Test-retest reliability

The Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was developed by Bagby et al.(1994a) and is a revised version of the earlier 26-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS; Taylor,Ryan, & Bagby, 1985). The TAS-20 has demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In the initial validational study, exploratory factor analysis of the TAS-20 with a student sample yielded a three factor structure congruent with the theoretical construct of alexithymia: (F1) difficulty identifying feelings and distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal; (F2) difficulty describing feelings to others; (F3)
externally-oriented thinking. Despite the absence of items on the TAS-20 directly assessing daydreaming and other imaginal activity, which were included on the TAS-26, the third factor, together with factor 2, seem to reflect the pensée opératoire (operatory thinking) component of
the alexithymia construct, viz., a cognitive style that shows a preference for the external details of everyday life rather than thought content related to feelings, fantasies, and other aspects of a person's inner experience (Marty & de M'Uzan, 1963; Nemiah et al., 1976). Subsequent
research showed that the externally-oriented thinking factor correlates significantly and negatively (r = -0.45, p < 0.01) with the fantasy subscale of the openness to experience dimension in the NEO Personality Inventory (Bagby, Taylor, & Parker, 1994b). Given that high scores on the fantasy subscale reflect a vivid imagination and capacity to create an interesting inner world, this finding indicates that the externally-oriented thinking factor of the TAS-20 adequately assesses the constricted imaginal processes facet of the alexithymia construct.

The diagnosis of mania largely depends on the quality of information the physician is provided with. Often, the patient cannot give an accurate account of the symptom development and thus information from relatives and friends is required. No systematic rating instrument is available, however, to facilitate this.
In this study, the psychometric properties of the 49-item Observer-Rated Scale for Mania (ORSM) are reported.
The scale was used in 113 inpatients and the following psychometric aspects were assessed: reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity (factor analysis, discriminant analysis, comparison of means), extreme-group validity, prognostic validity, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values.
The ORSM proved highly valid and reliable. Factor analysis revealed three factors which were labelled euphoric mania, instable mania and psychotic mania.
The ORSM is a useful instrument to help non-professionals who are in regular contact with the patient diagnosed a manic/mixed episode. It thus complements existing rating scales for mania, which are either designed for professionals or are self-rating instruments.

The exacerbation of health anxiety as the result of repeated online searches for medical information has been termed cyberchondria. Cyberchondria may lead to increased use of health services and increased healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of Turkish form of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS). This study was conducted on 335 employees who work in Pamukkale University. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) was used for concurrent validity. After language adaptation and content validity of the CSS, confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) was performed. The mean age of participants was 38.2 ± 8.5 years and 64.5% of them were male. Cronbach alpha coefficient of CSS calculated for the reliability was 0.89, while the subscales ranged from 0.65 to 0.85. The correlation coefficients for test-retest reliability were ranged from 0.53-0.71. Correlation of CSS with DASS was r = 0.33. Fit indices based on CFA results were all excellent or within acceptable ranges. The Turkish version of CSS has adequate psychometric properties of validity and reliability, and can be used to assess cyberchondria.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the reliability of DESK 3-6 for children 5-6 years old of age through the use of methods such are internal consistency reliability, test-retest and Cronbach's alpha, as well as check its suitability on a different sample. Participants were 484 preschool children (243 boys and 241 girls) with ages ranging from 60 to 78 months. The Dortmund Developmental Screening for Preschools (Tröster, Flender, & Reineke, 2004) was used. Results revealed that the original version of DESK 3-6 for children 5-6 years old of age shows problems in internal consistency, adequate Cronbach alpha and test-retest coefficients. It is concluded that the present instrument appears to carry enough data to justify its use on other samples as well.

Recording systems to acquire electroencephalogram (EEG) data are traditionally lab-based. However, there are shortcomings to this method, and the ease of use and portability of emerging wireless EEG technologies offer a promising alternative. A previous validity study demonstrated data derived from a single-channel, wireless system (NeuroSky ThinkGear, San Jose, California) is comparable to EEG recorded from conventional lab-based equipment. The current study evaluated the reliability of this portable system using test-retest and reliable change analyses. Relative power (RP) of delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands was derived from EEG data obtained from a single electrode over FP1 in 19 healthy youth (10-17years old), 21 healthy adults (18-28years old), and 19 healthy older adults (55-79years old), during eyes-open, eyes-closed, auditory oddball, and visual n-back conditions. Intra-class correlations (ICCs) and Coefficients of Repeatability (CRs) were calculated from RP dat...

Introduction: Voluntary Response Index (VRI) is used as a measure of motor control to study abnormalities of voluntary movements. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of voluntary response index analysis in subjects with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR). Materials and Methods: Using surface electromyography, the VRI components of both groups of 15 ACLR and 15 healthy controls were assessed during the functional task (sit-standsit). The outcome variables of VRI included the magnitude and similarity index. Results: In sit to stand phase, high reliability was found (ICC=0.80-0.89) for the magnitude and similarity index in both groups. In the standing phase, high to very high reliability was found for the magnitude and similarity index in both groups (ICC=0.75-0.91). In stand to sit phase, high to very high reliability was found (ICC=0.78-0.92) for the magnitude and similarity index in both groups. Conclusion: Surface electromyographic measurements of VRI analysis demonstrated high to very high reliability in athletes with ACLR during the functional task (sit-stand-sit). The results of the current study showed that the VRI analysis in athletes after ACLR was a reliable method and can be used to evaluate motor control before and after ligament injury in these patients.

