Xinshu Zhao

TL;DR: In a recent debate in Beijing over socalled "neo-authoritarianism," a theory advocated by some political science advisers to former party leader Zhao Ziyang, this school proposed a more authoritarian government to ensure the course of modernization in China.

Abstract: Zhao, Liu, & Deng (2013) reviewed 22 inter-coder reliability indices, and found that each makes unrealistic assumption(s) about coder behavior, leading to paradoxes and abnormalities. Krippendorff’s α makes more of such assumptions, consequently produces more paradoxes and abnormalities than any other index. Professor Krippendorff (2013) countered that “most of the authors’ discoveries are the artifacts of being led astray by strange, almost conspiratorial uses of language.” The commentary reiterated Krippendorff’s long-standing position that Krippendorff’s α is the standard reliability measure, and is the only index qualified to serve the function (Hayes & Krippendorff, 2007; Krippendorff, 2004b, 2016). This paper continues this dialogue. We offer a review of literature to show that the scientific community, including Krippendorff, has defined intercoder reliability as intercoder agreement, and Krippendorff’s α, like all its main competitors, was designed and declared to measure intercoder agreement. Now that evidences are mounting that α, like Scott’s π and Cohen’s κ, does not accurately measure intercoder agreement, Krippendorff chose to redefine intercoder reliability and, furthermore, redefine information, variation, sensitivity, and specificity. By redefining reliability, we argue, Prof. Krippendorff has redefined the function of Krippendorff’s α, thereby disqualified α as an indicator of intercoder agreement. The search for a better index of intercoder agreement aka intercoder reliability should continue. We, however, also note a spiral of inertia in science communication in general, and reliability research in particular. The powerful spiral, we argue, should not forever keep up the appearances for α, π or κ. [Xinshu Zhao, Guangchao Charles Feng, Jun S. Liu and Ke Deng (2018). We Agreed to Measure Agreement – Redefining Reliability De-justifies Krippendorff’s Alpha. China Media Research, 14(2):1-15

TL;DR: In this paper , the authors tested mediation pathways through which three types of vaccine information acquisition, i.e. seeking, scanning, and discussing, affect COVID-19 vaccination intention and found that information seeking and discussing may have encouraged the intention to get vaccinated, but mainly indirectly through the two mediators.

TL;DR: The authors showed that the total effect has to be statistically significant whenever mediated effect and direct effect bear the same sign and are both significant, as long as the least square estimation (LSE) and F-tests are used to estimate and test mediation effects.