Quantum projections on conceptual subspaces: A deeper dive into methodological challenges and opportunities.

In alignment with the distributional hypothesis of language, the work "Quantum Projections on Conceptual Subspaces" (Martínez-Mingo A, Jorge-Botana G, Martinez-Huertas JÁ, et al. Quantum projections on conceptual subspaces. Cogn Syst Res 2023; 82: 101154) proposed a methodology for generating conceptual subspaces from textual information based on previous work (Martinez-Mingo A, Jorge-Botana G and Olmos R. Quantum approach for similarity evaluation in LSA vector space models. 2020). These subspaces enable the utilization of the quantum model of similarity put forth by Pothos and Busemeyer (Pothos E, Busemeyer J. A quantum probability explanation for violations of symmetry in similarity judgments. In Proceedings of the annual meeting of the cognitive science society, 2011, Vol. 33, No. 33), allowing for the empirical examination of the violations of assumptions concerning symmetry and triangular inequality (Tversky A. Features of similarity. Psychol Rev 1977; 84: 327-352; Yearsley JM, Barque-Duran A, Scerrati E, et al. The triangle inequality constraint in similarity judgments. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 2017; 130: 26-32), as well as the diagnosticity effect (Tversky A. Features of similarity. Psychol Rev 1977; 84: 327-352; Yearsley JM, Pothos EM, Barque-Duran A, et al. Context effects in similarity judgments. J Exp Psychol Gen 2022; 151: 711-717), within a data-driven environment. These psychological biases, deeply studied by authors such as Tversky and Kahneman, inform us about the limitations of modeling psychological similarity measures using tools from classical geometry. This commentary aims to offer methodological clarifications, discuss theoretical and practical implications, and speculate on future directions in this field of research. Concretely, it aims to propose the use of different contours (conceptual or contextual) to generate the subspaces, which lead to subspaces of terms or contexts. Once these contours are defined, a differentiation is proposed between Aggregated Terms Subspaces (ATSs), Aggregated Contexts Subspaces (ACSs), and Aggregated Features Subspaces (AFSs) depending on whether we define the subspaces by grouping the terms or contexts within the contour, or from the latent dimensions of the semantic space obtained in the contour window. Finally, new data is provided on the violation of the triangular inequality assumption through the application of the quantum similarity model to ATSs.

Are valence and arousal related to the development of amodal representations of words? A computational study.

In this study, we analyzed the relationship between the amodal (semantic) development of words and two popular emotional norms (emotional valence and arousal) in English and Spanish languages. To do so, we combined the strengths of semantics from vector space models (vector length, semantic diversity, and word maturity measures), and feature-based models of emotions. First, we generated a common vector space representing the meaning of words at different developmental stages (five and four developmental stages for English and Spanish, respectively) using the Word Maturity methodology to align different vector spaces. Second, we analyzed the amodal development of words through mixed-effects models with crossed random effects for words and variables using a continuous time metric. Third, the emotional norms were included as covariates in the statistical models. We evaluated more than 23,000 words, whose emotional norms were available for more than 10,000 words, in each language separately. Results showed a curve of amodal development with an increasing linear effect and a small quadratic deceleration. A relevant influence on the amodal development of words was found only for emotional valence (not for arousal), suggesting that positive words have an earlier amodal development and a less pronounced semantic change across early lifespan.

FoCo: A Shiny App for Formative Assessment using Cognitive Diagnosis Modeling / [FoCo: una aplicación Shiny para la evaluación formativa usando modelos de diagnóstico cognitivo]

Combining formative and summative evaluations could improve assessment. Cognitive diagnosis modeling (CDM) has been proposed as a tool for diagnosing students’ strengths and weaknesses in formative assessment. However, there is no user-friendly software to implement it. For this reason, a Shiny app, FoCo, has been developed (https://foco.shinyapps.io/FoCo/), to conduct CDM and classical test theory analyses. The responses from 86 undergraduate students to a research methods course examination were analyzed. Students’ strengths and needs were diagnosed concerning their dominance of the syllabus contents and the first three competencies in Bloom’s taxonomy. The validity of the results was analyzed. The exam showed acceptable about evaluating students’ knowledge, as students with similar scores showed different strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, these attributes were found to predict different relevant criteria. It is expected that FoCo’s easiness to use promotes the employment of CDM in real educational settings.(AU)

