Hypothesis testing

Theory at both the micro and macro level predicts that investments in superior human capital generate better firm-level performance. However, human capital takes time and money to develop or acquire, which potentially offsets its positive benefits. Indeed, extant tests appear equivocal regarding its impact. To clarify what is known, we meta-analyzed effects drawn from 66 studies of the human capital-firm performance relationship and investigated 3 moderators suggested by resource-based theory. We found that human capital relates strongly to performance, especially when the human capital in question is not readily tradable in labor markets and when researchers use operational performance measures that are not subject to profit appropriation. Our results suggest that managers should invest in programs that increase and retain firm-specific human capital.

This book uses sports as a metaphor for research methods. It focuses on how to use and build frameworks for empirical research. The frameworks are analogous to a "play", which is connected to a unique purpose and directs the movement of players during the game. Examples from award winning student research support the chapters that introduce 4 different conceptual frameworks. Before a player can enter the game, he or she should be in shape and understand the rules. Effective teams have systems in place that help their players achieve top physical abilities. Likewise, student scholars need systems in place to ensure they have the necessary skills and preparation to conceptualize and write a strong paper. To do this, it is helpful to bring project management skills to the task of writing a paper. A project management system organizing a scholar's time, materials and Ideas is presented. The book is written using John Dewey and Charles Sanders Pierce's philosophy of science and theory of inquiry.

This paper provides a rationale for using and sustaining rival hypotheses Web-based tools to promote students' understanding of the concepts of internal and external validity. Five major concerns are identified. The first is that, in their present form, the Web sites subsume the discussion of threats to validity under experimental designs, giving the impression to some students that such threats are not an issue for other types of quantitative research. The second concern is the fact that the illustrative vignettes are presented in multiple-choice formats, giving the impression that each research study has only one threat to internal or external validity, which is an unrealistic assumption. In receiving immediate feedback (i.e., solutions), some students may not reflect deeply enough about the scenarios, preferring to select a response hastily to obtain early validation. In such cases, the critical thinking process involved in the rival hypothesis reasoning will be stunted. Fourth, although analyzing vignettes is an extremely useful exercise, it should be remembered that these vignettes represent mere isolated fragments of information, typically devoid of any theoretical framework. Finally, providing only Web-based tools for teaching the concept of validity with respect to empirical studies may give graduate students and researchers alike the false impression that validity is not an issue in qualitative designs. Recommendations are provided in light of these concerns. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

We study possible interrelations between the 300-year record of the yearly sunspot numbers and the solar inertial motion (SIM) using the recently developed technique of synchronization analysis. Phase synchronization of the sunspot cycle and the SIM is found and statistically confirmed in three epochs (1734-1790, 1855-1875 and 1907-1960) of the whole period 1700-2000. These results give quantitative support to the hypothesis that there is a weak interaction between the solar activity and the SIM.

In this paper we propose a simple method of testing for cointegration in models that allow for multiple shifts in the long-run relationship. The procedure consists of carrying out conventional residual-based tests with standardized residuals from an appropriate Markov switching model. Our Monte Carlo results show that standard tests work well, even though their asymptotic validity can be questioned because they are not based on least-squares residuals. An empirical application to the present-value model of stock prices is also discussed.

In the first part of the study, nine estimators of the first-order autoregressive parameter are reviewed and a new estimator is proposed. The relationships and discrepancies between the estimators are discussed in order to achieve a clear differentiation. In the second part of the study, the precision in the estimation of autocorrelation is studied. The performance of the ten lag-one autocorrelation estimators is compared in terms of Mean Square Error (combining bias and variance) using data series generated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that there is not a single optimal estimator for all conditions, suggesting that the estimator ought to be chosen according to sample size and to the information available on the possible direction of the serial dependence. Additionally, the probability of labelling an actually existing autocorrelation as statistically significant is explored using Monte Carlo sampling. The power estimates obtained are quite similar among the tests ass...

This paper presents alternative models of oligopoly behaviorfor the Argentine gasoline market and applies parametric estimations to analyze the effect that the Repsol-YPFmerger had on that market. Using monthly data for the different provinces of Argentina during ...

