Multilevel modelling of survey data: impact of the two-level weights used in the pseudolikelihood

Approaches that use the pseudolikelihood to perform multilevel modelling on survey data have been presented in the literature. To avoid biased estimates due to unequal selection probabilities, conditional weights can be introduced at each level. Less-biased estimators can also be obtained in a two-level linear model if the level-1 weights are scaled. In this paper, we studied several level-2 weights that can be introduced into the pseudolikelihood when the sampling design and the hierarchical structure of the multilevel model do not match. Two-level and three-level models were studied. The present work was motivated by a study that aims to estimate the contributions of lead sources to polluting the interior floor dust of the rooms within dwellings. We performed a simulation study using the real data collected from a French survey to achieve our objective. We conclude that it is preferable to use unweighted analyses or, at the most, to use conditional level-2 weights in a two-level or a three-level model. We state some warnings and make some recommendations.     

FACSGen: A Tool to Synthesize Emotional Facial Expressions Through Systematic Manipulation of Facial Action Units

To investigate the perception of emotional facial expressions, researchers rely on shared sets of photos or videos, most often generated by actor portrayals. The drawback of such standardized material is a lack of flexibility and controllability, as it does not allow the systematic parametric manipulation of specific features of facial expressions on the one hand, and of more general properties of the facial identity (age, ethnicity, gender) on the other. To remedy this problem, we developed FACSGen: a novel tool that allows the creation of realistic synthetic 3D facial stimuli, both static and dynamic, based on the Facial Action Coding System. FACSGen provides researchers with total control over facial action units, and corresponding informational cues in 3D synthetic faces. We present four studies validating both the software and the general methodology of systematically generating controlled facial expression patterns for stimulus presentation.     

Beyond Association: How Employees Want to Participate in Their Firms' Corporate Social Performance

Although many studies have found a positive relationship between corporate social performance and employer attractiveness, few have examined how different forms of responsibility might mediate that attraction, particularly when those social practices afford different degrees of employee participation. The current study undertook this line of inquiry by examining prospective employees’ attraction to three common approaches to corporate social performance (CSP) that offer increasing levels of participation: donation, volunteerism, and operational integration. Unexpectedly, findings from an empirical investigation challenged the study's main hypothesis; that is, prospective employees were least attracted to firms that integrated their social and financial goals. Consequently, important implications and questions remain for both employers and business educators.     

Theory‐Testing, Generalization, and the Problem of External Validity

External validity refers to the generalization of research findings, either from a sample to a larger population or to settings and populations other than those studied. While definitions vary, discussions generally agree that experiments are lower in external validity than other methodological approaches. Further, external validity is widely treated as an issue to be addressed through methodological procedures. When testing theories, all measures are indirect indicators of theoretical constructs, and no methodological procedures taken alone can produce external validity. External validity can be assessed through determining (1) the extent to which empirical measures accurately reflect theoretical constructs, (2) whether the research setting conforms to the scope of the theory under test, (3) our confidence that findings will repeat under identical conditions, (4) whether findings support the theory being tested, and (5) the confirmatory status of the theory under test. In these ways, external validity is foremost a theoretical issue and can only be addressed by an examination of the interplay between theory and methods.     

“Flawed Vessels”

The 2008 election was a watershed year in presidential politics, with two prominent women, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, drawing national media attention to gendered themes during the election. This study investigates whether/how the media connected these historic female candidacies to feminism by evaluating the national news media's framing of feminism during the election. Using qualitative media discourse analysis, we analyze how discussions of these two prominent female candidates, as well as Barack Obama, were linked to framing of feminism in the news media. During the 2008 presidential election, the media recast evaluations of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Sarah Palin into a discussion of the status of modern feminism. The news media framed the movement as fractured, highlighting existing conflicts within the feminist movement, while legitimizing post-feminism and choice feminism through the perspectives of the Obama and Palin nominations. The news media also trivialized the movement by emphasizing style over substance in their assessments of whether candidates were (or were not) feminists. The results suggest feminist movement actors and goals may not substantially benefit from greater media attention prompted by increasing numbers of female candidates.     

You Thought That This Would Be Easy? Seeking an Understanding of Episodic Volunteering

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - This article is intended as the leading article in a Special Issue of Voluntas devoted to episodic volunteering from a...     

Exponentially weighted moving average control schemes with variable sampling intervals

The idea of using non-constant sampling intervals has been of interest in quality control applications since it was first suggested for the “skip-lot sampling plan” of Dodge. Recent interest has focused on the use of variable sampling interval (VSI) control schemes. VSI control schemes use a short sampling interval is given     

INTEGRATING THE COMPUTER INTO A BUSINESS SCHOOL CURRICULUM*

The results of a study of computer utilization in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford are presented. The benefits and costs of a dedicated time-sharing system acquired by the Business School to supplement the central campus computer facility are discussed. The study showed that the time-sharing system produced many benefits, including improved service and a lower per student cost for computing. The implications of the Stanford experience for other schools are discussed.     

UNSUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION THE CASE OF A COMPUTER-BASED ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM

This paper discusses results of a longitudinal field experiment to evaluate the implementation of a computer-based system. This new system includes the introduction of an optically scanned order input form and new computer programs. It is hypothesized that successful implementation would be affected by the quality of service and the personal costs and benefits to the users of the new system. The experimental results show a marked reduction in job satisfaction after implementation of the new system. The implications of the findings for the implementation of computer-based systems in general are discussed.