Lisa A. Best

Measurement and Validity Characteristics of the Short Version of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults

This article presents a psychometric study of the short form of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA-S). Data were collected via self-report measures and mail surveys from several samples including university students, spouses of military personnel, and psychiatric patients. A total of 1,526 individuals took part in this study. Results indicated that the scores from the three scales of the SELSA-S were highly internally reliable. Concurrent validity for the scales was indicated by the statistically significant relationships with other measures of loneliness. Construct (convergent and discriminant) validity was supported by strong relationships with measures of the adequacy of intimate relationships (e.g., attachment and social intimacy) and by the association of the three types of loneliness to measures of social competence, self-esteem, trust, health, and well-being. Finally, results from a factor analysis indicated that the three-factor model of the SELSA-S provided the best fit to the data.

Multiple addictive behaviors in young adults: Student norms for the Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire

The Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire (SPQ; Christo, Jones, Haylett, Stephenson, Lefever & Lefever, 2003) is a multidimensional self report that measures 16 addictive behaviors. This study examined the psychometric properties of the SPQ and collected normative data from 948 students at two Canadian universities. Factor analysis confirmed the existence of two categories of addictive behavior, which Haylett and her colleagues (2004) labelled hedonistic and nurturant. The hedonistic categories included behaviors such as the use of prescription drugs, gambling, caffeine, illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and compulsive sex. The nurturant group included behaviors such as compulsive helping, work, relationships, shopping, disordered eating and exercise. Men (N=250) scored higher than women on dominant relationships, exercise, gambling, illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco and sex. Women (N=698) scored higher on compulsive shopping, food binging and starving. These results suggest that the SPQ may be a useful index of multiple addictive behaviors in college-age people.

Accuracy of Effect Size Estimates from Published Psychological Research

A Monte-Carlo simulation was used to model the biasing of effect sizes in published studies. The findings from the simulation indicate that, when a predominant bias to publish studies with statistically significant results is coupled with inadequate statistical power, there will be an overestimation of effect sizes. The consequences such an effect size overestimation will then have on meta-analyses and power analyses are highlighted and discussed along with measures which can be taken to reduce the problem.

Female students' disordered eating and the big five personality facets.

Female undergraduate students at two Canadian universities (N = 378) completed the NEO PI-R (Costa, P.T. & McCrae, R.R. (1992). NEO PI-R Professional Manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26; Garner, D. M., Olmstead, M. P., Bohr, Y. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1982). The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine, 12, 871-878.). Eating disorder symptomatic (N = 43) and nonsymptomatic (N = 335) women differed on facets of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness. Among symptomatic women, the Oral Control subscale of the EAT-26 was correlated significantly with facets of Neuroticism, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Specifically, the Impulsivity facet of Neuroticism was positively correlated with the Bulimia and Food Preoccupation subscale of EAT-26, but negatively correlated with the Oral Control and Dieting subscales. Overall, results suggest that high scores on Neuroticism may be a risk factor for development of disordered eating behavior and that the degree of Impulsiveness may predict the eating disorder subtype to which one is most susceptible.

Multiple Trials May Yield Exaggerated Effect Size Estimates

ABSTRACT Published psychological research attempting to support the existence of small and medium effect sizes may not have enough participants to do so accurately, and thus, repeated trials or the use of multiple items may be used in an attempt to obtain significance. Through a series of Monte-Carlo simulations, this article describes the results of multiple trials or items on effect size estimates when the averages and aggregates of a dependent measure are analyzed. The simulations revealed a large increase in observed effect size estimates when the numbers of trials or items in an experiment were increased. Overestimation effects are mitigated by correlations between trials or items, but remain substantial in some cases. Some concepts, such as a P300 wave or a test score, are best defined as a composite of measures. Troubles may arise in more exploratory research where the interrelations among trials or items may not be well described.

