Psychological Assessment

Lucrarea este rezultatul unei invenții care constă în preluarea semnalelor cu ajutorul senzorilor GSR, amplificarea semnalelor înregistrate, transformarea lor în semnale digitale (sub forma unei matrici), preluarea acestora cu mijloace specifice SGBT și realizarea de rapoarte.
Tehnicile de calibrare și filtrare utilizate in corespondență cu descrierile tipurilor de personalitate din psihologie reprezinta un act de curaj științific de cele mai multe ori neîmpărtășit și nerăsplătit în interiorul breslelor, el aparținând unei științe transdisciplinare ce se numește psihometrie.

The International Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) declares that all children have inalienable human rights to special care, assistance, and protection. Each child has the right to mental health care services ‘as is necessary for their well-being’ and opportunities for rehabilitation at ‘the highest attainable standard’. A human rights centred approach to responding to children who display problem sexual behaviours calls upon government, government agencies and professionals to provide accurate assessment and efficacious, evidence-based treatment in a manner that builds the child’s sense of dignity and worth. A human rights centred approach to assessment calls upon all professionals to recognise, reflect upon, and respond to children’s sexual behaviours in a manner that prioritises the dignity of the child by identifying who should assess and what should be considered in the assessment of children’s sexual behaviour.

Anormal Psikoloji kitabı, ruhsal bozukluklar alanında çalışan tüm profesyoneller, psikiyatristler, klinik psikologlar, psikologlar, psikolojik danışmanlar, hekimler, sosyal hizmet uzmanları, psikiyatri hemşireleri ve bu alanlarda öğrenci yetiştiren akademisyenler ile eğitim alan öğrenciler için temel bir başvuru kitabıdır.
2013 yılının Mayısı ayında yayımlanan DSM-5 ölçütlerine göre ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili sunulan bilgilerin güncellemesinin de yapıldığı bu kitap, tüm dünyada pek çok üniversitenin psikiyatri ve psikoloji bölümlerinde ders kitabı olarak okutulmaktadır.
Kitabın her bölümünde, ilk olarak ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili vakalar sunulmakta, daha sonra bozuklukların klinik tanıları yapılmakta ve DSM-IV-TR’den farklı olan DSM-5’te yapılan değişikliklere yer verilmektedir. Ayrıca, DSM-5’teki tanı ölçütleri, bozuklukların etiyolojisi ve epidemiyolojisi, bozukluklar üzerinde kalıtımın ve çevrenin etkileri, biyolojik ve sosyal ve kültürel etkiler, en güncel araştırmalardan elde edilen verilerle harmanlanarak sunulmaktadır. Ruhsal bozuklukların tedavisinde etkili olacak terapi yaklaşımları ve ilaçla yapılan tedaviler hakkında da bilgiler veren kitap, sahip olduğu zengin içeriği ile eşsiz bir kaynaktır.
Anormal Psikoloji kitabının; profesyoneller ve öğrenciler için önemli bir rehber olacağına, yardıma ihtiyaç duyan insanların sorunlarının çözümüne, ruhsal bozuklukların tanı ve tedavisinde önemli katkılar sağlayacağına inanıyoruz.

Some of Law and Economics’ basic claims have come to be criticized as a result of empirical findings that question their viability. Particularly, the premise that agents consistently act rationally and with their self-interest in mind seems problematic. What the consequences of the criticism mean for Law and Economics’ tenability depends largely on the questions whether (1) some elements are unassailable to the alternative’s objections and (2) the alternative is a systematic whole. It is argued that Law and Economics may be salvaged, if it is minimized and its ambitions are tempered. This means focusing on the stable, a priori, elements inherent to it.

