Cross-validation procedures are proposed as a supplement to significance testing for external analysis of models relating stimulus preferences to known multidimensional scale values (Preference models). Examples of the usefulness of the validation procedures are provided. (Author/JKS)

The solution of weakly constrained regression problems typically requires the iterative search, in a given interval, of a point where a certain function has a zero derivative. This note deals with improved bounds for the interval to be searched. (Author)

Faculty perceptions of 28 academic behaviors were explored using multidimensional scaling of pairwise similarity ratings, a methodology that does not impose the researchers' a priori conceptions of the relevant dimension. Results indicated that faculty perceive academically dishonest behavior in two dimensions: seriousness and paper versus exams.…

Discusses ways in which multidimensional scaling can be used by counseling practitioners. Presents brief conceptual overview and describes application of multidimensional scaling in vocational, family, and group settings. Includes a case study of the author's use of multidimensional scaling as an intervention in counselor training groups. Also…

Several methodological issues in the multidimensional scaling of coarse dissimilarities were studied, examining whether it was better to scale dissimilarity data directly or to scale a new matrix derived from the original by row comparisons. Findings support an alternative row-comparison measure based on the Jacard coefficient. (SLD)

Some three-way factor analysis and multidimensional scaling models incorporate the principle of parallel proportional profiles of R. B. Cattell. Proof is presented for a unique axis orientation for a more general parallel profiles model that incorporates interacting dimensions. Special cases of PARAFAC2 and CANDECOMP models are discussed. (SLD)

Throughout the 25-year history of research on stimulus equivalence, one feature of the training procedure has remained constant, namely, the requirement of operant responding during the training procedures. The present investigation compared the traditional match-to-sample (MTS) training with a more recent respondent-type (ReT) procedure. Another…

According to the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), attending academically selective high schools negatively affects academic self-concept. Does the BFLPE persist after graduation from high school? In two large, representative samples of German high school students (Study 1: 2,306 students, 147 schools; Study 2: 1,758 students, 94 schools), the…

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is a versatile technique for understanding the structure of multivariate data. Recent studies have applied MDS to the problem of evaluating content validity. This paper describes the importance of evaluating test content and the logic of using MDS to analyze data gathered from subject matter experts employed in…

A modified technique of separable programming was used to maximize the squared correlation ratio of weighted responses to partially ordered categories. The technique employs a polygonal approximation to each single-variable function by choosing mesh points around the initial approximation supplied by Nishisato's method. Numerical examples were…

Among the criticisms of Micko's Halo Model are: 1) it is too restrictive to fit empirical data, 2) it misrepresents unrelated percepts as bipolar structures, 3) it requires all dimensions to be bipolar, and 4) it causes the interpretations of orthogonality of factors and factor loadings to become problematic. (Author/BJG)

Three dissimilarity measures for the unconstrained sorting task are investigated. All three are metrics, but differ in the kind of compensation which they make for differences in the sizes of cells within sortings. Empirical tests of the measures are done with sorting data for occupations names and the names of behaviors, using multidimensional…

Probabilistic assumptions are added to single and multidimensional versions of the Coombs unfolding model for preferential choice (Coombs, 1950) and practical ways of obtaining maximum likelihood estimates of the scale parameters and goodness-of-fit tests of the model are presented. A Monte Carlo experiment is discussed. (Author/RC)