Generalizability of WISC-IV index and subtest score profiles in children with traumatic brain injury

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV) is often used to assess children with traumatic brain injury (TBI); although limited information is available regarding its psychometric properties in these children. Two recent reports suggest that the Perceptual Reasoning Index is not uniquely sensitive to TBI, which differs from the Perceptual Organization Index of the WISC-III. The current study examined WISC-IV profiles in two independently gathered samples of children with TBI. Examination of profiles indicated similarities between the current findings and those reported in other studies, in that the greatest deficits were present on the Processing Speed Index and its component subtests of Coding and Symbol Search, while the Perceptual Reasoning index score was comparable to the Verbal Comprehension Index. Also, no significant index or subtest score differences were present when the current sample was compared to the children with TBI reported by Allen, Thaler, Donohue and Mayfield (2010 Allen, D. N., Thaler, N. S., Donohue, B. and Mayfield, J. 2010. WISC-IV profiles in children with traumatic brain injury: Similarities to and differences from the WISC-III. Psychological Assessment, 22(1): 57–64. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The present findings are consistent with two prior studies of the WISC-IV in children with TBI, providing additional evidence for profile differences between the WISC-III and WISC-IV. The results also suggest that WISC-IV profiles reported in prior studies are generalizable across TBI samples and study sites.     

An Empirical Investigation of Population Invariance in the Value of Subscores

Recently there has been an increasing level of interest in subtest scores, or subscores, for their potential diagnostic value. Haberman (2008 Haberman, S. J. 2008. When can subscores have value?. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 33: 204–229. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) suggested a method to determine if a subscore has added value over the total score. Researchers have often been interested in the performance of subgroups—for example, those based on gender or ethnicity—on subtests. Several researchers found that the difference in performance between the gender-based subgroups varied over the different subtests. In this article, we examine whether the added values of the subscores vary between subgroups using data from several operational tests, including an international English proficiency test. For these data sets, the added values of the subscores occasionally vary over the subgroups, but the added values of the augmented subscores are invariant over the subgroups.     

The Factor Structure of the CVLT-C in Pediatric Epilepsy

The current study used archival data to evaluate the fit of six latent variable models, originally generated by Donders (1999) Donders. 1999. Structural analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test—Children's Version in the standardization sample. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15(3): 395–406. [CSA][Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], for the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, &; Ober, 1994 Delis, D. C., Kramer, J. H., Kaplan, E. and Ober, B. A. 1994. California Verbal Learning Test—Children's Version, San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.  [Google Scholar]) in a large (N = 289) sample of pediatric epilepsy cases presenting at three tertiary treatment centers. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found that a model including factors of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Free Delayed Recall, Cued Delayed Recall, and Inaccurate Recall demonstrated the best relative fit for our data. These findings are consistent with those reported by Donders (1999) Donders. 1999. Structural analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test—Children's Version in the standardization sample. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15(3): 395–406. [CSA][Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] in his reanalysis of the CVLT-C standardization sample data, supporting the validity of this factorial model in pediatric epilepsy populations.     

The influence of story context on a working memory span task

The purpose of the present study was to examine factors that could influence whether recall performance in the reading span task (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980 Daneman, M. and Carpenter, P. 1980. Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 19: 450–466. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) would benefit from the contextual information from the sentences in the processing component of the task. More specifically, we investigated whether people would benefit from sentence sets that formed short stories or when the entire span task was one continuous story. Overall, there was a clear benefit for contextually related sentence sets (i.e., the story span tasks) compared to the traditional reading span task. However, the benefit was eliminated when the entire set formed one continuous story. These results support the recall reconstruction hypothesis for working memory (Towse, Cowan, Hitch, & Horton, 2008 Towse, J. N., Cowan, N., Hitch, G. J. and Horton, N. J. 2008. The recall of information from working memory: Insights from behavioural and chronometric perspectives. Experimental Psychology, 55: 371–383. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), which suggests that people may strategically use the content of the sentences from the processing component of the reading span task as memorial cues to reconstruct the target words of the storage component. However, this benefit is constrained to scenarios when the contextual cues are unique to a specific set.     