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has become, over the last few years, a promising avenue for new research in affective disorders. In this study we have evaluated the clinical effect of slow TMS on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods: Ten PTSD patients were given one session of slow TMS with 30 pulses of 1 m/sec each, 15 to each side of the motor cortex. Results: Symptoms of PTSD were assessed by using three psychological assessment scales, at four different time points. In this first, pilot, open study, TMS was found to be effective in lowering the core symptoms of PTSD: avoidance (as measured by the Impact of Event Scale), anxiety, and somatization (as measured by the Symptom Check List-90). A general clinical improvement was found (as measured by the Clinical Global Impression scale); however, the effect was rather short and transient. Conclusions: The present study showed TMS to be a safe and tolerable intervention with possibly indications of therapeutic efficacy for PTSD patients.

The aim of this study was to validate a French version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ; Garnefski, N., Kraaij, V., & Spinhoven, P., 2001. Negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation and emotional problems. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 1311-1327) and to explore its relationships with impulsivity and depression. Teenagers from a junior secondary (n ¼ 107, 13-16 years) and a secondary school (n ¼ 110, 15-19 years) completed the CERQ, which assesses regulation strategies in response to negative events. The secondary school adolescents also completed the

When serial neurocognitive assessments are performed, 2 main factors are of importance: test-retest reliability and practice effects. With children, however, there is a third, developmental factor, which occurs as a result of maturation. Child tests recognize this factor through the provision of age-corrected scaled scores. Thus, a ready-made method for estimating the relative contribution of developmental versus practice effects is the comparison of raw (developmental and practice) and scaled (practice only) scores. Data from a pool of 507 Portuguese children enrolled in a study of dental amalgams (T. A. DeRouen, B. G. Leroux, et al., 2002; T. A. DeRouen, M. D. Martin, et al., 2006) showed that practice effects over a 5-year period varied on 8 neurocognitive tests. Simple regression equations are provided for calculating individual retest scores from initial test scores.

Constructivist and narrative approaches to career counselling have emerged as viable practical alternatives to traditional models. This paper describes the development of a career counselling assessment process that is based upon notions derived from constructivism, narrative, and systems theory. The technique utilises a sentencecompletion method to facilitate clients' exploration of personal career systems.

Scale discriminability is the ability of a measure to discriminate among individuals ordered along some continuum, such as depressive severity. We used a nonparametric item-response model to examine scale discriminability in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Center for Epidemiclogic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in both college and depressed outpatient samples. In the college sample, the CES-D was more discriminating than the BDI, but a standard CES-D cutoff score of 16 overestimated the likely prevalence of depression (45%). The CES-D may be more effective than the BDI in detecting differences in depressive severity in college students but may be less specific. In the depressed outpatient sample, the CES-D was again more discriminating than the BDI. The superior scale discriminability of the CES-D offers one explanation for its poorer specificity in college samples. Endorsing many items that discriminate at low levels of depressive severity can result in scores that exceed a cutoff criterion. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Shaw, Rush, & Emery, 1979) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) are among the most frequently used and well-validated self-report measures of depression (for reviews, see Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988; Orme, Reis, & Herz, 1986). Although both measures treat depression as a continuous variable, the BDI and the CES-D were initially designed to assess depression in different populations. The BDI was initially intended as a measure of depressive severity for individuals already diagnosed as clinically depressed (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961), whereas the CES-D was originally constructed as a measure of depressive severity for adults in the community (Radloff, 1977). Despite this difference, the BDI and CES-D have been used extensively in both clinical and nonclinical populations, and both have been used to estimate the prevalence of cases of depression in various populations. Traditional approaches to psychometric analyses of inventories, such as the BDI and CES-D, use omnibus statistics, such as item-total correlations or reliability coefficients, that average