La combinación de evaluaciones formativas y sumativas podría mejorar la evaluación. El modelado de diagnóstico cognitivo (MDC) se ha propuesto para diagnosticar fortalezas y debilidades de estudiantes en la evaluación formativa. Sin embargo, ningún software permite implementarlo fácilmente. Así, se ha desarrollado FoCo (https://foco.shinyapps.io/FoCo/), permitiendo realizar análisis MDC y teoría clásica de tests. Se analizaron respuestas de 86 estudiantes de grado a un examen de métodos de investigación, diagnosticándose sus fortalezas y necesidades en cuanto a su dominio de los contenidos de la asignatura y las tres primeras competencias de la taxonomía de Bloom y se analizó la validez de los resultados. El análisis ha sido informativo, ya que para estudiantes con puntuaciones similares ha sido posible detectar diferentes fortalezas y debilidades. Además, se encontró que estos atributos predicen criterios relevantes. Se espera que FoCo facilite el uso de MDC en contextos educativos.(AU)

El proceso del estrés y el afrontamiento en cuidadores informales de personas con diagnóstico del espectro de la esquizofrenia. Un estudio longitudinal / The process of stress and coping in informal caregivers of people diagnosed with the schizophrenia spectrum. A longitudinal study

El objetivo de este estudio longitudinal fue analizar el papel del estrés y las estrategias de afrontamiento en la explicación de la carga y la depresión de familiares cuidadores de personas con diagnóstico del espectro de la esquizofrenia. Fueron evaluados 30 pacientes este diagnóstico y sus cuidadores informales (n= 30). Los participantes fueron evaluados en tres momentos temporales: línea base, a los 5 meses y a los 10 meses. Se encontró una disminución de los niveles de carga subjetiva con el paso del tiempo. Asimismo, la carga subjetiva y la depresión del cuidador mostraron una mayor relación con aquellas variables del paciente relacionadas con la sintomatología negativa. A nivel longitudinal, la evitación y la resignación mostraron una notable relación con la carga subjetiva y la depresión. Los posibles cambios en la evaluación de las demandas que el trastorno plantea y en las estrategias de afrontamiento empleadas por los cuidadores sugieren el desarrollo de un proceso de adaptación al trastorno por parte del cuidador. (AU)

The goal of this study was to analyze the role of stress factors and coping strategies in explaining the burden and depression of family caregivers of people diagnosed with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder through a longitudinal design. An evaluation was made of thirty patients with a diagnosis on the spectrum of schizophrenia and thirty informal caregivers. Participants were assessed at three successive moments: baseline, after 5 months, and after 10 months. A decrease in caregivers´ levels of subjective burden across time was found. At longitudinal level, most of the caregivers’ coping strategies showed a relevant relationship with subjective burden and depression at some assessment time. In addition, subjective burden and depression showed a higher relationship with the patient´s negative symptomatology. At longitudinal level, avoidant and resignation showed a relevant relationship with subjective burden and depression. The changes in the evaluation of the demands that the disorder placed on the caregivers and in their coping strategies suggest the development of a process of adaptation to the disorder by the caregiver. (AU)

Strong versus weak embodiment: Spatial iconicity in physical, abstract, and social semantic categories.

BACKGROUND: Perceptual and action systems seem to be related to complex cognitive processes, but the scope of grounded or embodied cognition has been questioned. Zwaan and Yaxley (2003) proposed that cognitive processes of making semantic relatedness judgments can be facilitated when word pairs are presented in ways that their referents maintain their iconic configuration rather than their reverse-iconic configuration (the spatial iconicity effect). This effect has been observed in different semantic categories using specific experiments, but it is known that embodiment is highly dependent on task demands. METHOD: The present study analyzed the spatial iconicity effect in three semantic categories (physical, abstract, and social) using the same experimental criteria to determine the scope of embodied cognition. In this reaction-time experiment, 75 participants judged the semantic relatedness of 384 word pairs whose experimental items were presented in their iconic or reverse-iconic configurations. RESULTS: Two mixed-effects models with crossed random effects revealed that the interaction between word meaning and spatial position was present only for physical concepts but neither for abstract nor social concepts. CONCLUSIONS: Within the framework of strong and weak embodiment theories, the data support weak embodiment theory as the most explicative one.

