Non-equivalence of direct and indirect measures of unrealistic optimism

Individuals typically believe that they are less likely than the average person to experience negative events. Such “unrealistic optimism” (UO) has been assessed in two ways: directly (via a single question, requiring comparison of own risk to that of the average person) and indirectly (via separate questions about own risk and that of the average person). The study examined the equivalence of the direct and indirect measures of female students' UO for unwanted pregnancy. Participants (N = 120) answered questions about their own risk, that of the average female student, and their own risk relative to that of the average female student; responses and response times were recorded. There was only a moderate association between direct- and indirect-UO. Direct-UO was strongly associated with estimate of own risk, but only moderately associated with estimate of the average student's risk. Response times for the comparative risk and own risk questions did not differ, but participants took significantly longer to answer the question about average student's risk. The results suggest that the two measures of UO are not equivalent, but, rather, that individuals answering a comparative risk question focus mainly on their own risk, at the expense of that of the average person.

An investigation into the cross-cultural equivalence of the personal wellbeing index

The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is being developed for the cross-cultural measurement of subjective wellbeing (SWB). This paper reports the findings of its utility with the Hong Kong Chinese and Australian populations. An item on affect, ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was also investigated to determine whether it should be added to the index. Three-hundred and sixty participants (180 per country), with equal representation from groups aged 18–35, 35–64 and 65 years and above, were recruited from each country. The PWI demonstrated good psychometric performance in terms of its reliability, validity and sensitivity, which are comparable in both countries. The item ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was found to contribute significantly to the scale’s psychometric performance in Australia but not in Hong Kong. Cultural differences in the perception of the concepts ‘satisfaction’ and ‘happiness’ were suggested as an explanation for this finding. The PWI data are also consistent with homeostasis theory, which proposes that each person’s SWB level is maintained within a limited positive range. For the Australian population, their mean SWB level fell within the established Western range of 70–80, on a scale from 0 to 100. The Hong Kong population, however, fell below this range. Cultural response bias was identified as a plausible explanation for the differences between the Hong Kong and Australian samples.

Using the personal wellbeing index in Lao PDR : issues of equivalence

Lao PDR is one of the 50 countries included in the International Wellbeing Group study which uses Cummin's (2001) Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) to draw cross-national comparisons of subjective wellbeing. Lau, Cummins & McPherson (2005) found a statistically significant difference in PWI scores between Australian & Hong Kong. They ask whether this is a real reflection of lower quality of life in Hong Kong or whether there exists a cultural response bias which predisposes the Hong Kong population to be less willing to admit to high levels of satisfaction in the seven domains of the index. If the difference reflects cultural response bias, what factors contribute to that bias & how common is this phenomenon in the countries of South-east Asia & IndoChina? The paper addresses these questions with particular attention to Lao PDR where responses to the PWI from both urban & rural populations suggest a similar reticence about expressing high levels of satisfaction. The paper explores the sources of resistance to reporting positive subjective wellbeing & what adaptations may be needed to the Index to allow for such bias.

Dispositional resistance to change : measurement equivalence and the link to personal values across 17 nations

The concept of dispositional resistance to change has been introduced in a series of exploratory and confirmatory analyses through which the validity of the Resistance to Change (RTC) Scale has been established (S. Oreg, 2003). However, the vast majority of participants with whom the scale was validated were from the United States. The purpose of the present work was to examine the meaningfulness of the construct and the validity of the scale across nations. Measurement equivalence analyses of data from 17 countries, representing 13 languages and 4 continents, confirmed the cross-national validity of the scale. Equivalent patterns of relationships between personal values and RTC across samples extend the nomological net of the construct and provide further evidence that dispositional resistance to change holds equivalent meanings across nations.

Demographic demand systems with application to equivalence scales estimation and inequality analysis : the Australian evidence

This paper proposes and applies an alternative demographic procedure for extending a demand system to allow for the effect of household size and composition changes, along with price changes, on expenditure allocation. The demographic procedure is applied to two recent demand functional forms to obtain their estimable demographic extensions. The estimation on pooled time series of Australian Household Expenditure Surveys yields sensible and robust estimates of the equivalence scale, and of its variation with relative prices. Further evidence on the usefulness of this procedure is provided by using it to evaluate the nature and magnitude of the inequality bias of relative price changes in Australia over a period from the late 1980s to the early part of the new millennium.

An evaluation of equivalence in body dissatisfaction measurement across cultures

We evaluated gender-based and cross-cultural equivalence of the Body Dissatisfaction Scale of the Body Change Inventory in a sample of 4,005 adolescents from 7 cultures that represent diverse body image ideals and response styles. Results of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated equivalence of the scale across gender but not across cultures. Follow-up analyses identified small but significant cross-cultural differences in response styles (specifically, acquiescence and middle response option endorsement) as the source of this noninvariance. We recommend use of this scale for gender-based comparisons but caution that researchers should evaluate the presence of response biases before making substantive conclusions about cross-cultural differences in body dissatisfaction.

Therapeutic equivalence and the generic competition paradox

Following the passage of the Waxman-Hatch Act (1984), FDA approval for a generic drug requires the establishment of bio-equivalence between the generic drug and an FDA approved branded drug. However, a large body of evidence in the medical community suggests that bio-equivalence does not guarantee therapeutic equivalence; in some instances the lack of therapeutic equivalence can lead to fatal consequences for patients switching to generic products. In this paper, we construct a simple model to analyze the implications of therapeutic non-equivalence between branded and generic drugs. We show, theoretically and empirically, that this distinction can provide a plausible explanation of the generic competition paradox.