The following paper presents experimental correlations between cerebral dominance and personality typology. The study presents the general aspects of learning such as treaties and established learning styles, developing models by authors David Kolb and Ricki Linksman. The working hypothesis is, however, to establish experimental correlations can be made between models of the two authors whose tests are applied to study the variables extraversion-introversion determined for the same person and using an integrated technical system for the evaluation of personality. The results lead to the identification of important behavioral correlations that can unify the two authors with the vision proposed in Eysenck Personality Inventory, regarding variable extraversion-introversion, and significant correlation between these classic tests and the technical integrated system NPHS. 1. Introduction Experiential learning theory of David Kolb is based on concepts: adaptation, continual learning, learning as a process, conflict resolution strategies, learning through active participation, transaction with the environment and the holistic perspective. Thus, learning is a continuous process of adaptation to the environment through conflict resolution adjustment, employing extensive processes of transaction with the environment. Kolb used an inventory that captures the learning differences between human individuals (A.D. Kolb, 1981, p 233). His theory proposes four ways in which learning can be distinguished: concrete experience (CE), active experience (AE), reflective observation (RO) and abstract conceptualization (AC). The four ways: abstract, concrete, active and reflective adaptation will solve environmental conflicts, representing four preferred learning styles between two antitheses:  Abstract-concrete;  Active-reflective; And other authors will agree that learning styles are individual preference responses to environmental challenges, so a personalized way of resolving conflicts arising in the interaction with the environment. Preference to address conflict involves a certain dynamic that can be understood as the possibility of adopting a particular style of learning in a particular stage of evolution. (Kolb A.D., 1981, P. 238) Operationalization of learning styles questionnaire scales provides the following description: Theoreticians are assimilators (AC-Abstract Conceptualization). They solve complex problems, have well defined views, a theorist is abstract, The actives or adaptors (AE-Active Experimentation) want to experience something new and attack the real problems. Bored with the long-term projects, the asset is flexible, seeking new initiative, seek immediate incitement and challenge, brave, they make things happen at the right time. Reflexive or divergent (RO-Reflective Observation) like analysis, data collection, comparing them, but it is difficult for them to start a project. Reflexivity is intuitively, organized, carefully examine and implement ideas, attracted to the abstract work with applicability, intuits solution, is persistent, but does not want to be the first one that speaks, or to feel the pressure of time. Pragmatist or convergent (CE-Concrete Experience) like to build action plans. Do not use theories and models, but the skills they have, for example, to interview, plan or present. Learn the most effective when they are made examples and when thez can get involved in activities.

We examined the utility of naïve ratings of communication patterns and relationship quality in a large sample of distressed couples. Untrained raters assessed 10-minute videotaped interactions from 134 distressed couples who participated in both problem solving and social support discussions at each of three time points (pre-therapy, post-therapy, and 2-year follow-up) during a randomized clinical trial of behavioral couple therapy. Teams of naïve raters observed a particular type of discussion from the three time points at one sitting in a random order and rated dyadic interaction patterns (negative reciprocity, positive reciprocity, wife demand/husband withdraw, husband demand/wife withdraw, and mutual avoidance) and the overall relationship quality of couples. These naïve ratings were strongly and consistently associated with both levels of, and changes in, trained observational codes and self-reported relationship satisfaction. Naïve ratings of couples accounted for similar -and at times superior -amounts of variance in both concurrent relationship satisfaction and divorce at 5-year follow-up when compared with trained ratings. These findings offer compelling support for the use of naïve raters in research with couples, and also suggest important future directions that are applicable to both research and practice with distressed couples.

Family history of mental illness provides important information when evaluating pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). However, such information is often challenging to gather within clinical settings. This study investigates the feasibility and utility of gathering family history information using an inexpensive method practical for outpatient settings. Families (N ϭ 273) completed family history, rating scales, and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (Sheehan et al., 1998) and the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (Kaufman et al., 1997) about youths 5-18 (median ϭ 11) years of age presenting to an outpatient clinic. Primary caregivers completed a half-page Family Index of Risk for Mood issues (FIRM). All families completed the FIRM quickly and easily. Most (78%) reported 1ϩ relatives having a history of mood or substance issues (M ϭ 3.7, SD ϭ 3.3). A simple sum of familial mood issues discriminated cases with PBD from all other cases (area under receiver operating characteristic [AUROC] ϭ .63, p ϭ .006). FIRM scores were specific to youth mood disorder and not attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or disruptive behavior disorder. FIRM scores significantly improved the detection of PBD even controlling for rating scales. No subset of family risk items performed better than the total. Family history information showed clinically meaningful discrimination of PBD. Two different approaches to clinical interpretation showed validity in these clinically realistic data. Inexpensive and clinically practical methods of gathering family history can help to improve the detection of PBD.