Pragmatic Psychodynamic Psychotherapy—Bridging Contemporary Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice and Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Practice

Pragmatic psychodynamic psychotherapy (PPP; Summers & Barber, 2009 Barber, J. P. 2009. Toward a working through of some core conflicts in psychotherapy research. Psychother. Res, 19(1): 1–12. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) describes the therapeutic principles and approaches found in many forms of manualized psychodynamic psychotherapies, which are being used in research studies with the aim of building an evidence-based psychodynamic practice. This article focuses on one such treatment, Supportive-expressive psychotherapy (SEP; Luborsky 1984), which employs the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method to formulate core interpersonal problems and treatment goals and identify therapeutic interventions. To illustrate SEP, we describe the 40-session treatment of a patient who met diagnostic criteria for several personality disorders. The case illustrates how complex ego-syntonic character pathology is expressed in CCRT terms and worked through in the transference, gradually becoming ego-dystonic and amenable to modification. In this case, the patient became more aware of his interpersonal wishes and vulnerability. Although his anxiety increased somewhat, he had an improvement in psychosocial functioning.     

Model of Occupational Empowerment and Gunnarsson’s Tree Theme: Intervention for Mothers in Recovery

In this study the authors investigated Gunnarsson's Tree Theme Method as an occupational therapy intervention program for mothers in recovery from addiction in accordance with Fisher and Hotchkiss's Model of Occupational Empowerment (2008 Fisher , G. , &; Hotchkiss , A. ( 2008 ). A model of occupational empowerment for marginalized populations in community environments . Occupational Therapy in Health Care , 22 , 55 – 71 . Retrieved from EBSCOhost .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Each session of this mixed design study consisted of relaxation exercises, discussions on self-help readings, and participation in the Tree Theme Method. Two participants out of three improved their personal growth initiative. Participant reflection provided insight into the women's inner feelings. Fisher and Hotchkiss's model (2008 Fisher , G. , &; Hotchkiss , A. ( 2008 ). A model of occupational empowerment for marginalized populations in community environments . Occupational Therapy in Health Care , 22 , 55 – 71 . Retrieved from EBSCOhost .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) was supported as the women achieved personal growth. Further research is needed concerning how this may guide occupational therapy practice with disadvantaged populations.     

Reporting Diagnostic Scores in Educational Testing: Temptations,Pitfalls, and Some Solutions

Diagnostic scores are of increasing interest in educational testing due to their potential remedial and instructional benefit. Naturally, the number of educational tests that report diagnostic scores is on the rise, as are the number of research publications on such scores. This article provides a critical evaluation of diagnostic score reporting in educational testing. The existing methods for diagnostic score reporting are discussed. A recent method (Haberman, 2008a Haberman, S. J. 2008a. When can subscores have value?. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 33: 204–229. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that examines if diagnostic scores are worth reporting is reviewed. It is demonstrated, using results from operational and simulated data, that diagnostic scores have to be based on a sufficient number of items and have to be sufficiently distinct from each other to be worth reporting and that several operationally reported subscores are actually not worth reporting. Several recommendations are made for those interested to report diagnostic scores for educational tests.     

Why Bayesian Psychologists Should Change the Way They Use the Bayes Factor

The discussion following Bem’s (2011 Bem, D. J. (2011). Feeling the future: Experimental evidence for anomalous retroactive influences on cognition and affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 407–425. doi: 10.1037/a0021524[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) psi research highlights that applications of the Bayes factor in psychological research are not without problems. The first problem is the omission to translate subjective prior knowledge into subjective prior distributions. In the words of Savage (1961 Savage, L. J. (1961). The foundations of statistical inference reconsidered. In J. Neyman, (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fourth Berkeley Symposium on Mathematical Statistics and Probability, Volume 1: Contributions to the Theory of Statistics, pp. 575–586. BerkeleyCA: University of California. [Google Scholar]): “they make the Bayesian omelet without breaking the Bayesian egg.” The second problem occurs if the Bayesian egg is not broken: the omission to choose default prior distributions such that the ensuing inferences are well calibrated. The third problem is the adherence to inadequate rules for the interpretation of the size of the Bayes factor. The current paper will elaborate these problems and show how to avoid them using the basic hypotheses and statistical model used in the first experiment described in Bem (2011 Bem, D. J. (2011). Feeling the future: Experimental evidence for anomalous retroactive influences on cognition and affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 407–425. doi: 10.1037/a0021524[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). It will be argued that a thorough investigation of these problems in the context of more encompassing hypotheses and statistical models is called for if Bayesian psychologists want to add a well-founded Bayes factor to the tool kit of psychological researchers.     

