ABSTRACT
Over the last few decades, researchers have become increasingly aware of the need to consider intraindividual variability in the form of cyclic processes. In this paper, we review two contemporary cyclic state-space models: Young and colleagues' dynamic harmonic regression model and Harvey and colleagues' stochastic cycle model. We further derive the analytic equivalence between the two models, discuss their unique strengths and propose multiple-subject extensions. Using data from a study on human postural dynamics and a daily affect study, we demonstrate the use of these models to represent within-person non-stationarities in cyclic dynamics and interindividual differences therein. The use of diagnostic tools for evaluating model fit is also illustrated.
Subject(s)
Behavioral Sciences/statistics & numerical data , Individuality , Models, Statistical , Periodicity , Regression Analysis , Stochastic Processes , Adolescent , Affect , Female , Humans , Kinesthesis , Male , Orientation , Proprioception , Psychometrics/statistics & numerical data , Reproducibility of Results , Young AdultABSTRACT
The authors present in this study a damped oscillator model that provides a direct mathematical basis for testing the notion of emotion as a self-regulatory thermostat. Parameters from this model reflect individual differences in emotional lability and the ability to regulate emotion. The authors discuss concepts such as intensity, rate of change, and acceleration in the context of emotion, and they illustrate the strengths of this approach in comparison with spectral analysis and growth curve models. The utility of this modeling approach is illustrated using daily emotion ratings from 179 college students over 52 consecutive days. Overall, the damped oscillator model provides a meaningful way of representing emotion regulation as a dynamic process and helps identify the dominant periodicities in individuals' emotions.
Subject(s)
Emotions , Models, Theoretical , Adult , Female , Homeostasis , Humans , Male , PeriodicitySubject(s)
Certification , Dental Assistants/education , Educational Measurement/standards , Licensure, Dental/standards , Specialty Boards/standards , Clinical Competence/standards , Dental Assistants/standards , Dental Assistants/trends , Humans , Licensure, Dental/trends , Regression Analysis , United StatesABSTRACT
Using data from 17 years of a large and nationally representative panel study from Germany, the authors examined whether there is a set point for life satisfaction (LS)--stability across time, even though it can be perturbed for short periods by life events. The authors found that 24% of respondents changed significantly in LS from the first 5 years to the last 5 years and that stability declined as the period between measurements increased. Average LS in the first 5 years correlated .51 with the 5-year average of LS during the last 5 years. Height, weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and personality traits were all more stable than LS, whereas income was about as stable as LS. Almost 9% of the sample changed an average of 3 or more points on a 10-point scale from the first 5 to last 5 years of the study.
