Psychological Assessment in Japan in These Decades

On recense dans cet article les méthodes et les centres d'intérêt de l'évaluation psychologique au Japon. Quatre rubriques ont été retenues: (1) le développement des aptitudes et la construction des échelles; (2) la personnalité et les comparaispns interculturelles; (3) la motivation et la mesure des attitudes, et (4) les relations humaines.
Research on means and modes of psychological assessment in Japan are reviewed here. This research is treated under four sections: (1) scale construction and ability development, (2) personality measurement and cross-cultural comparison, (3) motivation and attitude measurement, and (4) human relations.     

Ethical issues in considering 'religious impairment' in diagnosis

There are several ethical implications of clinician assessment of clinically significant religious impairment (CSRI). This paper draws upon the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Code of Ethics (1992) to review relevant ethical principles and standards. It then presents a continuum of responses to the relationship between psychology and religion: (1) religion as harmful, (2) benign neglect of religion, (3) formal: problem-focused, (4) formal: domain-focused, and (5) religion as paradigmatic alternative. This continuum is followed by a discussion of three clinical vignettes and an examination of the potential ethical tensions for each model. The conclusions drawn from this review are that the formal: domain-focused model presents a rationale for inclusion of CSRI in assessment and is the most promising among alternative models for avoiding professional obsolescence, expanding alternatives for clients and clinicians, and enhancing ethical practice and professionalism.     

Critical issues in the prevention of violence-related behavior in youth

Violence prevention programs with varying degrees of scientific support have proliferated in the United States and elsewhere. This paper previewed a broad range of programs involving youth, families, or systems that aimed to prevent or reduce violence-related behavior. The purpose of the review was to address critical issues concerning (1) target level of programming, (2) theory-driven versus problem-driven conceptualization, (3) cultural considerations, (4) developmental considerations, (5) intervention fidelity, and (6) outcome and impact assessment. Conclusions about these issues address tendencies and trends across programs.     

Race differences in stress-induced reactivity in young adults

The cardiovascular response to the stress of mental arithmetic was studied in young Black and White adults. Stress-induced reactivity was studied before and following 14 days of oral sodium loading (10 gm NaCl per day). Marginal hypertensives, both Black and White, had greater systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels (p less than 0.001) and greater diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels (p less than 0.01) in response to stress. Whites had a greater SBP level during mental stress than Blacks (p = 0.008) and greater reactivity (change from baseline; p less than 0.001). The prevalence of sodium sensitivity was greater in Blacks (37.3%) than in Whites (18.4%). Sodium loading did not augment the BP reactivity to the mental stress in any of the racial or BP groups. These data demonstrate racial variation in the cardiovascular response to centrally mediated adrenergic stimuli. The results also suggest that mild BP elevation in Blacks may be regulated through changes in vascular resistance.     

Phonological transformations in Spanish-speaking aphasics

Thirty-seven aphasic patients whose native language is Spanish were divided into four groups: (1) Broca's, (2) Wernicke's, (3) Conduction, and (4) Anomia. Phonological errors produced on repetition and object-naming tasks were analyzed in terms of type of transformation and degree of similarity between target and errors in terms of shared distinctive features. Segmental transformations were of the following types: (1) pure substitution, (2) pure addition, (3) deletion, (4) reduplicative addition (doublet creation)—anticipatory (right to left) or perseverative (left to right), (5) reduplicative substitution (doublet creation)—anticipatory or perseverative, and (6) mutual exchanges. Pure substitutions were the most prevalent, exchanges, the least. Some error types were found to differentiate significantly between aphasic populations. We suggest that different mechanisms may underlie the same error type for different aphasic populations.     

Ear asymmetries in dichotic listening tasks which increase in difficulty

Accuracy and laterality of ear preference in repeating 2, 3 and 4 word pairs (WP) of dichotic stimuli in English and French were determined in 80 right-handed subjects (anglophone/francophone, male/female), who were tested in both their native language (L1) and nonnative language (L2). Relative performance accuracy decreased as a function of word pairs per trial (from 2 to 4) as well as language (from L1 to L2). Right-lateral preference in turn increased as a function of WP (from 2 to 4) as well as language (L1 to L2). Right-ear advantage (REA) in L2 decreased as a function of language proficiency (low to high). REA was observed in over 90% of subjects. A rationale for greater lateralization of L2 performance is offered.     