The general aim of this study is to analyze diverse aspects relating to the use of coping strategies among prison inmates. The specific objectives are (a) to analyze which type of coping strategies predominate among prisoners, considering both the focus and the method; (b) to relate the use of coping strategies with variables related to the prison environment: time spent in prison, previous convictions (first-time vs. repeat offenders) and custodial status (remand vs. convicted inmates); (c) to relate the coping strategies with the appraisal of the stressing situation previously described by the prisoners; and (d) to relate the cognitive level to the strategies used. The sample is composed of 107 males between 18 and 25 years of age in the Centre Penitenciari de Joves de Barcelona (Spain). The coping strategies were analyzed by means of the Coping Responses Inventory Adult Form (CRI-Adult; Moos, R.H. (1993). Coping Responses Inventory. CRI-Adult Form. Manual. Psychological Assessment, Resources, Inc., Odessa, FL.). The data indicate that the predominant strategies are those of cognitive approach. Likewise, it was found that there was a certain relationship between the appraisal of the problem described and the strategies used. The variables "time spent in prison" and "previous convictions" influenced the use of specific coping strategies. No connection between coping strategies and the intellectual level was found.

The reliability and validity of traditional taxonomies are limited by arbitrary boundaries between psychopathology and normality, often unclear boundaries between disorders, frequent disorder co-occurrence, heterogeneity within disorders, and diagnostic instability. These taxonomies went beyond evidence available on the structure of psychopathology and were shaped by a variety of other considerations, which may explain the aforementioned shortcomings. The Hierarchical Taxonomy Of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model has emerged as a research effort to address these problems. It constructs psychopathological syndromes and their components/subtypes based on the observed covariation of symptoms, grouping related symptoms together and thus reducing heterogeneity. It also combines co-occurring syndromes into spectra, thereby mapping out comorbidity. Moreover, it characterizes these phenomena dimensionally, which addresses boundary problems and diagnostic instability. Here, we review the develop...

Paper in the Symposium ‘How Work Influences Who We Are: New Research Exploring the Role of Work in Personality Development and Change’ (21st May 2015)

Purpose

What baseline information facilitates the investigation of personality change? This paper argues that short-term test retest reliability information is a prerequisite which ought to be interpreted in the light of single occasion and Alternate Form data, and complemented by cross-sectional analysis of age trends. 

Design/Methodology

A Test-Retest study (N=141) was conducted with the normative and ipsative versions of the PAPI 3 personality questionnaire over an interval of approximately 8 weeks. In a criterion-related validity study (N=683) age was correlated with PAPI 3 scales.

Results

Median scale reliabilities were in excess of .75 for Test-Retest, convergence of normative and ipsative versions and single occasion measurement. Age correlated positively with Emotional Stability related scales, and negatively with Conscientiousness and Affiliation themes.

Limitations

Samples vary across the reliability measures thus reducing comparability. Only one relatively short retesting interval was investigated where no true personality change would be expected.

Research/Practical Implications

The results demonstrate that PAPI 3 could be utilised for developmental studies due to the availability of suitable baseline data. There is a marked increase in maturity and inner confidence, as well as need for autonomy with age that needs to be factored in studies with a longer time span.

Originality/Value

The paper highlights thorny issues of measuring change related to: 1) The conceptual challenge of normative versus ipsative measurement; 2) Separating real change from random error variance; 3) Maturation effects on specific personality scales which can help identify change that deviates from normal developmental trends.

The aim of this research project was to test the proposition by McCrae and Costa (2008), that an individual’s personality (according to the Five Factor Theory) will affect their attitudes. It specifically addresses the correlation between individual personalities and attitudes towards an approach to health promotion. It was hypothesized that the FFT personality trait of neuroticism would have a positive correlation with a favourable attitude towards the banning of all guns. 20 participants were tested using International Personality Item Pool - Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness (IPIP-NEO) and a pre-devised Likert Scale, measuring attitudes towards the banning of guns. No statisically significant results were found. However, due to participant size and selection method, it was concluded that these results could not be generalised to a broader population.

