scholarly journals Does the hα-index reinforce the Matthew effect in science? The introduction of agent-based simulations into scientometrics

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lutz Bornmann ◽  
Christian Ganser ◽  
Alexander Tekles ◽  
Loet Leydesdorff
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Behavior ◽  
Research Evaluation ◽  
R Package ◽  
Matthew Effect ◽  
Cumulative Advantage ◽  
H Index ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
New Variant ◽  
The Matthew Effect

Recently, Hirsch (2019a) proposed a new variant of the h-index called the hα-index. The hα-index was criticized by Leydesdorff, Bornmann, and Opthof (2019) . One of their most important points is that the index reinforces the Matthew effect in science. The Matthew effect was defined by Merton (1968) as follows: “the Matthew effect consists in the accruing of greater increments of recognition for particular scientific contributions to scientists of considerable repute and the withholding of such recognition from scientists who have not yet made their mark” (p. 58). We follow up on the point about the Matthew effect in the current study by using a recently developed Stata command (h_index) and R package (hindex), which can be used to simulate h-index and hα-index applications in research evaluation. The user can investigate under which conditions hα reinforces the Matthew effect. The results of our study confirm what Leydesdorff et al. (2019) expected: The hα-index reinforces the Matthew effect. This effect can be intensified if strategic behavior of the publishing scientists and cumulative advantage effects are additionally considered in the simulation.

scholarly journals The Matthew Effect in Recovery from Smartphone Addiction in a 6-Month Longitudinal Study of Children and Adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (13) ◽  
pp. 4751
Author(s):  
Seung-Yup Lee ◽  
Hae Kook Lee ◽  
Jung-Seok Choi ◽  
Soo-young Bang ◽  
Min-Hyeon Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Matthew Effect ◽  
Smartphone Addiction ◽  
Addiction Severity ◽  
Successful Recovery ◽  
The Matthew Effect ◽  
Smartphone Use ◽  
Goal Instability

The clinical course of problematic smartphone use (PSU) remains largely unknown due to a lack of longitudinal studies. We recruited 193 subjects with smartphone addiction problems for the present study. After providing informed consent, the subjects completed surveys and underwent comprehensive interviews regarding smartphone usage. A total of 56 subjects among the 193 initially recruited subjects were followed up for six months. We compared baseline characteristics between persistent addicted users and recovered users at the end of the 6-month follow-up. Persistent problematic smartphone users displayed higher baseline smartphone addiction severity and were more prone to develop mental health problems at the follow-up. However, baseline depressive or anxiety status did not significantly influence the course of PSU. PSU behaved more like an addictive disorder rather than a secondary psychiatric disorder. Harm avoidance, impulsivity, higher Internet use, and less conversation time with mothers were identified as poor prognostic factors in PSU. Lower quality of life, low perceived happiness, and goal instability also contributed to persistent PSU, while recovery increased these scores as well as measures of self-esteem. These findings suggest that the Matthew effect is found in the recovery of PSU with better premorbid psychosocial adjustment leading to a more successful recovery. Greater clinical resources are required for interventions in vulnerable populations to modify the course of this increasingly prevalent problematic behavior worldwide.

Fellowship Behavior in Division 17 and the MOMM Cartel

1991 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Horan ◽  
Chris D. Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Sociology Of Science ◽  
Matthew Effect ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
The Other ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Scholarly Productivity ◽  
Governing Body ◽  
The Matthew Effect ◽  
Counseling Psychologists

Graduates and employees of four institutions-the MOMM Cartel-dominate every science and practice organ of Division 17's governing body. Counseling psychologists from the other 60 academic programs (the OUTSIDERs) face numerous barriers to professional ascendancy. Six of 13 fellow nominees during the 1988-1989 year were MOMM members; none were rejected. Three OUTSIDERs were elected; four were rejected. Mean scholarly productivity for each group was 13, 21.3, and 19.7 Psyc LIT citations, respectively. The accepted OUTSIDERs were significantly more productive than the MOMMs; two of the four rejected OUTSIDERs ranked numbers one and two in scholarly productivity among all nominees. No relationship appeared between scholarship and fellow decisions; MOMM membership strongly predicted election to fellow status. Personal familiarity with the evaluators, rather than professional service, apparently accounts for these filings -a variant of the "Matthew Effect" discussed in the sociology-of-science literature Recommendations for reform are offered

Systems of Evaluation and the Matthew Effect

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sauder
Keyword(s):  
Information Flow ◽  
Matthew Effect ◽  
High Status ◽  
The Matthew Effect ◽  
Definition Of

Existing research on the Matthew Effect establishes that this dynamic can alter information flow and the distribution of rewards in ways that lead to cumulating advantages for high status actors. We know little, however, about how systems of evaluation, and especially variations in systems of evaluations, influence the expression and strength of these outcomes. Drawing on analyses of the effects of rankings on organizations, I consider how different evaluation contexts can change both audience perceptions about which organizations are award worthy and the definition of merit on which reward distributions are based.

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