Perceiving relationships: a physiological examination of the perception of scatterplots

Researchers in all areas of science recognize the value of graphical displays and research on graphs has focused on determining which graphical elements enhance readability. To date, no research has examined the physiological processing of graphs. The purpose of this project was to examine the event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with the processing of bivariate scatterplots. Participants viewed scatterplots depicting different linear relationships (positive and negative; strong and weak) and their ERPs were analyzed. Results indicate interesting differences in how scatterplots are processed. Overall, there was differential processing in posterior, medial, and anterior brain sites. Sites on the left and right sides of the brain showed different patterns of activity in response to the scatterplots. In addition, results suggest that different relationships are processed differently in the brain (confirming previous research that has suggested that the perception of covariation is dependent upon the type of relationship depicted on a scatterplot).

Extraneous Information and Graph Comprehension: Implications for Effective Design Choices.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if university students could accurately extract information from graphs presented in 2D or 3D formats with different colour hue variations or solid black and white.Design/methodology/approach – Participants are presented with 2D and 3D bar and pie charts in a PowerPoint presentation and are asked to extract specific information from the displays. A three (question difficulty) × two (graph type) × two (dimension) × two (colour) repeated measures ANOVA is conducted for both accuracy and reaction time.Findings – Overall, 2D graphs led to better comprehension, particularly when complex information was presented. Accuracy was similar for colour and black and white graphs.Practical implications – These results suggest that 2D graphs are preferable to 3D graphs, particularly when the task requires that the reader extract complex information.Originality/value – For the past several decades, diagrams have been valuable additions to textual explanations in textbooks...

Perceptions of stress among students participating in psychology research: a canadian survey.

It has been shown that properly conducted interviews in sensitive clinical contexts are negligibly stressful. The present study sought to extend these results and determine the perception of stress by research participants in nonclinical settings. Students enrolled in first year psychology courses typically have the option to receive class credit for research participation in studies assumed to pose minimal risk to participants. The perceptions of 101 student volunteers were examined to determine if they felt that research participation was stressful and, if so, what components of the process caused their stress. Participants completed a short survey indicating the reasons they served as research participants and the degree to which participation was stressful. They indicated that research participation was a valuable learning experience and the majority felt no stress associated with participation. Stress was reported by some due to concerns about confidentiality and evaluation by others of their personal performance. In addition, the majority of students reported having no knowledge of the ethical review process that preceded their participation. It is suggested that students should be informed of the ethical review process.

Symptoms of Exercise Dependence and Physical Activity in Students

Health professionals recognize the benefits of moderate physical activity and encourage clients to engage in some form of activity on a regular basis. In spite of these recognized benefits, there are growing concerns that some may exercise at levels detrimental to health. The term exercise dependence refers to those individuals whose extreme exercise schedules interfere with their social, occupational, and family lives. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between weekly exercise habits and scores on the Exercise Dependence Questionnaire in a sample of undergraduate students (213 women and 79 men). Overall, participants who reported high activity scored higher than those reporting low activity on subscales measuring interference with family and social life, positive reward, withdrawal, exercise for social reasons, exercise for health reasons, and stereotyped behavior.

Informal Learning at Stonehammer and English Riviera Geoparks

Geoparks are a relatively new concept with the Global Geopark Network being established in 2004, and extensive data has not yet been collected from geopark visitors to determine if these sites contribute to public awareness of geological topics. In many ways, geoparks are similar to zoos and museums and serve as centres for informal learning. They provide geological, historical and cultural stories and allow scientists to contribute to informal learning by communicating their research to the general public in an understandable fashion using a variety of methods. One mandate of the UNESCO-supported Global Geopark Network is the promotion of geoeducation. Geopark visitors who are science literate are better able to fully appreciate and understand geological significance. In the current study, we surveyed visitors’ awareness and knowledge of the geopark and geology/earth science and compared responses from visitors at a newly established Global Geopark (Stonehammer, Canada) and an established Global Geopark in England (English Riviera). Regardless of the fact that the English Riviera Geopark was more mature and therefore had more opportunity to develop and promote its educational programmes, the results of the current study did not indicate that there was a higher awareness and/or knowledge levels among geopark visitors to an established geopark. This may simply be a result of the hype and attention given to the establishment of a new “attraction” in a community and, if so, would confirm the importance of continuous promotion.