Winnicott,Kohut, and the Developmental Context of Well-Being

In this article, qualitative, case-based research findings from the works of D. W. Winnicott and Heinz Kohut, regarding the interpersonal world of the child, are used to show how quantitative data from positive psychology on well-being can be seen as emerging within a highly social developmental context. It was shown that observations concerning the optimal social context for healthy child development embedded within the works of both Winnicott and Kohut can be mutually employed in the service of a productive dialogue with the tradition of quantitative research on well-being within positive psychology. On a more general level, the analysis provides evidence in support of Friedman's (2008 Friedman , H. ( 2008 ). Humanistic and positive psychology: The methodological and epistemological divide . The Humanistic Psychologist , 36 , 113 – 126 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) and Mruk's (2008 Mruk , C. J. ( 2008 ). The psychology of self-esteem: A potential common ground for humanistic positive psychology and positivistic positive psychology . The Humanistic Psychologist , 36 , 143 – 158 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) calls for an enhanced dialogue between humanistic, qualitatively inclined psychologists and positive, quantitatively inclined psychologists.     

Individual Differences in Mediators and Reactions to a Personal Safety Threat Message

Individual differences in processing information about a personal threat message about bisphenol A (BPA) risk were examined using the threat orientation model (Thompson &; Schlehofer, 2008 Thompson , S. C. , &; Schlehofer , M. M. ( 2008 ). Control, denial, and heightened sensitivity reactions to personal threat: Testing the generalizability of the threat orientation approach . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , 34 , 1070 – 1083 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Adults (N = 448) read a risk message concerning BPA in plastics. Threat orientations, intentions to protect oneself from BPA risk, and emotional and cognitive reactions to the message were measured. Individuals with different approaches to threat reached different conclusions about the message and used different information in that process. These findings suggest that consideration of individual differences could improve the predictive ability of existing theoretical models and the effectiveness of health and safety messages.     

Mental models in propositional reasoning and working memory's central executive

We examine the role of working memory's central executive in the mental model explanation of propositional reasoning by using two working memory measures: the classical “reading span” test by Daneman and Carpenter (1980 Daneman, M. and Carpenter, P. A. 1980. Individual differences in working memory and reading. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 19: 450–466. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) and a new measure. This new “reasoning span” measure requires individuals to solve very simple anaphora problems, and store and remember the word solution in a growing series of inferential problems. We present one experiment in which we check the involvement of the central executive in conditional and disjunctive inference tasks and compare predictions of the new reasoning span test with those of the classical reading span test. The results of the experiment confirm that reasoning responses, which according to mental model theory require high cognitive work, are predicted by working memory measures. Results also show that some reasoning responses are probably obtained by means of superficial biases or strategies that do not load working memory. The reasoning span test, which involves the central executive to a greater degree, predicts reasoning performance better than the reading span test. The significance and possibilities of the new measure in studying reasoning are discussed.     

The effect of semantics on problem solving is to reduce relational complexity

This article reports a study carried out in order to measure how semantic factors affect reductions in the difficulty of the Chinese Ring Puzzle (CRP) that involves removing five objects according to a recursive rule. We hypothesised that semantics would guide inferences about action decision making. The study involved a comparison of problem solving for two semantic isomorphic variants of the CRP ( fish and fleas ) with problem solving for the puzzle's classic variant (the Balls and Boxes problem; Kotovsky & Simon, 1990 Kotovsky, K. and Simon, H. A. 1990. What makes some problems really hard: Exploration in the problem space difficulty. Cognitive Psychology, 22: 143–183. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Our results showed that the number of moves was reduced by 47% in the fish version and by 51% in the flea version. We discuss these results in terms of semantic inferences and reductions in relational complexity. During the exploratory stage of problem solving participants discover the dependent relations between elements in the puzzle. Initially these relations are processed separately; learning involves generalising the relations within a coherent, interconnected whole that makes up the puzzle's rules. It seems that semantics make it easier for the puzzle's elements to be grouped together within coherent, meaningful wholes, which reduces relational complexity and facilitates problem solving.     

