Prose Representation: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach

Multidimensional scaling was employed to study the comprehension of prose. Subjects rated the similarity between pairs of 20 nouns before reading. After reading a passage containing the nouns, the subjects re-rated the words with respect to similarity within the passage. Subjects then recalled the passage. The similarity ratings were analyzed by multidimensional scaling. The results indicated that the scaling analysis provided an effective, valid indicator of prose representation. The multidimensional structural characteristics of dimension interpretation, clustering, and centrality were interpreted in terms of the theme, episodes, and central organizing feature of the story, respectively. Theoretically, the analysis indicated that comprehension was a function of the passage organization mapping onto the existing memory structure superimposed upon and suppressing the prior conceptual structure.     

Multi-Family Group Therapy: A Multidimensional Approach

The procedures, dynamics, and process of multi-family group therapy are presented with case examples from the authors' practice.     

Teaching and Learning Forgiveness: A Multidimensional Approach

Abstract. This essay seeks to illumine the teaching and learning of the practice of forgiveness by relating a range of theoretical perspectives (theological, psychological, and socio‐cultural) to the process of cultivating the practical wisdom needed for forgiveness. We discuss how a Trinitarian “epistemology of the cross” might lead one to a new way of perceiving life’s constraints and possibilities and relate this theological epistemology to three psychological approaches for understanding forgiveness – a narrative approach, object‐relations theory, and consciousness development theory. Our discussion of these theoretical perspectives is explicitly related to the practice of teaching and learning forgiveness, outlining learning activities we have used in a course we taught (which ranged from case studies and film to lectures and discussions based on close readings of biblical and theological texts) and reporting highlights in our students’ work.     

Estimating Optimal Weights for Compound Scores: A Multidimensional IRT Approach

A method is proposed for constructing indices as linear functions of variables such that the reliability of the compound score is maximized. Reliability is defined in the framework of latent variable modeling [i.e., item response theory (IRT)] and optimal weights of the components of the index are found by maximizing the posterior variance relative to the total latent variable variance. Three methods for estimating the weights are proposed. The first is a likelihood-based approach, that is, marginal maximum likelihood (MML). The other two are Bayesian approaches based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) computational methods. One is based on an augmented Gibbs sampler specifically targeted at IRT, and the other is based on a general purpose Gibbs sampler such as implemented in OpenBugs and Jags. Simulation studies are presented to demonstrate the procedure and to compare the three methods. Results are very similar, so practitioners may be suggested the use of the easily accessible latter method. A real-data set pertaining to the 28-joint Disease Activity Score is used to show how the methods can be applied in a complex measurement situation with multiple time points and mixed data formats.     

Extent of Child Social Exclusion in Pakhtun Culture: A Multidimensional Approach

The main objective of this paper was to investigate the association between socio-economic variables like Access to Services, Participation in Paid Work, Education/Skills, Health Status, State of Living Environment, Environment of Crimes at Community Level, Gender, Sufficiency of Family Income, Perception of Poverty and Religious Affiliation with Social Exclusion in Children. The results showed that there were indications of low likelihood of social exclusion among children with improved access to services, state of education and skills, state of health status and family income. Conversely, high likelihood of social exclusion is traced in those children who participated in paid work, lived in poor state of physical living environment; lived in environment of crimes at community level, from feminine gender, felt themselves poor and belonged to religious minority. Eliminating underage employment, provision of vital educational facilities encompassing the modern age needs, strict crime controlling measures through law enforcing agencies; drive for coordination between family and community for addressing gender based disparities in working environment under a sound package were suggested as some of the policy recommendations in the light of the study.     

Self-directedness: A Process Approach to Cognition

Standard approaches to cognition emphasise structures (representations and rules) much more than processes, in part because this appears to be necessary to capture the normative features of cognition. However the resultant models are inflexible and face the problem of computational intractability. I argue that the ability of real world cognition to cope with complexity results from deep and subtle coupling between cognitive and non-cognitive processes. In order to capture this, theories of cognition must shift from a structural rule-defined conception of cognition to a thoroughgoing embedded process approach.     

