Conscientiousness and agreeableness as predictors of rating leniency

The authors studied the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and rating elevation among 111 students making peer evaluations. It was hypothesized that Conscientiousness (C) scores would be negatively correlated with rating level and that Agreeableness (A) scores would be positively correlated with rating level. We further predicted that individuals who were low on C and high on A would produce the most elevated ratings. As predicted, A scores were positively related to rating level (.33, p < .01) and C scores were negatively correlated with rating level (-.37, p < .01). Using the strong hypothesis test (P. Bobko, 1986), the authors found that ratings by low C and high A individuals were more elevated than all other groups of students combined (p < .01).     

Comparison of the WISC-R and Woodcock-Johnson tests of cognitive ability

The relationship between the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJTCA) and Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised (WISC-R) was investigated in a referral sample of 52 elementary aged students. The WJTCA and WISC-R provided comparable ability estimates as reflected by a .74 correlation between the respective Full Scale scores and no significant (.05 level) mean difference (WJTCA Broad Cognitive Ability mean = 97.1, WISC-R Full Scale mean = 96.8). The comparability of the WJTCA/WISC-R global ability estimates is contrary to lower WJTCA scores found in recent studies with learning disabled students, with the current findings supporting the criticism of those studies as advanced by the author of the WJTCA.     

Risk-taking, death anxiety, and dreaming

Dream characteristics of 29 women from a graduate program were correlated with scores on the Sensation-Seeking and Death Anxiety scales. Significant positive correlations were obtained between Sensation Seeking and dream frequency (.38), meaningful dreams (.38), and Openness and depth of dreaming (.39) as well as between Thrill-seeking and dream frequency (.41) and meaningful dreams (.41). Death Anxiety scores positively related to the occurrence of nightmares (.37), representations of death in dreams (.55), and recurring nightmares (.38), but no support was found for a relationship between death anxiety and Sensation Seeking.     

Direct behavior rating as a school-based behavior universal screener: Replication across sites

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scale (DBR–SIS) targets of disruptive, engaged, and respectful behavior within school-based universal screening. Participants included 31 first-, 25 fourth-, and 23 seventh-grade teachers and their 1108 students, sampled from 13 schools across three geographic locations (northeast, southeast, and midwest). Each teacher rated approximately 15 of their students across three measures, including DBR–SIS, the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007), and the Student Risk Screening Scale (Drummond, 1994). Moderate to high bivariate correlations and area under the curve statistics supported concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy of DBR–SIS. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated that although respectful behavior cut scores recommended for screening remained constant across grade levels, cut scores varied for disruptive behavior and academic engaged behavior. Specific cut scores for first grade included 2 or less for disruptive behavior, 7 or greater for academically engaged behavior, and 9 or greater for respectful behavior. In fourth and seventh grades, cut scores changed to 1 or less for disruptive behavior and 8 or greater for academically engaged behavior, and remained the same for respectful behavior. Findings indicated that disruptive behavior was particularly appropriate for use in screening at first grade, whereas academically engaged behavior was most appropriate at both fourth and seventh grades. Each set of cut scores was associated with acceptable sensitivity (.79–.87), specificity (.71–.82), and negative predictive power (.94–.96), but low positive predictive power (.43–.44). DBR–SIS multiple gating procedures, through which students were only considered at risk overall if they exceeded cut scores on 2 or more DBR–SIS targets, were also determined acceptable in first and seventh grades, as the use of both disruptive behavior and academically engaged behavior in defining risk yielded acceptable conditional probability indices. Overall, the current findings are consistent with previous research, yielding further support for the DBR–SIS as a universal screener. Limitations, implications for practice, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Psychopathy and APD in Non-forensic Patients: Improved Predictions or Disparities in Cut Scores?