Este artigo objetiva discutir as condições de avaliação psicológica das altas habilidades e da excelência. Esses construtos reportam-se a realidades psicológicas distintas nas dimensões em que são definidos, mas a sua avaliação deve sempre ser pautada por parâmetros de precisão e validade. Se nas altas habilidades predominam as variáveis internas, e isso leva ao uso dos testes psicológicos, na excelência convergem os fatores contextuais de aprendizagem, treino e realização, apelando às entrevistas, histórias de vida e observação dos desempenhos na execução da avaliação. Um objetivo central da avaliação psicológica das altas habilidades e excelência, tendo em vista a identificação de tais indivíduos, é evitar os falsos positivos e os falsos negativos nos diagnósticos, tanto pelo impacto negativo que a avaliação pode ter na vida desses indivíduos, quanto para a adequada e necessária orientação. Além disso, dos processos de avaliação e consequente recolha de informações, podem decorrer programas de estimulação orientados que apoiem as necessidades específicas desses indivíduos talentosos.

What does ASP stand for ?

Active Server Pages:
Screen pages that the central ‘Server’ sends to be displayed on the local ‘Client’ PC containing HTML, Flash, etc.

Application Service Provider:
Provision of WWW Business Solutions Software
Business Enterprise Solutions (e.g. SAP, Oracle)
HR & Workflow Solutions (e.g. MS, Brass Ring, PeopleSoft)
Testing Environment Providers (e.g. GetFeedback, Pan Testing)
Test Publisher’s Platforms & Environments (e.g. SHL, CPP, ETS)

Assessment Service Provider:
Could stand for a new generation of professionals that capitalise fully on the opportunities afforded by the WWW to provide empowered ‘On-line’ assessment services
Distance assessment poses opportunities and risks that need to be managed


What Functionality does an ‘Intelligent Testing System’ provide ?

Bartram & Bayliss (1984) defined as follows the functionality required of an ‘Intelligent Testing System’ (ITS):
Test Choice
Administration
Scoring
Analysis
Interpretation
Feedback
Decision Making

What is the Communication  Language in the ASP Model ?

Psychological Terminology:
Traits
Tasks
HR Terminology:
Human Attributes
Competencies
Competency Assessment Technology:
Job Competency
Occupation Competency
Goal Competency
Role Competency

The Way Forward:  ASP = Assessment Service Provider

Harnessing the Power of the Internet
Centralised Control – Local Delivery
Improving & Rolling Out Professional Practice
Empowering Stakeholder
Innovative Paradigms
Competency Assessment Technology:
Job Competency Match
Occupation Match
Goal Match
Role Match

The present study aimed to examine the impact of coping strategies and psychological adjustment across male and female Spinal Cord Injured (SCI) patients. Purposive sampling technique was employed based on cross-sectional design. The data was collected through two questionnaires. The result revealed that psychological adjustment was significant correlated with Positive coping strategies (r =.36, p = .002) and Problem focused coping strategies (r = .45, p =.000). On the other hand psychological adjustment was significant negative correlation with Active avoidance (r =-.69, p = .000) and Religion & Denial coping strategies(r =-.38, p=.001).The result revealed that positive coping strategies were positively significant predicted psychological adjustment (B= 2.15, p= 0.01; B=-.20, p=n.s) for male rather than female respectively. The result also displayed that problem focused strategies were positively significant predicted psychological adjustment (B= 2.22, p=.05; B= .54, p= n.s) for female rather male respectively. The result shown that active avoidance coping strategies were negatively significant predicted psychological adjustment (B=-1.52, p= .05; B=-.67, p=n.s) for male and female respectively. The study suggested that the gender was significant moderator between coping strategies and psychological adjustment in Spinal Cord Injured patients. The study recommended that male patients are more vulnerable on problem focused coping strategies whereas females are more predisposed on positive and active avoidance coping strategies. This study would be helpful in clinical and rehabilitation settings for SCI patients.

