Thurstone's Method Research Articles

Decision support for sports selection based on performance measurement applying the generalized Thurstone method

In this article, a new complex method is presented that supports decision-making in sports selection. The method consists of two different parts. The first one is the creation of the framework, that is the assessment of the opinions of trainers about the significance of some attributes in special sports. As a result, weights are constructed based on a generalized 7-option Thurstone method. The second part of the process involves assessing athletes’ performance from various perspectives. Finally, the calculated weights are combined with the performance of the athletes. The scores we obtain quantifiably indicate which sport is most likely to be recommended for a given individual. Moreover, the method developed allows us to quantifiably measure the strength of individual athletes and compare them across age groups equally. A computer program has been developed that implements the evaluation process in addition to this the evaluation results are also presented in this article. By extending this method, it can not only be used for sports selection but also for making various complex decisions where there are numerous possible outcomes to choose from. As a result of this research, we present a generalized set of criteria for the evaluation and describe the results obtained with the method. We explain the relationship between coaching decisions and the recommendations of the method and provide a method for determining the direction of future development for individual athletes.

THE METHOD OF OPTIMIZING THE DISTRIBUTION OF RADIO SUPPRESSION MEANS AND DESTRUCTIVE SOFTWARE INFLUENCE ON COMPUTER NETWORKS

Context. Currently, generalized methodical approaches to the development of scenarios of complex radio suppression and electromagnetic influence of typical special telecommunication systems have been developed. However, during the development of possible cases for the complex application of radio suppression and destructive software influence,the problem of optimizing the resource of these means and its distribution according to the goals of radio suppression and objects of destructive computer influence arose, which has not yet been fully resolved.Especially in the literature known to the authors, there is no method for optimizing the resource distribution of radio and computer influence, used for the development and practical implementation of optimal scenarios of destructive influence on computer networks of enemy military groups in military operations.
 Therefore, it is necessary to formulate a problem and develop a method of optimizing the distribution of the resource of radio suppression and destructive software influence for the development of possible scenarios of the enemy’s violation of information exchange in a standart telecommunication network.
 Objective. The purpose of the research is to develop a method for optimizing the distribution of the resource of radio suppression and destructive software influence for the development of scenarios of information exchange violations by the enemy in the telecommunications network.
 Method.To achieve the purpose of the research, the methods of nonlinear optimization of heterogeneous resource distribution, mass service theory, and expert evaluation were comprehensively applied and developed in the field of modeling of information conflict.
 To determine the coefficients of protection of objects from radio-electronic and destructive computer influence, expert evaluation methods are used, in particular, the method of frequencies of preferences of the decision-maker using the Thurstone method. This method requires only one expert (a decision-maker), minimal communication time with him, minimal expert information (full ordering of weighting factors) and can be applied with a small number of evaluated weighting factors.
 To solve the problem of optimal distribution of a heterogeneous resource of means of destructive influence, to ensure the value of the multiplicative objective function of an arbitrary form is not less than the given one, the method of successive increments is applied.
 To determine the efficiency indicator of information exchange violation, the methods of mass service theory are applied, which allows to formalize special telecommunication systems as a set of mass service systems – subsystems of digital communication and computer networks.
 Results. The formulated problem and the entered indicators made it possible to solve the problem of determining the minimum resource of means of destructive influence and their optimal distribution according to the purposes of radio suppression on the objects of destructive program influence in order to achieve the required level of disruption of the efficiency of information exchange in special telecommunication systems.
 Conclusions.According to the results of the article, a method for optimizing the distribution of the resource of radio suppression and destructive software influence has been developed for the development of possible scenarios of information exchange violations by the enemy in a typical telecommunications network.The verification of the proposed method was carried out by comparing the theoretical results with the results of simulated modeling of scenarios of violation of the information exchange in the telecommunications network by the enemy.