A Multidimensional Approach to Apathy after Traumatic Brain Injury

Apathy is commonly described following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is associated with serious consequences, notably for patients’ participation in rehabilitation, family life and later social reintegration. There is strong evidence in the literature of the multidimensional nature of apathy (behavioural, cognitive and emotional), but the processes underlying each dimension are still unclear. The purpose of this article is first, to provide a critical review of the current definitions and instruments used to measure apathy in neurological and psychiatric disorders, and second, to review the prevalence, characteristics, neuroanatomical correlates, relationships with other neurobehavioural disorders and mechanisms of apathy in the TBI population. In this context, we propose a new multidimensional framework that takes into account the various mechanisms at play in the facets of apathy, including not only cognitive factors, especially executive, but also affective factors (e.g., negative mood), motivational variables (e.g., anticipatory pleasure) and aspects related to personal identity (e.g., self-esteem). Future investigations that consider these various factors will help improve the understanding of apathy. This theoretical framework opens up relevant prospects for better clinical assessment and rehabilitation of these frequently described motivational disorders in patients with brain injury.     

The Client's Theory of Change: Consulting the Client in the Integrative Process

This article casts a critical eye upon the integration literature and asserts that, as in psychotherapy in general, the client has been woefully left out of the therapeutic process. An alternative that privileges the client's voice as the source of wisdom and solution is presented. It is proposed that conducting therapy within the context of the client's own theory of change offers ways of integrating multiple therapy perspectives. An argument is made for not only recasting the client as the star of the drama of therapy, but also giving the heroic client directorial control of the action as it unfolds.     

R&D Project Selection: A Decision Process Approach

The fundamental decision problem of an R&D firm is to select projects in which to invest. Most reported models dealing with this subject use sophisticated mathematical models maximizing specific attributes of the projects without dealing with the underlying motivation of the decision maker. This paper summarizes a successful application of a decision-making process involving multicriteria in the selection of R&D projects in the Ecogen Israel Partnership. We emphasize the structure of the decision problem, with the main goal of helping the decision maker to better understand the nature of his problem. We systematically generate the objective hierarchy of the decision maker, including his main criteria, subcriteria attributes and alternatives. The ‘best’ alternative can then be found using most interactive procedures found in the literature. As the decision maker is totally involved in the entire decision-making process he is better able to understand his problem and preferences.     

Quantifying Idiodynamics: A Process Approach to Personality Psychology

Rosenzweig's (1950) concept of idiodynamics is presented, and the importance of time in applied idiodynamics is stressed. Time-series analyses are proposed as one method for realizing the potential of idiodynamics for understanding and modeling individual lives. Building on this, and incorporating Cattell's (1966) notion of the data box, a process approach to personality research is proposed. This approach begins with idiodynamic analyses at the level of individual lives in an effort to identify patterns or themes, then proceeds to examine individual differences in the patterns or themes so identified. Examples of applying this process approach to personality questions are provided. These include identification of cycles in daily moods, assessing the link between each individual's moods and the events in his/her daily life, and the relation between repressive coping style and the experience of and memory for affect-charged life events. Conclusions emphasize how this approach can retain the appeal of the dynamic while maintaining the precision and rule-governed discourse afforded by quantification.     

Exploring the Link Between Mind Wandering,Mindfulness, and Creativity: A Multidimensional Approach

Even if mind wandering (MW) and mindfulness have traditionally been intended as separate and antithetical constructs, the roles of these 2 mental states on creative behavior were jointly explored in this article. In particular, MW was analyzed in light of a recent approach suggesting a differentiation between deliberate and spontaneous MW, whereas mindfulness was analyzed by distinguishing its 5 different constitutional dimensions: observing, acting with awareness, describing, nonreactivity, and nonjudging. The influence on creativity of these 2 mental states was analyzed using a sample of 77 undergraduate students both on a performance index (i.e., originality) and on a self-report index (i.e., creative achievement). Results showed that MW and mindfulness dimensions predicted creative behavior both alone and in combination, suggesting a complex interdependence between these 2 mental states within the creative thinking process. In particular, the critical importance of distinguishing between deliberate and spontaneous MW was revealed by a final path analysis, which revealed the opposite effects of these 2 dimensions on originality and creative achievement. That is, deliberate MW positively predicted creative performance, whereas spontaneous MW was negatively associated with such performance. Moreover, the nonreactivity and awareness dimensions of mindfulness, the latter in interaction with deliberate MW, emerged as main predictors of response originality. Finally, the describing facet of mindfulness predicted creative achievement both directly and indirectly through an interaction with deliberate MW. The implications emerging from the adoption of a multi-dimensional approach to the analysis of MW and mindfulness in the study of creativity are discussed herein.     

