Permutation Tests in the Educational and Behavioral Sciences

This article deals with the multivariate extension of permutation or randomization tests. Three different situations are met: (i) the first assumes that a single overall statistic is available; (ii) the second takes into consideration a univariate transformation of q-dimensional individual responses; (iii) in the third a single overall statistic is not available or is too difficult to justify, or a single derived variable is not sufficient to capture all aspects of interest for the analysis. Testing problems in (i) and (ii) are equivalent to univariate situations. Problems in (iii) are more difficult and are solvable if the permutation testing principle is applicable and if the overall hypotheses are broken down in a finite set of subhypotheses, each provided with an unbiased partial test. The methodological tool that allows us to cope with these kind of problems is the NonParametric Combination (NPC) of dependent permutation tests. To show the potential of NPC, an example with multivariate mixed data and restricted alternatives is discussed. Among the many applications of NPC, we mention the following: the one-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), when some of the variables are quantitative and others categorical; analysis of repeated measures with dependent random effects and dependent errors; analysis of multivariate restricted alternatives; analysis of problems when some data are missing and the underlying missing process is not ignorable; analysis of multivariate ordered categorical data; the multivariate Behrens–Fisher problem; some multivariate stochastic dominance problems; exact separate tests for main effects and interactions in balanced and unbalanced factorial designs; closed testing procedures; and multiaspect testing problems. One important feature of the NPC methodology, which is particularly useful for most applications, is that it frees the researcher from the need to define and model the dependence relations among responses and partial tests. Keywords: closed testing; combined tests; conditional inference; multiple tests; nonparametric test combination; permutation tests; randomization tests; restricted alternatives; stochastic dominance

Learning motivated by electrical stimulation of the brain.

A healthy lifestyle is fundamental for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Investment in primary prevention, including modification of health risk behaviors, could result in a 4-fold improvement in health outcomes compared with secondary prevention based on pharmacological treatment. The American Heart Association (AHA) emphasized the importance of lifestyle in its 2020 goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction. In addition to defining “cardiovascular health” based on criteria for blood pressure and biochemical markers (lipids and glycemia), the AHA Strategic Planning Committee further identified lifestyle characteristics of central importance: nutrition, physical activity, smoking, and maintenance of a healthy body weight.1 The World Health Organization estimated that ≈80% of NCDs could be prevented if 4 key lifestyle practices were followed: a healthy diet, being physically active, avoidance of tobacco, and alcohol intake in moderation.2 To support healthy lifestyle initiatives, major changes are necessary at the societal level to improve population health. Numerous strategies might help to create a culture that promotes and facilitates healthy behaviors, including creating laws and regulations, mounting large-scale public awareness and education campaigns, implementing local community programs, and providing individual counseling.3 Physicians are uniquely positioned to encourage individuals to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors: Approximately 80% of Americans visit their primary care physician at least once a year. Physicians directly communicate with their patients during clinical encounters across numerous settings, and research indicates that patients highly value recommendations provided by their physicians.4,5 However, data further indicate that lifestyle counseling does not routinely occur in physicians’ offices, thereby representing a lost opportunity. Physicians report that they perform lifestyle counseling during ≈34% of clinic visits.4 Patients, in turn, report an even lower frequency of physician lifestyle counseling. For example, obese patients reported receiving physical activity and …

The Elementary School Journal Volume 84, Number 4 S1984 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 001 3-5984/84/8404-0004$01.00 Assumptions, even assumptions that seem logical and reasonable, can make it difficult or impossible for people to understand scientific concepts. Everyone makes assumptions about the way the world works, assumptions like "When the sky is cloudy and dark, it will probably rain" or "Bits of wood float in water." People often use those assumptions to explain how things work: "I can see myself in a mirror because light bounces off me to the mirror and off the mirror to my eyes." Such explanations or conceptions are often based on experience and common sense; however, experience and common sense can sometimes

Behavioral science and machine learning have rapidly progressed in recent years. As there is growing interest among behavioral scholars to leverage machine learning, we present strategies for how these methods that can be of value to behavioral scientists using examples centered on behavioral research.

