Search results for "assessment."

The Causal Influence of Life Meaning on Weight and Shape Concerns in Women at Risk for Developing an Eating Disorder

2021

Background: Although previous studies have shown an inverse relation between life meaning and eating disorder symptoms, the correlational nature of this evidence precludes causal inferences. Therefore, this study used an experimental approach to test the causal impact of life meaning on individuals' weight and shape concerns.Methods: Female students at risk for developing an eating disorder (N = 128) were randomly assigned to the control or the meaning condition, which involved thinking about and committing to pursue intrinsically valued life goals. A color-naming interference task was used to assess the motivational salience of body-related stimuli, and self-report measures were used to as…

Psychometric properties and validation of the sexual sensation seeking scale in Spanish adolescents: Brief screening method for use in research and c…

2018

Abstract Sexual sensation seeking among adolescents has been mostly associated with unprotected sex and other risky behaviors. This paper presents the Spanish adaptation and validation of the Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (SSSS). This cross-sectional study included 1350 adolescents (601 male and 749 female), aged between 15 and 18 years ( M  = 16.1, SD  = 0.97). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) yielded two components: Physical Sensations Attraction (PSA), and New Experiences Seeking (NES), which together accounted for 48.98% of the total variance. That structure was later verified through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was 0.82 for the total scale, and 0.76 and 0…

The eating disorder examination-questionnaire 8: A brief measure of eating disorder psychopathology (EDE-Q8)

2015

Objective The aim of this study was to develop, evaluate, and standardize a short form of the well-established Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q). The newly developed EDE-Q8 was required to reflect the originally postulated structure of the EDE-Q. Method Data were drawn from two nationwide representative population surveys in Germany: a survey conducted to develop the EDE-Q8 in 2009 (N = 2,520); and a survey conducted in 2013 (N = 2,508) for the evaluation and calculation of EDE-Q8 percentiles. Results The EDE-Q8 had excellent item characteristics, very good reliability and a very good model fit for the postulated second-order factorial structure. Furthermore, a strong correl…

2017

Background/Objective: The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) is often used to assess dispositional optimism. The aims of this study were to test psychometric properties of the LOT-R, to provide normative scores, and to test the association between optimism and several psychological, sociodemographic, and behavioral factors. Method: A randomly selected German general population community sample with an age range of 18-80 years (N = 9,711) was surveyed. Results: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) proved two (correlated) factors: Optimism and Pessimism. Invariance tests across gender and age groups confirmed metric invariance. There were only small gender differences in the LOT-R total …

Exploring the Incorporation of a Positive Psychology Component in a Cognitive Behavioral Internet-Based Program for Depressive Symptoms. Results Thro…

2018

Traditionally, evidence-based treatments for depression have focused on negative symptoms. Different authors describe the need to include positive affect as a major target of treatment. Positive psychology aims to fill this gap. Reaching everyone in need is also important, and Internet-based interventions can help in this task. The present study is a secondary analysis derived from a randomized controlled trial aimed to test the efficacy of an Internet-based intervention for patients with depressive symptoms. This intervention consisted of an 8-module Internet-based program that combined four modules based on cognitive-behavioral therapy strategies and four modules based on positive psychol…

COVID-19 Crisis - A Test for European Union’s Solidarity

2020

Abstract The crises the European Union has gone through over time have called into question the Union’s legitimacy and efficiency. The 2008-2009 financial crisis, the European debt crisis, the migration crisis and Brexit, have all tested the solidarity between member states. The COVID-19 pandemic is without a doubt the most drastic crisis in the EU’s history, with very severe socioeconomic consequences. The EU leaders were strongly criticized for not reacting quickly and efficiently enough to mitigate the impact of the virus, reduce suffering, and ward off the economic crisis. In this context, the questions that arise are: Is the Union a modern-day Titanic? Will it sink or it will sustain i…

Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search with a Constant-Time Feasibility Test for the Dial-a-Ride Problem

2019

In the dial-a-ride problem, user-specified transport requests from origin to destination points have to be served by a fleet of homogeneous vehicles. The problem variant we consider aims at finding a set of minimum-cost routes satisfying constraints on vehicle capacity, time windows, maximum route duration, and maximum user ride times. We propose an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) for its solution. The key novelty of the approach is an exact amortized constant-time algorithm for evaluating the feasibility of request insertions in the repair steps of the ALNS. In addition, we use two optional improvement techniques: a local-search-based intraroute improvement of routes of promisin…

Using a hazard-independent approach to understand road-network robustness to multiple disruption scenarios

2021

Abstract A range of predictable and unpredictable events can cause road perturbations, disrupting traffic flows and more generally the functioning of society. To manage this threat, stakeholders need to understand the potential impact of a multitude of predictable and unpredictable events. The present paper adopts a hazard-independent approach to assess the robustness (ability to maintain functionality despite disturbances) of the Sioux Falls network to all possible disruptions. This approach allows understanding the impact of a wide range of disruptive events, including random, localised, and targeted link failures. The paper also investigates the predictability of the link combinations wh…

Assessment Capacity, Cultural Validity and Consequential Validity in PISA

2016

La evaluaciones internacionales de estudiantes han desempeñado un papel cada vez más importante en la política educativa. Estas comparaciones internacionales basadas en pruebas generan información valiosa sobre el rendimiento del estudiantado de cada país participante y los factores sociales y contextuales asociados. Una imagen compleja de los factores culturales, económicos y sociales que dan forma a la participación de PISA empieza a emerger. Nuestro objetivo es entender la relación entre la capacidad evaluative nacional y la forma en que los países participan en estas comparaciones internacionales. Proponemos un marco conceptual para examinar la capacidad evaluativa como clave para abord…

The development of a suite of computer-based diagnostic tests based on the Common European Framework

2005

DIALANG is an on-line language assessment system, which contains tests in 14 European languages and is based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It is the first major testing system that is oriented towards diagnosing language skills and providing feedback to users rather than certifying their proficiency. This article describes the contents of Version 1 of DIALANG and the way in which the system works. This is followed by an account of the development of DIALANG tests and of the pilot testing and standard setting procedures. The results of the first analyses of items and self-assessment statements, and of the standard setting procedures, are reported. The article focuses…