Questionnaires and Inventories

Questionnaires and Inventories
Author: Lewis R. Aiken
Publisher:
Total Pages: 344
Release: 1997-07-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Questionnaires & Inventories The use of questionnaires and inventories as a means of obtaining useful information about populations, individuals, products, and events has existed since the nineteenth century. But it wasn’t until the twentieth century and the development of modern statistical methods, and, more recently, the advent of digital technology that they came to be considered indispensable tools in a wide range of fields, including the behavioral and social sciences, education, health, and business. Questionnaires and Inventories is written for researchers and practitioners in the above-mentioned disciplines and for all others who rely upon these important tools-of-the-trade. Written by a well-known authority in the field, it is a complete, how-to guide to the construction, administration, analysis, and interpretation of all types of questionnaires and inventories. After a concise review of the historical origins and theoretical underpinnings of assessment tools and rating scales, Dr. Aiken presents chapters providing detailed, hands-on coverage of the construction, administration, scoring, and interpretation of questionnaires, psychological inventories, and population surveys. Following chapters feature in-depth discussions of the statistical analysis of data, as well as test reliability and validity. The final two chapters are devoted to the critical assessment of most commercially available questionnaires and inventories. Questionnaires and Inventories includes many features designed to help readers quickly master the skills they need to construct their own assessment tools, including helpful chapter-end summaries, bibliographies, quizzes, and practice exercises. Perhaps the most valuable didactic tool is the diskette, which contains a power-house of programs that readers will find invaluable in designing, constructing, administering, scoring, and evaluating all types of questionnaires and inventories. Questionnaires and Inventories is an indispensable tool for practitioners in the behavioral and social sciences, as well as for market research professionals, attitude and product researchers, and political pollsters. It is also an excellent supplemental text for upper-level graduate courses in psychology, education, sociology, health studies, political science, and other disciplines.

Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation
Author: Edward L. Deci
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461344468

As I begin to write this Preface, I feel a rush of excitement. I have now finished the book; my gestalt is coming into completion. Throughout the months that I have been writing this, I have, indeed, been intrinsically motivated. Now that it is finished I feel quite competent and self-determining (see Chapter 2). Whether or not those who read the book will perceive me that way is also a concern of mine (an extrinsic one), but it is a wholly separate issue from the intrinsic rewards I have been experiencing. This book presents a theoretical perspective. It reviews an enormous amount of research which establishes unequivocally that intrinsic motivation exists. Also considered herein are various approaches to the conceptualizing of intrinsic motivation. The book concentrates on the approach which has developed out of the work of Robert White (1959), namely, that intrinsically motivated behaviors are ones which a person engages in so that he may feel competent and self-determining in relation to his environment. The book then considers the development of intrinsic motiva tion, how behaviors are motivated intrinsically, how they relate to and how intrinsic motivation is extrinsically motivated behaviors, affected by extrinsic rewards and controls. It also considers how changes in intrinsic motivation relate to changes in attitudes, how people attribute motivation to each other, how the attribution process is motivated, and how the process of perceiving motivation (and other internal states) in oneself relates to perceiving them in others.

Swiss National Forest Inventory – Methods and Models of the Fourth Assessment

Swiss National Forest Inventory – Methods and Models of the Fourth Assessment
Author: Christoph Fischer
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2019-09-24
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030192938

The Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI) is a forest survey on national level which started in 1982 and has already reached its 5th survey cycle (NFI5). It can be characterized as a multisource and multipurpose inventory where information is mainly collected from terrestrial field surveys using permanent sample plots. In addition, data from aerial photography, GIS and forest service questionnaires are also included. The NFI's main objective is to provide statistically reliable and sound figures to stakeholders such as politicians, researchers, ecologists, forest service, timber industry, national and international organizations as well as to international projects such as the Forest Resources Assessment of the United Nations. For Switzerland, NFI results are typically reported on national and regional level. State of the art methods are applied in all fields of data collection which have been proven to be of international interest and have even served as a basis for other European NFIs. The presented methods are applicable to any sample based forest inventory around the globe. In 2001 the Swiss NFI published its methods for the first time. Since then, many methodological changes and improvements have been introduced. This book describes the complete set of methods and revisions since NFI2. It covers various topics ranging from inventory design and statistics to remote sensing, field survey methods and modelling. It also describes data quality concepts and the software framework used for data storage, statistical analysis and result presentation.