Application of the Generalized Thurstone Method for Evaluations of Sports Tournaments’ Results

Due to the non-played matches on the grounds of COVID-19 pandemics, the usual evaluation of the results of tournaments is biased. Matches won by default may cause unrealistic results. In this paper, an expedient method, the generalization of Thurstone method for more than two options, is applied. It is able to evaluate the results of the played matches without requiring equal matches’ numbers. This method takes the strength of the opposer into consideration as well. We apply the method for evaluating Handball Champions’ League’s results. We illustrate that it efficiently predicts the results in the future.

Psychophysical scaling method for measurement of colors concept in children and adults

Our study aimed to present a new method to generate a scale for color concept distances using the Law of Comparative Judgment and derivate an interval scale for the amount of color concept salience. A hundred thirty-eight participants (mean age ​= ​22.7 ​yrs; SD ​= ​1.9) with normal visual acuity and color vision were evaluated. Additional 225 children were also evaluated (mean age ​= ​8,9yrs; SD ​= ​2.3). The task consisted of writing a list of the one-term word for colors and data were analyzed based on Thurstone's rank order scaling method. For adults, the most salient concept was blue and the less was violet with a distance for concepts of 3.51 units between them, whereas for children the most salient concept was blue and the less was violet with a distance for concepts of 3.67 units between them. Significant differences between adults and children occurred for white, brown, pink, orange, gray, and violet. The internal consistency of our measurement was lower than 0.1% for almost all colors which suggests high reliability for both age groups, except for brown and anil in children. Thus, our innovative approach produces quantitative interval class data rather than categorical or ordinal data allowing quantitative measurement of the amount of the concept salience on a one-dimensional scale, feasible to be used for adults and children. • We evolved the color concept measure by representing concepts on an interval scale. • The method allows the use in children and adults with a simple task adaptation. • Our study eliminates the use of physical stimuli and, therefore, is of more cognitive nature. • We can thus study the salience that a given concept has in a continuum, without restrict them in a discrete ordinal scale.

P-006. The pathophysiological role of calreticulin in maternal circulation for preeclampsia

Our study aimed to present a new method to generate a scale for color concept distances using the Law of Comparative Judgment and derivate an interval scale for the amount of color concept salience. A hundred thirty-eight participants (mean age ​= ​22.7 ​yrs; SD ​= ​1.9) with normal visual acuity and color vision were evaluated. Additional 225 children were also evaluated (mean age ​= ​8,9yrs; SD ​= ​2.3). The task consisted of writing a list of the one-term word for colors and data were analyzed based on Thurstone's rank order scaling method. For adults, the most salient concept was blue and the less was violet with a distance for concepts of 3.51 units between them, whereas for children the most salient concept was blue and the less was violet with a distance for concepts of 3.67 units between them. Significant differences between adults and children occurred for white, brown, pink, orange, gray, and violet. The internal consistency of our measurement was lower than 0.1% for almost all colors which suggests high reliability for both age groups, except for brown and anil in children. Thus, our innovative approach produces quantitative interval class data rather than categorical or ordinal data allowing quantitative measurement of the amount of the concept salience on a one-dimensional scale, feasible to be used for adults and children.

Authenticity orientation as an attitude: Scale construction and validation

This study developed an authenticity orientation scale to measure the attitudes of tourists toward object-based authenticity of cultural and historic artifacts, attractions, and tourist sites. The attitudes underlying the scale have been described in authenticity literature as a continuum of attitude orientations ranging from predominantly realist to constructivist to postmodernist. To numerically distinguish tourists with respect to their attitudes, the researchers employ Thurstone's method of equally appearing intervals (Thurstone, L.L. 1928. Attitudes can be measured. The American Journal of Sociology, 26, 249–269) with subsequent validation. The newly developed scale has undergone rigorous construction and testing procedure. Its predictive validity was ensured through hypothesis testing using an online survey with a panel of 514 American tourists. The theoretical significance of the study lies in understanding the mechanism of “authentication” of various artifacts, attractions, and tourist sites by visitors. Implications for tourism management and directions for further research are discussed.

