Study of temporary 100 percent ratings for service-connected disabilities requiring inpatient treatment /

Item 985

Drivers' ratings of different components of their own driving skill: A greater illusion of superiority for skills that relate to accident involvement

Different components of driving skill relate to accident involvement in different ways. For instance, while hazard-perception skill has been found to predict accident involvement, vehicle-control skill has not. We found that drivers rated themselves superior to both their peers and the average driver on 18 components of driving skill (N = 181 respondents). These biases were greater for hazard-perception skills than for either vehicle-control skills or driving skill in general. Also, ratings of hazard-perception skill related to self-perceived safety after overall skill was controlled for. We suggest that although drivers appear to appreciate the role of hazard perception in safe driving, any safety benefit to be derived from this appreciation may be undermined by drivers' inflated opinions of their own hazard-perception skill. We also tested the relationship between illusory beliefs about driving skill and risk taking and looked at ways of manipulating drivers' illusory beliefs.

Replicated linkage for eye color on 15q using comparative ratings of sibling pairs

The aim of the study was to perform a genetic linkage analysis for eye color, for comparative data. Similarity in eye color of mono- and dizygotic twins was rated by the twins' mother, their father and/or the twins themselves. For 4748 twin pairs the similarity in eye color was available on a three point scale (not at all alike-somewhat alike-completely alike), absolute eye color on individuals was not assessed. The probability that twins were alike for eye color was calculated as a weighted average of the different responses of all respondents on several different time points. The mean probability of being alike for eye color was 0.98 for MZ twins (2167 pairs), whereas the mean probability for DZ twins was 0.46 (2537 pairs), suggesting very high heritability for eye color. For 294 DZ twin pairs genome-wide marker data were available. The probability of being alike for eye color was regressed on the average amount of IBD sharing. We found a peak LOD-score of 2.9 at chromosome 15q, overlapping with the region recently implicated for absolute ratings of eye color in Australian twins [Zhu, G., Evans, D. M., Duffy, D. L., Montgomery, G. W., Medland, S. E., Gillespie, N. A., Ewen, K. R., Jewell, M., Liew, Y. W., Hayward, N. K., Sturm, R. A., Trent, J. M., and Martin, N. G. (2004). Twin Res. 7:197-210] and containing the OCA2 gene, which is the major candidate gene for eye color [Sturm, R. A. Teasdale, R. D, and Box, N. F. (2001). Gene 277:49-62]. Our results demonstrate that comparative measures on relatives can be used in genetic linkage analysis.

Assessing facial approximation accuracy: How do resemblance ratings of disparate faces compare to recognition tests?

In the past, the accuracy of facial approximations has been assessed by resemblance ratings (i.e., the comparison of a facial approximation directly to a target individual) and recognition tests (e.g., the comparison of a facial approximation to a photo array of faces including foils and a target individual). Recently, several research studies have indicated that recognition tests hold major strengths in contrast to resemblance ratings. However, resemblance ratings remain popularly employed and/or are given weighting when judging facial approximations, thus indicating that no consensus has been reached. This study aims to further investigate the matter by comparing the results of resemblance ratings and recognition tests for two facial approximations which clearly differed in their morphological appearance. One facial approximation was constructed by an experienced practitioner privy to the appearance of the target individual (practitioner had direct access to an antemortem frontal photograph during face construction), while the other facial approximation was constructed by a novice under blind conditions. Both facial approximations, whilst clearly morphologically different, were given similar resemblance scores even though recognition test results produced vastly different results. One facial approximation was correctly recognized almost without exception while the other was not correctly recognized above chance rates. These results suggest that resemblance ratings are insensitive measures of the accuracy of facial approximations and lend further weight to the use of recognition tests in facial approximation assessment. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of assessment type on verbal ratings of conditional stimulus valence and contingency judgments: Implications for the extinction of evaluative learning

Recent research on causal learning found (a) that causal judgments reflect either the current predictive value of a conditional stimulus (CS) or an integration across the experimental contingencies used in the entire experiment and (b) that postexperimental judgments, rather than the CS's current predictive value, are likely to reflect this integration. In the current study, the authors examined whether verbal valence ratings were subject to similar integration. Assessments of stimulus valence and contingencies responded similarly to variations of reporting requirements, contingency reversal, and extinction, reflecting either current or integrated values. However, affective learning required more trials to reflect a contingency change than did contingency judgments. The integration of valence assessments across training and the fact that affective learning is slow to reflect contingency changes can provide an alternative interpretation for researchers' previous failures to find an effect of extinction training on verbal reports of CS valence.

