This paper considers one system of careers, Wisconsin school superintendents from 1940 through 1972, and examines the extent to which statistical characteristics of that system are consistent with a simple Markov model that assumes both individuals and jobs to be indistinguishable and careers at that level to be essentially random. (Author)

Timing stoplights and trying to determine the best way to allocate cycle time to the two directions is discussed. The simple case and improving the model are both considered. (MNS)

Psychometricians working in factor analysis and econometricians working in regression with measurement error in all variables are both interested in the rank of dispersion matrices under variation of diagonal elements. This paper reviews both fields; points out various small errors; and presents a methodological comparision of factor analysis and…

This paper develops and applies three nonparametric comparisons of the shapes of two item characteristic surfaces: (1) proportional latent odds; (2) uniform relative difficulty; and (3) item sensitivity. A method is presented for comparing the relative shapes of two item characteristic curves in two examinee populations who were administered an…

This paper describes a PASCAL program that computes both different types of transitions and learning statistics suitable for learning experiments in which a two-stage Markov model is used. The frequency counts of the different transitions are used for estimating the parameters of the two-stage Markov model. (Author/LMO)

Two articles describe a model for processing natural-language queries in information retrieval systems. Part I proposes a language interface based on fuzzy set techniques to handle the uncertainty inherent in natural-language semantics. Part II develops a model of the retrieval system and describes an implementation using a knowledge-based systems…

The use of item response theory models for analyzing the results of judgmental standard setting studies (the Angoff technique) for establishing minimum pass levels is discussed. A comparison of three methods indicates the traditional approach may not be best. A procedure based on generalizability theory is suggested. (GDC)

A review of model-selection criteria is presented, suggesting their similarities. Some problems treated by hypothesis tests may be more expeditiously treated by the application of model-selection criteria. Multivariate analysis, cluster analysis, and factor analysis are considered. (Author/GDC)

A new method of multiple discriminant analysis allows a mixture of continuous and discrete predictors. It handles conditional, joint, or separate sampling. Subjects and criterion groups are represented as points in a multidimensional Euclidean space. Advantages of the method, deriving from Akaike Information Criterion model evaluation, are…

Describes the two basic approaches to the calculation of term discrimination values for automatic indexing. The results of an experiment that investigated the differences between algorithms of these two approaches in terms of their impact on the discrimination value model are reported and discussed. (13 references) (Author/CLB)

Focuses on the role of the computer system in group decision making. Two systems used in solving negotiating problems--NEGO and MEDIATOR--and three procedures that can be utilized to develop group decision support systems are analyzed, based on multicriteria decision analysis and mathematical programming models. (Author/LRW)

This article demonstrates that the usual first-order factor model is inappropriate for analyzing the factor structure of creativity and intelligence tests. An alternative model that allows for the estimation of unique covariance between the fluency and originality scores is proposed. (Author/JAZ)

An approximate relationship is devised between the unidimensional model used in data analysis and a multidimensional model hypothesized to be generating the item responses. Scale shrinkage is successfully predicted for several sets of simulated data. (Author/LMO)

Causal models often omit variables that should be included, use variables that are measured fallibly, and ignore time lags. Such practices can lead to severely biased estimates of effects. The discussion explains these biases and shows how to take them into account. (Author)

Two methods of constucting equal-interval scales for educational achievement are discussed: Thurstone's absolute scaling method and Item Response Theory. Alternative criteria for choosing a scale are contrasted. It is argued that clearer criteria are needed for judging the appropriateness and usefulness of alternative scaling procedures.…