Psychopathy has traditionally been viewed as a distinct syndrome that is superior to Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) for the prediction of violent and aggressive behavior. However, direct comparisons of psychopathy and APD are infrequent and mostly occur in correctional populations. Moreover, any observed differences could simply reflect a disparity in cut scores. The constellation of Psychopathy Checklists (PCL-R, PCL:SV, and PCL:YV) set the minimum cut score at 75% (e.g., ≥30 of 40 for the PCL-R), which is far more stringent than what is required for the DSM-IV APD adult criteria (i.e., ≥ 3 of 7 or 42.9%). For use in a non-forensic setting, we re-examined the MacArthur Risk Assessment data set to evaluate the usefulness of the PCL:SV and APD for short-term predictions of violent and aggressive acts. Using the ≥75% cut score to predict violence produced low sensitivities for both the psychopathy (.18) and APD adult criteria (.14) but very high specificities (.94). Reducing the cut score to approximately 40% greatly improved sensitivity rates (.62 for psychopathy and .85 for Adult APD criteria) at the expense of specificity (.59 and .40 respectively). In making multiple comparisons, psychopathy did not appear superior to APD adult criteria in predicting violent or other aggressive behavior. Instead, both constructs had limited predictive power with patients in a non-forensic setting. On an item level, specific indicators of violent behavior were explored.     

Scholastic Assessment or g? The relationship between the Scholastic Assessment Test and general cognitive ability

There is little evidence showing the relationship between the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and g (general intelligence). This research established the relationship between SAT and g, as well as the appropriateness of the SAT as a measure of g, and examined the SAT as a premorbid measure of intelligence. In Study 1, we used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979. Measures of g were extracted from the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and correlated with SAT scores of 917 participants. The resulting correlation was.82 (.86 corrected for nonlinearity). Study 2 investigated the correlation between revised and recentered SAT scores and scores on the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices among 104 undergraduates. The resulting correlation was.483 (.72 corrected for restricted range). These studies indicate that the SAT is mainly a test of g. We provide equations for converting SAT scores to estimated IQs; such conversion could be useful for estimating premorbid IQ or conducting individual difference research with college students.     

A revised Emotional Intelligence Scale: factor re-evaluation and item reduction

The original Emotional Intelligence Scale of Fukunishi utilized 65 items measuring 3 basic dimensions: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and situational. 170 psychiatric outpatients (84 men and 86 women) completed the inventory. The mean age of the sample was 41.1 yr. (SD= 12.4). Compared with the 65-item scale, factor re-analysis yielded a new 34-item solution with significant correlations for the Intrapsychic (.97) and Interpersonal dimensions (.96) of the larger scale, but not with the Situational dimension (.43). The correlation between the total inventory scores was also significant (.94).     

Contextual interference: a meta-analytic study

A meta-analysis of the contextual interference effect produced 139 estimates of effect sizes from 61 studies. The average overall effect size was .38. The effect size for basic research (.57) was significantly different from applied research (.19). Significant differences were also obtained between the effect sizes for adults (.50) and those for younger learners (.10). Power for retention and transfer scores was not significantly different. The overall mean power of the studies reviewed was .43.     

Comparison of K-ABC performance between at-risk and normal preschool children

This study examined differences in K-ABC performance between at-risk (n = 44) and normal (n = 49) preschool children. For the group at-risk, all of the mean global scores on the K-ABC clustered around a standard score of approximately 90. The normal group's mean scores were 15 to 21 standard-score points higher and clustered near 110. The results of t tests for independent samples indicated that the normal group's scores on both the global scales and K-ABC subtests were significantly higher than the at-risk group's scores in nearly every instance. Correlations among scores were consistent with previous findings for preschoolers on the K-ABC. For the normal group, correlations obtained among the global scales were nearly identical to those reported for the standardization sample. For the at-risk group, however, the correlation of .75 between Sequential processing and Achievement was higher than that (.58) between Simultaneous processing and Achievement.     

Measuring and predicting the effects of alcohol consumption on contrast sensitivity for stationary and moving gratings

Contrast sensitivity was measured for 12 healthy young males while sober, after ingestion of an alcohol placebo, and after ingestion of alcohol (95% grain alcohol; mean estimated blood alcohol level = .088%). Observations were made for both stationary gratings and gratings that traveled through a circular path and required pursuit eye movements. The significant alcohol-related reduction in contrast sensitivity was 2.6 times greater for moving (.29-log-unit reduction) than for stationary gratings (.11-log-unit reduction). The loss in contrast sensitivity for the moving gratings of high spatial frequency (12 cpd) was particularly severe (.37 log unit). Estimated blood alcohol level was correlated with the loss in contrast sensitivity for moving gratings (r = .61), but not with the loss for stationary gratings. Estimated blood alcohol level was strongly correlated with the difference between the loss in contrast sensitivity to moving and stationary gratings (r = .75). These results are consistent with reports that alcohol consumption degrades the ability to make pursuit eye movements. Subjects’ perceived intoxication level was not a reliable predictor of any index of visual performance.     

