ARTICLES

College students' living arrangements and attitudes toward family roles: Demographic and value correlates
Sharon K. Araji and Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach

Abstract
Using data from the college population, Pearson correlations and regression were used to examine three hypotheses. The major hypothesis was that conformityoriented values are associated with college students' traditional living arrangements and family-related attitudes, while self-directed values are associated with nontraditional attitudes and behavior. Two other hypotheses focused on interrelationships among demographic variables, values, family-related attitudes, and living arrangements. General support was found for the major value-orientation hypothesis and mixed support for the secondary hypotheses. Comparing these findings with those of several other studies, we propose that there may be a subset of human values associated with general tendencies toward confomity and resistance to change on the one hand, and experimentation and receptivity to change on the other. A typology of such value orientations is put forward for future research in areas of sex roles, social change, sociopolitical conflict, and attitude and/or behavior change.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/jxq363115um40x55/

The Mean One of the most useful and widely used techniques for doing thisone which you already knowis the average, or, as it is know in statistics, the mean. And you know how to calculate the mean: you simply add up a set of scores and divide by the number of scores. Thus we have our first and perhaps the most basic statistical formula:

Where: (sometimes call the X-bar) is the symbol for the mean. (the Greek letter sigma) is the symbol for summation. X is the symbol for the scores. N is the symbol for the number of scores. So this formula simply says you get the mean by summing up all the scores and dividing the total by the number of scoresthe old average, which in this case were all familiar with, so its a good place to begin.

WHAT IS MULTIPLE REGRESSION? Multiple regression is a statistical technique that allows us to predict someones score on one variable on the basis of their scores on several other variables. An example might help. Suppose we were interested in predicting how much an individual enjoys their job. Variables such as salary, extent of academic qualifications, age, sex, number of years in full-time employment and socioeconomic status might all contribute towards job satisfaction. If we collected data on all of these variables, perhaps by surveying a few hundred members of the public, we would be able to see how many and which of these variables gave rise to the most accurate prediction of job satisfaction. We might find that job satisfaction is most accurately predicted by type of occupation, salary and years in full-time employment, with the other variables not helping us to predict job satisfaction. When using multiple regression in psychology, many researchers use the term independent variables to identify those variables that they think will influence some other dependent variable. We prefer to use the term predictor variables for those variables that may be useful in predicting the scores on another variable that we call the criterion variable. Thus, in our example above, type of occupation, salary and years in full-time employment would emerge as significant predictor variables, which allow us to estimate the criterion variable how satisfied someone is likely to be with their job. As we have pointed out before, human behaviour is inherently noisy and therefore it is not possible to produce totally accurate predictions, but multiple regression allows us to identify a set of predictor variables which together provide a useful estimate of a participants likely score on a criterion variable. HOW DOES MULTIPLE REGRESSION RELATE TO CORRELATION AND ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE? In a previous section (Chapter 4, Section 2), we introduced you to correlation and

MULTIPLE REGRESSION

Reality in the public sector is complex. Often there may be several possible causes associated with a problem; and likewise there may be several factors necessary for a solution. Complex statistical applications are needed which can: -deal with interval and ratio level variables -assess causal linkages -forecast future outcomes Ordinary least squares linear regression is the most widely used type of regression for predicting the value of one dependent variable from the value of one independent variable. It is also widely used for predicting the value of one dependent variable from the values of two or more independent variables. When there are two or more independent variables, it is called multiple regression.
STEPS IN MULTIPLE REGRESSION

The steps in multiple regression are basically the same as in simple regression. 1. State the research hypothesis. 2. State the null hypothesis 3. Gather the data 4. Assess each variable separately first (obtain measures of central tendency and dispersion; frequency distributions; graphs); is the variable normally distributed? 5. Assess the relationship of each independent variable, one at a time, with the dependent variable (calculate the correlation coefficient; obtain a scatter plot); are the two variables linearly related? 6. Assess the relationships between all of the independent variables with each other (obtain a correlation coefficient

matrix for all the independent variables); are the independent variables too highly correlated with one another? 7. Calculate the regression equation from the data 8. Calculate and examine appropriate measures of association and tests of statistical significance for each coefficient and for the equation as a whole 9. Accept or reject the null hypothesis 10. Reject or accept the research hypothesis 11. Explain the practical implications of the findings
ELEMENTS OF A MULTIPLE REGRESSION EQUATION