As the largest generation in U.S. history — the population born in the two decades immediately following World War II — enters the age of risk for cognitive impairment, growing numbers of people will experience dementia (including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias). By one estimate, nearly 14 million people in the United States will be living with dementia by 2060. Like other hardships, the experience of living with dementia can bring unexpected moments of intimacy, growth, and compassion, but these diseases also affect people's capacity to work and carry out other activities and alter their relationships with loved ones, friends, and coworkers. Those who live with and care for individuals experiencing these diseases face challenges that include physical and emotional stress, difficult changes and losses in their relationships with life partners, loss of income, and interrupted connections to other activities and friends. From a societal perspective, these diseases place substantial demands on communities and on the institutions and government entities that support people living with dementia and their families, including the health care system, the providers of direct care, and others.Nevertheless, research in the social and behavioral sciences points to possibilities for preventing or slowing the development of dementia and for substantially reducing its social and economic impacts. At the request of the National Institute on Aging of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America assesses the contributions of research in the social and behavioral sciences and identifies a research agenda for the coming decade. This report offers a blueprint for the next decade of behavioral and social science research to reduce the negative impact of dementia for America's diverse population. Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America calls for research that addresses the causes and solutions for disparities in both developing dementia and receiving adequate treatment and support. It calls for research that sets goals meaningful not just for scientists but for people living with dementia and those who support them as well.By 2030, an estimated 8.5 million Americans will have Alzheimer's disease and many more will have other forms of dementia. Through identifying priorities social and behavioral science research and recommending ways in which they can be pursued in a coordinated fashion, Reducing the Impact of Dementia in America will help produce research that improves the lives of all those affected by dementia.

Increasing blood donor recruitment and retention is of key importance to transfusion services. Research within the social and behavioral science traditions has adopted separate but complementary approaches to addressing these issues. This article aims to review both of these types of literature, examine theoretical developments, identify commonalities, and offer a means to integrate these within a single intervention approach. The social and behavioral science literature on blood donor recruitment and retention focusing on theory, interventions, and integration is reviewed. The role of emotional regulation (anticipated anxiety and vasovagal reactions) is central to both the behavioral and the social science approaches to enhancing donor motivation, yet although intentions are the best predictor of donor behavior, interventions targeting enactment of intentions have not been used to increase donation. Implementation intentions (that is, if-then plans formed in advance of acting) provide a useful technique to integrate findings from social and behavioral sciences to increase donor recruitment and retention. After reviewing the literature, implementation intention formation is proposed as a technique to integrate the key findings and theories from the behavioral and social science literature on blood donor recruitment and retention.

A permutation alternative for Hotelling's multivariate matched-pair T2 test is introduced. The permutation test allows for analyses when the number of subjects is less than or equal to the number of measurements, which is not possible with Hotelling's multivariate matched-pair T2 test. For the data analyzed the permutation test is shown to provide improved discrimination over Hotelling's multivariate matched-pair T2 test.

There is a critical need to grow and strengthen the pipeline of physician scientists who have expertise in sociomedical and behavioral research and are dedicated to addressing the nation's challenges posed by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). In 2021 The Indiana ADRD Medical Scientist Training Program (IADRD MSTP) was designed to meet this need and is built on the infrastructure of a robust portfolio of ADRD research, graduate training programs in medical neurosciences and sociology, and our existing MD-PhD program at Indiana University School of Medicine. The Aims of the IADRD MSTP are: 1) To recruit and train a competitive pool of diverse students who have an interest and commitment to social and behavioral research and patient care focused on ADRD; 2) To engage MD-PhD students early in mentored sociomedical and behavioral research that integrates IUs systems-based medical training curriculum with our cutting edge ADRD research that reinforces commitment and minimizes attrition of physician-scientists ADRD; and 3) To graduate students with dual MD-PhD degrees with strong methodological training in social and behavioral science and experts in ADRD who will be successful independent investigators at the best academic medical centers nationwide. The program includes rigorous didactic training in social, behavioral, and clinical research methods, with flexibility to allow students to focus their effort on one methodological area of interest; early initiation of ADRD research experiences with multidisciplinary teams of mentors and advisors; and the provision of educational experiences that enhance students' abilities to become independent researchers.

