Memory distortion in people reporting abduction by aliens

False memory creation was examined in people who reported having recovered memories of traumatic events that are unlikely to have occurred: abduction by space aliens. A variant of the Deese/Roediger-McDermott paradigm (J. Deese. 1959; H. L. Roediger III & K. B. McDermott, 1995) was used to examine false recall and false recognition in 3 groups: people reporting recovered memories of alien abduction. people who believe they were abducted by aliens but have no memories, and people who deny having been abducted by aliens. Those reporting recovered and repressed memories of alien abduction were more prone than control participants to exhibit false recall and recognition. The groups did not differ in correct recall or recognition. Hypnotic suggestibility, depressive symptoms, and schizotypic features were significant predictors of false recall and false recognition.     

Dissimilarity cumulation as a procedure correcting for violations of triangle inequality

Dissimilarity on a finite set is a function that assigns to every pair of points (stimuli) a nonnengative number vanishing if and only if the two points are identical. For any two points in a finite set, the minimum of the length of all finite chains connecting these points is a quasimetric (i.e., it satisfies all metric axioms except for symmetry). The computation of the quasimetric from a dissimilarity can be viewed as a data-analytic procedure of “correcting” dissimilarities into (quasi)distances, an alternative to nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling: the procedure simply replaces the dissimilarity between any two points with the shortest length across all chains of points connecting them. It is shown in this paper that this procedure can be equivalently described as a series of recursive corrections for violations of the triangle inequality across all triples of points considered in an arbitrary order.     

Patient activity and outcome in group psychotherapy: new findings

The relation of patient verbal activity to pretherapy symptom status and outcome was examined for ninety patients in time-limited group psychotherapy. For each half-hour segment the most verbally active member, or main actor (MA), was identified. Verbal activity was measured by counting the number of times each patient was MA during the course of the group. Outcome was assessed by administering a battery of instruments pre- and posttherapy and by obtaining direct ratings of patient benefit from the patient, therapist, and an independent rater: the number of times MA was found to be significantly correlated with four pretherapy measures, indicating that the most disturbed patients were most active in these groups; the number of times MA was also correlated with patient and therapist benefit ratings, indicating that therapists and patients themselves agreed that those who spoke the most benefited the most. However, partial correlations between number of times MA and other outcome measures did not produce any significant relationships. Thus, it does not appear that patient verbal activity is related to outcome, as measured by objective instruments.     

The use of scores anchored at the scale midpoint in reporting individuals' traits

Standardized scores including factor scores are insufficient indicators of individuals' positions on personality traits when mean scores deviate considerably from the scale origin. Anchored scores, that is, raw scores expressed as deviations from the scale midpoint and divided by the standard deviation, retain this discrepancy. We argue in favour of reporting in terms of anchored scores in addition to standard scores, and present a solution to the specific problem of finding anchored factor (i.e., principal-component) scores. Such scores are obtained through dividing factor weights by the standard deviation of the variable in question, and applying the corrected weights to the matrix of raw scores, expressed as deviations from the scale midpoint (e.g. −2, −1, 0, +1, +2). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparing applicants and incumbents: Effects of response distortion on mean scores and validity of personality measures

This study examined the negative effect of likely applicant distortion on mean scores and validity of personality measures. The personality test scores and performance ratings of applicants were directly compared to those of incumbents with the same occupation in four different samples. The results showed that applicant mean scores were higher and validity coefficients were lower than for incumbents.     

A note on correcting for chance success in objective tests

The conventional scoring formula to correct for guessing is derived and is compared with a regression method for scoring which has been recently proposed by Hamilton. It is shown that the usual formula,S=R–W/(n–1), yields a close approximation (correct within one point) to the maximum-likelihood estimate of an individual's true score on the test, if we assume that the individual knows or does not know the answer to each item, that guessing at unknown items is random, and that success at guessing is governed by the binomial law. It is also shown that the usual scoring formula yields an unbiased estimate of the individual's true score, when the true score is defined as the mean score over an indefinitely large number of independent attempts at the test or at equivalent (parallel) tests.     

Incremental validity of the Psychopathy Checklist facet scores: predicting release outcome in six samples

The incremental validity of the 4 facet scores (Interpersonal, Affective, Lifestyle, Antisocial) of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991, 2003) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV; S. D. Hart, D. N. Cox, & R. D. Hare, 1995) was evaluated in 6 forensic/correctional samples with average follow-ups ranging from 20 weeks to 10 years. Results indicated that whereas Facet 4 (Antisocial) achieved incremental validity relative to the first 3 facets (Interpersonal, Affective, and Lifestyle) in predicting recidivism in all 6 samples, a block of the first 3 facets achieved incremental validity relative to the 4th facet in only 1 sample. Thus, although there was consistent support for the incremental validity of Facet 4 above and beyond the first 3 facets, there was minimal support for the incremental validity of Facets 1, 2, and 3 above and beyond Facet 4. The implications of these findings for the psychopathy construct in general and the PCL-R/SV in particular are discussed.     