Encouraging further research on the dimensional assessment of personality disorders (PDs), Section III of the DSM-5 introduced a hybrid model for the assessment of six PDs employing self-reports on 25 maladaptive personality traits (“DSM-5 personality traits”). Following suggestions that multidimensional perfectionism is an important characteristic across various personality disorders (Ayearst, Flett, & Hewitt, 2012), the present study investigated how personal (self-oriented) and interpersonal (other-oriented and socially prescribed) aspects of perfectionism predicted the DSM-5 personality traits in a sample of 311 university students. Multiple regressions (controlling for the overlap between the different forms of perfectionism) showed that socially prescribed perfectionism positively predicted the traits defining schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive PD; other-oriented perfectionism positively predicted the traits defining narcissistic PD; and both socially prescribed and other-oriented perfectionism positively predicted the traits defining antisocial PD. In contrast, self-oriented perfectionism positively predicted only one of the four traits defining obsessive-compulsive PD (rigid perfectionism). Showing that multidimensional perfectionism predicted all DSM-5 traits defining the personality disorders of Section III, the findings suggest that future DSM-5 updates may profit from including interpersonal aspects of perfectionism as a diagnostic criterion.

The Driving Scenes test of the new Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB; [Stern, R.A., & White, T. (2003a). Neuropsychological Assessment Battery. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.]) measures several aspects of visual attention thought to be important for driving ability. The current study examined the relationship between scores on the Driving Scenes test and on-road driving performance on a standardized driving test. Healthy participants performed significantly better on the Driving Scenes test than did very mildly demented participants. A correlation of 0.55 was found between the brief, office-based Driving Scenes test and the 108-point on-road driving score. Furthermore, the Driving Scenes test scores differed significantly across the driving instructor's three global ratings (safe, marginal, and unsafe), and results of a discriminant function analysis indicated that

We examined the within-domain structure of the five domains of personality measured by the Big Five Inventory-2 with data collected from an adolescent sample (N = 838). Three possible factor models were tested: a single factor, correlated facets, and a single factor with correlated residuals. We examined each model controlling for acquiescence, a response bias in which respondents tend to agree/disagree regardless of item content, using two approaches: acquiescence factor and within-person centering of item-level responses. Across each domain, results indicated both the correlated facets and correlated residuals models demonstrated acceptable fit. Accounting for acquiescent responding was generally associated with improved model fit. However, consistent with past struggles in measuring open-mindedness in adolescents, the correlated residuals model with acquiescence as a factor for open-mindedness failed to converge. Regularized structural equation modeling was conducted on this model for open-mindedness and suggested certain residual covariances that contributed to estimation difficulties should be constrained to zero. Advantages of models are discussed with implications for studying the Big Five personality domains in adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Este artigo apresenta o desenvolvimento do questionário “Experiências em Relações Próximas”, versão Portuguesa do “Experiences in Close Relationships” (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998), bem como dados relativos à sua precisão e validade. Este questionário ...

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; M. F. Folstein, S. E. Folstein, & P. R. and the Modified MMSE (E. L. were compared psychometrically. In this study, 525 community-dwelling participants, aged 65-89, were divided into 2 groups: no cognitive impairment (NCI; n -406) and Alzheimer's disease (n = 119). Both tests yielded comparable reliability estimates. Fewer years of education decreased specificity and increased sensitivity, whereas increasing age primarily decreased specificity. It is concluded that although the 2 tests produce comparable effects, the inclusion of a verbal fluency test would increase the sensitivity of the MMSE. Normative data for the NCI group, stratified for 2 age levels (65-79 and 80-89) and 2 educational levels (0-8 and 9+ years), are presented. Folstein, Folstein, and McHugh (1975) introduced the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) as a brief, objective assessment of cognitive functioning and as a measure of changes in cognitive status. The MMSE usually can be administered in 5-10 min and has been employed extensively in clinical settings, community surveys, and epidemiological studies. In a recent review of the literature, Tombaugh and Mclntyre (1992) concluded that the MMSE possessed moderate to high reliability coefficients, demonstrated high levels of sensitivity for cognitive deficits in patients suffering from moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease, and reflected the cognitive decline typical of dementia patients. Criticisms of the MMSE included (a) its failure to discriminate between people with mild dementia and those who are not demented, (b) a limited ability to detect impairment caused by focal lesions, particularly those in the right hemisphere, (c) overly simple language items that reduce sensitivity to mild linguistic deficits, and (d) a large number of false-positive errors because of its bias against individuals with low education. In response to these problems, several attempts have been made to improve the MMSE. Of these, the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS; Teng & Chui, 1987) represents the most extensive revision. Teng and Chui (1987) added four additional subtests (date and place of birth, word fluency, similarities, and delayed recall of words). The maximum score was

