Giving formal definitions: a linguistic or metalinguistic skill?

1991 ◽  
pp. 90-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Snow ◽  
Herlinda Cancino ◽  
Jeanne De Temple ◽  
Sara Schley
Keyword(s):  
Formal Definitions

The Development of Preliminary HiTOP Internalizing Spectrum Scales

Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110039
Author(s):  
David Watson ◽  
Miriam K. Forbes ◽  
Holly F. Levin-Aspenson ◽  
Camilo J. Ruggero ◽  
Yuliya Kotelnikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Self Report ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Item Pool ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
Body Dysmorphia ◽  
Item Writing ◽  
Report Measure

As part of a broader project to create a comprehensive self-report measure for the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology consortium, we developed preliminary scales to assess internalizing symptoms. The item pool was created in four steps: (a) clarifying the range of content to be assessed, (b) identifying target constructs to guide item writing, (c) developing formal definitions for each construct, and (d) writing multiple items for each construct. This yielded 430 items assessing 57 target constructs. Responses from a heterogeneous scale development sample ( N = 1,870) were subjected to item-level factor analyses based on polychoric correlations. This resulted in 39 scales representing a total of 213 items. The psychometric properties of these scales replicated well across the development sample and an independent validation sample ( N = 496 adults). Internal consistency analyses established that most scales assess relatively narrow forms of psychopathology. Structural analyses demonstrated the presence of a strong general factor. Additional analyses of the 35 nonsexual dysfunction scales revealed a replicable four-factor structure with dimensions we labeled Distress, Fear, Body Dysmorphia, and Mania. A final set of analyses established that the internalizing scales varied widely—and consistently—in the strength of their associations with neuroticism and extraversion.

COMPLEXITY MAPS REVEAL CLUSTERS IN NEURONAL ARBORIZATIONS

Fractals ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 02 (02) ◽  
pp. 297-301
Author(s):  
B. DUBUC ◽  
S. W. ZUCKER ◽  
M. P. STRYKER
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Local Structure ◽  
Dendritic Tree ◽  
Local Information ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Rate Of Growth ◽  
Local Complexity ◽  
Formal Definitions

A central issue in characterizing neuronal growth patterns is whether their arbors form clusters. Formal definitions of clusters have been elusive, although intuitively they appear to be related to the complexity of branching. Standard notions of complexity have been developed for point sets, but neurons are specialized "curve-like" objects. Thus we consider the problem of characterizing the local complexity of a "curve-like" measurable set. We propose an index of complexity suitable for defining clusters in such objects, together with an algorithm that produces a complexity map which gives, at each point on the set, precisely this index of complexity. Our index is closely related to the classical notions of fractal dimension, since it consists in determining the rate of growth of the area of a dilated set at a given scale, but it differs in two significant ways. First, the dilation is done normal to the local structure of the set, instead of being done isotropically. Second, the rate of growth of the area of this new set, which we named "normal complexity", is taken at a fixed (given) scale instead instead of around zero. The results will be key in choosing the appropriate representation when integrating local information in low level computer vision. As an application, they lead to the quantification of axonal and dendritic tree growth in neurons.

Formal Definitions and Myths in My Paintings

Leonardo ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Ethel Schwabacher
Keyword(s):  
Formal Definitions

Formal Definitions of Paraphyly and Polyphyly

1974 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 548 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Farris
Keyword(s):  
Formal Definitions

Numerical classification of French vegetation of Carici caryophylleae – Genistetea lobelii J.-C. Klein 1972

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e68062
Author(s):  
Pauline Delbosc ◽  
Mathieu Le Dez ◽  
Jean-Bernard Bouzillé ◽  
Kevin Cianfaglione ◽  
Frédéric Bioret
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Numerical Classification ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Diagnostic Species ◽  
Plant Associations ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
Twinspan Classification ◽  
New Association

Carici-Genistetea lobelii Klein 1972 corresponds to cyrno-sardinian oromediterranean cushion scrub and related grasslands. In France, this class is only present in Corsica and the syntaxonomic scheme is debated among phytosociologists. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main plant associations of Carici-Genistetea lobelii Klein 1972 and to define the diagnostic species for each phytosociological unit. We compiled 519 vegetation plots and we applied EuropeanVegetationChecklist expert system for the classes of European vegetation to retain only vegetation plots belonging to Carici-Genistetea lobelii. We obtained a dataset with 189 vegetation plots and we classified them with Modified TWINSPAN classification. Our analyses recognized 6 plant associations and 3 sub-associations already described in the literature; and to describe a new alliance corresponding to the supra-mediterranean vegetations (Genistion salzmannii), a new association (Brimeuro fastigiatae-Juniperetum nanae) and its sub-association (alnetosum suaveolentis). For each of them, we identified diagnostic, constant and dominant species and produced their distribution map. Formal definitions were then written for each phytosociological unit (from subassociation to class) and grouped in an expert system to automatically classify the vegetations of Carici-Genistetea lobelii.

scholarly journals Desiderata for Controlled Medical Vocabularies in the Twenty-First Century

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (04/05) ◽  
pp. 394-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Cimino
Keyword(s):  
Medical Informatics ◽  
First Century ◽  
Medical Informatics Applications ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
The Common ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Multiple Granularities ◽  
Do So

AbstractBuilders of medical informatics applications need controlled medical vocabularies to support their applications and it is to their advantage to use available standards. In order to do so, however, these standards need to address the requirements of their intended users. Overthe past decade, medical informatics researchers have begun to articulate some of these requirements. This paper brings together some of the common themes which have been described, including: vocabulary content, concept orientation, concept permanence, nonsemantic concept identifiers, polyhierarchy, formal definitions, rejection of “not elsewhere classified” terms, multiple granularities, mUltiple consistent views, context representation, graceful evolution, and recognized redundancy. Standards developers are beginning to recognize and address these desiderata and adapt their offerings to meet them.

Longitudinal measurement of growth in definitional skill

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRENDA F. KURLAND ◽  
CATHERINE E. SNOW
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Academic Culture ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
Low Income Children ◽  
Longitudinal Measurement ◽  
Formal Definitions ◽  
Low Income Mothers

This study examines individual growth rates in definitional skill over a period of three to six years, for 68 low-income children. Children were asked to define words once a year at school, from kindergarten (youngest administration at 5;3) through fourth grade (oldest administration at 10;10). A plateau was observed between age nine and ten both for percent formal definitions (characterized by presence of a superordinate) and for the quality of formal definitions. The plateau was lower than the theoretical ceiling for these measures. However, the children appear to have attained ‘adult levels’ of definitional skill: forty-seven fourth-graders (aged 9;1 to 10;10) performed higher, on average, than their own mothers when giving definitions. These results support the notion that definitional skill is related to being part of an academic culture: low-income mothers, whose formal schooling is complete, generally do not give oral definitions to simple nouns as well as do their nine- to ten-year-old children.

The Concept of Family

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1426-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Weigel
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Family Study ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Classical Definition ◽  
Formal Definitions

Family scholars have offered a host of formal definitions of family with little consensus. One reason scholars may have trouble reaching agreement is that rather than having a classical definition, there may be a variety of features and forms of family that people consider more typical than others. Three studies were undertaken to gain a better understanding of laypeople's concept of family. Study 1 indicates that people have central features and attributes that they ascribe to the concept of family. Study 2 likewise reveals that certain forms of family are considered more exemplary than others. Study 3 brings the elements of features and forms together and provides evidence of a possible underlying structure of family in which central features are matched with central forms. Research, measurement, and social policy implications for the study of family are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document