Using MMPI–2–RF Correlates to Elucidate the PCL–R and Its Four Facets in a Sample of Male Forensic Psychiatric Patients

This study documents the associations between the MMPI–2–RF (Ben-Porath &; Tellegen, 2008 Ben-Porath, Y. S., &; Tellegen, A. (2008). MMPI–2–RF (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form): Manual for administration and scoring. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. [Google Scholar]) scale scores and the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL–R; Hare, 2003 Hare, R. D. (2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (2nd ed.). Toronto, ON, Canada: Multi-Health Systems. [Google Scholar]) facet scores in a forensic psychiatric sample. Objectives were to determine how the MMPI–2–RF scales might enhance substantive understanding of the nature of the 4 PCL–R facets and to discern possible implications for the treatment of psychopathic patients. A sample of 127 male forensic psychiatric offenders admitted to a Dutch forensic psychiatric hospital completed the PCL–R and the MMPI–2. Exploratory stepwise regression analyses assessed the prediction of the PCL–R total and its facet scores from MMPI–2–RF scales at its 3 hierarchical levels. Conceptually meaningful results emerged at each level of the MMPI–2–RF hierarchy, including several consistent differences between predictor sets across the facets. Interestingly, ideas of persecution (RC6) was a specific predictor of PCL–R Facet 2, a facet noted for its association with treatment failure. Results are compared and contrasted to the extant body of empirical work to date, and some tentative clinical implications are offered.     

Which Domain of the PSY–5 Is Most Relevant to Substance Use?

Substance use has generally been related to lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness, but has evidenced relationships with other personality trait domains as well, including impulsivity. This study was conducted to determine which trait domain of personality is most related to substance use from the perspective of the Personality Psychopathology Five model (Harkness &; McNulty, 1994 Harkness, A. R., &; McNulty, J. L. (1994). The Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY–5): Issue from the pages of a diagnostic manual instead of a dictionary. In S. Strack &; M. Lorr (Eds.), Differentiating normal and abnormal personality (pp. 291–315). New York, NY: Springer. [Google Scholar]). Archival data were used from 2 clinical settings: 1 outpatient community mental health center and 1 inpatient Veteran's Affairs hospital. The outpatient sample was mostly female (58.9%), White (78.7%), and had a mean age of 33.01 (SD = 10.26). The inpatient sample was entirely male, predominantly White (91.5%), and had a mean age of 48.03 (SD = 13.88). Correlations were conducted to identify the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form Personality Psychopathology Five scales (Ben-Porath &; Tellegen, 2008 Ben-Porath, Y. S., &; Tellegen, A. (2008). MMPI–2–RF: Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. [Google Scholar]; Harkness et al., 2013 Harkness, A. R., McNulty, J. L., Finn, J. A., Reynolds, S. M., Shields, S. M., &; Arbisi, P. (2013). The MMPI–2–RF Personality and Psychopathology Five (PSY–5) scales: Development and validity research. Journal of Personality Assessment, 96, 140–150. doi:10.1080/00223891.2013.823439[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that were significantly related to variables measuring substance use. Subsequent regression analyses revealed that Disconstraint was the only significant predictor in the majority (89%) of analyses. In the event Disconstraint was not the only significant predictor, it continued to exhibit the largest unique predictive impact in the regression models. These results suggest that Disconstraint is the Personality Psychopathology-Five dimension most relevant to substance use.     

Assessment of DSM–5 Section II Personality Disorders With the MMPI–2–RF in a Nonclinical Sample

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2–Restructured Form (MMPI–2–RF; Ben-Porath &; Tellegen, 2008 Kamphuis, J. H., Arbisi, P. A., Ben-Porath, Y. S., &; McNulty, J. L. (2008). Detecting comorbid Axis-II status among inpatients using the MMPI–2 restructured clinical scales. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 24, 157–164. doi:10.1027/1015-5759.24.3.157[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]/2011 Ben-Porath, Y. S., &; Tellegen, A. (2011). Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 Restructured Form: Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. (Original work published 2008) [Google Scholar]) is frequently used in clinical practice. However, there has been a dearth of literature on how well this instrument can assess symptoms associated with personality disorders (PDs). This investigation examined a range of hypothesized MMPI–2–RF scales in predicting PD symptoms. We evaluated these associations in a sample of 397 university students who had been administered the MMPI–2–RF and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV Axis II Disorders–Personality Questionnaire (First, Gibbon, Spitzer, Williams, &; Benjamin, 1997 First, M. B., Gibbon, M., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., &; Benjamin, L. S. (1997). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV Axis II personality disorders (SCID–II). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press. [Google Scholar]). Zero-order correlation analyses and negative binomial regression models indicated that a wide range of MMPI–2–RF scale hypotheses were supported; however, the least support was available for predicting schizoid and obsessive–compulsive PDs. Implications for MMPI–2–RF interpretation and PD diagnosis are discussed.     

