Through a multi-methodology approach, Principles and Methods of Social Research, Fourth Edition covers the latest research techniques and designs and guides readers toward the design and conduct of social research from the ground up. Applauded for its comprehensive coverage, the breadth and depth of content of this new edition is unparalleled. Explained with updated applied examples useful to the social, behavioral, educational, and organizational sciences, the methods described are relevant to contemporary researchers. The underlying logic and mechanics of experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental research strategies are discussed in detail. Introductory chapters cover topics such as validity and reliability furnish readers with a firm understanding of foundational concepts. The book has chapters dedicated to sampling, interviewing, questionnaire design, stimulus scaling, observational methods, content analysis, implicit measures, dyadic and group methods, and meta-analysis to cover these essential methodologies. Notable features include an emphasis on understanding the principles that govern the use of a method to facilitate the researcher’s choice of the best technique for a given situation; use of the laboratory experiment as a touchstone to describe and evaluate field experiments, correlational designs, quasi experiments, evaluation studies, and survey designs; and coverage of the ethics of social research including the power a researcher wields and tips on how to use it responsibly. The new edition features: Increased attention to the distinction between conceptual replication and exact replication and how each contributes to cumulative science. Updated research examples that clarify the operation of various research design operations. More learning tools including more explanation of the basic concepts, more research examples, and more tables and figures, such as additional illustrations to include internet content like social media. Extensive revisions and expansions of all chapters. A fuller discussion of the dangers of unethical treatment to research participants. Principles and Methods of Social Research, Fourth Edition is intended for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses in research methods in psychology, communication, sociology, education, public health, and marketing, and further appeals to researchers in various fields of social research, such as social psychology and communication.

Quickly acquire the knowledge and skills you need to confidently administer, score, and interpret the most popular neuropsychological assessment instruments

Neuropsychological testing can identify changes in cognition, behavior, and emotion; aid in determining the cause of a disorder or developmental problem; and assist clinicians in planning treatment and rehabilitation. To use these tests properly, professionals need an authoritative source of advice and guidance on how to administer, score, and interpret them. Now fully revised and in a second edition, "Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment" is that source.

Completely updated to include the most current instruments, including the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV), Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition presents an overview of the assumptions, logic, knowledge base, and skills underlying the practice of neuropsychological assessment. Neuropsychological experts Nancy Hebben and William Milberg describe how clinical history, behavioral observations, and formal test results are used to make inferences about the contribution of brain dysfunction to psychological functioning.

Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, this book is designed to help busy mental health professionals quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make optimal use of major neuropsychological assessment instruments. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered.

"Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment," Second Edition provides comprehensive instruction on neuropsychological test administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. It also addresses practical and conceptual issues related to neuropsychological assessment in geriatric, pediatric, forensic, and other specialized settings.

Other titles in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series:

Essentials of Assessment Report Writing

Essentials of WAIS-IV Assessment

Essentials of WISC-IV Assessment, Second Edition

Essentials of WIAT-II and KTEA-II Assessment

Essentials of WJ IIITM Cognitive Abilities Assessment

Essentials of WJ IIITM Tests of Achievement Assessment

Essentials of School Neuropsychological Assessment

Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment, Second Edition

Essentials of KABC-II Assessment

Essentials of NEPSY Assessment

Essentials of Executive Function Assessment

Essentials of Processing Assessment

This book provides an overview of the developments in the area of Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses that took place since the publication of the ?rst paper on this topic in 2001 [Hoijtink, H. Con?rmatory latent class analysis, model selection using Bayes factors and (pseudo) likelihood ratio statistics. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 36, 563-588]. The current state of a?airs was presented and discussed by the authors of this book during a workshop in Utrecht in June 2007. Here we would like to thank all authors for their participation, ideas, and contributions. We would also like to thank Sophie van der Zee for her editorial e?orts during the construction of this book. Another word of thanks is due to John Kimmel of Springer for his con?dence in the editors and authors. Finally, we would like to thank the Netherlands Organization for Scienti?c Research (NWO) whose VICI grant (453-05-002) awarded to the ?rst author enabled the organization of the workshop, the writing of this book, and continuation of the research with respect to Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses.