'I feel old and have aging stereotypes'. Internalized aging stereotypes and older adults' mental health: the mediational role of loneliness.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to analyze the role of aging stereotype activation (when older adults with aging stereotypes begin to consider themselves as older persons) in the relationship between ageist stereotypes, depressive, anxiety, loneliness, and comorbid anxiety-depressive symptoms. METHODS: Participants were 182 autonomous community-dwelling people between 60 and 88 (mean age = 72.30; SD = 5.53). Three path models were tested exploring the role of considering oneself as an older person as a moderator variable. Ageist stereotypes were included as the independent variable, loneliness as the mediating variable, and anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and comorbid anxiety-depressive symptoms as dependent variables for each model. RESULTS: The results suggest an influence of ageist stereotypes on anxiety, depressive, and comorbid anxiety-depressive symptoms only in older adults who consider themselves as older persons, and mediated by loneliness. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, when someone considers him or herself as an older person, ageist stereotypes activate loneliness feelings, and this activation is associated with psychological distress, including anxiety, depressive, and comorbid anxiety-depressive symptoms.

Cross-cultural analysis of the role of ambivalent feelings for understanding caregivers' depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are considered to cause ambivalent feelings in caregivers that may contribute to understanding their depressive symptoms. Transnational research is needed in order to increase our knowledge about the cross-cultural equivalence of theoretical models to understand caregivers' mental health. The aim of this study was to cross-culturally analyze the association between BPSD, ambivalent feelings and depressive symptoms in two samples of family caregivers of people with dementia from Spain and the UK. METHODS: Participants in this study were 432 caregivers who completed measures of BPSD, ambivalent feelings and depressive symptoms. The association between the assessed variables was tested through path-analysis, with differences between countries tested through multigroup analysis. RESULTS: The results suggest that the influence of BPSD on caregivers' depressive symptoms is indirect, through ambivalent feelings. The observed associations were equivalent between countries and explained a significant percentage of the variance of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provide, for the first time, evidence of equivalent cross-cultural paths analyzing the role of ambivalent feelings for understanding caregivers' depressive symptoms. The practical implications of these results are discussed.

Efecto de la exposición a ideales de delgadez en las redes sociales sobre la autoestima y la ansiedad / Effect of exposure to ideals of thinness on social media on self-esteem and anxiety

El uso de redes sociales está relacionado con la aparición de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria (TCA). Hemos evaluado experimentalmente el efecto de la exposición a redes sociales e imágenes estereotípicas del ideal de delgadez sobre la sintomatología de TCA, analizando el papel mediador de la ansiedad. Trescientos veintiún adultos jóvenes (166 mujeres) fueron asignados aleatoriamente a dos condiciones: de alta y baja carga comparativa con el ideal de delgadez. Encontramos una diminución de la autoestima en el grupo expuesto a imágenes de carga comparativa alta y un aumento de la ansiedad. El efecto de las imágenes sobre la autoestima está completamente mediado por el incremento en la ansiedad. No se encontraron cambios en la satisfacción corporal o la obsesión por la delgadez. Nuestro estudio muestra cómo la exposición breve a imágenes y perfiles representativos del ideal de delgadez parece tener un efecto sobre la autoestima de los participantes. Estos resultados evidencian la necesidad de dar a conocer las posibles consecuencias de las redes sociales, así como de promover un uso sano de las mismas. (AU)

Social networks use is related to the occurrence of eating disorders (ED). In this study, we experimentally evaluated the effect of exposure to social networks and stereotypical images of the thinness ideal on ED symptomatology, and analyzed the mediator role of anxiety in this process. A sample of 321 young adults of both sexes (166 females) were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions: high and low exposure to the thin ideal. Our results indicate a decrease in self-esteem in the group exposed to the thin images and an increase in anxiety. We found the effect of the images on self-esteem is completely mediated by the increase in anxiety. No changes in body satisfaction or drive for thinness were found. Our study shows how brief exposure to images and profiles representative of the thin ideal seems to influence participants' self-esteem. These results show the need to raise awareness of the possible consequences of social media, as well as to promote a healthy use of social networks. (AU)

Burnout and Quality of Life in Professionals Working in Nursing Homes: The Moderating Effect of Stereotypes.