Hemispheric differences in specificity effects in talker identification

In the visual domain, Marsolek and colleagues (1999, 2008) have found support for two dissociable and parallel neural subsystems underlying object and shape recognition: an abstract-category subsystem that operates more effectively in the left cerebral hemisphere (LH), and a specific-exemplar subsystem that operates more effectively in the right cerebral hemisphere (RH). Evidence of this asymmetry has been observed in priming specificity for linguistic (words, pseudoword forms) and nonlinguistic (objects) stimuli. In the auditory domain, the authors previously found hemispheric asymmetries in priming effects for linguistic (spoken words) and nonlinguistic (environmental sounds) stimuli. In the present study, the same asymmetrical pattern was observed in talker identification by means of two long-term repetition-priming experiments. Both experiments consisted of a familiarization phase and a final talker identification test phase, using sentences as stimuli. The results showed that specificity effects (an advantage for same-sentence priming, relative to different-sentence priming) emerged when the target stimuli were presented to the left ear (RH), but not when the target stimuli were presented to the right ear (LH). Taken together, this consistent asymmetrical pattern of data from both domains-visual and auditory-may be indicative of a more general property of the human perceptual processing system. Theoretical implications are discussed.     

Resilience in Remarried Families

The present study aims to identify those resilience factors that enable remarried families to withstand and rebound from the disruptive challenges they face. A parent and a child from 38 families independently completed seven questionnaires and answered an open-ended question. The following resilience-associated factors were identified: (1) supportive family relationships, (2) affirming and supportive communication, (3) a sense of control over outcomes in life, (4) activities and routines that help the family to spend time together, (5) a strong marriage relationship, (6) support from family and friends, (7) redefining stressful events and acquiring social support, and (8) spirituality and religion within the family.     

Psychotherapy in Cyberspace

Research concerned with human beings is always an interference of some kind, thus posing ethical dilemmas that need justification of procedures and methodologies. It is especially true in social work when facing mostly sensitive populations and sensitive issues. In the process of conducting a research on the emotional life histories of Israeli men who batter their partners, some serious ethical questions were evoked such as (a) Did the participants really give their consent? (b) What are the limits of the researcher-participants relationship and who decides them? (c) For whom is the study beneficial? and (d) To what degree did the methodology fit with the participants? In this article, I discuss the Socratic idea of truth revealed through dialogue and the idea of reciprocity that was developed in Buber's (1949) ethics of dialogue and Habermas' (1990) communicative ethics. The 3 essential conclusions drawn from the ethical questions raised and the discussion of the thinkers that are mentioned previously are (a) dialogical methodology is ethically justified; (b) dynamic interactions give a more holistic perspective of the human nature, thus enriching the field; and (c) through dialogical methodology both researcher and participant profit from growth of knowledge, which is a key for empowerment and change.     

Psychological Health and Change in Closeness in Platonic and Romantic Relationships

Abstract

The authors investigated (a) whether increased closeness and decreased closeness of a relationship are associated with better and poorer psychological health, respectively; and (b) whether poorer psychological health is related to perceiving oneself or to perceiving the other person as primarily responsible for decreased closeness. A sample of English undergraduate students (52 female, 52 male; 16–23 years of age) completed M. Rosenberg's (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, D. P. Goldberg's (1972) 12-item General Health Questionnaire, and a 6-item scale developed for this study to measure change in closeness and to identify the initiator(s) of the change. Decreased closeness was related to poorer psychological health in male participants' platonic relationships and in female participants' romantic relationships. Poorer psychological health was associated with (a) perceiving the other person as responsible for decreased closeness in male participants' platonic relationships and (b) perceiving both parties as mutually responsible for decreased closeness in female participants' romantic relationships.     

Ethical and malpractice issues in hospital practice

Ethical and malpractice issues arising in hospital practice are reviewed. Topics include (a) preparation and authorization to carry out clinical responsibilities, (b) personnel procedures, (c) financial and political forces influencing hospital policies, (d) billing procedures, (e) clinical procedures for responding to patients' needs, (f) confidentiality, (g) discrimination, (h) internship and training issues, (i) sexual abuse of patients, and (j) staff conflicts influencing patient care.     