This textbook considers statistical learning applications when interest centers on the conditional distribution of a response variable, given a set of predictors, and in the absence of a credible model that can be specified before the data analysis begins. Consistent with modern data analytics, it emphasizes that a proper statistical learning data analysis depends in an integrated fashion on sound data collection, intelligent data management, appropriate statistical procedures, and an accessible interpretation of results. The unifying theme is that supervised learning properly can be seen as a form of regression analysis. Key concepts and procedures are illustrated with a large number of real applications and their associated code in R, with an eye toward practical implications. The growing integration of computer science and statistics is well represented including the occasional, but salient, tensions that result. Throughout, there are links to the big picture. The third edition considers significant advances in recent years, among which are: the development of overarching, conceptual frameworks for statistical learning; the impact of "big data" on statistical learning; the nature and consequences of post-model selection statistical inference; deep learning in various forms; the special challenges to statistical inference posed by statistical learning; the fundamental connections between data collection and data analysis; interdisciplinary ethical and political issues surrounding the application of algorithmic methods in a wide variety of fields, each linked to concerns about transparency, fairness, and accuracy. This edition features new sections on accuracy, transparency, and fairness, as well as a new chapter on deep learning. Precursors to deep learning get an expanded treatment. The connections between fitting and forecasting are considered in greater depth. Discussion of the estimation targets for algorithmic methods is revised and expanded throughout to reflect the latest research. Resampling procedures are emphasized. The material is written for upper undergraduate and graduate students in the social, psychological and life sciences and for researchers who want to apply statistical learning procedures to scientific and policy problems.

Why learn functional programming? Isn't that some complicated ivory-tower technique used only in obscure languages like Haskell? In fact, functional programming is actually very simple. It's also very powerful, as Haskell demonstrates by throwing away all the conventional programming tools and using only functional programming features. But it doesn't have to be done that way. Functional programming is a power tool that you can use in addition to all your usual tools, to whatever extent your current mainstream language supports it. Most languages have at least basic support. In this book we use Python and Java and, as a bonus, Scala. If you prefer another language, there will be minor differences in syntax, but the concepts are the same. Give functional programming a try. You may be surprised how much a single power tool can help you in your day-to-day programming.

This is an international and interdisciplinary volume that provides a new look at the general background of the social sciences from a philosophical perspective and provides directions for methodology. It seeks to overcome the limitations of the traditional treatises of a philosophy of science rooted in the physical sciences, as well as extend the coverage of basic science to intentional and socially normative features of the social sciences. The discussions included in this book are divided into four thematic sections: Social and cognitive roots for reflexivity upon the research process Philosophies of explanation in the social sciences Social normativity in social sciences Social processes in particular sciences Social Philosophy of Science for the Social Sciences will find an interested audience in students of the philosophy of science and social sciences. It is also relevant for researchers and students in the fields of psychology, sociology, economics, anthropology, education, and political science.

Group Psychotherapy Assessment and Practice is the definitive guide to assessment in group therapy, offering the reader a means to understand and implement group therapy screening, process, and outcome tools. Geared to group psychotherapists as well as academics, this state-of-the-art text provides the reader with a framework to support and augment clinical judgment as part of routine clinical practice. It demonstrates how utilizing measurement-based care collaboratively with clients can help maximize therapeutic processes and mechanisms of change. This book shows how measures can improve the detection of client worsening and prevent premature dropout - two factors that contribute greatly to our duty to client care. Leading experts in the field provide examples of new measures that can enhance multicultural training and group leader cultural sensitivity, illustrating how awareness of diversity can enhance clinical practice and provide more contextually responsive treatment. Examples of cross-cultural adaptations of measurement are also included that place group therapy assessment within an international framework. This modern guide provides practical tools such as handouts, measures to aid in member selection, and methods of tracking progress and outcome to strengthen the group leader's effectiveness.