Objective: This study aimed to analyse how stereotypes towards older people moderate the relationship between burnout and quality of life (QoL) of professionals working in nursing homes. Method: A total of 312 professionals were asked to complete questionnaires of burnout Maslach Burnout Inventory quality of Life (QPL-35) and aging stereotypes (CENVE). The moderation effects were tested using linear regression models. Results: A negative association was observed between burnout and QoL. It was also found a statistically significant moderator effect of the total score of stereotypes and the health stereotypes, besides a marginally statistically significant moderator effect for motivational stereotypes. The moderator effects were different for people with low and high negative stereotypes. QoL was more affected under conditions of high burnout, in which people with more negative stereotypes tended to present higher QoL than people with lower negative stereotypes. Conclusion: Highly burned-out professionals in nursing homes may avoid their negative feelings projecting them to residents through stereotypes, as a way of coping with burnout and increasing their QoL. However, this mechanism is an "aggressive reaction" and may have negative effects for both the older adult and the professional. The comprehension of these variables is essential for developing adequate intervention programs.

Longitudinal Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Older Adults' Wellbeing.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a major stressful life event. This pandemic is causing significant changes in older adults' daily life affecting their physical and mental health. Psychological wellbeing is a protective variable when facing adverse circumstances, like the COVID-19 pandemic. This study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on older adults' psychological wellbeing (personal growth and purpose in life) over time. Materials and Methods: One hundred ninety-two people over 60 years old participated in a longitudinal study. Data were collected in three time points: during the lockdown on March 2020, when the lockdown finished (4 months after baseline), and during the third wave (10 months after baseline). We used latent growth curve models to assess the linear longitudinal trajectories of psychological wellbeing. Results: Older adults did not show worse psychological wellbeing over time. Age has a positive impact on purpose in life. Furthermore, being a male, worrying about adverse effects of COVID-19, family functioning, resilience, personal growth, and acceptance associated with purpose in life. Discussion: These results suggest that despite the difficult circumstances experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults have used protective variables for their psychological wellbeing.

Distilling vector space model scores for the assessment of constructed responses with bifactor Inbuilt Rubric method and latent variables.

In this paper, we highlight the importance of distilling the computational assessments of constructed responses to validate the indicators/proxies of constructs/trins using an empirical illustration in automated summary evaluation. We present the validation of the Inbuilt Rubric (IR) method that maps rubrics into vector spaces for concepts' assessment. Specifically, we improved and validated its scores' performance using latent variables, a common approach in psychometrics. We also validated a new hierarchical vector space, namely a bifactor IR. 205 Spanish undergraduate students produced 615 summaries of three different texts that were evaluated by human raters and different versions of the IR method using latent semantic analysis (LSA). The computational scores were validated using multiple linear regressions and different latent variable models like CFAs or SEMs. Convergent and discriminant validity was found for the IR scores using human rater scores as validity criteria. While this study was conducted in the Spanish language, the proposed scheme is language-independent and applicable to any language. We highlight four main conclusions: (1) Accurate performance can be observed in topic-detection tasks without hundreds/thousands of pre-scored samples required in supervised models. (2) Convergent/discriminant validity can be improved using measurement models for computational scores as they adjust for measurement errors. (3) Nouns embedded in fragments of instructional text can be an affordable alternative to use the IR method. (4) Hierarchical models, like the bifactor IR, can increase the validity of computational assessments evaluating general and specific knowledge in vector space models. R code is provided to apply the classic and bifactor IR method.

