The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale was developed to measure individual differences in the tendency to be mindful. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in a heterogeneous sample of 565 nonmeditators and 612 meditators using the polytomous Rasch model. The results showed that some items did not function the same way for these two groups. Overall, meditators had higher mean estimates than nonmeditators. The analysis identified a group of items as highly discriminating. Using a different model, Van Dam, Earleywine, and Borders in 2010 identified the same group of items as highly discriminating, and concluded that they were the items with the most information. Multiple pieces of evidence from the Rasch analysis showed that these items discriminate highly because of local dependence, hence do not supply independent information. We discussed how these different conclusions, based on similar findings, result from two very different paradigms in measurement.

Forward serial recall is affected by a diverse range of phonological factors that are readily replicated and relatively well understood. In contrast with backward recall, these phonological effects are not consistently replicable in that some studies show that the effects are present and some show the effects are absent or severely attenuated. Moreover at the theoretical level there is no consensus about how participants perform backward recall. The current research was aimed at understanding the differences between forward and backward recall by using meta-analytic techniques on 16 previously published experiments that examined the effects of benchmark phonological factors on both forward and backward recall. In each of the studies, recall was decomposed into 2 components, the first 2 items output and the remaining later responses. A consistent pattern emerged in the data. Each effect was present in both the early and late output positions in forward recall. The effects were present in the late output positions in backward recall, but the effects were weaker than in forward recall. The phonological variables had little impact on early output in backward recall (with the exceptions of articulatory suppression). The presence of qualitative differences between forward and backward recall and quantitative differences between studies have implications for the theoretical understanding of direction of recall in immediate memory tasks.

QUEENSLAND HEALTH IMPLEMENTED the ?Better Workplaces? staff opinion survey (the survey) in May 2006. The initiative stands as the largest single staff survey ever conducted in Queensland, and one of the largest in Australia. This case study outlines the process of this project, the outcomes to date and some of the pitfalls and successes along the way. Logistically it involved 37 health service districts and 10 corporate areas spread across the state. The survey process incorporated four survey periods over two years. The aim of the survey was: to improve workplace culture at the local level and across the organisation as a whole. Workplace culture is defined by Cole as ?The collection of unwritten rules, codes of behaviour and norms by which people operate, how we do things around here?1 Queensland Health proposed to improve its workplace culture by listening to staff and developing and driving targeted action plans following the survey with each district and division to create a climate of trust, respect, and innovation among staff which will ultimately improve patient outcomes. ?. . . The creation of a culture that is free of blame and encourages an open examination of error and failure is a key feature of services dedicated to quality improvement and to learning.?

In April 2006, the Workplace Culture and Leadership Centre (the Centre) from Queensland Health launched the ?Better Workplaces? initiative. The objective was to improve workplace culture and increase the capabilities of its leaders. A comprehensive program of leadership development complemented the workplace culture improvement strategy. As part of the initiative, the Centre launched a series of staff opinion surveys to monitor workplace culture improvement over time. To ensure the survey process was action oriented, the Workplace Culture Team developed a companion process ensuring the results were acted upon and tangible improvements were realised. This resulted in a comprehensive and robust process involving the development and implementation of action plans in every district and division in Queensland Health.