Group Psychotherapy Assessment and Practice is the definitive guide to assessment in group therapy, offering the reader a means to understand and implement group therapy screening, process, and outcome tools. Geared to group psychotherapists as well as academics, this state-of-the-art text provides the reader with a framework to support and augment clinical judgment as part of routine clinical practice. It demonstrates how utilizing measurement-based care collaboratively with clients can help maximize therapeutic processes and mechanisms of change. This book shows how measures can improve the detection of client worsening and prevent premature dropout - two factors that contribute greatly to our duty to client care. Leading experts in the field provide examples of new measures that can enhance multicultural training and group leader cultural sensitivity, illustrating how awareness of diversity can enhance clinical practice and provide more contextually responsive treatment. Examples of cross-cultural adaptations of measurement are also included that place group therapy assessment within an international framework. This modern guide provides practical tools such as handouts, measures to aid in member selection, and methods of tracking progress and outcome to strengthen the group leader's effectiveness.

Constructing Measures introduces a way to understand the advantages and disadvantages of measurement instruments. It explains the ways to use such instruments, and how to apply these methods to develop new instruments or adapt old ones, based on item response modeling and construct references. Now in its second edition, this book focuses on the steps taken while constructing an instrument, and breaks down the "building blocks" that make up an instrument-the construct map, the design plan for the items, the outcome space, and the statistical measurement model. The material covers a variety of item formats, including multiple-choice, open-ended, and performance items, projects, portfolios, Likert and Guttman items, behavioral observations, and interview protocols. Each chapter includes an overview of the key concepts, related resources for further investigation, and exercises and activities. A variety of examples from the behavioral and social sciences and education-including achievement and performance testing, attitude measures, health measures, and general sociological scales-demonstrate the application of the material. Accompanying downloadable resources feature control files, output, and a data set to allow readers to compute the text's exercises and create new analyses and case archives based on the book's examples so the reader can work through the entire development of an instrument. New to this edition are additional example contexts including a cognitive/achievement example, an attitude example, and a behavioral example; new concentrations on specific measurement issues and practices such as standard-setting, computer-delivery and reporting, and going beyond the Likert response format; and updated online resource with new materials, such as selected research articles with data sets and teaching resources like a syllabus and PowerPoint slides. Constructing Measures is an invaluable text for undergraduate and graduate courses on item, test, or instrument development; measurement; item response theory; or Rasch analysis taught in a variety of departments including education, statistics, and psychology. The book also appeals to practitioners who develop instruments, including industrial/organizational, educational, and school psychologists; health outcomes researchers; program evaluators; and sociological measurers.

This book is a first attempt to combine insights from the two perspectives with regard to the question of meaning by examining a collection of theoretical and empirical works. This volume therefore is destined to become an important addition to psychological literature: both from the viewpoint of the history of ideas (again this would be one of the first times that positive and existentialist psychologies meet) and from the viewpoint of theoretical and empirical research into the meaning concept in psychology.

This is the second edition of the comprehensive treatment of statistical inference using permutation techniques. It makes available to practitioners a variety of useful and powerful data analytic tools that rely on very few distributional assumptions. Although many of these procedures have appeared in journal articles, they are not readily available to practitioners. This new and updated edition places increased emphasis on the use of alternative permutation statistical tests based on metric Euclidean distance functions that have excellent robustness characteristics. These alternative permutation techniques provide many powerful multivariate tests including multivariate multiple regression analyses.

Today, information is very important for businesses. Businesses that use information correctly are successful while those that don't, decline. Social media is an important source of data. This data brings us to social media analytics. Surveys are no longer the only way to hear the voice of consumers. With the data obtained from social media platforms, businesses can devise marketing strategies. It provides a better understanding consumer behavior. As consumers are at the center of all business activities, it is unrealistic to succeed without understanding consumption patterns. Social media analytics is useful, especially for marketers. Marketers can evaluate the data to make strategic marketing plans. Social media analytics and consumer behavior are two important issues that need to be addressed together. The book differs in that it handles social media analytics from a different perspective. It is planned that social media analytics will be discussed in detail in terms of consumer behavior in the book. The book will be useful to the students, businesses, and marketers in many aspects.