This article examines the construct validity of reactive and proactive aggression, as assessed by the teacher-rating scale developed by K. A. . In Study 1 (n = 149 boys), confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a 2-factor model, in which a substantial correlation was observed between the 2 latent factors, presented a better fit than a single-factor model. Study 2(n= 193 boys)"examined the relations presented by the 2 forms of aggression with peer status, leadership, social withdrawal, and victimization by peer. Reactive and proactive aggressive behaviors presented distinct patterns of relations consistent with the theoretical definitions. The results of these studies suggest that the questionnaire measures 2 forms of aggressive behavior that, although being substantially related, have a unique discriminant dimension.

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the invariance of an oppositional defiant disorder toward adults, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-hyperactivity/impulsivity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-inattention, and an Academic Competence factor model between mothers' and fathers' ratings within Brazilian (n ϭ 894), Thai (n ϭ 2,075), and American (n ϭ 817) children with the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory (G. L. Burns, T. Taylor, & J. . The results showed invariance of item loadings, intercepts, and residuals, as well as factor variances, covariances, and means between mothers' and fathers' ratings within each sample. Convergent and discriminant validity was also observed for the between-parent factor correlations, thus providing additional support for the construct validity of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory. The confirmatory factor analysis invariance procedure provides a much better way to examine betweensource ratings of behavior problems in children than do the simple correlation and raw discrepancy score procedures.

Cumulative evidence has shown that four dimensions can be differentiated in the experience of test anxiety: worry, emotionality, interference, and lack of confidence. To investigate whether these dimensions show specific relationships with ways of coping, a study with 162 students (75 male, 87 female) examined how students cope with anxiety and uncertainty in the run-up to important exams. Coping strategies included task-orientation and preparation, seeking social support, and avoidance. Results showed that overall test anxiety was related to seeking social support. When dimensions of test anxiety were inspected individually while controlling for interdimensional overlap, however, results showed a specific pattern of relationships: (a) worry was related to task-orientation and preparation and inversely related to cognitive avoidance, (b) emotionality was related to task-orientation and preparation and seeking social support, and (c) interference was related to avoidance and inversely related to task-orientation and preparation, whereas (d) lack of confidence was related to avoidance only. Although some gender differences emerged, the findings indicate that the main components of test anxiety display different relationships with coping. Moreover, they confirm that it is important to differentiate between worry and interference because these dimensions, albeit closely related, may show opposite relationships with ways of coping.

This prospective study was undertaken to assess personality differences among patients with chronic pelvic floor disorders. Sixty patients (43 females and 17 males) of a mean age of 58 (range, 33-87) years with fecal incontinence (n = 19), constipation (n-30), or levator spasm (n-11) had a mean duration of symptoms of 35 (range, 2-50) years. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was utilized for psychologic assessment for all patients prior to treatment. Mean scores for scales 1 (hypochondriasis), 2 (depression), and 3 (hysteria) were significantly elevated for the levator spasm group (71, 75, and 73, respectively). A similar pattern was seen for the constipation group, where the mean scores for scales 1 and 2 were significantly elevated (70 and 74, respectively) with a moderate elevation on scale 3 (68). The hypochondriasis (1), depression (2), and hysteria (3) scales are referred to as the "neurotic triad," and profile patterns such as these indicate that these subjects may manifest their psychologic distress as physical symptoms. By contrast, the fecal incontinence patients were within the normal range on all scales. The information from these MMPI profiles can be used to understand the personality and emotional composition of these patients to assist in their evaluation and treatment.