THE EXPERIMENTS WITH A TRANSFORMER IN HIGH SCHOOL

This article describes the education of secondary school pupils in relation to a set of experiments using a school transformer and the Tesla coil. The set of practical experiments consists of 9 that can be used in the teaching of pupils of physics at secondary school in the thematic unit relating to electricity and magnetism. Each experiment contains a description of the relevant section of the International Standard Classification of Education in which it can be used. These descriptions include a motivational title, pedagogical goals, new keywords, a device list, and a level of difficulty based on the devices used. It also includes an experimental procedure, its physical explanation and experiment note, and supplementary questions for pupils. The research focuses on increasing the interest of pupils and improving their understanding of theory on the subject of electricity and magnetism by way of theoretical lessons connected to practical experiments using the Tesla coil. The research involved a special questionnaire for evaluation using the Thurstone method, which measures the preference of the respondent group. The results are analyzed using a modified Thurstone method of paired comparison with the software, Mathematica.

Application of the GDM model in the diagnosis of crises in family businesses

PurposeThis paper is a part of the application trend of the development of the grey systems theory. The purpose of this paper is to present the use of the GDM model in the diagnosis of the occurrence of crises in family businesses. The issue of the occurrence of conflicts and crises in family businesses is one of the most important and common in management science in Poland.Design/methodology/approachIn the paper using the GDM model (in which the weights of the criteria were determined using the modified Thurstone method), the authors presented a way to diagnose the occurrence of crises in family businesses for a sample of Polish family businesses using, among others, a questionnaire-based survey.FindingsAs a result of the conducted research, it turned out that in eight surveyed businesses no symptoms of conflicts were diagnosed. In three businesses, the symptoms of conflicts were diagnosed, but they did not threaten their existence. In the case of four businesses, the symptoms of crisis that threaten their existence were diagnosed and immediate remedial action was recommended to them.Originality/valueThe authors are of the opinion that the presented research results may be a reason for the validity of using the GDM model in the diagnosis of crises in family businesses. At the same time, it is recommended to undertake further research on, inter alia, conflict fields in family businesses, or on the use of the modified Thurstone method as a part of determining the validity of decision-making criteria in GDM models.

Assessing Attitudes of Nursing Pedagogy: An Instrument Based on the Midrange Theory of Empowered Holistic Nursing Education.

The Empowered Holistic Nursing Education (EHNE) midrange theory provides a structure for a pedagogy for nursing, bringing the core values of nursing into the classroom. There are five principles of EHNE: Self-Care, Interconnectedness, Prior Knowledge, Contextual Teaching-Learning, and Meet Them Where They Are. The Thurstone method was used in the development of this scale, resulting in two subscales representing unique phenomena, each with 11 relational items that represent the spectrum of attitudes for the phenomenon. With a CVI score of 0.92 (n = 23) for subscale 1 and 0.89 (n = 23) for subscale 2, the scale was found to have high inter-rater reliability with an agreement of K = 0.814 (99% confidence interval). Analysis revealed a significant, positive association between the two subscales (r = .96 and sig/2 tailed = .003). This instrument development study as a whole allows for further testing of the midrange theory and advancement to implementation and intervention research.

A generalization of the Thurstone method for multiple choice and incomplete paired comparisons

A ranking method based on paired comparisons is proposed. The object’s characteristics are considered as random variables and the observers judge about their differences. The differences are classified. More than two classes are allowed. Assuming Gauss distributed latent random variables we set up the likelihood function and estimate the parameters by the maximum likelihood method. The rank of the objects is the order of the expectations. We analyse the log-likelihood function and provide reasonable conditions for the existence of the maximum value and the uniqueness of the maximizer. Some illustrative examples are also presented. The method can be applied in case of incomplete comparisons as well. It allows constructing confidence intervals for the probabilities and testing the hypothesis that there are no significant differences between the expectations.

