Spanish Applications of Luria's Assessment Methods

Luria's neuropsychology has been particularly influential in the Spanish-speaking world. Its impact is observed with regard to not only assessment, but also rehabilitation, and, especially, neuropsychological theorization. In this article, Luria's approach to neuropsychological assessment is examined. A distinction between Luria's neuropsychological tests and Luria's neuropsychological approach is introduced. It is pointed out that, according to Luria, the specific tests used in the neuropsychological assessment are secondary; the theory supporting the neuropsychological testing is of primary importance. The development of neuropsychology in the Spanish-speaking world is briefly presented, and the use of Luria's neuropsychological assessment procedures in Latin America and Spain is analyzed. Finally, neo-Lurianism in the Spanish-speaking world is considered.     

Quantitative and Qualitative Integration of Lurian Procedures

This article reviews contemporary Russian research aimed at integrating and combining qualitative and quantitative evaluation approaches using Luria's procedures of neuropsychological assessment. A scoring system for rating and evaluating cognitive disturbances in different functional areas is described. The advantages of application of this system are discussed, using as examples the neuropsychological follow-up of neurosurgical patients, as well as neuropsychological research into the cognitive disturbances in patients with Parkinsonism and in children who are mentally retarded. The effectiveness of these updates to Luria's approach is demonstrated.     

Applying Luria's Diagnostic Principles in the Neuropsychological Assessment of Children

The first part of this article examines the theoretical justification for applying Luria's approach in the assessment of children. It is concluded that Luria's concepts of functional systems and the principle of specifying primary and secondary deficits may be applied to children. However, the selection of functional components to assess should be based on traditions of child neuropsychology rather than on Luria's assessment of adults. In addition, the tendency for comorbid disorders, mechanisms of neural adaptation to damage, and the prevalent types of brain abnormality in children render brain–behavior relationships more complex in children than in adults. The second part of the article describes how Luria's methods were adapted for use with children. An assessment, NEPSY, was developed by integrating Luria's views with contemporary child neuropsychological traditions. The NEPSY includes 27 homogeneous and psychometrically developed subtests, standardized in the United States and Finland for the age range of 3 to 12 years. The rationale of analyzing disorders of cognitive processes through a comprehensive and systematic assessment of their components, characteristic of Luria's approach, was preserved, but more specific principles of diagnosis were modified. Research findings obtained with a previously published, Finnish NEPSY version are presented.     

Psychology and Health: Obstacles and Opportunities1

This paper begins with an overview of key achievements in health psychology. It describes major impediments to progress in the field, as well as opportunities for developing a strong scientific basis of efforts to modify health-damaging behavior. Strategies for capitalizing upon the opportunities are suggested. These include enhanced efforts at theory development, use of modern biomedical technology for in vivo research, experimentation with specific alternative research funding mechanisms, establishing procedures for training interdisciplinary researchers, and increased efforts by individual scientists to broaden their understanding of the relationship of their field to government. The importance of such initiatives to the continued growth of health psychology is emphasized.     

Some Facts from the Biography of A. R. Luria

The biographical sketches from Luria's life reveal the capricious political changes and their effect on the development of Soviet neuropsychology. The picture that emerges is of an individual who survived several ideological reprisals. He introduced Vygotsky into the mainstream of psychology, and continued to advance the study of cognitive functions within the context of neuroanatomy of the brain. And yet, he had an open mind judged by his interest in Freud, and welcoming to his clinic pioneers of psychology such as Piaget, Bruner and Pribram. Also included are intimate impressions of a daughter of her father, who like his young mentor, Vygotsky was a near-genius. He was unvanquished by adversities, doggedly working away to extend the frontiers of the science of human mind.     

Introduction: Neuropsychological Assessment Après Luria

Neuropsychological assessment since Alexander R. Luria's death in 1977 has demonstrated increased sophistication and advancement, and a number of models or approaches to neuropsychological assessment are available worldwide today. This article reviews, in the context of this special issue, Luria's influence on the further development of neuropsychological assessment approaches and methods. Contemporary approaches are summarized and contrasted, and a discussion of neo-Lurian adaptations and extensions of his neuropsychological model is presented. Brief comments about the succeeding articles in this issue help to demonstrate the wide influence sustained by Luria's ideas in various regions of the world.     

Comments on a standardized version of Luria's tests

Appreciation is expressed for the work of Golden's group in the selection of Luria's tests, the standardization of their administration, the collection of norms, and the evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Luria-Nebraska test battery. However, questions are raised concerning the ability of the test to efficiently handle topical diagnosis and to construct rehabilitation programs. Concern is expressed over the possible vulgarization of Luria's doctrine of functional systems and the loss of predictive power in Luria's tests through neglect of qualitative information and methodology. Suggestions are made as to how Luria's qualitative methodology might be incorporated in a standardized version of a neuropsychological examination.     