Factor analysis was applied to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) scores of 432 Pennsylvania students referred for evaluation for special education services to determine the factor structure of the WISC-IV with this population. A first-order, four-factor oblique solution that mirrored that found in the WISC-IV normative sample was supported. When transformed to an orthogonalized higher order model, the general factor accounted for the greatest amount of common (75.7%) and total (46.7%) variance. In contrast, the largest contribution by a first-order factor (Verbal Comprehension) was 6.5% of total variance. It was recommended that interpretation of the WISC-IV not discount the strong general factor.

Objective: This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of two trauma symptom measures, the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) . Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources] and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) . Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources]. Methods: Children's scores on the TSCC and their caretakers' ratings on the TSCYC were analyzed in a study of 310 children presenting to one of two child abuse treatment centers. Results: TSCC and TSCYC scales generally converged in their assessment of symptomatology in maltreated children. Equivalent scales measuring anxiety, depression, anger, dissociation, and sexual concerns were generally most correlated with one another. Similarly, the Posttraumatic Stress-Intrusion (PTS-I) scale of the TSCYC correlated highest with the Posttraumatic Stress (PTS) and Anxiety (ANX) scales of the TSCC, the TSCYC Posttraumatic Stress-Arousal (PTS-AR) scale was correlated with the TSCC ANX scale, and the TSCC PTS scale was most correlated with the TSCYC ANX, PTS-I, and Sexual Concerns (SC) scales. The TSCYC Posttraumatic Stress-Avoidance scale was unrelated to any TSCC scale. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the TSCC PTS scale was the best single predictor of sexual abuse-related PTSD status as identified by the TSCYC. Conclusions: The TSCC and TSCYC display moderate convergent and discriminant validity with respect to one another, despite different information sources. Nevertheless, the relatively small association between relevant TSCC and TSCYC scales indicates that different symptom informants may have different perspectives on the child's symptomatology; an outcome that may be beneficial when both measures are administered simultaneously. Practice implications: These results reinforce the notion that both child-and parent/caretaker report measures should be used in the evaluation of traumatized children, so that multiple sources of information can be considered simultaneously. In the current context, administration of the TSCC to the child and the TSCYC to the caretaker, when appropriate (i.e., in children 8-12 years of age) may yield more clinical information on the child's symptomatology than either measure would alone-perhaps especially in cases when one of the two respondents under-or over-reports the child's distress.

Psychopathy is a clinical construct defined by a cluster of personality traits and behaviors, including grandiosity, egocentricity, deceptiveness, shallow emotions, lack of empathy or remorse, irresponsibility, impulsivity, and a tendency to ignore or violate social norms. The majority of empirical research on psychopathy involves forensic populations most commonly assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), a 20-item rating scale that measures 4 related factors or dimensions (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle, and Antisocial) that underpin the superordinate construct of psychopathy. Recently, researchers have turned their attention to the nature and implications of psychopathic features in the workplace. This research has been hampered by the lack of an assessment tool geared to the corporate/organizational world. Here we describe the B-Scan 360, an instrument that uses ratings of others to measure psychopathic features in workplace settings. In this study, large sam...

In 3 studies, the authors developed and began to validate a measure of the propensity to act rashly in response to positive affective states ( positive urgency). In Study 1, they developed a content-valid 14-item scale, showed that the measure was unidimensional, and showed that positive urgency was distinct from impulsivity-like constructs identified in 2 models of impulsive behavior. In Study 2, they showed that positive urgency explained variance in risky behavior not explained by measures of other impulsivity-like constructs, differentially explained positive mood-based risky behavior, differentiated individuals at risk for problem gambling from those not at risk, and interacted with drinking motives and expectancies as predicted to explain problem drinking behavior. In Study 3, they confirmed the hypothesis that positive urgency differentiated alcoholics from both eating-disordered and control individuals.