This study examined the classes of medical humanities and social sciences in premedical and medical colleges. We counted the number of courses and credits of medical humanities and social sciences in all the medical schools from 1990 to 2002, with reference to "The present condition of medical school education " published by the Korean Council of Deans of Medical college. Categorized are medical ethics, medical history, medical law, behavioral science, medical sociology, health policy and management, and others (Doctor-patient relationships, economics, religion, art, music, literature in medicine). We excluded general classes of humanities and social sciences. Average numbers of courses and credits in 1990 were 0.61, 1.26 and in 2002 were 1.71, 3.34, respectively in premedical schools. In medical schools, the number of courses increased from 1.79 to 4.15 and average credits increased from 1.96 to 5.36. Average numbers of courses have increased and have shown a rapid increase since 1998. In 1990, most of the classes of medical humanities and social sciences were on medical history and behavioral science, whereas in 2002, there were more diverse classes. Major change was increase of the number of classes and credits of medical ethics and medical sociology. Private schools opened much more courses of medical humanities and social sciences than public schools in premedical courses but in medical courses there were no significant differences. Numbers of courses showed no differences by years of foundation of each school. In conclusion, the number of courses of medical humanities and social sciences has increased over about ten years. This increase was caused by effort of Korean researchers of medical education reflecting the worldwide trend. In addition, medical practice has changed since strike of doctors on governmental drug policy in 2000, which caused doctors to newly recognize the importance of the classes on medical humanities and social sciences in medical education.

Reconstructing “behavioural accounting”

This chapter describes the range of different research strategies, designs, and methods derived from education, applied psychology, and behavioral science that are used in behavioral medicine. Section one examines seven key questions that are typically addressed in behavioral medicine and illustrates how the research and program evaluation methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, are utilized in answering each of these questions. Section two discusses community engagement in the research process as an integral element of conducting research and evaluation in behavioral medicine, including both the basic concepts and principles of community-based participatory research. Section three explores the concepts and issues in the translation of research into practice, a topic of growing interest as a next-generation challenge to those working in both the public health and behavioral medicine communities. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the emerging challenges of conducting behavioral medicine research and their implications for the future.

Late rectal bleeding after conformal radiotherapy of prostate cancer (II): volume effects and dose–volume histograms

PD-1 (PDCD1) promoter methylation in Merkel cell carcinoma: prognostic relevance and relationship with clinico-pathological parameters

The article "The Science of Education and its Relevance to Educational Research: Contributions Towards a Sustainable Society" explores the importance of the Science of Education in shaping pedagogical practices that promote social and environmental sustainability. In a context where education is viewed as a fundamental pillar for the development of critical and engaged citizens, educational research becomes an essential tool for understanding and implementing these practices. The study highlights how the Science of Education can integrate diverse theories and methodologies, contributing to the construction of a more conscious and responsible education. The methodology adopted followed a qualitative approach, utilizing bibliographic research to analyze relevant works and theories in the field. The general objective was to investigate the relevance of the Science of Education to educational research, emphasizing its contributions to the promotion of a sustainable society. To this end, specific objectives were established, addressing topics ranging from the analysis of the characteristics of educational research to discussions on normativity and pedagogical practice. In conclusion, the Science of Education proves to be an essential discipline in the search for educational solutions that promote not only knowledge but also the ethical and social values necessary to face contemporary challenges. By integrating theory and practice, this science significantly contributes to the development of individuals committed to a more sustainable future, reaffirming its central role in educational research.