Self-generation amplifies the errorless learning effect in healthy older adults when transfer appropriate processing conditions are met

ABSTRACT

Older adults have considerable impairment in associative recognition despite minimal age differences in item recognition. The magnitude of this associative deficit varies by type of stimuli, strategy utilization, and other mediators and moderators (Old &; Naveh-Benjamin, 2008 Old, S. R., &; Naveh-Benjamin, M. (2008). Differential effects of age on item and associative measures of memory: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 23, 104–118. doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.23.1.104[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], Psychology and Aging, 23, 104–118). Name pair stimuli have not been used to test the associative deficit hypothesis (ADH), although tests using name–face stimuli support the ADH. Additionally, metacognitive awareness of the ADH has not been investigated. We tested the ADH with word and name pair stimuli, and predicted that age-related associative deficits would be larger for words than names because names, unlike most common nouns, lack certain semantic properties that could be used to bind pairs of names together. Results supported the ADH for words but not names: Younger and older adults recognized equivalently fewer names on the associative test relative to the item test. As predicted, self-efficacy was higher for younger than older adults. Surprisingly, self-efficacy for the associative test was higher than for the item test but post-test estimates of performance success (postdictions) were higher for the item test than for the associative test, suggesting sensitivity by participants to different task demands in the item and associative tests following recognition attempts. Metacognitive accuracy was better for words than names and for the item test than associative test, and equivalent between age groups. Overall, participants overestimated their name recognition abilities. Our findings extend support for the ADH to a conceptually important and ecologically valid domain (names) and provide new data on metacognitive aspects of the ADH.     

Sport-Type Differences in Alcohol Use Among Intercollegiate Athletes

Prior research has found that (a) intercollegiate athletes are especially “at-risk” for excessive alcohol consumption (e.g., Nelson & Wechsler, 2001 Nelson, T. F. and Wechsler, H. 2001. Alcohol and college athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33: 43–47. [INFOTRIEVE][CSA][CROSSREF][Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), and (b) sport-type differences exist among college athletes in terms of yearly drinking prevalence rates (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2001 National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2001. NCAA study of substance use habits of college student-athletes, Indianapolis, IN: Author.  [Google Scholar]). No studies, however, have examined sport-type differences on more specific measures of alcohol consumption (e.g., drinks per week), or examined potential mediators of the relationship between sport type and alcohol consumption. In the present study, data were analyzed on 298 intercollegiate athletes from two different universities. Resuls indicated significant sport type differences on alcohol consumption variables, with athletes from the sports of swimming and diving reporting the highest levels of alcohol consumption. Results provided partial support for the role of positively reinforcing drinking motives in mediating the sport type–alcohol consumption relationship. Findings are discussed in light of prior research in the area of college student–athlete alcohol consumption.     

The Effect of the Accountability Variables of Responsibility,Openness, and Answerability on Authentic Leadership

One salient aspect of authentic leadership is the possibility that it can be developed (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, &; Peterson, 2008 Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., &; Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126. doi:10.1177/0149206307308913[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). However, the relative paucity of research on authentic leadership as a dependent variable needs to be addressed. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study is to examine the three factors of accountability: (a) responsibility, (b) openness, and (c) answerability (Wood &; Winston, 2007 Wood, J. A., &; Winston, B. E. (2007). Development of three scales to measure leader accountability. Leadership &; Organization Development Journal, 28(2), 167–185. doi:10.1108/01437730710726859[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) as antecedents to authentic leadership. Using survey results from a sample of full-time employees at six faith-based institutions of higher education in the United States, a predictive relationship was investigated through hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicated that the variables of responsibility, openness, and answerability predict the perception of authentic leadership.