Longitudinal associations between children's phonological processing abilities, ADHD-like behaviour ratings and early reading develpment

The current study examined the contribution of phonological processing abilities and ADHD-like behaviours to first-grade word reading ability. 136 children were tested at the beginning and end of first grade. At both times, teachers rated children on hyperactive, inattentive, and oppositional behaviour. Children were given tests of letter knowledge at T1 and tests of word reading, phonological sensitivity, phonological memory, rapid automatised naming, and vocabulary at T1 and T2. Regression analyses revealed that, of the behavioural measures, inattention made the strongest contribution to T2 reading, even after controlling for the effects of T1 reading, hyperactivity, and oppositional behaviour. Hyperactivity did not explain variance in T2 reading once the effect of inattention was controlled. Inattention predicted 4.7% independent variance in T2 word reading ability, even after the effects of T1 reading, vocabulary, and phonological processing were controlled. Although phonological processing predicted 9.3% independent variance in T2 word reading, even after the effects of reading, vocabulary, and inattention were controlled, the effects of phonological processing may have been partly mediated by inattention. This research indicates that inattention contributes to the prediction of early reading development in unselected populations, and that this influence is independent of other key cognitive predictors of reading ability.

Supervisor-subordinate age dissimilarity and performance ratings:the buffering effects of supervisory relationship practice

Using 394 pairs of employees and their immediate supervisors working in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in three northern European countries, this study examined the effect of workplace moderators on the link between relational demography and supervisor ratings of performance. Directional age differences between superior and subordinate (i.e., status incongruence caused when the supervisor is older or younger than his/her subordinate) and non-directional age differences were used as predictors of supervisor ratings of occupational expertise. The quality of the supervisor-subordinate relationship and the existence of positive age-related supervisory practices were examined as moderators of this relationship. The results provide no support for a relationship between directional age differences and age-related stereotyping by supervisors in ratings of performance, neither for the effects of age-related supervisory practices. However, high quality supervisor-subordinate relationships did moderate the effects of age dissimilarity on supervisory ratings. The implications of these findings for performance appraisal methodologies and recommendations for further research are discussed.

The effect of timeliness and credit ratings on the information content of earnings announcements

Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of timeliness and credit ratings on the information content of the earnings announcements of Greek listed firms from 2001 to 2008. Using the classical event study methodology and regression analysis, we find that firms tend to release good news on time and are inclined to delay the release of bad news. We also provide evidence that the level of corporate risk differentiates the information content of earnings according to the credit rating category. Specifically, firms displaying high creditworthiness enjoy positive excess returns on earnings announcement dates. In contrast, firms with low creditworthiness undergo significant share price erosions on earnings announcement days. We also observe a substitution effect between timeliness and credit ratings in relation to the information content of earnings announcements. Specifically, we find that as the credit category of earnings-announcing firms improves, the informational role of timeliness is mitigated.

Directional mobility of debt ratings

In this paper we describe a method to decompose a well-known measure of debt ratings mobility into it's directional components. We show, using sovereign debt ratings as an example, that this directional decomposition allows us to better understand the underlying characteristics of debt ratings migration and, for the case of the data set used, that the standard Markov chain model is not homogeneous in either the time or cross-sectional dimensions. We find that the directional decomposition also allows us to sign the change in quality of debt over time and across sub-groups of the population.

Predicting practical benefits of dynamic asset ratings of 33kv distribution transformers

This paper reports potential benefits around dynamic thermal rating prediction of primary transformers within Western Power Distribution (WPD) managed Project FALCON (Flexible Approaches to Low Carbon Optimised Networks). Details of the thermal modelling, parameter optimisation and results validation are presented with asset and environmental data (measured and day/week-ahead forecast) which are used for determining dynamic ampacity. Detailed analysis of ratings and benefits and confidence in ability to accurately predict dynamic ratings are presented. Investigating the effect of sustained ONAN rating compared to a dynamic rating shows that there is scope to increase sustained ratings under ONAN operating conditions by up to 10% higher between December and March with a high degree of confidence. However, under high ambient temperature conditions this dynamic rating may also reduce in the summer months.