It is a well known part of statistical knowledge that first order asymptotically efficient procedures can be misleading for moderate sample sizes. Usually this is demonstrated for some popular special cases including numerical comparisons. Typically the situation is worse if nuisance parameters are present. In this paper we give second order asymptotically efficient tests, confidence regions, and estimators for the nonlinear regression model which are based on the least-squares estimator and the residual sum of squares. :'

The purpose of this study is to validate the technology acceptance model (TAM) in an educational context and explore the role of gender and computer teaching efficacy as external variables. From the literature, it appeared that only limited studies had developed models to explain statistically the chain of influence of computer teaching efficacy and gender on the intention of student teachers to use computers. A total of 302 student-teachers completed the questionnaire measuring their responses to computer teaching efficacy (CTE), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), attitude toward computer use (ATCU), and behavioural intention (BI). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used as the main technique for data analysis. The findings from this study suggest that the model was adequately explained by the data. Overall, the model accounted for 36.8% of the variance in intention to use computers among student teachers. The results have also provided support for computer teaching efficacy and gender as significant variables in the TAM. Finally, the implications for theory development, practices, and policy making are discussed.

Abstract: We introduce a new classification method that is applicable to classify image pixels. This work was motivated by the test-based classification (TBC) introduced by Liao and Akritas (2007). We found that direct application of TBC on image pixel classification ...

This paper analyzes and employs two versions of the Functional Central Limit Theorem within the framework of a unit root with a structural break. Initial attention is focused on the probabilistic structure of the time series to be considered. Later, attention is placed on the ...

Explicit timing and interspersal interventions were investigated using a withinsubjects design with 45 third-grade students. A control assignment consisted of subtraction of a two digit number from a two digit number (i.e., target problem) and served as a baseline. An explicit timing assignment consisted of similar problems as those for the control assignment. The interspersal assignment consisted of similar problems as those for the control and explicit timing assignments with the addition of subtraction of a one digit number from a one digit number interspersed following every third target problem. Total problem completion rates, target problem completion rates, accuracy on target problems and students' rating regarding difficulty, time, effort, and preference between assignments for class work were collected. Student preference choices were analyzed for fit with the discrete task completion hypothesis. Three trials were administered. Results indicated that: (a) students completed more total problems during interspersal, (b) target problem completion rates were higher during explicit timing, (c) accuracy rates remained constant, (d) students rated the explicit timing assignment as requiring more time and being more difficult for all trials and as requiring more effort for trial 2 and 3, (e) students selected the interspersal assignment to do in class as compared to the explicit timing assignment for all trials, and (f) the data fit the discrete task completion hypothesis relatively well for all trials. Discussion

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The integration of technology into content area learning requires from teachers to constantly balance the mastery of technology with content area mastery because, greater the mastery of any technology of the classroom teacher be less effort is needed for classroom use and student mastery during the teaching and learning mathematics process. GeoGebra is a dynamic mathematics software for schools that joins geometry, algebra, and calculus, it is an interactive geometry system, a new technology for teaching and learning mathematics. This book confirms that, the new method of use of GeoGebra software in teaching and learning math has increased the level of math knowledge and skills over the traditional method used in teaching and learning process. The experiments, carried out in several secondary schools, have provided evidence that the new teaching and learning method in mathematics based on GeoGebra software causes increase in the level of knowledge and skills in mathematics. In addit...

This paper seeks to analyze and reduce productivity losses due to change orders. It consists of two parts. For the first section, literature on quantification of productivity losses was scanned and several hypotheses regarding the sources of productivity losses due to changes were developed. These hypotheses were then tested with the collected data using appropriate techniques. For the second section, the current database was divided into three parts, which are small-, medium-and large-sized projects. These projects were also classified as impacted and unimpacted quantitatively. The questions in survey forms were then modeled as independent variables in the database. The analyses of variance (ANOVA) was run separately for each variable to check if there is any statistical difference between impacted and unimpacted projects. Interpretations on significant variables are also provided. The paper defines the most important variables that bring higher disruptions.