Emotional distress among older adults during the COVID-19 outbreak: understanding the longitudinal psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Older adults have proven their ability to overcome adversities throughout their life. This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults' psychological distress (anxiety and depression) over time. METHODS: A community-dwelling Spaniard population (N = 192) completed a survey and reported on their sociodemographic characteristics, appraisal and personal resources. Older adults took part in a longitudinal online survey collected in April 2020 (during the lockdown restrictions) and at two subsequent time points 3 and 9 months after baseline (without lockdown restrictions and during the third wave of the pandemic respectively). RESULTS: Older adults did not evidence higher emotional distress than during the initial lockdown. Furthermore, depression remained stable and anxiety significantly decreased. Results also suggest that some sociodemographic characteristics, appraisals and personal resources are relevant. Older participants showed less anxiety than younger ones. Furthermore, being a male, resilience, and acceptance were related with the decrease of anxiety. Otherwise, fear of the COVID-19 outbreak and depression were related with the increase of anxiety. CONCLUSION: Older adults may adapt to the adverse pandemic impact by using more adaptive resources that reduce their distress. Efforts to ameliorate older adults' anxiety by focusing on older adults' personal resources should be considered.

Longitudinal Correlates of Loneliness and Psychological Distress During the Lockdown Situation due to COVID-19. Effects of Age and Self-Perceptions of Aging.

OBJECTIVES: To longitudinally analyze the correlates of loneliness and psychological distress in people exposed to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, exploring the effects of age and self-perceptions of aging (SPA). METHODS: A longitudinal follow-up of 1,549 participants was carried out at four different time points during the lockdown in Spain. Questions about the risk of COVID-19, age, SPA, family and personal resources, loneliness, and psychological distress were measured. RESULTS: Changes in loneliness showed a linear longitudinal trajectory through time, but changes in psychological distress showed a U-shaped relationship with time. Age was a relevant predictor of differences in distress, with older people reporting less psychological distress. Change in both dependent variables was related to change in different predictors like family and personal variables and also to negative SPA. DISCUSSION: In a stressful situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults may be more resilient to adverse mental health outcomes by using more adaptive resources that strengthen their resilience. Support is provided for the importance of stereotyped views of the aging process that, independently of chronological age, may put people at risk of suffering adverse mental health outcomes such as loneliness and psychological distress in times of crisis.

Toward a Biological, Psychological and Familial Approach of Eating Disorders at Onset: Case-Control ANOBAS Study.

Eating disorders (ED) are considered as heterogeneous disorders with a complex multifactor etiology that involves biological and environmental interaction. Objective: The aim was to identify specific ED bio-psychological-familial correlates at illness onset. Methods: A case-control (1:1) design was applied, which studied 50 adolescents diagnosed with ED at onset (12-17 years old) and their families, paired by age and parents' socio-educational level with three control samples (40 with an affective disorder, 40 with asthma, and 50 with no pathology) and their respective families. Biological, psychological, and familial correlates were assessed using interviews, standardized questionnaires, and a blood test. Results: After performing conditional logistic regression models for each type of variable, those correlates that showed to be specific for ED were included in a global exploratory model (R 2 = 0.44). The specific correlates identified associated to the onset of an ED were triiodothyronine (T3) as the main specific biological correlate; patients' drive for thinness, perfectionism and anxiety as the main psychological correlates; and fathers' emotional over-involvement and depression, and mothers' anxiety as the main familial correlates. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to use three specific control groups assessed through standardized interviews, and to collect a wide variety of data at the illness onset. This study design has allowed to explore which correlates, among those measured, were specific to EDs; finding that perfectionism and family emotional over-involvement, as well as the T3 hormone were relevant to discern ED cases at the illness onset from other adolescents with or without a concurrent pathology.

Validation of the professional good care scale in nursing homes (GCS-NH).

BACKGROUND: There is extensive concern about older people's care in institutions, especially recently in the past years. One of the reasons is linked to the cases of elder abuse, not only shown by academic and scientific sources, but also by social and mass media and their impact on public perception of the institutional setting. What is more, current COVID-19 pandemic consequences on older people have provoked alarm and worry especially about what is happening in institutions. METHODS: The sample for this study consists of 286 staff working in nursing homes in Spain. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Professional Good Care Scale in Nursing Homes (GCS-NH). RESULTS: Results of parallel analyses and exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) showed a four-factor model for the 32-item scale: humanization (9 items), non-infantilization (10 items), respect (7 items) and empowerment (6 items). Then, psychometric properties were tested analysing internal consistency (reliability) and convergent, divergent and criterion validity. High internal consistency (reliability) and different validity evidence were obtained for the total scores of the GCS-NH and its subscales. GCS-NH scores were also capable of detecting risk of probable institutional elder abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that this scale is an appropriate, valid, and reliable multidimensional instrument to evaluate good care in older institutionalized people by staff. Good care is an outcome of a complex construct in which a wide range of factors converge (staff, older people, and environmental characteristics). The GCS-NH has potential to be used as a multidimensional tool to assess good care.