Extension of Luria's Psycholinguistic Studies in Poland

One of Luria's basic interests was the organization of human cognitive processes, and thinking in particular. He believed that language and thought are closely related, and hence the manner in which we speak reflects the way we think. To verify this assumption, he and his collaborators performed a number of interesting psycholinguistic experiments with subjects of various ages and cultural backgrounds. The tasks used made the evaluation of both receptive and expressive language possible. The Narrative Ability Test described here stems from Luria's observations to a considerable degree. The test was administered to preschool children (N = 106), schoolchildren (N = 143), adolescents (N = 89), adults (N = 126), and older persons (N = 175). Findings of the 20-year studies with normal and deviant populations indicate close relationships among thought, language, and self-control. It was found that difficulty in developing narratives corresponds with a disability to process complex information. Correlations between narrative skills and age, sex, and social background were also noted.     

Russian Neuropsychology After Luria

It is now more than 20 years after Luria's death in 1977. His collaborators, disciples, and followers both in Russia and abroad continue to further develop his work. The development of Russian neuropsychology reflects the universal tendency to replace static neuropsychology, which relates individuals' behavior to fixed cerebral lesions, with dynamic neuropsychology, which analyzes the dynamics of brain-behavior interaction. Three types of Russian studies illustrate the latter approach: (1) neuropsychological follow-up of different nosological groups of patients in the process of medical or psychological treatment, (2) studies of cognitive evolution (developmental neuropsychology), and (3) studies of cognitive involution (neurogeriatrics). All studies focus on cortico-subcortical and interhemispheric relationships. Another change in modern Russian neuropsychology consists of combining the qualitative approach with the quantitative one, but the system of rating is based, following Luria's tradition, on the psychological evaluation of each task's structure and the qualitative analysis of the patients' performance and possibilities for its correction. Hence, Luria's creative and comprehensive approach stimulates the further development of neuropsychology in Russia.     

A Neo-Lurian Approach to Assessment and Remediation

The first part of this article presents an operational battery of tasks for measuring the four cognitive processes of Planning, Arousal–Attention, and Simultaneous and Successive processing (PASS) not only based on the qualitative data provided in Luria's syndrome analysis, but also taken from tasks in experimental cognitive psychology and neuropsychology. The second part of the article presents a remedial program based on PASS for enhancement of reading. Because this part provides in some detail the efficacy of the remedial procedure, it simultaneously validates the PASS constructs as well. In both parts of the article, I have been unmistakably guided by Luria's views: Tests are approaches to investigating cognitive functions, and the purpose of testing is to guide rehabilitation.     

Luria in Uzbekistan: The Vicissitudes of Cross-Cultural Neuropsychology

If the material conditions of culture shape cognitive structures, as Luria and Vygotsky argued, the extraordinarily deep and rapid restructuring of historical forms (Luria, 1971, 265) in the Soviet Republics that followed the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 provided a natural laboratory to determine whether processes of modernization changed traditional ways of thinking. This was the purpose of Luria's 1931 expedition to the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan in central Asia. Luria's initial reports attracted vitriolic criticism because he had allegedly belittled primitive Uzbeki culture. The lasting importance of the Uzbek expedition is its emphasis on culture as a determinant of cognitive processes that remains valid to the present: in 1984, Gilbert replicated Luria's field studies in South Africa with near-identical results. Yet current neuropsychology has been slow to recognize the need for culturally sensitive assessment.     

A comparative review of total family functioning measures

Abstract

Three categories of instruments or methods have been used to assess family functioning: unstandardized measures of total family functioning; instruments which measure family subsystems or unitary processes; and standardized total family assessment procedures. Six methods, comprising the standardized total family functioning category, are reviewed and compared. It is concluded that methods of total family assessment are nearing the formation of a family systems paradigm, although the psychometric qualities of the instruments lag behind theoretical development. Recommendations are made for further development of procedures to assess family systems.     

Psychometry and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measurements

Summary The relationship between psychometric performance and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measurement in a series of patients suffering from presenile dementia is discussed. An evaluation of central concepts in the late Professor A.R. Luria's dynamic localization model for behavior determination is made. A new indirect measurement of regional cerebral metabolism (rCBF) is used. In general, support is obtained from Luria's model for the interpretation of the relation between psychometric results and the rCBF data.     

Neurodevelopmental functioning in children being evaluated for heart transplant prior to 2 years of age

Cardiac defects represent the most common type of birth defect and children with these abnormalities are known to experience a variety of developmental and neuropsychological delays. Children receiving heart transplants may be at the highest risk for delays as they tend to represent the most severely ill patients with heart disease. This study investigates neurocognitive and adaptive functioning in 20 children under 2 years of age who were undergoing evaluation for heart transplant, comparing their performance to that of normative samples. The results indicate delays across various domains of neurocognition, including general cognitive, receptive language, expressive language, fine motor, and gross motor skills. In addition, adaptive and social-emotional functioning fell significantly below that of normative samples. No significant differences were found when comparing the test performance of patients with congenital heart defects (n = 12) to patients with cardiomyopathy (n = 8). Secondary analyses investigating the impact of genetic conditions, premature birth, and non-English language dominance showed minor changes in results across some domains, although this may have been due, at least in part, to decreased power to detect differences. Overall, this study’s results support the need for early evaluation, intensive intervention (e.g., speech, occupational, and physical therapy), and continued monitoring of these patients’ neurodevelopmental/neuropsychological functioning over time. Future research should examine longitudinal changes in development using both pre- and post-transplant data and should investigate the impact of early intervention.     

