion made with regard to a possible solution to these problems.

Transient error or specificity? An alternative to the staggered equivalent split-half procedure.

The data-based partial and complete reliability coefficients defined by G. Becker (2000) in his staggered equivalent split-half procedure (SESHP) were compared with the model-based specificity and consistency reliability coefficients defined by R. Steyer, M. J. Schmitt, and M. Eid (1999) in their latent state-trait model (LSTM). Partial reliability is based on coefficient alpha, which contains transient error. State and trait anxiety, measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory on 2 occasions among French adults, illustrated both approaches. Theoretical and empirical analyses demonstrated that the specificity and consistency coefficients offer a testable alternative to the SESHP coefficients. In addition, dynamics of the state residual variance could be modeled and estimated in LSTM.

Measuring quality of life: a new and practical survey instrument.

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of measuring the quality of life (QOL) of people with severe mental illness, such assessments are seldom carried out because of the lack of an efficient, easy-to-use, and valid measurement instrument. To facilitate the gathering of QOL information from clients in evaluation, program improvement, or other efforts, the authors present a new short (24-item) self-administered questionnaire called the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ). The questionnaire assesses subjective QOL in seven areas. Evidence for the reliability and validity of the QLQ is based on data gathered from 971 clients with serious mental illness who were receiving publicly funded mental health services at the time of the study. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis using a random split-half procedure indicated that a seven-factor solution fit the data well. Scores on the QLQ also correlated significantly with the client's functioning and satisfaction with services, providing support for the validity of the QLQ. The advantages of the QLQ over existing measures include low-cost administration and some superior psychometric properties.

Psychosocial factors in youth and at working age as predictors of blood pressure. A prospective study

This prospective study focused on childhood and adult psychosocial determinants of blood pressure (BP) measured at working age, including work factors, individual characteristics and socio-economic factors. Data had been collected over 20 years ago from a sample representative of Finnish children. For this follow-up, 150 subjects responded to a questionnaire and attended a personal examination at the mean age of 37 yr. Hierarchical regression analyses were made for women and men. A split half procedure was applied for the control of possible chance associations. Work conditions and perceived health were not associated with BP. Social conditions in youth were powerful predictors of high adult BP for men. Poor living conditions in youth explained 16% of their diastolic BP and 9% of their systolic BP. The result may be regarded as strong evidence for early determinants of hypertension.

“真の得点間の回帰”について

Watanabe (1984, this journal) has recently proposed a split-half procedure for solving a regression problem between true scores. The present article adds some information by (1) pointing out equivalence between his solution and Kristof's result on the reliability of a test consisting of three congeneric parts, and (2) presenting an alternative approach which avoids a practical problem associated with Watanabe's procedure. Consistency of Watanabe's and our solutions with the attenuation formula for the regression coefficient is also noted.

Rate and Distribution of Body Movements during Sleep in Humans

Body movements were measured during sleep with a mechanoelectrical transducer in 11 healthy adults. Also measured were the electroencephalogram (EEG), electrooculogram (EOG), and electromyogram (EMG). Each subject slept alone in a quiet room for 21 to 44 consecutive nights. Body movements were classified as minor movements (actogram signal or head leads artifact), major movements (actogram signal plus head leads artifact), or movement time (MT). There was a strong relationship between rate of body movements and sleep stages, with the rate decreasing along the following sequence of stages: W greater than S1 greater than REM greater than S2 greater than S (3 + 4). If the body movements for all nights are pooled per subject, the distribution of body movement rates shows hardly any overlap for the Stages 1, REM, 2, and (3 + 4). The relative frequency of body movements seems to be regulated by a stage-dependent mechanism. The reliability of the body movement rate was determined by computing correlations between pairs of adjacent nights, which resulted in a rtt = .69. When 2 to 9 nights were pooled stepwise according to a split-half procedure, the mean rtt increased and reached values between .80 and .90, which means that body movements are a reliable sleep measure especially if the time base is large enough.