Adding maintaining factors to developmental models of anorexia nervosa: An empirical examination in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: A biopsychosocial approach has been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa (AN), despite only a few of the existing etiological models having received empirical support. The aim of this study was to empirically investigate Herpertz-Dahlmann, Seitz, and Konrad (2011, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-011-0246-y)'s developmental model and to consider if interpersonal reactions to the illness might serve as maintaining factors following the model proposed by Treasure and Schmidt (2013, https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-2974-1-13) METHOD: One hundred adolescents and their families were participated in the study: 50 diagnosed with AN, paired by age and parents' socio-economic status with 50 adolescents without a pathology. Biological, psychological and familial variables were assessed using ten questionnaires and a blood analysis test. Additionally, structural equation modeling was conducted to assess two hypothetical models. RESULTS: The fit of both models was good after the addition of two covariate parameters (e.g., Comparative Fit Index > 0.96 and Tucker-Lewis Index > 0.95). Premorbid traits were linked to body dissatisfaction and to the number of stressful life events; this in turn was linked to AN symptoms. Biological and familial consequences reinforced this pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for both models, suggesting that inter relationships between bio-psycho-familial variables can influence the course of AN during adolescence.

It Must have been Burnout: Prevalence and Related Factors among Spanish PhD Students.

Recent studies in different countries indicate that PhD students are more vulnerable to psychological disorders compared to the general population. No such data are available for the Spanish population. This study addresses this issue by studying prevalence rates and factors related to a common response to prolonged stress such as burnout syndrome. Burnout, emotional abilities, resilience, satisfaction with the dissertation advisor, and sociodemographic data were collected from 305 PhD students. The results indicated that the burnout rates are high in this group, especially for the emotional exhaustion dimension. Different linear regression models explained between 14% and 41% of the overall burnout scores variance and its dimensions. The psychological variables and the satisfaction with the dissertation advisor were the most relevant predictors. Consistent with what has been found in other countries, the evidence found indicates that the mental state of PhD students in Spain is alarming. The results of this study have important implications for the design and implementation of interventions to alleviate this problem.

It must have been burnout: prevalence and related factors among Spanish PhD students

Recent studies in different countries indicate that PhD students are more vulnerable to psychological disorders compared to the general population. No such data are available for the Spanish population. This study addresses this issue by studying prevalence rates and factors related to a common response to prolonged stress such as burnout syndrome. Burnout, emotional abilities, resilience, satisfaction with the dissertation advisor, and sociodemographic data were collected from 305 PhD students. The results indicated that the burnout rates are high in this group, especially for the emotional exhaustion dimension. Different linear regression models explained between 14% and 41% of the overall burnout scores variance and its dimensions. The psychological variables and the satisfaction with the dissertation advisor were the most relevant predictors. Consistent with what has been found in other countries, the evidence found indicates that the mental state of PhD students in Spain is alarming. The results of this study have important implications for the design and implementation of interventions to alleviate this problem

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Metacomprehension skills depend on the type of text: an analysis from differential item functioning / Las habilidades metacomprensivas dependen del tipo de texto: un análisis desde el Funcionamiento Diferencial de los Ítems

Background: Metacomprehension skills determine an individual reader’s ability to judge their degree of learning and text comprehension and have considerable importance in their ability to learn from reading. Given that many comprehension processes are influenced by text characteristics, the aim of the present study was to analyze whether different types of text have significant impact on metacomprehension skills at two different points in primary education. Method: A total of 823 students (4th and 6th years of primary school, 9 to 11 years old) read three different texts (narrative, expository and discontinuous texts) taken from ECOM-PLEC.Pri, a standardized Spanish test for reading comprehension (León, Escudero, & Olmos, 2012). Students were classified by their metacomprehension skills. A Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis was conducted in order to analyze whether the underlying reading comprehension and metacomprehension processes differed across text types. Results: Results showed a considerable divergence of performance for reading narrative texts as opposed to expository and discontinuous texts. These differences were related to academic level. Conclusion: Text characteristics such as the type of text can have a great impact on metacomprehension skills and, consequently, on learning

