The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of Beaton~{!/~}s MR and MSR fit indices for assessing goodness-of-fit of IRT models. These statistics are based on a standardized residual calculated from an expected and observed response. The investigation was conducted using a Monte...

This dissertation investigated the use of various techniques in modeling non-linear change in the context of latent growth modeling. A simulation study was conducted utilizing four between subjects factors: sample size (50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300 and 500), slope variance (.15, .45 and .75),...

One of the sources of inaccuracy in parameter estimates of multilevel models is omitted variable bias, caused by the omission of an important predictor. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of six estimation procedures in estimating the fixed effects when a level-2...

Aim This study determined the extent to which alcohol and marijuana use during adolescence mediates the relation between transmissible risk for substance use disorder (SUD) and lifetime number of different types of violent offenses.Methods The transmissible liability index was administered to...

Purpose The factors that distinguish adolescent male and female substance abusers with and without legal problems were investigated.Method Youths (N = 4,071) admitted for substance abuse treatment were administered the revised Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI-R) to measure severity of...

Assessing IRT model-fit and comparing different IRT models from a Bayesian perspective is gaining attention. This research evaluated the performance of Bayesian model-fit and model-comparison techniques in assessing the fit of unidimensional Graded Response (GR) models and comparing different GR...

The focus of this study iswhether reforms ofgovernance guidelines and standards proposed for publicly held corporations areappropriate for closely held, family-owned businesses. Two models of governanceare contrasted: the market model of corporate governance is common (especiallyin the U.S.,...