Advancing Natural Language Processing in Educational Assessment examines the use of natural language technology in educational testing, measurement, and assessment. Recent developments in natural language processing (NLP) have enabled large-scale educational applications, though scholars and professionals may lack a shared understanding of the strengths and limitations of NLP in assessment as well as the challenges that testing organizations face in implementation. This first-of-its-kind book provides evidence-based practices for the use of NLP-based approaches to automated text and speech scoring, language proficiency assessment, technology-assisted item generation, gamification, learner feedback, and beyond. Spanning historical context, validity and fairness issues, emerging technologies, and implications for feedback and personalization, these chapters represent the most robust treatment yet about NLP for education measurement researchers, psychometricians, testing professionals, and policymakers.

This graduate-level textbook is a tutorial for item response theory that covers both the basics of item response theory and the use of R for preparing graphical presentation in writings about the theory. Item response theory has become one of the most powerful tools used in test construction, yet one of the barriers to learning and applying it is the considerable amount of sophisticated computational effort required to illustrate even the simplest concepts. This text provides the reader access to the basic concepts of item response theory freed of the tedious underlying calculations. It is intended for those who possess limited knowledge of educational measurement and psychometrics. Rather than presenting the full scope of item response theory, this textbook is concise and practical and presents basic concepts without becoming enmeshed in underlying mathematical and computational complexities. Clearly written text and succinct R code allow anyone familiar with statistical concepts to explore and apply item response theory in a practical way. In addition to students of educational measurement, this text will be valuable to measurement specialists working in testing programs at any level and who need an understanding of item response theory in order to evaluate its potential in their settings.

Highly recommended by the Journal of Official Statistics, The American Statistician, and other journals, Applied Survey Data Analysis, Second Edition provides an up-to-date overview of state-of-the-art approaches to the analysis of complex sample survey data. Building on the wealth of material on practical approaches to descriptive analysis and regression modeling from the first edition, this second edition expands the topics covered and presents more step-by-step examples of modern approaches to the analysis of survey data using the newest statistical software. Designed for readers working in a wide array of disciplines who use survey data in their work, this book continues to provide a useful framework for integrating more in-depth studies of the theory and methods of survey data analysis. An example-driven guide to the applied statistical analysis and interpretation of survey data, the second edition contains many new examples and practical exercises based on recent versions of real-world survey data sets. Although the authors continue to use Stata for most examples in the text, they also continue to offer SAS, SPSS, SUDAAN, R, WesVar, IVEware, and Mplus software code for replicating the examples on the book's updated website.

This book presents a general and comprehensive framework for the assurance of quality in measurements. Written by a foremost expert in the field, the text reflects an on-going international effort to extend traditional quality assured measurement, rooted in fundamental physics and the SI, to include non-physical areas such as person-centred care and the social sciences more generally. Chapter by chapter, the book follows the measurement quality assurance loop, based on Deming's work. The author enhances this quality assurance cycle with insights from recent research, including work on the politics and philosophy of metrology, the new SI, quantitative and qualitative scales and entropy, decision risks and uncertainty when addressing human challenges, Man as a Measurement Instrument, and Psychometry and Person-centred care. Quality Assured Measurement: Unification across Social and Physical Sciences provides students and researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, medicine and the social sciences with practical guidance on designing, implementing and applying a quality-assured measurement while engaging readers in the most novel and expansive areas of contemporary measurement research.