Assessing Creative Persons*

ABSTRACT Personality assessment, in contrast to psychodiagnosis, psychological testing, and the measurement of individual differences, attempts to delineate the person as a whole through the use of a multiplicity of procedures and emphasizes the more favorable and positive aspects of personality and its potentialities for effective functioning. Developed during World War II, the method has been most extensively used by the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California. Berkeley, in its studies of highly creative persons. In these researches the characteristics of such persons have been effectively revealed, e.g., through the use of life history interviews, personality trait ratings, an adjective check list, and the Q-sort method, and their level of creativeness predicted by multiple regression analyses.     

Microcomputer-based programmed instruction in identity matching to sample for persons with severe disabilities

Three individuals with mental retardation, who had failed to learn identity matching to sample with standard fading and prompting procedures, were given microcomputer-based programmed instruction. The methods were based on an analysis of two features of typical identity matching procedures: (a) within each trial, the current sample stimulus must control comparison selection, and (b) across trials, specific comparison stimuli must function both as S+ and as S–, depending upon the sample presented (conditional discrimination). During the first phase of training, one-trial acquisition of discriminative stimulus control was established in a nonconditional discrimination context where the S+ or S– functions of specific stimuli did not change from trial to trial. After one-trial learning was established, conditional discrimination was programmed by gradually introducing reversals of S+/S– stimulus functions. All three participants learned to perform conditional identity matching. Avenues for further analysis of the prerequisites for conditional discrimination and continued development of programmed methods are discussed.     

UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONDING TO HUMAN EVIL: A MULTICAUSAL APPROACH

One task of religion is delivering human beings from evil within and between themselves. Defining good as well‐being or functioning well, evil as impaired functioning, and doing evil as impairing the functioning of others, this essay explores how religions in consort with other social institutions might understand and respond to evil in light of contemporary scientific knowledge. To understand evil I use a multicausal approach that includes both biological and sociocultural environmental causes. I illustrate the use of this approach by analyzing how we might understand and respond to human rage and violence.     

Termination in a work group: Four models of analysis and intervention

Four alternative models for understanding and consulting with work groups are presented. The major propositions of each model are summarized and then applied to the same case of work group functioning. The author is interested in the application of theory and especially how differing models focus upon the same or different group phenomena. The author advocates the importance of increased attention to the functioning of professional work groups as a means of improving training and the delivery of health services. However, such analysis should include the use of social science models as well as the more commonly employed understandings derived from an intrapsychic model of group behavior.The author wishes to thank Dr. Marvin Aronson, Dr. Nina Fieldsteel, Dr. Marcia Lawler and Dr. Bennett Roth for their encouragement and assistance during the development of this paper.     

Changes in Sexual Functioning and Mood Among Women Treated for Gynecological Cancer Who Receive Group Therapy: A Pilot Study

This study examined changes in sexual functioning and mood disturbance among women who have been treated for gynecological cancer and who participated in a 12-week group intervention for psychosexual problems. The Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) assessed the sexual functioning, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) assessed the mood disturbance of 19 women at baseline who completed follow-ups conducted posttreatment and three-month posttreatment. The results showed that the women improved significantly in their CSFQ total scores after being provided with the group therapy intervention at the posttreatment assessment (p < .01), and a statistical trend (p < .10) suggested continued improvement in CSFQ total scores at the three months posttreatment follow-up. Women's POMS total mood disturbance scores improved significantly at the posttreatment assessment (p = .01), but did not show significant improvement at the 3-month posttreatment follow-up. These results suggest that this group intervention achieved its main goal in treating sexual dysfunction as well as mood disturbance, but these improvements dissipated over time and may require further intervention in order to be maintained.     

Personality – a resource or risk for successful development

Personality as a resource or risk for development was discussed in the light of the results of the ongoing Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (FJYLS) which the author has conducted since 1968 when the participants (N = 369, b. 1959) were 8 years of age. A general hypothesis presented within a two‐dimensional framework of self‐control and activity was that the child’s high self‐control of emotions and behavior would be associated with adaptive behavior in adulthood. The results have provided evidence in support for and limitations to the hypothesis. High self‐control was a resource and low self‐control was a risk for development, but there were gender differences that came out consistently in variable‐oriented and person‐oriented analyses. A resource factor for male adult social functioning was, compared to females, a broader construct of self‐control in childhood covering both more passive (compliant) and active (constructive) behavior; only active well‐controlled (constructive) behavior was a resource for female functioning. A risk factor for female functioning was low self‐control combined with passivity (internalizing behavior), whereas low self‐control combined with activity (externalizing behavior) was a risk factor for male functioning. Childhood self‐control was not directly associated with adult psychological functioning such as well‐being but indirectly through social functioning such as career development. Low self‐control in childhood was an antecedent of criminal behavior but only for those male offenders who committed offences in adulthood, not for those who had limited their offending to adolescence.