Internet administration of three commonly used questionnaires in panic research : equivalence to paper administration in Australian and Swedish samples of people with panic disorder

This study assessed the degree of equivalence between paper and Internet administration of three measures of panic and agoraphobia-related cognition and behavior: Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ), Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ), and Mobility Inventory (MI). Participants were 110 people with panic disorder who had registered for an Internet-based treatment program in Sweden (n = 54) or Australia (n = 56). Participants were randomly assigned to complete the questionnaires via the differing administration formats in a counterbalanced order. Results showed broadly equivalent psychometric properties across administrations, with strong significant intraclass correlations between them, and comparable Cronbach's alpha coefficients. A significant mean difference between administration formats was found for the BSQ only. In contrast to previous research, Internet administration did not generate higher scores than paper administration. No effect was found for order of administration. The findings suggest that each questionnaire can be validly administered via the Internet and used with confidence.

Equivalence and relational thinking: opportunities for professional learning

In this article an argument for the use of collaborative professional learning teams to improve teaching and children's achievement is presented together with an explanation of how this can be done. The case provided in this article concerns children's understanding of equivalence and the way in which teachers together can explore children's conceptions and misconceptions held by children in their classroom. An effective teaching strategy using a number talk about a true/false number sentence is also described.

The Psychometric Equivalence of the Personal Wellbeing Index for Normally Functioning and Homeostatically Defeated Australian Adults

Understanding subjective wellbeing (SWB) at the population level has major implications for governments and policy makers concerned with enhancing the life quality of citizens. The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is a measure of SWB with theoretical and empirical credentials. Homeostasis theory offers an explanation for the nature of SWB data, including the distribution of scores, maintenance and change over time. According to this theory, under normal conditions, the dominant constituent of SWB is Homeostatically Protected Mood (HPMood), which is held within a genetically determined range of values around a set-point. However, in extreme circumstances (e.g., financial hardship, chronic illness), HPMood may dissociate from SWB, as cognitive/emotional reactions to the cause of homeostatic challenge assume control over SWB. This study investigates two groups as people scoring in the positive range for SWB and people who are likely to be experiencing homeostatic defeat/challenge. We test whether the reduced influence of HPMood on SWB due to homeostatic defeat has implications for the validity of SWB measurement. Participants were 45,192 adults (52 % female), with a mean age of 48.88 years (SD = 17.35 years), who participated in the first 23 surveys of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index over the years 2001–2010. Multiple regression analysis, multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, and Rasch modelling techniques were used to evaluate the psychometric performance of the PWI across the two groups. Results show that while the PWI functioned as intended for the normal group, SWB in the challenged group was lower across all PWI domains, more variable, and the domain scores lacked the strength of inter-correlation observed in the normal, comparison group. These changes are consistent with predictions based on homeostasis theory and one major implication of the findings is that SWB measures may not function equivalently across the entire spectrum of possible domain satisfaction scores.

What women can expect when undertaking expatriate assignments in Australia

Despite a numerical equivalence with men, women in Australia have not experienced parity with males in terms of opportunity. They are continually under-represented among Australia's elite (Higley, Deacon, & Smart, 1979). In general, women employees, particularly those born overseas, face more difficulties in gaining access to, and advancing within, the managerial workforce than are men. Further, obtaining a managerial job in the first place is often the biggest obstacle facing women from a non-English-speaking background (NESS) even when their experience and educational levels are comparable to those of English speaking applicants. This paper sheds light on the experience of women expatriates in Australia and the factors that inhibit and facilitate their entry and advancement into managerial positions. Recommendations for organisations sending women on expatriate assignments to Australia are offered.

Design, format, validity and reliability of mutiple choice questions for use in nursing research and education

Multiple choice questions are used extensively in nursing research and education and play a fundamental role in the design of research studies or educational programs. Despite their widespread use, there is a lack of evidence-based guidelines relating to design and use of multiple choice questions. Little is written about their format, structure, validity and reliability of in the context of nursing research and/or education and most of the current literature in this area is based on opinion or consensus. Systematic multiple choice question design and use of valid and reliable multiple choice questions are vital if the results of research or educational testing are to be considered valid. Content and face validity schould be established by expert panel review and construct validity should be established using ‘key check’, item discrimination and item difficulty analyses. Reliability measures include internal consistency and equivalence. Internal consistency should be established by determination of internal consistency using reliability coefficients while equivalence should be established using alternate form correlation. This paper reviews literature related to the use of multiple choice questions, current design recommendations and processes to establish reliability and validity, and discusses implications for their use in nursing research and education.

Development of ultrafine grained steels through thermomechanical processing

The formation of ultrafine ferrite by strain induced transformation is assessed using rolling and hot torsion experiments. These experiments are used to examine the impact of thermomechanical processing conditions and steel chemistry on strain induced austenite to ferrite transformation and the formation of ultrafine ferrite. The critical strain for dynamic strain induced transformation increased with increasing carbon equivalence, deformation temperature and austenite grain size. The deformation structure in the austenite grains changes with the thermomechanical processing conditions. Drawing on these results and the current literature, the important factors for the production of ultrafine ferrite are described and a mechanism is proposed.

The eight variable homogeneous degree three bent functions

We determine the affine equivalence classes of the eight variable degree three homogeneous bent functions using a new algorithm. Our algorithm applies to general bent functions and can systematically determine the automorphism groups. We provide a partial verification of the computer enumeration of bent functions by Meng et al.