Paths from socioemotional behavior in middle childhood to personality in middle adulthood

Continuity in individual differences from socioemotional behavior in middle childhood to personality characteristics in middle adulthood was examined on the assumption that they share certain temperament-related elements. Socioemotional characteristics were measured using teacher ratings at ages 8 (N = 369; 53% males) and 14 (95% of the initial sample). Personality was assessed at age 42 (63% of the initial sample; 50% males) using a shortened version of the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI); the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP); and the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ). Three models were tested using structural equation modeling. The results confirmed paths (a) from behavioral activity to adult Extraversion and Openness (NEO-PI), sociability (KSP), and surgency (ATQ); (b) from well-controlled behavior to adult conformity (KSP) and Conscientiousness (NEO-PI); and (c) from negative emotionality to adult aggression (KSP). The paths were significant only for one gender, and more frequently for males than for females. The significant male paths from behavioral activity to all indicators of adult activity and from well-controlled behavior to adult conformity started at age 8, whereas significant female paths from behavioral activity to adult sociability and from well-controlled behavior to adult Conscientiousness started at age 14. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Factors predicting success in picture naming in Alzheimer's disease and primary progressive aphasia

The aim of the present study was to determine the predictive value of all important variables in the picture naming performance of 8 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 8 patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). The experimental investigation controlled for (i) visual complexity, (ii) name agreement on dominant response, (iii) age of acquisition, (iv) frequency, (v) word length, (vi) concept familiarity, and (vii) category membership. The results of the multiple regression analyses showed that age of acquisition and name agreement were significant for 10/16 subjects. Visual complexity, frequency, familiarity, and category were also significant for four patients respectively. Word length had no effect. These results are at variance with those of series of patients with AD (Gaillard et al., 1998) and with PPA (Lambon Ralph et al., 1998) where concept familiarity was found to be one of the most predictive factors of naming success.     

Emergent, untrained stimulus relations in many-to-one matching-to-sample discriminations in rats

The present experiment investigated whether rats formed emergent, untrained stimulus relations in many-to-one matching-to-sample discriminations. In Phase 1, rats were trained to match two samples (triangle and horizontal stripes) to a common comparison (horizontal stripes) and two additional samples (circle or vertical stripes) to another comparison (vertical stripes). Then, in Phase 2, the rats were trained to match the one sample (triangle) to a new comparison (black) and the other sample (circle) to another comparison (white). In the Phase 3 test, half the rats (consistent group) were given two new tasks in which the sample-correct comparison relation was consistent with any emergent stimulus relations that previously may have been learned. The remaining 6 rats (inconsistent group) were given two new tasks in which the sample-correct comparison relation was not consistent with any previously learned emergent stimulus relations. Rats in the consistent group showed more accurate performance at the start of Phase 3, and faster learning to criterion in this phase, as compared with rats in the inconsistent group. This finding suggests that rats may form emergent, untrained stimulus relations between the discriminative stimuli in many-to-one matching-to-sample discriminations.     

Psychological health and change in closeness in platonic and romantic relationships

The authors investigated (a) whether increased closeness and decreased closeness of a relationship are associated with better and poorer psychological health, respectively; and (b) whether poorer psychological health is related to perceiving oneself or to perceiving the other person as primarily responsible for decreased closeness. A sample of English undergraduate students (52 female, 52 male; 16-23 years of age) completed M. Rosenberg's (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, D. P. Goldberg's (1972) 12-item General Health Questionnaire, and a 6-item scale developed for this study to measure change in closeness and to identify the initiator(s) of the change. Decreased closeness was related to poorer psychological health in male participants' platonic relationships and in female participants' romantic relationships. Poorer psychological health was associated with (a) perceiving the other person as responsible for decreased closeness in male participants' platonic relationships and (b) perceiving both parties as mutually responsible for decreased closeness in female participants' romantic relationships.     