感性評価による日本刀の美しさに関する研究

Japanese sword is one of the most important representative traditional crafts in Japan. The familiar characteristics of Japanese sword is the mechanical functionality and beauty of handcrafts industrial art. Newly produced Japanese swords by the modern sword smith work are rated by the prominent (expert) sword smiths and so on. However, novice sometimes cannot understand the difference of the evaluation results. This paper tries the scientific evaluation of the beauty of the Japanese sword from the viewpoints of both the sword smiths and novice. Here, a sensual information is one of the beauty items of the Japanese sword. The sensual information is felt by the sensibility combined by the several components. In this paper, the order of priority and relevance of these several components are clarified by using the DEMATEL method. Moreover, by using the Thurstone method, the viewpoint of the novice is determined.

Color Name Distances Scaled by Thurstone's Ranking Order Psychophysical Method

Color Name Distances Scaled by Thurstone's Ranking Order Psychophysical Method

Факторний аналіз в оцінці діяльності експерта-аналітика

The reliability of the expert -analyst in this article is considered from the point of view of the influence of various parameters on the level of training, and the psychological stability, which appears in certain conditions. This approach allows us not only to establish the cause of the error, but also to evaluate it as a random or regular expression functionality specific to the expert or a certain category of experts (on the principle of a unified community of profession, age, etc.), and on this basis to develop recommendations for prevent errors. As the main method of factor analysis is suggested Thurstone method, the algorithm use of which is shown on a practical example of two-factor solution of the problem. In practice, the number of factors is often more than two, which, of course, complicates their geometric representation and statistical analysis, but does not change the existing review procedures.

Value based scope management of innovation projects in crisis conditions

During the research process of value-based scope management of Innovation projects in crisis conditions it was created a system of criteria, which can be used for evaluation of the projects operations in aspect of their importance for delivering Value in the final product of the Innovation project. Thurstone method was used for the analysis of the experts’ evaluation results. It enabled to identify the most important project operations for the further redesigning of the WBS. During the crisis economic situation a manager has to keep project successful while decreasing finances. The Value-based approach was chosen for the decision making efficiency increasing. This approach allows to concentrate on choosing the most important project operations, and save the Value of the final product. A system of criteria of Innovation project success was proposed as result of the research. Also it was proposed a procedure of experts’ evaluation analyzing, which allows to range project operations for WBS redesigning. The results of the research are considered to be useful as there is an opportunity to range Innovation project operations effectively in crisis conditions.

A study of preferred colour rendering of light sources: Shop lighting

This paper provides recommendations for optimum LED light spectra in shop environments. The main aspects of the research were to elaborate the optimal LED spectral power distribution for the lighting of different colour textiles, fruits and vegetables, meat and bakery products. The spectrum was tailored towards different colour quality metrics such as the colour rendering index and the colour quality scale. Small scale investigations with eye-tracker studies were carried out by Osram Opto Semiconductors at the University of Regensburg and full scale experiments were conducted at the University of Pannonia during the project in order to determine which metric correlates best to the preference of the observers. Results of the psychophysical have been evaluated with the help of analytic hierarchy process and a modified Thurstone method. As a result of the investigation, optimal spectral power distributions for shop environment are described.

A study of preferred colour rendering of light sources: Home lighting

This paper is part of a project to establish the optimal spectral power distributions of LED light sources for use in offices, commerce and homes. The present paper introduces the most important aspects of home lighting and provides recommendations for optimum spectra in the home environment. Visual experiments were carried out in a real scale kitchen/dining room and in a living room environment with the participation of nearly 100 observers. Results have been evaluated with the help of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and a modified Thurstone method. As a result of the investigation, optimal spectral power distributions for the home environment are described.

Study of the Qualities of a Good University Lecturer of Health Sciences

Abstract This paper studies the qualities desirable in university professors from the students’ perspective. Most of the investigations forget the main actor: the student. So, qualities such as closeness, interaction, etc. are neglected by the evaluators and demanded by college students. In order to know what qualities students value, we used a variation of the Thurstone method known as the Law of Categorical Judgment combined with a qualitative methodology, namely brainstorming. From sample comprising 342-degree students from the Health Sciences area, we were able to rank16 desirable qualities in a University lecturer by order of importance. The Kruskal-Wallis test did not lead to any statistically significant differences between the orders, and we did obtain high correlations between them. In this way, we can submit a single list in which closeness to the student is highly prominent in the valuations. This result is a wake-up call to the traditional educational evaluations conducted through surveys, in which certain aspects of emotional competencies are frequently ignored, which, moreover, should be part of programs of pedagogical university training in order to enhance and improve teaching quality.