An Introduction to Psychometrics and Psychological Assessment is the successor to Cooper's prize-winning book and shows how psychological questionnaires and tests can be chosen, administered, scored, interpreted and developed. In providing students, researchers, test users, test developers and practitioners in the social sciences, education and health with an evaluative guide to choosing, using, interpreting and developing tests, it provides readers a thorough grasp of the principles (and limitations) of testing, together with the necessary methodological detail. This book has three distinctive features. First, it stresses the basic logic of psychological assessment without getting bogged down with mathematics; the spreadsheet simulations and utilities which are integrated into the text allow users to explore how numbers behave, rather than reading equations. Readers will "learn by doing". Second, it covers both the theory behind psychological assessment and the practicalities of locating, designing and using tests and interpreting their scores. Finally, it is evaluative. Rather than just describing concepts such as test reliability or adaptive testing, it stresses the underlying principles, merits and drawbacks of each approach to assessment, and methods of developing and evaluating questionnaires and tests. Unusually for an introductory text, it includes coverage of several cutting-edge techniques, and this new edition expands the discussion on measurement invariance, methods of detecting/quantifying bias and hierarchical factor models, and features added sections on: -Best practices for translation of tests into other languages and problems of cultural bias - Automatic item generation - The advantages, drawbacks and practicalities of internet-based testing - Generalizability theory - Network analysis - Dangerous assumptions made when scoring tests - The accuracy of tests used for assessing individuals - The two-way relationship between psychometrics and psychological theory. Aimed at non-mathematicians, this friendly and engaging text will help you to understand the fundamental principles of psychometrics that underpin the measurement of any human characteristic using any psychological test. Written by a leading figure in the field and accompanied by additional resources, including a set of spreadsheets which use simulated data and other techniques to illustrate important issues, this is an essential introduction for all students of psychology and related disciplines. It assumes very little statistical background and is written for students studying psychological assessment or psychometrics, and for researchers and practitioners who use questionnaires and tests to measure personality, cognitive abilities, educational attainment, mood or motivation.

Shared and Collaborative Practice in Qualitative Inquiry: Tiny Revolutions is a short collection of reflections on ethical research practice and scholarly community. It explores the qualitative tradition through the process of writing, photography, dance, and narrative. This is a book about ethical research practices, about simple truths, about the commitments we initially made to this work, and about how we might better support each other along the way. Most importantly, this is a book about finding and making our own communities. Communities do not belong to any one person or small group of people. Rather, communities-genuine, real, and vibrant communities-belong to us all. This is a book about how. This book is suitable for people new to qualitative research and seasoned researchers who would like to explore and develop traditions in qualitative inquiry.

This comprehensive book is an introduction to multilevel Bayesian models in R using brms and the Stan programming language. Featuring a series of fully worked analyses of repeated-measures data, focus is placed on active learning through the analyses of the progressively more complicated models presented throughout the book. In this book, the authors offer an introduction to statistics entirely focused on repeated measures data beginning with very simple two-group comparisons and ending with multinomial regression models with many 'random effects'. Across 13 well-structured chapters, readers are provided with all the code necessary to run all the analyses and make all the plots in the book, as well as useful examples of how to interpret and write-up their own analyses. This book provides an accessible introduction for readers in any field, with any level of statistical background. Senior undergraduate students, graduate students, and experienced researchers looking to 'translate' their skills with more traditional models to a Bayesian framework, will benefit greatly from the lessons in this text.

Designed to complement the Mental Measurements Yearbooks, Tests in Print fills a pressing need for a comprehensive bibliography of commercially available English language tests. Although these volumes are useful in and of themselves, their maximum usefulness requires the availability and use of the Mental Measurements Yearbooks. Information on available tests and specific test bibliographies are valuable, but the greatest service Tests in Print can perform is to encourage test users to choose tests more wisely by consulting Mental Measurements Yearbooks test reviews; test reviews from journals; and professional literature on the construction, use, and psychometric properties of tests under consideration. Tests in Print X contains descriptive information on approximately 2,300 testing instruments. Detailed descriptions of each test include data on test purpose, target population, scores, administration time, publication date(s), author(s), and pricing. Indexes of test titles, publishers, acronyms, and subject classifications are provided as well as notations on hundreds of out-of-print tests. Tests in Print X provides specific information about testing required by professionals in diverse areas such as education, psychology, counseling, management, career planning, child development, and research. It also serves as a comprehensive index to the Mental Measurements Yearbook series by directing readers to the appropriate volume for reviews of specific tests.