Authentic Happiness

Authentic Happiness
Author: Martin Seligman
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2011-01-11
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1857884132

In this important, entertaining book, one of the world's most celebrated psychologists, Martin Seligman, asserts that happiness can be learned and cultivated, and that everyone has the power to inject real joy into their lives. In Authentic Happiness, he describes the 24 strengths and virtues unique to the human psyche. Each of us, it seems, has at least five of these attributes, and can build on them to identify and develop to our maximum potential. By incorporating these strengths - which include kindness, originality, humour, optimism, curiosity, enthusiasm and generosity -- into our everyday lives, he tells us, we can reach new levels of optimism, happiness and productivity. Authentic Happiness provides a variety of tests and unique assessment tools to enable readers to discover and deploy those strengths at work, in love and in raising children. By accessing the very best in ourselves, we can improve the world around us and achieve new and lasting levels of authentic contentment and joy.

Personality Assessment (Psychology Revivals)

Personality Assessment (Psychology Revivals)
Author: Philip E. Vernon
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2014-01-27
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1134751125

Originally published in 1964, the aim of this book was to analyse the psychological processes involved in understanding personality, and to consider how the psychologist could help in making more accurate assessments. Professor Vernon discusses in detail the scientific status of psychoanalytic and other ‘depth’ theories of motivation, the value of different types of psychotherapeutic treatment and counselling, the influence of upbringing on the development of personality, and the effectiveness of projective techniques. He also examines the reasons for the highly variable results obtained with personality tests and questionnaires. As well as providing a balanced review of theories of personality and of various types of test, this work made a fresh contribution to developing improved techniques of assessment.

Rehabilitation and Health Assessment

Rehabilitation and Health Assessment
Author: Elias Mpofu, PhD, DEd, CRC
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages: 756
Release: 2009-08-21
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0826157351

"Mpofu and Oakland have given us a volume of exceptional clarity, depth, and breadth, one whose utility extends well beyond rehabilitation psychology. As such, Rehabilitation and Health Assessment: Applying ICF Guidelines will be an outstanding text for courses in assessment at all levels of professional preparation and will serve as a valued reference source for future research in a wide variety of fields."--PsycCRITIQUES Instructor's Guide Available to Qualified Instructors! The World Health Organization's ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health) has undergone dramatic changes in the past decade, requiring that disability be understood in light of contextual, social, and personal factors. This examination of ICF guidelines provides a comprehensive survey of assessment tools, emerging technologies, and procedures necessary for personalizing rehabilitation and health care interventions. Editors Mpofu and Oakland have gathered an international team of experts to set forth this masterful volume-dedicated to helping students, researchers, and practitioners advance their understanding of test use, assessment, and measurement, using the framework and philosophy presented in the ICF model. With this book, readers will learn how to apply ICF guidelines effectively, by expanding their knowledge of: Professional issues, such as ethical quandaries, cultural and diversity considerations, and working with children and youth Cutting-edge assessment technologies, such as virtual world tools, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and pre-scored health status instruments Assessments of patients' adaptation to disability, such as measures of pain, forgiveness, self-efficacy and resilience, spirituality, and more Measures of participation, including physical and functional performance, community integration, sexual functioning, and recreational activities

Questionnaires in Second Language Research

Questionnaires in Second Language Research
Author: Zoltán Dörnyei
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2014-04-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135645981

One of the most common methods of data collection in second language research is using questionnaires of various kinds. In spite of the wide application of questionnaires in the second language field, there does not seem to be sufficient awareness in the profession about the theory of questionnaire design and processing. The usual--and in most cases false--perception is that anybody with a bit of common sense can design good questionnaires, and the practice of questionnaire design and use has remained largely uninformed by theory. As a consequence, it is all too common to see that studies which start out with exciting research questions are spoiled by the application of badly designed questionnaires and/or a lack of reliable and valid results due to faulty processing. One reason for the lack of sufficient awareness of questionnaire theory among language researchers is the absence of relevant summaries and training materials in the second language literature. The purpose of the current book is to fill this gap. The book is motivated by very practical purposes, namely to help researchers to increase the efficiency of their questionnaires and to avoid possible pitfalls. Accordingly, special care has been taken to avoid unnecesary jargon, to make the text accessible, and to relate everything to real-life situations. Illustrated by concrete examples, the book offers a thorough but accessible overview of the theory of questionnaire design, and administration and processing, with a special view on second language research applications. The conclusion summarizes the main points of questionnaire theory in a straightforward checklist that offers an easy-to-use tool for researchers. Researchers and students in TESOL and second-language programs and applied linguistics, with secondary markets in other language research (e.g., child language) will find this book useful.

Relationship Dysfunction

Relationship Dysfunction
Author: Louis J. Bevilacqua, MEd, PsyD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2007-01-29
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0826101127

This volume presents 18 different treatment modalities for the same case, demonstrating a rich variety of interventions available for treating relationship problems. Treatment approaches are divided into systems, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, integrative therapies, and postmodern theories. For students who want to prepare for licensure or professional counselors and therapists who want to improve their practice with couples, this newly available and affordable paperback will be an essential resource.