文学是最好的教育

文学之所以让人感动,是因为当一个世界不复存在的时候,文学可以帮助我们结识不复存在的世界,在人的想象中,它能引起共鸣。好的文学作品不仅提示我们自我意识的存在,还可以彰显一种道德的力量,所以读书也有这样一种诠释自我意识的力量。一部文学作品应该立足现实,与我们当下的生活、我们的历史息息相关;但是任何一部伟大的文学作品也必定都有未来,都有梦想。文学给人们带来力量,文学会以一种精神继续存在。作家非常重要的贡献就是对语言的贡献,没有语言,就没有那份新的体验、新的力量和那份细腻,不可能带来更为真实的表达。文学的方法可能是教育最基本的方法或者最基本的教育方法,文学也是重要的教育内容。文学是语言的艺术,人类的语言不会消亡,因此文学会永远存在。     

Identification of parametric Rasch-type models

In modern Item Response Theory, the Rasch model is viewed as a Generalized Linear Mixed Model, where the item parameters correspond to the fixed-effects, whereas the person specific parameters are the random-effects. The statistical model, bearing on the observable variables only, is obtained after integrating out the random-effects. Although it is widely accepted that the parameters of this model are identified, it is hard to find a correct justification. Furthermore, the meaning of the parameters of the Rasch model – as well as of its extensions – is typically based on the fixed-effects specification of the model, that is, when the person specific parameters are also treated as fixed-effects. The contribution of this paper is to provide an explicit proof of the identification of the random-effects Rasch model. The proof is valid for a large class of Rasch-type models. It is also shown that such a proof can be applied to analyze the identification of Explanatory Rasch Models. Finally, the meaning of the parameters of interest with respect to the different data generating process is discussed.     

How relevant are ‘Irrelevant’ Alternatives?

Arrow's Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives Condition is examined. It is shown why the standard rationale for (or against) the condition tends to be inconclusive as it fails to consider the basic game issue in social choice. Specifically it is explained how some recent results (Gibbard-Satterthwaite) on the general non-existence of strategy-proof voting procedures provide the strongest rationale for the independence condition. Also, it is shown that this rationale was exactly the one used by Condorcet in his work on decision rules for juries and elections.     

Bias of S 2 in Linear Regressions with Dependent Errors

Bounds are given for the expected value of the estimator of the error variance in linear regressions, when the errors are dependent or heteroscedastic. The bounds are valid irrespective of the covariance structure between the errors. Necessary and sufficient conditions to attain the bounds are supplied.     

Preference aggregation and statistical estimation

This paper deals with various connections that are found to exist between statistical estimation methods for decision-making and rules of group choice in the social choice area. Initially the aggregation of individual opinions is formulated as a pattern recognition problem; firstly it is shown that individual preferences lead to a natural representation in terms of binary patterns. Then we proceed to show how the search for a group preference pattern can be conducted by classifying the input preference patterns into various pattern classes and using the resulting classification boundaries to define the area of mutual agreement over some of the available alternatives. This leads to a decision-theoretic problem which consists in defining a decision rule (for classification) that is least likely to lead to misrecognition of arbitrary preference patterns. A maximum likelihood solution is obtained and compared with some well-known rules of group decision-making. Other solutions are also possible, on the basis of different optimality criteria, and their social choice interpretation is suggested. Finally, a method using Coleman's linear model for attributes is applied to yield group decision rules by feature weighting of election issues.     

Nonparametric testing for time series: A bibliography

This bibliography brings together and classifies a wide variety of nonparametric methods which are pocentially useful for the analysis of time series data, in particular for testing randomness. Inference on Markov chain models is also extensively surveyed.     

Does Observed Conflict Recovery Play a Role in Adolescent Dating Aggression?

In a study of conflict recovery and adolescent dating aggression, 14- to 18-year-old couples (N = 209 dyads) participated in a 1-hr observational assessment. Negative behavior was observed during conflict-evoking “hot” tasks and in a “cooldown” task. Physical and psychological dating aggression were assessed via questionnaires. Negative behavior measured in the cooldown task was not associated with dating aggression after controlling for carryover effects of negativity from the hot to cooldown tasks. Moreover, cooldown negativity moderated the associations of hot task negativity and dating aggression. Actor and partner effects were disentangled via dyadic data analyses. Given the paucity of observational studies of dating aggression, our findings are an important contribution to the literature and in need of replication and extension.