Explores the concept of validity in relation to games and simulations, including four aspects of validity that apply to simulations and games (psychological reality, structural validity, process validity, and predictive validity). Factors that may threaten validity during game design are discussed, and suggestions are made to avert these threats.…

The use of ex post (historical) simulation statistics as means of evaluating latent growth models is considered, and a variety of simulation quality statistics are applied to such models. Results illustrate the importance of using these measures as adjuncts to more traditional forms of model evaluation. (SLD)

Evaluated the use of Mallow's C(p) and Wherry's adjusted R squared (R. Wherry, 1931) statistics to select a final model from a pool of model solutions using computer generated data. Neither statistic identified the underlying regression model any better than, and usually less well than, the stepwise selection method, which itself was poor for…

Examines the use of sample weights in latent variable models in the case where a simple random sample is drawn from a population containing a mixture of strata through a bootstrap simulation study. Results show that ignoring weights can lead to serious bias in latent variable model parameters and reveal the advantages of using sample weights. (SLD)

Considers P. Schonemann's simulation study in light of the multigroup principal component analysis model and interprets it as a study of the specificity of Spearman correlations, given model violations. Asserts that the Spearman correlation is a suboptimal test of Spearman's hypothesis and contends that an explicit model-based approach should be…

The National frameworks for science emphasize inquiry skills (NRC, 1996), however, in typical classroom practice, science learning often focuses on rote learning in part because science process skills are difficult to assess (Fadel, Honey, & Pasnick, 2007) and rote knowledge is prioritized on high-stakes tests. Short answer assessments of…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 11th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2014), October 25-27, 2014, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in…

"Approaches and Strategies in Next Generation Science Learning" examines the challenges involved in the development of modern curriculum models, teaching strategies, and assessments in science education in order to prepare future students in the 21st century economies. This comprehensive collection of research brings together science educators,…

The early stage of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) refers to the phase of the trait estimation during the administration of only a few items. This phase can be characterized by bias and instability of estimation. In this study, an item selection criterion is introduced in an attempt to lessen this instability: the D-optimality criterion. A…

The author considers a latent trait model for the response time on a (set of) pure speed test(s), the multiplicative gamma model (MGM), which is based on the assumption that the test response times are approximately gamma distributed, with known index parameters and scale parameters depending on subject ability and test difficulty parameters. Like…

In this study, we apply MOSAIC (model of syntax acquisition in children) to the simulation of the developmental patterning of children's optional infinitive (OI) errors in 4 languages: English, Dutch, German, and Spanish. MOSAIC, which has already simulated this phenomenon in Dutch and English, now implements a learning mechanism that better…

Suicide rates in prisons are high. Our aim was to investigate the contribution of imitative suicide to the prison suicide rate. We used Knox tests for space-time clustering in a case register of natural and self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales and model simulations to estimate the effect size. We found significant space-time…

Hierarchical classes models are quasi-order retaining Boolean decomposition models for N-way N-mode binary data. To fit these models to data, rationally started alternating least squares (or, equivalently, alternating least absolute deviations) algorithms have been proposed. Extensive simulation studies showed that these algorithms succeed quite…

The theory of signal detection is convenient for measuring mnemonic ability in recognition memory paradigms. In these paradigms, randomly selected participants are asked to study randomly selected items. In practice, researchers aggregate data across items or participants or both. The signal detection model is nonlinear; consequently, analysis…

This study compares the performance of three nonparametric item characteristic curve (ICC) estimation procedures: isotonic regression, smoothed isotonic regression, and kernel smoothing. Smoothed isotonic regression, employed along with an appropriate kernel function, provides better estimates and also satisfies the assumption of strict…