Basic to many psychological investigations is the question of agreement between observers who independently categorize people. Several recent studies have proposed measures of agredment when a set of' ominal scale categories have been pre-defined and imposed on both observers. This study, in contrast, developes a measure of agreement for setting's where, observers independently define their own categories. Thus, it is possible for observers to delineate different numbers of categories, with different names. Computational formulae for the mean and variance of the proposed :agreement measure are given; further, a statistic with a large-Aample normal distribution is suggested for-testing the.null hypothesis of random agreement. A computer based conpatisOn of the large sample approximation with the exact distribution of the test statistic shows a generally good fit, even for moderate sample sizes. Finally, a worked example-involviAg two psychologists' classifications of children illustrates the computations. (Author)

The present study investigated relationships between students' conceptions of constructivist learning on the one hand, and their regulation and processing strategies on the other hand. Students in a constructivist, problem-based learning curriculum were questioned about their conceptions of knowledge construction and self-regulated learning, as well as their beliefs regarding their own (in)ability to learn and motivation to learn. Two hypothesized models were tested within 98 psychology students, using a structural equation modelling approach: The first model implemented regulation and processing variables of the Inventory of Learning Styles [ILS, Vermunt (Learning styles and regulation of learning in higher education -towards process-oriented instruction in autonomous thinking, 1992)], the second model of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire [MSLQ, Pintrich and de Groot (Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 33-40, 1990)]. Results showed that structural relations exist between conceptions of constructivist learning and regulation and processing strategies. Furthermore, students who express doubt with regard to their own learning capacities are at risk for adopting an inadequate regulation strategy. A three-tiered structure of conceptual, controlling, and operational level appeared valid for the MSLQ variables, but not entirely for those of the ILS.

This study examined the impact of animation interactivity on novices' learning of introductory statistics. The interactive animation program used in this study was created with Adobe Flash following Mayer's multimedia design principles as well as Kristof and Satran's interactivity theory. This study was guided by three main questions: 1) Is there any difference in achievement improvement among students who use different interactive levels of an animation program? 2) Is there any difference in confidence improvement among students who use different interactive levels of an animation program? 3) Is there any difference in program perception among students who use different interactive levels of an animation program?

The efficacy of two types of theapy conducted exclusively over the telephone was studied. Clients (N = 55) were recruited from a pool of callers to a suicide hotline and were randomly assigned to a waiting list control (WC) or Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) or Common Factors Therapy (CFT). It was hypothesized that improvements would be significantly higher in the two therapy conditions compared to the waitlist control and SFBT would be significantly more efficacious than CFT. Results confirmed that improvement was significantly higher in the two treatment conditions compared to the waitlist control, but no difference in improvement was found between SFBT and CFT. The implications of these findings for suicide hotlines are discussed.

The aim of this article is to examine how first principles are developed into general theories by reviewing the roles that abduction, deduction, and induction play in the three primary steps of the scientific method: hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, and theory generation. Kant's democratic peace theory is first used to illustrate this process, and the example is subsequently extended to show the secondary level of scrutiny that theories must undergo before they can be applied to the empirical world. The article concludes by considering the strengths and weaknesses of scientific theories, particularly in the field of social sciences.

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The philosophical notions introduced by Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) are helpfu: for researchers in understanding the nature of knowledge and reality. In the Peircean logical system, the logic of abduction and deduction contribute to our conceptual understanding of a phenomenon, while the logic of Paner presented at the Annual Meeting of

Autism is classified as a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by impairments in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction, imagination, and restricted, repetitive behaviour (American Psychiatric Association, 1994; National Institute of Mental Health, 2008). The social deficits are among the most distinguishing features of autism. As children, autistic individuals may seem distant, unresponsiveness, and lack cooperation and engagement with others (Prior & Ozonoff, 1998). As a result of the social deficits inherent in autistic individuals, such individuals experience difficulty in sexual interactions (Henault, 2005). Few studies have investigated sexuality in autistic individuals or compared the results to Typically Developing (TD) individuals. Attwood (1998) explains that readily available sources such as pornography may cause autistic males to display unintentional aggressive or stalking behaviour because they may consider pornography as the authoritative source. Autistic females may learn from the 'soap operas' on television as a guide to being intimate, and they may be overly naïve or promiscuous without being able to recognize a precarious situation due to lack of experience and poor judgment (Attwood, 1998; Henault, 2005). Thus, it is important for studies to investigate where autistic individuals obtain their information about socio-sexuality and how much of it is actually applied in real life.