Deficits in executed and imagined aiming performance in brain-injured children

Motor disorders are a frequent consequence of acquired brain injury (ABI) in children and much effort is currently invested in alleviating these deficits. The aim of the present study was to test motor imagery (MI) capabilities in children with ABI (n=25) and an age- and gender-matched control group (n=25). A computerized Virtual Radial Fitts Task (VRFT) was used to investigate the speed-accuracy trade-offs (or Fitts' law) that occur as target size is varied for both executed and imagined performance. In the control group, the speed for accuracy trade-off for both executed and imagined performance conformed to Fitts' law. In the ABI group, only executed movements conformed to Fitts' law. These findings suggest that children with ABI show an inferior ability to imagine the time needed to complete goal-directed movements with differential difficulty levels.     

Prereading Deficits in Children in Foster Care

Reading skills are core competencies in children's readiness to learn and may be particularly important for children in foster care, who are at risk for academic difficulties and higher rates of special education placement. In this study, prereading skills (phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and oral language ability) and kindergarten performance of 63 children in foster care were examined just prior to and during the fall of kindergarten. The children exhibited prereading deficits with average prereading scores that fell at the 30(th) to 40(th) percentile. Variations in prereading skills (particularly phonological awareness) predicted kindergarten teacher ratings of early literacy skills in a multivariate path analysis. These findings highlight the need for interventions focused on prereading skills for children in foster care.     

Antecedents of organizational citizenship behaviour in a government-owned enterprise in Nigeria

The study examines the generalizability of perceived organizational support (POS) and perceived fair interpersonal treatment (PFIT) as positive correlates of organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in Nigeria. In a study conducted, 207 lower management employees of National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), a government-owned enterprise in Nigeria, were selected as participants. Standardized psychological scales measuring POS, PFIT, and three facets of OCB (helping, civic virtue, and sportsmanship) were administered. Data analysed using Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analysis (controlling gender, age, and tenure) respectively showed independent and joint positive association of POS and PFIT with OCB and each of its three dimensions. It is concluded that to enhance OCB among employees of organizations, especially government-owned enterprises in Nigeria, management need to device policies and put in place programmes that would ensure enhanced organizational support and fair interpersonal treatment.     

Good feelings in christianity and buddhism: religious differences in ideal affect

Affect valuation theory (AVT) predicts cultural variation in the affective states that people ideally want to feel (i.e., "ideal affect"). National and ethnic comparisons support this prediction: For instance, European Americans (EA) value high arousal positive (HAP) states (e.g., excitement) more and low arousal positive (LAP) states (e.g., calm) less than Hong Kong Chinese. In this article, the authors examine whether religions differ in the ideal affective states they endorse. The authors predicted that Christianity values HAP more and LAP less than Buddhism. In Study 1, they compared Christian and Buddhist practitioners' ideal affect. In Studies 2 and 3, they compared the endorsement of HAP and LAP in Christian and Buddhist classical texts (e.g., Gospels, Lotus Sutra) and contemporary self-help books (e.g., Your Best Life Now, Art of Happiness). Findings supported predictions, suggesting that AVT applies to religious and to national and ethnic cultures.     

Androgyny in Liking and in Being Liked Are Antecedent to Well-Being in Pre-Adolescent Boys and Girls

The present study is a two-wave longitudinal study of the concurrent and prospective associations between patterns of same- and other-gender liking and well-being in a sample of 403 fifth and sixth-grade girls and boys from Montréal Québec, Canada that was used to examine Sandra Bem’s perspective that androgyny is related to well-being. In our study androgyny was operationally defined as (a) the combination of liking for same- and other-gender peers and (b) the combination of being liked by same- and other-gender peers. Well-being was indexed with a measure of the self-concept. Findings drawn from analyses conducted with structural equation modeling showed that androgynous liking was an antecedent and a consequence of well-being. Specifically (a) Time 1 (T1) well-being was a predictor of how much girls and boys liked same-gender and other-gender peers at Time 2 (T2) whereas T2 well-being was predicted by how much girls and boys liked same- and other-gender peers at T1 and (b) T2 well-being was predicted by how much girls and boys were liked by same-gender and other-gender peers. These findings are discussed according to the dynamics of experiences with peers from one’s own gender and the other-gender.