Antecedentes: la metacomprensión supone la habilidad que uno mismo posee para juzgar su grado de aprendizaje y comprensión de un texto, adquiriendo una gran importancia en la comprensión lectora. Dado que los procesos de comprensión se encuentran influenciados por las características de los textos, el objetivo de este estudio fue analizar si diferentes tipos de texto afectan de manera significativa a la habilidad metacomprensiva de estudiantes de distintos niveles de Educación Primaria. Método: un total de 823 estudiantes de 4º y 6º de Primaria (9 y 11 años) leyeron tres textos diferentes (narrativo, expositivo y discontinuo) tomados de la prueba estandarizada de comprensión lectora ECOMPLEC.Pri (León, Escudero, y Olmos, 2012). Los estudiantes fueron clasificados por su nivel de metacomprensión obtenido en la prueba. Un Análisis Diferencial del Ítem (DIF) se aplicó para analizar si los procesos de comprensión lectora y de metacomprensión difieren entre tipos de texto y niveles académicos de los participantes. Resultados: los resultados mostraron una notable divergencia en el rendimiento metacognitivo del texto narrativo frente a los textos expositivo y discontinuo. Estas diferencias estaban relacionadas con el nivel académico. Conclusión: el tipo de texto puede tener un gran impacto en las habilidades de metacomprensión y, consecuentemente, en el aprendizaje de textos

Analyzing Two Automatic Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) Assessment Methods (Inbuilt Rubric vs. Golden Summary) in Summaries Extracted from Expository Texts / Análisis de dos métodos de evaluación automática de análisis semántico latente (LSA): un nuevo método LSA (Inbuilt Rubric) y un método LSA tradicional (Golden Sum)

The purpose of this study was to compare two automatic assessment methods using Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA): a novel LSA assessment method (Inbuilt Rubric) and a traditional LSA method (Golden Summary). Two conditions were d using the Inbuilt Rubric method: the number of lexical descriptors needed to better accommodate an expert rubric (few vs. many) and a weighting to penalize off-topic contents d in the student summaries (weighted vs. non-weighted). One hundred and sixty-six students divided in two different samples (81 undergraduates and 85 High School students) took part in this study. Students summarized two expository texts that differed in complexity (complex/ easy) and length (1,300/500 words). Results showed that the Inbuilt Rubric method simulates human assessment better than Golden summaries in all cases. The similarity with human assessment was higher for Inbuilt Rubric (r = .78 and r = .79) than for Golden Summary (r = .67 and r = .47) in both texts. Moreover, to accommodate an expert rubric into the Inbuilt Rubric method was better using few descriptors and the weighted

El objetivo de este estudio es comparar dos métodos de evaluación automática del análisis semántico latente (LSA): Un nuevo método LSA (Inbuilt Rubric) y un método LSA tradicional (Golden Summary). Se analizaron dos condiciones del método Inbuilt Rubric: el número de descriptores léxicos que se utilizan para generar la rúbrica (pocos vs. muchos) y una corrección que penaliza el contenido irrelevante incluido en los resúmenes de los estudiantes (corregido vs. no corregido). Ciento sesenta y seis estudiantes divididos en dos muestras (81 estudiantes universitarios y 85 estudiantes de instituto) participaron en este estudio. Los estudiantes resumieron dos textos expositivos que tenían distinta complejidad (difícil/fácil) y longitud (1,300/500 palabras). Los resultados mostraron que el método Inbuilt Rubric imita las evaluaciones humanas mejor que Golden Summary en todos los casos. La similitud con las evaluaciones humanas fue más alta con Inbuilt Rubric (r = .78 and r = .79) que con Golden Summary (r = .67 and r = .47) en ambos textos. Además, la versión de Inbuilt Rubric con menor número de descriptores y con corrección es la que obtuvo mejores resultados