In the eleventh edition of Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials, Newhart and Patten leverage the principles of learning and content design to present the fundamentals students need to get started in research. Basics of quantitative and qualitative research are covered in short, independent topics and grouped into meaningful sections. A perennial bestseller for over ten editions, Understanding Research Methods focuses concisely on key concepts, and lessons in topics that are "chunked" to suit today's students. Each topic ends with suggestions for planning a research project by answering topic-specific prompts in a research planning journal. Topic Review exercises encourage active learning. Finally, Topics for Discussion suggest open-ended prompts that could serve as conversation starters in the classroom or online. The final Part of the book offers guidance and activities specific to writing a research report. This section can be used to support the development of project-based assignments for courses, or it can be used independently to support senior thesis projects, master's theses, dissertations, or articles for publication. Instructors, will appreciate the organization of Understanding Research Methods because it allows a great deal of customization and choice in which topics to cover and in what order to cover them, making it suitable for methodological training in a variety of courses and fields of study. Online digital materials support course development. New to this edition: Part introductions now include a part table of contents and list of keywords Newly expanded coverage of qualitative research New coverage on designing quantitative research Expanded material on sampling More simple graphs, charts, and illustrations emphasize and visualize Topic key points

In this tribute to Benjamin Wright, former students and colleagues recall the foundational contributions he made to the theory and practice of measurement in a career spanning over five decades. Wright is recognized as the foremost proponent of the psychometric approach of Georg Rasch, a Danish mathematician, whose ideas continue to provoke controversy. Wright's colleagues and students, and students of their students, are leaders in educational research and practice around the world. This volume relates the extent of Wright's influence far beyond education and psychology, where his work in measurement began, into health care and the social sciences at large. The editors and contributors-all leading measurement scholars-trace the development of themes in Wright's work, identifying the roots of today's formative assessment methods, the integration of quantitative and qualitative data, and the contrast between scientific and statistical methods. These previously unpublished papers reflect on Wright's lifelong passion for making measurement both more scientific and more meaningful. They recount how Wright's insight, energy, and gregarious nature led him to produce multiple innovations in computing, estimation methods, model development, fit assessment, and reliability theory, stimulating practical applications in dozens of fields, serving on over 120 dissertation committees, and founding several professional societies. The volume includes three reprinted articles by Wright that provide insights into his early engagement with Rasch's ideas. Psychological and Social Measurement will be welcomed by the broad international measurement community of professionals and researchers working in such diverse fields as education, psychology, health sciences, management, and metrology. Scientists working in any field involving measurement science and technology will appreciate an inside look at this seminal figure and a new perspective on the expanding conversation across the sciences about measurement and the communication of meaningful, transparent information.

With a highly pragmatic, yet rigorous and pragmatically driven approach, this edited book explores demonstrates qualitative research with an applied approach. Using not only theory but real world setting, readers are introduced to the function and relevance of qualitative methods in psychological research. Exemplified through the contributions of various experts from across the different sub-disciplines of psychology, this text takes a versatile approach to explaining methods in research and covers a broad range of methods in a variety of settings. This book will appeal to those with an interest in qualitative methods across the spectrum of psychology and beyond. Offering an introduction to applied qualitative research in psychology with a distinctively applied approach, this title is apt for undergraduate psychology students taking modules in research methods, executing research-based projects or those undertaking Masters and taught doctoral level programs in psychology.

This book provides an in-depth examination of psychosocial marital well-being and mental health in traditional communities in Rwanda. It presents rich qualitative research conducted with men, women and elders, highlighting both the issues impacting on marital conflict and domestic violence, and also how potential solutions might be drawn from traditional practices. In doing, so it provides a unique resource for researchers and policymakers seeking to develop evidence-based and culturally-informed mental health and psychosocial support interventions in low and middle income countries. It will appeal in particular to those working the fields of public health, family psychology, social work, cross-cultural psychology and qualitative methodology.