How Good Is Good? Students and Assessors’ Perceptions of Qualitative Markers of Performance

Background: Qualitative markers of performance are routinely used for medical student assessment, though the extent to which such markers can be readily translated to actionable pieces of information remains uncertain. Purpose: To explore (a) the perceived value to be indicated by descriptor phrasescommonly used for describing student performance, (b) the perceived weightof the different performance domains (e.g. communication skills, work ethic, knowledge base, etc), and (c) whether or notthe perceived value of the descriptors changes as a function of theperformance domains. Methods: Five domains of performance were identified from the thematic coding of past medical student transcripts (N = 156). From the transcripts, 91 distinct descriptors indicating the language commonly used by assessors were also identified. From the list of 91 descriptors, Thurstone's method of equal-appearing intervals was used to extract 10 descriptors that were representative of the continuum of student performance. A modified paired comparisons method was then used to enable the relative ranking of each of 10 descriptors combined with each of 5 different domains of performance. A web-based survey was used to collect responses from participants (N = 209), which consisted of medical students and faculty members who were previously involved in student assessment. Results: Results demonstrated that respondents did not simply sum positive and negative descriptors in a uniform manner. Rather, comments on some domains (e.g., “ability to apply patient centred medicine”) were seen as particularly positive when associated with positive descriptors but not particularly negative when associated with negative descriptors. For others (e.g., “receptivity and responsiveness to feedback”) the reverse was true. Comments on “knowledge-base” elicited a relatively muted perception at both ends of the scale. Finally, the results also revealed moderate misalignment in the perceptions of assessors and students. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that the use of any given descriptor conveys slightly different meaning dependent on the context in which it is used. This helps to address some key issues surrounding the application of qualitative markers to performance assessment in medical education.

Pain Questionnaire Development Focusing on Cross-Cultural Equivalence to the Original Questionnaire: The Japanese Version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire

The present study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-J) that focuses on cross-culturally equivalence to the original English version and to test its reliability and validity. Cross-sectional design. In study 1, SF-MPQ was translated and adapted into Japanese. It included construction of response scales equivalent to the original using a variation of the Thurstone method of equal-appearing intervals. A total of 147 undergraduate students and 44 pain patients participated in the development of the Japanese response scales. To measure the equivalence of pain descriptors, 62 pain patients in four diagnostic groups were asked to choose pain descriptors that described their pain. In study 2, chronic pain patients (N=126) completed the SF-MPQ-J, the Long-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire Japanese version (LF-MPQ-J), and the 11-point numerical rating scale of pain intensity. Correlation analysis examined the construct validity of the SF-MPQ-J. The results from study 1 were used to develop SF-MPQ-J, which is linguistically equivalent to the original questionnaire. Response scales from SF-MPQ-J represented the original scale values. All pain descriptors, except one, were used by >33% in at least one of the four diagnostic groups. Study 2 exhibited adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability, with the construct validity of SF-MPQ-J comparable to the original. These findings suggested that SF-MPQ-J is reliable, valid, and cross-culturally equivalent to the original questionnaire. Researchers might consider using this scale in multicenter, multi-ethnical trials or cross-cultural studies that include Japanese-speaking patients.

Analysing Thurstone and Likert attitude scales as data collection methods

The development of the paramedic as a health care professional and the movement of paramedic education into the higher education setting has resulted in the need for paramedics and student paramedics to be aware of and understand research methods. This article does not explore or apply the entire research process, as it focuses on a specific part of the research. The article explores and contrasts two different data collection methods used to measure attitudes, one of which will be familiar to most healthcare professionals: the Likert Scale. Less frequently used is the Thurstone method and reasons for this are discussed. The author offers an example how these methods might be used to measure attitudes about the preparedness of paramedics to address end of life care issues.