Correspondence and disparity in the self- and other ratings of current and childhood ADHD symptoms and impairment in adults with ADHD

Experts recommend that clinicians evaluating adults for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) obtain information from others who know the patient well. The authors examined correspondence between the self- and other-ratings of ADHD symptoms and impairment using 3 groups of adults recruited on the basis of their severity of ADHD: ADHD diagnosis (n = 146), clinical controls self-referring for ADHD but not diagnosed (n = 97), and community controls (n = 109). The influences of diagnostic group, informant relationship, sex of participant, IQ, and comorbid anxiety and depression on self-informant disparities were also examined. Results indicated moderate to high agreement (.59-.80) between self and others on current functioning and slightly lower levels (.53-.75) between self- and parent ratings of childhood functioning. Examination of difference scores between self- and other ratings revealed small mean disparities (-0.1 to +5.0 points) but substantial variation (SDs = -2.4 to 8.9 points) for both current and childhood ratings. Clinic referrals not diagnosed with ADHD, particularly women, had higher disparities than was evident in the ADHD and community groups. Age, IQ, and education were not associated with disparities in most ratings. Higher anxiety, in contrast, was associated with greater disparities on all current and childhood measures of both ADHD and impairment.     

University students and AIDS: knowledge, attitudes and behavioral adjustment

This study addresses the relations between AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior change among university students. A questionnaire covering such issues and personal background variables was administered to 750 students at the University of Zagreb. Over-all, 62.7% of the knowledge items were answered correctly, while functional, self-protective aspects of knowledge proved to be much better than general knowledge. On the average, attitudinal responses were moderately liberal. Both self-reported change in risk-reduction behavior and personal concern due to the appearance of AIDS were very small. Correlations of risk-reducing behavior with permissive (.15) and restrictive (.14) attitude orientations and with general and functional knowledge (.08) were modest. The level of personal concern correlated neither with permissive attitudes nor with functional knowledge, while it correlated negatively with restrictive attitudes (-.20) and with general knowledge (-.08). Substantial association was only established between functional knowledge and permissive (.51) and restrictive attitude orientations (-.23). It is concluded that, in addition to knowledge and attitudes, a number of factors which restrain desired behavioral adjustment should be considered in anti-AIDS campaigns, such as perceived level of exposure to HIV in a particular environment, young age-specific illusion of invulnerability, peer norms, and others.     

Reliability and validity of the Korean Youth Depression Adjective Check List (Y-DACL).

To develop a Korean version of the Youth Depression Adjective Check List (Y-DACL), bilingual Koreans achieved consensus in their translation of the 22 adjectives. Four hundred and seventeen male and 412 female adolescents from 8th through 12th grade of four Korean public schools (mean age ranged from 13.4 to 17.3) completed the state form of the Y-DACL, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Internal consistency was high (alpha = .87), split-half reliability was moderately high (.72), and test-retest reliability was low (.26) as expected. Estimates of concurrent validity indicated a moderate level of correlation between the Y-DACL and the BDI and SDS. The findings suggest that the Korean Y-DACL is suitable for use in research.     

Psychological measures as predictors of pilot performance: a meta-analysis

The purposes of this study were to review the validity evidence for psychological measures used in pilot selection and to detect possible moderators for the relationship between predictors and pilot performance. A total of 66 independent samples from 50 studies were located and included in the meta-analysis. The best predictors of pilot performance were previous training experience (.30) and combined indexes, a combination of several cognitive and/or psychomotor tests (.37). The next best predictors were tests measuring cognitive (.24) and psychomotor/information-processing abilities (.24), as well as aviation information (.24) and biographical inventories (.23). The personality, intelligence, and academic tests yielded lowest mean validities (.14, .16, and .15, respectively). The analysis indicated that moderators might be operating for all test categories except academics, and the effect of several moderators were examined.     