A rationale for minimizing distortion in personality questionnaire keys

A rationale and a procedure for constructing questionnaire keys so as to minimize the effect of distortion or faking by the respondents is developed. This rationale is based on the supposition that suppressor items can be identified to reduce distortion in, and thus add to, the validity of questionnaire keys. The procedure is designed primarily for application to the construction of forced choice items.The results of an empirical test of the efficicacy of the forced choice pairing procedure developed as a consequence of this rationale are presented. A key based on forced choice pairs developed by this procedure gave a validity of .33; a second key based on forced choice pairs developed by more conventional procedures gave a validity of .23.The opinions expressed are those of the author and are not to be construed as reflecting official Department of the Army policy. The rationale presented herein was developed and used in an Army research program concerned with the selection of ROTC cadets. In substance, the content of this paper is contained in PRS Report 868,A rationale for minimizing distortion in personality questionnaire keys.     

A theoretical distribution for mental test scores

The negative hypergeometric distribution of raw scores on mental tests is derived from certain assumptions relating to test theory. This result is checked empirically in a number of examples. Further derivations lead to the bivariate distribution of parallel tests which is also verified with actual data. The bivariate distribution of raw score and true score is also derived from a further assumption. This distribution is used to set confidence limits for true scores for persons with a given raw score.This work was supported in part by contract Nonr-2752(00) between the Office of Naval Research and Educational Testing Service. Reproduction in whole or in part for any purpose of the United States Government is permitted.     

A new iterative method for correcting erroneous communality estimates in factor analysis

A new method for correcting erroneous communality estimates is applicable to any completed orthogonal factor solution. It seeks, by direct correction of factor loadings, to make the residuals conform to the chance error criteria of zero mean and zero skewness for each row separately. Two numerical examples, with one and two factors, respectively, are presented. The method can be used as a short cut for Dwyer's extension in adding variables to a matrix. It can also be used as a short cut in cross-validation factor studies. Successful use on problems with many variables and numerous factors is claimed. Factors can be made oblique,after correction, if desired.     

Structure of RIASEC scores in China: A structural meta-analysis

A structural meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the fit of four different representations of the relations among RIASEC types, [13] and [14] circular order model, Gati’s (1991) three-group partition model, Rounds and Tracey’s (1996) alternative three-group partition model, and Liu and Rounds’ (2003) modified octant model, on 29 RIASEC correlation matrices collected from Chinese participants. The randomization test of hypothesized order relations was used to evaluate model fit. The results indicated that Holland’s model had the worst fit and was lower than it is fit in US samples; while Gati’s and Rounds and Tracey’s models had best fit. The fit of the Liu and Rounds’ model lay between the fit of Holland’s model and the other models. There was minimal difference in this ordering of model fit across instrument, age, gender and region. These results are interpreted with respect to differences in Chinese culture relative to the US.     

PESTI: A procedure for estimating individual thresholds in infant listeners

An adaptive procedure for rapid estimation of adult thresholds (PEST: Parameter Estimation by Sequential Testing; Taylor & Creelman, 1967) was modified and applied to the estimation of auditory thresholds in 6-month-old infants (PESTI). This procedure yielded similar absolute thresholds to those obtained in previous research with the method of constant stimuli. Advantages of the present procedure are outlined.     

A two-score composite program for combining standard scores

It is often desirable for mental health practitioners to combine standard scores from different tests, raters, or times into a single composite standard score. Most often the result is a more reliable and accurate standard score. This paper describes a computer program that uses two standard scores, score reliability and correlation with a third variable, to yield a composite standard score, reliability and correlation. Trends, limitations, optimum benefits, and examples are discussed. References are provided for calculating composites based on more than two scores.     

A coding procedure for teachers

An observational technique for reliably estimating the per cent of time a student engages in appropriate and inappropriate classroom behavior is described. The regular classroom teacher can utilize the procedure without deviating from regular routine, and the obtained data can serve as a basis for dispensing token reinforcement.     

A microcomputer program for evaluating WISC-R factor scores

A data analysis routine was developed for the Apple II series microcomputer that allows school psychologists to quickly calculate WISC-R factor scores and evaluate the significance of differences between the factors and individual subtest deviations within the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization factors. The source code written in Applesoft BASIC is provided. With minor modifications the program can be adapted to run on other computer systems.