Suicide: A Multidimensional Malaise

No one really knows why human beings commit suicide. The goal of this paper is to provide a psychological point of view on the topic, among the many other perspectives that are needed. It addresses the question by providing a theory of suicide, arguing that it is theory that allows us to sort out the booming buzzing mess of experience (Wm. James). Suicide is a multidimensional malaise. Metaphorically speaking, it is an intrapsychic drama on an interpersonal stage. As sound theory must be empirically observable, the theory is next applied to research of suicide notes, studying such factors as age, sex, and method of suicide, cross-culture and cross-time. Next, because all theory must have clinical applicability, a clinical case study of Goethe's Werther is provided. Overall, it is concluded that we need to continue to develop models to understand the suicidal mind.     

The Process of Coping Among Ethnic Minority First-Generation College Freshmen: A Narrative Approach

Abstract

Using a narrative approach, the authors explored the process of coping among ethnic minority college students. Participants were 30 freshmen, predominantly the 1st members of their families to attend college, who wrote journals once a week for 3 weeks on their ways of coping with stress. They also completed a survey of background information. Those who were more successful in coping, compared to those who were less successful, expressed a greater sense of self-efficacy and did not feel that they lacked needed social support. However, those who were more successful in coping did not differ on demographic variables, including ethnicity, gender, country of birth, and parental education. The narratives provide evidence of the complex and interactive process of coping among ethnic minority college students.     

健康行动过程取向模型的发展与前景

健康行动过程取向(HAPA)模型的提出源于健康行为社会认知模型的发展和Bandura社会认知理论的应用。在HAPA中, 健康行为变化被视为一个包括行为产生、保持和恢复在内的连续过程; 结果预期、危险感知、三种自我效能感和两类计划被用来解释意图的形成及其向行动的转化; 两个阶段的划分有助于区分三类干预对象, 建议实施菜单式干预。HAPA模型具有明显的理论优势, 也引发了有关模型实质的争论。当前和未来的研究旨在考察更多的自我调节变量、检验因果模型, 在健康行为的多个领域开展应用和干预研究。     

A Quasi-Metric Approach to Multidimensional Unfolding for Reducing the Occurrence of Degenerate Solutions

In multidimensional unfolding (MDU), one typically deals with two-way, two-mode dominance data in estimating a joint space representation of row and column objects in a derived Euclidean space. Unfortunately, most unfolding procedures, especially nonmetric ones, are prone to yielding degenerate solutions where the two sets of points (row and column objects) are disjointed or separated in the derived joint space, providing very little insight as to the structure of the input data. We present a new approach to multidimensional unfolding which reduces the occurrence of degenerate solutions. We first describe the technical details of the proposed method. We then conduct a Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed model compared to two non-metric procedures, namely, ALSCAL and KYST. Finally, we evaluate the performance of alternative models in two applications. The first application deals with student rank-order preferences (nonmetric data) for attending various graduate business (MBA) programs. Here, we compare the performance of our model with those of KYST and ALSCAL. The second application concerns student preference ratings (metric data) for a number of popular brands of analgesics. Here, we compare the performance of the proposed model with those of two metric procedures, namely, SMACOF-3 and GENFOLD 3. Finally, we provide some directions for future research.     

Family Consulting: A New Role for Therapists

A new model for psychological practice entitled, "Family Consulting" is proposed. It is defined as a long-term, intermittent approach to working with families based on a developmental/non-pathological perspective. The specific format of intervention is described in detail. A brief review of the life-span perspective of development, the family life-cycle literature, and object relations family therapy, which serve as the building blocks of the model is provided. The role that family consulting can play in today's managed mental health care environment is discussed.