儿童孤独感与同伴关系、社会行为及社交自我知觉的研究

本研究采用同伴提名法和问卷调查法对3-6年级儿童共600名进行了研究,试图考察儿童孤独感与同伴关系、社会行为及社交自我知觉的关系。结果表明:(1)受欢迎组儿童的孤独感显著低于被拒绝组、被忽视组、有争议组和一般组;一般组儿童的孤独感显著低于被拒绝组和被忽视组。(2)社交自我知觉较高的儿童的孤独感显著低于社交自我知觉一般和较低的儿童,社交自我知觉一般的儿童的孤独感显著低于社交自我知觉较低的儿童。(3)高攻击型儿童的孤独感高于低攻击型儿童,但没有达到显著水平;高退缩型儿童的孤独感显著高于一般退缩型和低退缩型儿童,一般退缩型儿童的孤独感显著高于低退缩型的儿童。     

The criterion-related validity of integrity tests: an updated meta-analysis

Integrity tests have become a prominent predictor within the selection literature over the past few decades. However, some researchers have expressed concerns about the criterion-related validity evidence for such tests because of a perceived lack of methodological rigor within this literature, as well as a heavy reliance on unpublished data from test publishers. In response to these concerns, we meta-analyzed 104 studies (representing 134 independent samples), which were authored by a similar proportion of test publishers and non-publishers, whose conduct was consistent with professional standards for test validation, and whose results were relevant to the validity of integrity-specific scales for predicting individual work behavior. Overall mean observed validity estimates and validity estimates corrected for unreliability in the criterion (respectively) were .12 and .15 for job performance, .13 and .16 for training performance, .26 and .32 for counterproductive work behavior, and .07 and .09 for turnover. Although data on restriction of range were sparse, illustrative corrections for indirect range restriction did increase validities slightly (e.g., from .15 to .18 for job performance). Several variables appeared to moderate relations between integrity tests and the criteria. For example, corrected validities for job performance criteria were larger when based on studies authored by integrity test publishers (.27) than when based on studies from non-publishers (.12). In addition, corrected validities for counterproductive work behavior criteria were larger when based on self-reports (.42) than when based on other-reports (.11) or employee records (.15).     

The Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale: development and psychometric characteristics

In this study, an Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale was developed to assess cognitive distortions in individuals' interpersonal relationships. The sample comprised 425 university students. A factor analysis yielded three factors: Interpersonal Rejection, Unrealistic Relationship Expectation and Interpersonal Misperception. To examine construct validity the correlations between the scores on the Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale and the Automatic Thoughts Scale (.54), the Irrational Belief Scale (.54), and the Conflict Tendency Scale (.53) were estimated. The first factor, the second factor, and the total scale discriminated married individuals who had low and high conflict intensity and conflict frequency. The reliability of the scale was estimated by performing a test-retest correlation (.74). Cronbach internal consistency coefficient alpha was .67.     

The impact of self-control and texting-related accidents on the relationship between mindfulness and mobile texting while driving behavior

Distracted driving behavior often occurs when drivers mindlessly send or receive text messages with their mobile devices. It is imperative to understand the relationship between mindfulness and texting while driving behavior because distracted driving behavior has led to a reported increase in texting related accidents and mortalities. Based on this report, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between mindfulness, self-control, frequency of texting-related accidents, near-miss accidents, and texting while driving behavior. Using a total of 609 adults with an average age of 34.11 (SD = 12.21), results showed that observe, aware, and describe were related to texting while driving. Additionally, we found evidence that self-control partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and texting while driving. Results also showed that near-miss texting while driving accidents moderated the relationship between mindfulness and texting behavior while driving. The observed inverse relationship between mindfulness and texting while driving can increase researchers’ understanding of self-control’s role in vehicular accidents triggered by texting. Implications and limitations are offered, along with suggestions for future research.     

Comparison of PPVT-R and WISC-R in a mild/moderate handicapped sample

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, Form L was compared with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised with a sample of 32 mild/moderate handicapped students (24 boys, 8 girls). Significant correlations were found between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ (.46) and the WISC-R Verbal IQ (.50) and the PPVT-R, but no significant correlation was found between the WISC-R Performance IQ and the PPVT-R (.34). Mean scores on the PPVT-R and WISC-R were significantly different.     

Does Personality Smell? Accuracy of Personality Assessments Based on Body Odour

People are able to assess some personality traits of others based on videotaped behaviour, short interaction or a photograph. In our study, we investigated the relationship between body odour and the Big Five personality dimensions and dominance. Sixty odour samples were assessed by 20 raters each. The main finding of the presented study is that for a few personality traits, the correlation between self‐assessed personality of odour donors and judgments based on their body odour was above chance level. The correlations were strongest for extraversion (.36), neuroticism (.34) and dominance (.29). Further analyses showed that self–other agreement in assessments of neuroticism slightly differed between sexes and that the ratings of dominance were particularly accurate for assessments of the opposite sex. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.