Y=a + b1X1 + b2X2 + b3X3 Y is the value of the Dependent variable (Y), what is being predicted or explained a (Alpha) is the Constant or intercept b1 is the Slope (Beta coefficient) for X1 X1 First independent variable that is explaining the variance in Y b2 is the Slope (Beta coefficient) for X2 X2 Second independent variable that is explaining the variance in Y b3 is the Slope (Beta coefficient) for X3 X3 Third independent variable that is explaining the variance in Y s.e.b1 standard error of coefficient b1 s.e.b2 standard error of coefficient b2 s.e.b3 standard error of coefficient b3 R2 The proportion of the variance in the values of the dependent variable (Y) explained by all the independent variables (Xs) in the

equation together; sometimes this is reported as adjusted R2, when a correction has been made to reflect the number of variables in the equation. F Whether the equation as a whole is statistically significant in explaining Y Example: The Department of Highway Safety wants to understand the influence of various factors on the number of annual highway fatalities. Hypothesis: Number of annual fatalities is affected by total population, days of snow, and avenge MPH on highways. Null hypothesis: Number of annual fatalities is not affected by total population, days of snow, or average MPH on highways. Dependent variable: Y is the number of traffic fatalities in a state in a given year Independent variable: X1 is the state's total population; X2 is the number of days it snowed; X3 is the average speed drivers were driving at for that year. Equation: Y = 1.4 + .00029 X1 + 2.4 X2 + 10.3 X3 Predicted value of Y: If X1=3,000,000, X2=2, and X3=65, then Y = 1.4 + .00029 (3,000,0000) + 2.4 (2) + 10.3 (65) = 1545.7 a=1.4 This is the number of traffic fatalities that would be expected if all three independent variables were equal to zero (no population, no days snowed, and zero average speed). b1=.00029 If X2 and X3 remain the same, this indicates that for each extra person in the population, the number of yearly traffic fatalities increases by .00029. b2=2.4

If X1 and X3 remain the same, this indicates that for each extra day of snow, Y increases by 2.4 additional traffic fatalities. b3= 10.3 If X1 and X2 remain the same, this indicates that for each mph increase in average speed, Y increases by 10.3 traffic fatalities. s.e.b1=.00003 Dividing b1 by s.e.b1 gives us a t-score of 9.66; p<.01. The t-score indicates that the slope of the b coefficient is significantly different from zero so the variable should be in the equation. s.e.2=.62 Dividing b2 by s.e.b2 gives us a t-score of 3.87; p<.01. The t-score indicates that the slope of the b coefficient is significantly different from zero so the variable should be in the equation. s.e.b3=1.1 Dividing b3 by s.e.b3 gives us a t-score of 9.36; p<.01. The t-score indicates that the slope of the b coefficient is significantly different from zero so the variable should be in the equation. R2 = .78 We can explain 78% of the difference in annual fatality rates among states if we know the states' populations, days of snow, and average highway speeds. F is statistically significant. The equation as a whole helps us to understand the dependent variable (Y). Conclusion: Reject the null hypothesis and accept the research hypothesis. Make recommendations for management implications and further research.

SOCIO ECONOMIC STATUS P PERSONALITY STUDENTS

Abstract
College students from divorce families are noted for resilience to adjustment problems yet vulnerability to distress. We studied the impact of parental divorce and two personality characteristics (social responsibility and other-direction) on college students' adjustment problems and distress. Participants (N=197) were 105 college students with divorced parents and 92 whose parental marriages were intact. The personality characteristics were measured with the Social Responsibility Scale and the Other-Direction subscale of the Personal Behavior Inventory. Adjustment problems and distress were measured with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-

R). Analyses indicated that all three predictor variables (parental divorce, social responsibility, and other-direction) were significantly associated with adjustment problems and distress. Parental divorce, however, was also related to higher social responsibility and lower other-direction, and this combination of personality characteristics was shown to reduce the relationship of divorce to adjustment problems but not to experienced distress. Results are discussed in the context of response to the social demands of college life. Keywords: Resilience; Divorce; Personality; Adjustment; Distress; College students

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397303000224

College students from families of divorce: keys to their resilience

Anne McIntyre N Englera
, a,

, Reva L Herona, 1, Michael D McIntyreb, Shacunda J Burtona, Jennifer

Purchase

Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, 307 Austin Pey Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0900, USA Department of Management, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

Available online 26 March 2003. "We all face challenges in our lives. But how we handle these challenges, how we look at life is truly what matters. We can all look at life one of two ways: 1. we can focus on the good and move forward, or, 2. we can focus on the negative and wallow in self pity." Catherine Pulsifer, from AN INSPIRATIONAL PERSON, JAYMAC