The study reported in this paper is part of a multiphase mixed-methods investigation that explores the usage of audiovisual comprehension questions embedded within a video sequence in the form of subtitles and synchronized with the relevant fragments, for the purpose of language learning. The main objective of this paper is to account for the design and test-retest reliability of a questionnaire on listening/viewing comprehension for adult learners of Spanish as a foreign language that would be administered in subsequent studies. In addition, informants' answers are analysed in order to extract information about their beliefs and preferences. Twenty learners completed the questionnaire twice, fourteen days apart. The results show that the instrument is reliable. Furthermore, most of the participants consider that it is important to practise listening/viewing comprehension in the language class and that video images aid in understanding speakers. To conclude, the applications and limitations of the study are discussed.
RESUMEN Este trabajo forma parte de una investigación mixta multifase que explora el empleo de preguntas de comprensión audiovisual integradas en el vídeo en forma de subtítulos y sincronizadas con los fragmentos pertinentes para el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras. El objetivo principal del artículo es comunicar el diseño y la fiabilidad test-retest de un cuestionario sobre la comprensión auditiva/audiovisual para estudiantes adultos de español como lengua extranjera que sería administrado en estudios posteriores. Además, se analizan las respuestas de los informantes para conocer algunas de sus creencias y preferencias. Veinte aprendientes completaron el cuestionario en dos ocasiones con un intervalo de catorce días. Los resultados indican que el instrumento es fiable. Asimismo, la mayoría de los participantes considera que es importante practicar la comprensión auditiva/audiovisual en el aula y que la imagen del vídeo ayuda a comprender a los interlocutores. Finalmente se discuten las aplicaciones y limitaciones del estudio.

This study aimed at comparing the stability of three methods for two-dimensional sociometric status determination, including (1) the recently developed SSrat technique (Maassen, Akkermans, & Van der Linden, 1996), as well as (2) the procedure of Howes (1988), which is based on the algorithm and classification criteria of Coie and Dodge (1983), and (3) a procedure applied by Cillessen, van IJzendoorn, Van Lieshout, and Hartup (1992) based on the algorithm and criteria of Newcomb and Bukowski (1983). The latter two techniques can be regarded as nomination methods eliciting unlimited numbers of nominations from the participants. In the present study, 83 pupils (ages ranging from 5.8 to 8.8 years) participated in the 3-point rating procedure of Asher, Singleton, Tinsley, and Hymel (1979). They were asked to rate how much they liked to play with each of their classmates. The ratings data were processed in three ways according to the methods mentioned above. The techniques of Howes and of...

For over six decades, Fitts&#39;s law (1954) has been utilized by researchers to quantify human pointing performance in terms of &quot;throughput, &quot; a combined speed-accuracy measure of aimed movement efficiency. Throughput measurements are commonly used to evaluate pointing techniques and devices, helping to inform software and hardware developments. Although Fitts&#39;s law has been used extensively in HCI and beyond, its test-retest reliability, both in terms of throughput and model ft, from one session to the next, is still unexplored. Additionally, despite the fact that prior work has shown that Fitts&#39;s law provides good model fits, with Pearson correlation coefficients commonly at r =.90 or above, the model fit-ness of Fitts&#39;s law has not been thoroughly investigated for people who exhibit limited fine motor function in their dominant hand. To fill these gaps, we conducted a study with 21 participants with limited fine motor function and 34 participants without su...

Objective Cerebral Palsy is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Due to
the increase in the number of students with Cerebral Palsy (CP) entering ordinary schools and facing
problems with independent functioning, there is a need for a valid and comprehensive assessment tool
for their successful entry as well as providing a proper treatment plan. The School Function Assessment
(SFA), by measuring many school-related functional skills, can identify the strengths and weaknesses affecting
the students’ independence and participation in school assignments. It has 320 items and three
main parts of participation, task support, and activity performance. The test score can be reported in
general or based on each part, separately. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability
of the Persian version of the SFA in children with CP.
Materials & Methods This is a cross-sectional study with methodological design. The study population
consists of all children with CP aged 7-12 years in Tehran. Of these, 120 were selected from exceptional
public school using a convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria were: CP diagnosed by a neurologist,
age between 7 and 12 years, no other disabilities (e.g. deafness or blindness), and the willingness
of children’s parents to participate in the study. A demographic form and the Persian SFA were used
for data collection through interview. In order to measure the content validity, Content Validity Index
(CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were calculated according to the standard protocol of International
Quality of Life Assessment. In this regard, 8 experts in the field of pediatrics completed the Persian
SFA. To determine the test-retest reliability, the questionnaire was completed by the parents of children
with a 4-week interval. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined by using Cronbach’s
alpha coefficient and Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), respectively. Data was analyzed in
SPSS V. 22 software.
Results Participants were 64 boys and 56 girls with CP (mean age= 9.4 years). The distribution of CP was
as follows: 10% hemiplegic CP, 27.5% diplegic CP, 5.8% monoplegic CP, and 56.7% quadriplegic CP. Eighty
hundred-eight percent of respondents were the mothers of students. The CVR and CVI values were in a
range of 0.7-1 and 0.87-1, respectively indicating an acceptable validity. All the items had acceptable content
validity. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was obtained 0.95 for participation, 0.95-0.99 for task support,
0.83-0.99 for activity performance, and 0.92 in total. Moreover, the ICC value was reported 0.90 for
participation; 0.84-0.91 for task support; 0.84-0.97 for activity performance; and 0.89 for the overall test.
Conclusion The Persian version of SFA has acceptable content validity and reliability (internal consistency
and test-retest) for children with CP. Therefore, it can be applied as a research and clinical tool to assess
the school-related performance of these children.