Nonlinear mixed-effects models are models in which one or more coefficients of the growth model enter in a nonlinear manner, such as appearing in the exponent of the growth function. In their applications, the within-individual residuals are often assumed to be independent with constant variance across time, an assumption that implies that the…

When individuals engage in divergent thinking, they vary on their Elaboration, or the degree to which they explain and embellish their responses. Although Elaboration has been considered relevant to creativity research for decades, its measurement has remained under-developed. Here, we leverage technical and methodological perspectives from the…

The article focuses on estimating effects in nonrandomized studies with two outcome measurement occasions and one predictor variable. Given such a design, the analysis approach can be to include the measurement at the previous time point as a predictor in the regression model (ANCOVA), or to predict the change-score of the outcome variable…

Missing observations are pervasive throughout empirical research, especially in the social sciences. Despite multiple approaches to dealing adequately with missing data, many scholars still fail to address this vital issue. In this article, we present a simple-to-use method for generating multiple imputations (MIs) using a Gaussian copula. The…

Complex social scientific theories are conventionally tested using linear structural equation modeling (SEM). However, the underlying assumptions of linear SEM often prove unrealistic, making the decomposition of direct and indirect effects problematic. Recent advancements in causal mediation analysis can help to address these shortcomings,…

This article introduces the concept of the carrying capacity of data (CCD), defined as an integrated, evaluative judgment of the credibility of specific data-based inferences, informed by quantitative and qualitative analyses, leavened by experience. The sequential process of evaluating the CCD is represented schematically by a framework that can…

Objectives: Discussions of fairness in criminal justice risk assessments typically lack conceptual precision. Rhetoric too often substitutes for careful analysis. In this article, we seek to clarify the trade-offs between different kinds of fairness and between fairness and accuracy. Methods: We draw on the existing literatures in criminology,…

In 1995, Theeuwes and Godthelp published a paper called "self-explaining roads," in which they argued for the development of a new concept for approaching safe road design. Since this publication, self-explaining roads (SER) became one of the leading principles in road design worldwide. The underlying notion is that roads should be…

This is the fifth in a series of statistical articles for mathematics teachers. In this article the authors discuss graphs for exploring relationships between one categorical variable and one numerical variable using stemplots and boxplots and between two numerical variables, using scatterplots and time series plots. [For "The Data Files 4:…

Research studies in Educational Data Mining (EDM) often involve several variables related to student learning activities. As such, it may be necessary to run multiple statistical tests simultaneously, thereby leading to the problem of multiple comparisons. The Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) procedure is commonly used in EDM research to address this…

It is not always clear how to adjust for control data in causal inference, balancing the goals of reducing bias and variance. We show how, in a setting with repeated experiments, Bayesian hierarchical modeling yields an adaptive procedure that uses the data to determine how much adjustment to perform. The result is a novel analysis with increased…

Equating is a family of statistical models and methods used to adjust scores on different test forms so that they can be comparable and used interchangeably. Equated scores are obtained estimating the equating transformation function, which maps the scores on the scale of one test form into their equivalents on the scale of other one. All the…

Statistical tests have been an important tool for interpreting the results of research correctly. The factors that influence the determination of the statistical test are research purpose, hypothesis and data. Today, statistical tests are used more frequently, and they aim to analyze whether statistical tests are used in accordance with research.…

Following Mayhew and Simonoff's recent work (2015), we describe effect coding, an alternative to dummy coding, and present an example of its application for research and assessment in higher education and student affairs.

When correlation between variables is not explicit, data can be collected by adapting the quantitative measurement tools in use for quantitative measurement of possibility, a nonlinear measurement. This adaptation is possible because measurement data can be evaluated more qualitatively using parameters for possibility. These can be defined as…