Multivariate autoregressive time semes modeling: one scalar autoregressive model at-A-time

Multivariate (or interchangeably multichannel) autoregressive (MCAR) modeling of stationary and nonstationary time series data is achieved doing things one channel at-a-time using only scalar computations on instantaneous data. The one channel at-a-time modeling is achieved as an instantaneous response multichannel autoregressive model with orthogonal innovations variance. Conventional MCAR models are expressible as linear algebraic transformations of the instantaneous response orthogonal innovations models. By modeling multichannel time series one channel at-a-time, the problems of modeling multichannel time series are reduced to problems in the modeling of scalar autoregressive time series. The three longstanding time series modeling problems of achieving a relatively parsimonious MCAR representation, of multichannel stationary time series spectral estimation and of the modeling of nonstationary covariance time series are addressed using this paradigm.     

Validation of a Brief Yesterday Measure of Hedonic Well-Being and Daily Activities: Comparison with the Day Reconstruction Method

There has been increasing interest in the measurement of hedonic well-being (HWB), due in part to its broad implications in areas such as health and society. The day reconstruction method (DRM) is a validated technique assessing HWB and daily activities using instructions that help respondents recover their experiences from the previous day, thus reducing recall bias. Unfortunately, large-scale surveys are typically not able to implement the time-consuming DRM procedure; instead, they rely on single-item or very brief questionnaire assessment of HWB and time usage. Despite their wide use, brief questionnaires have rarely been compared to the DRM, which could provide validation of these short assessments. In the present study we compared these two questionnaire formats in 45 adults who completed both a DRM and a “hybrid” short form (HSF) questionnaire that included a very brief procedure to reconstruct yesterday’s events. Results were that the mean HSF ratings tended to overestimate HWB in comparison to the DRM, though effects were generally small to moderate. With regard to estimates of time spent on daily activities, the HSF also differed from the DRM, though with generally small to moderate effects. Correlations between estimates indicated that the HSF explained an average of almost half the variance in the DRM ratings for both HWB (rs ranging from .52 to .97) and time use (rs ranging from .43 to .85). In general, HSF ratings displayed considerable overlap with those of the DRM though the brief instructions apparently did not eliminate recall bias in the shorter questionnaire.     

Are we there yet? Faculty Members’ Beliefs and Teaching Practices Related to the Ethical Treatment of Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual Clients

The purpose of this study was to explore (a) faculty members' beliefs about the ethics of reparative therapy and referring lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients, (b) course content related to reparative therapy and referral of LGB clients, and (c) positions taken by programs associated with reparative therapy and referral of LGB clients. A total of 117 faculty members from accredited family therapy programs completed an online survey for this study. While the vast majority of faculty members reported that reparative therapy is unethical, there was less agreement related to the ethics of referring LGB clients, which may highlight the need for clearer ethical guidelines to regulate this potentially harmful practice. Implications for clinical training and future research are discussed.     

Stealing Lot’s Wife and Daughters From the Bible: A Response to Rozmarin’s “Staying Alive”

This article is a response to Rozmarin’s re-reading of the biblical story of Lot’s wife in her article “Staying Alive” (this issue). I begin by filling out the intellectual background to and rationale for Rozmarin’s project, which is to re-interpret this story as offering an alternative to the Western cultural law of matricide. I consider some further alternative meanings contained in the figures of Lot’s wife and daughters inspired by but not wholly in agreement with Rozmarin. I conclude by returning to broader questions about the feminist project of stealing female figures from texts of the patriarchal tradition.     

The Donation Paradox for Peremptory Challenges

A donation paradox occurs when a player gives an apparently valuable prerogative to another player, but does better, according to some criterion. Peremptory challenges, used in choosing a American jury, permit each side to veto a certain number of potential jurors. With even a very simple model of jury selection, it is shown that for one side to give a peremptory challenge to the other side may lead to a more favorable jury, an instance of the donation paradox. Both a theorem and examples are given concerning the existence of the donation paradox in the optimal use of peremptory challenges.     

Accountability and the design of an anticorruption agency in a parliamentary democracy

This article explores the institutional requirements of accountability for an anticorruption agency in a parliamentary democracy. It suggests that approaching public accountability as ‘the satisfaction of legitimate expectations about the use of discretion’ is useful in understanding or designing an accountability regime for such a powerful agency requiring independence from the executive. The approach facilitates identification of a variety of stakeholders and a range of institutional means by which their legitimate expectations may be satisfied. Despite the recognition, in consequence, of multiple agents and channels of accountability, parliament must remain central to the accountability regime and can achieve this through an appropriately designed oversight committee. Examination of a selected Australian agency, the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission, provides support for these propositions. Particular controversies involving this agency are used to demonstrate the requirements of a parliamentary oversight committee, and that independent review of determinations of misconduct, as well as appropriately regulated public hearings where there is a strong public interest in matters under investigation, are important elements of public accountability for an anticorruption agency.