The study reported here investigates collaborative learning at the computer. Ten pairs of students were presented with a series of comprehension questions about Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein or a Modern Prometheus along with a CD-ROM, Frankenstein Illuminated, containing the novel and a variety of source material. Five students worked with an interface based on a behaviorist model of instruction and five worked with an interface based on a constructivist model of instruction. It was hypothesized that the constructivist interface would lead to greater exploration and more instances of collaboration. Data included 10 hours of videotaped interactions, answers to the comprehension questions by each dyad, mouse moves and keystrokes as captured by Lotus ScreenCam software, and notes generated in the course of transcribing the video interactions. These data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study failed to support the hypothesis that a constructivist interface generates greater collaboration. Implications of the study are presented and discussed.

Maintaining effective undergraduate academic advising programs that meet the needs of students is an ongoing challenge for universities across the country. Using expectancy violations theory as a lens, this study argues that student satisfaction with advising is linked to alignment between student expectations of the advising process and perceived advisor behaviors. Advising approaches are classified as either prescriptive, in which the advisor assists students with course selection and other logistical details, or developmental, where the advisor takes a holistic approach in providing advice related to academic, career, and personal goals. Results indicate student satisfaction with advising increased when perceived advisor behaviors aligned with students’ prescriptive or developmental expectations. Developmental advising, while favored in previous research, may not be appropriate for all students; instead, advisors should strive to meet students’ expectations, whether prescriptive ...

The Community of Inquiry model provides a framework for recognizing and evaluating interpersonal behaviors in online educational settings. One of its three components, teaching presence, describes behaviors that are under the auspices of the online instructor. By examining behaviors through the theoretical lens provided by teaching presence, and by measuring them with the Teaching Presence Scale (TPS), it may be possible to better understand the most effectively online instruction practices. The purpose of the study was to confirm the factor composition of TPS in an online professional development course and to determine the relationship between teaching presence and student satisfaction. Participants (n = 718) were in-service educators enrolled in online professional development. Confirmatory factor analysis results provided strongest support for a three-factor TPA model using 17 of the 28 original TPS items and evidence of a strong relationship between TPS and student satisfaction...

This Chapter is about the techniques, formal and informal, that are commonly used to give quantitative answers in the field of distributional analysis-covering subjects including inequality, poverty and the modelling of income distributions. It deals with parametric and non-parametric approaches and the way in which imperfections in data may be handled in practice

The aim of this paper is to provide an objective overview of the impact of teacher salaries on the educational achievements of students. It is often debated about teacher salaries and improvement or jeopardizing their standard, but educational consequences that may ensue as a result of these intentions are rarely addressed. Teacher's role in student's achievement outcomes is unquestionable. There are many factors that have an impact on student achievement, but this paper will analyze only the impact of teacher's income on student's achievement. A hypothesis for further study has been set by collecting and analyzing pedagogical documentation on teacher salaries and student's educational achievements. Qualitative approach to statistical results of PISA study published in 2013 analyzes following categories: reading, mathematics and science, student's sense of belonging to school and student's personal opinion on does school prepare them for adult life. The study of these elements in selected countries gives us a concrete insight into their interrelationship. The comparative analysis compared the educational achievements of students with the level of teacher's salaries in the following countries:

Present paper aims to plan and estimate the optimal parameters of an adaptive control chart model for monitoring the mean of a process using sample size and variable interval. Here, the X_BARRA-VSSI chart has been chosen because of its two special features-firstly being an adaptive scheme with great potential for practical application, and secondly the chart only requires knowledge of the sample size and the time between sample selections after established the optimal parameters for the chart. To estimate the optimal parameters of chosen X VSSI − control chart model, the Markov chains technique has been applied. Two functions written in R language are presented in order to assist the user in planning a statistical project based on the X_BARRA-VSSI adaptive scheme. Evaluating the effectiveness of the control chart of X VSSI − by means of Markov chains has been examined and the optimal parameters of the adaptive control chart model have been explored. In addition to this, a numerical example for application of the control chart model has also been illustrated and finally some conclusive observations with significant suggestions for its future scope are carried out.

Previous research on stereotype threat in children suggests that making gender identity salient disrupts girls' math performance at as early as 5 to 7 years of age. The present study (n ϭ 124) tested the hypothesis that parents' endorsement of gender stereotypes about math moderates girls' susceptibility to stereotype threat. Results confirmed that stereotype threat impaired girls' performance on math tasks among students from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Moreover, mothers' but not fathers' endorsement of gender stereotypes about math moderated girls' vulnerability to stereotype threat: Performance of girls whose mothers strongly rejected the gender stereotype about math did not decrease under stereotype threat. These findings are important because they point to the role of mothers' beliefs in the development of girls' vulnerability to the negative effects of gender stereotypes about math.

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This article describes a social psychological framework for understanding sexual stigma, and it reports data on sexual minority individuals' stigma-related experiences. The framework distinguishes between stigma's manifestations in society's institutions (heterosexism) and among individuals. The latter include enacted sexual stigma (overt negative actions against sexual minorities, such as hate crimes), felt sexual stigma (expectations about the circumstances in which sexual stigma will be enacted), and internalized sexual stigma (personal acceptance of sexual stigma as part of one's value system and self-concept). Drawing from previous research on internalized sexual stigma among heterosexuals (i.e., sexual prejudice), the article considers possible parallels in how sexual minorities experience internalized sexual stigma (i.e., self-stigma, or negative attitudes toward the self). Data are presented from a community sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults (N ϭ 2,259) to illustrate the model's utility for generating and testing hypotheses concerning self-stigma.

The stress response systems of the human child are highly sensitive to social challenges. Because stress hormones can have negative developmental and health consequences, this presents an evolutionary paradox: Why would natural selection have favored mechanisms that elevate stress hormone levels in response to psychosocial stimuli? Two complementary hypotheses are considered: (a) maladaptation to the novelty of chronic stress in social environments, and (b) adaptive neural reorganization that facilitates the ontogeny of social competencies. Data on salivary cortisol, morbidity, and social environment from an 18 year study of child health in a rural community on the island of Dominica are examined from the perspective of these alternative hypotheses. Results indicate that diYcult family environments and traumatic events are associated with elevated cortisol levels and higher morbidity. The long-term eVects of traumatic early experiences on cortisol proWles are complex and indicate domain-speciWc eVects, with normal recovery from physical stressors, but heightened response to negative-aVect social challenges.

This work presents a region based classifier for Polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) images. The classifier uses the stochastic distances derived from the complex Wishart Model, obtained from the h-φ family of divergences. Adittionaly, a hypothesis test derived from the stochastic distance is also employed in the classification process. The region based classifier, using the Bhattacharyya distance, was applied to a polarimetric SIR-C image from an agricultural area in northeastern Brazil. The region based classification result significantly overperformed the a pixel based/contextual PolSAR classification based on the Maximum Likelihood/Iterated Conditional Modes. Such evidence lead us to conclude that the region based stochastic distance and hypothesis test classifier offers a good potential at identifying the land cover classes on a PolSAR image.

The term "hypothesis" does not always represent the same concept, although some people try to stretch the meaning to cover more than one idea. When conducting scientific research, this word appears in at least two different contexts and this can cause confusion. Unfortunately, we don't have separate words in English to distinguish the concept of a "research hypothesis" from that of a "statistical hypothesis." Here is how I believe they should be differentiated: