Juvenile recidivism: a comparison of three prediction instruments

Risk-assessment instruments are increasingly being used, the majority of research evaluating such instruments with adult offenders. The purpose of this study was to compare three models being used to predict recidivism in juvenile offenders. Discriminant analysis was used to examine the extent to which these various models could discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists. The results indicated that only one model had adequate predictability. Since little research has been done with risk-prediction instruments for juvenile offenders, these results offer tentative promise for the future development of such an instrument.     

Hemispheric specialization and independence for word recognition: a comparison of three computational models

Two findings serve as the hallmark for hemispheric specialization during lateralized lexical decision. First is an overall word advantage, with words being recognized more quickly and accurately than non-words (the effect being stronger in response latency). Second, a right visual field advantage is observed for words, with little or no hemispheric differences in the ability to identify non-words. Several theories have been proposed to account for this difference in word and non-word recognition, some by suggesting dual routes of lexical access and others by incorporating separate, and potentially independent, word and non-word detection mechanisms. We compare three previously proposed cognitive theories of hemispheric interactions (callosal relay, direct access, and cooperative hemispheres) through neural network modeling, with each network incorporating different means of interhemispheric communication. When parameters were varied to simulate left hemisphere specialization for lexical decision, only the cooperative hemispheres model showed both a consistent left hemisphere advantage for word recognition but not non-word recognition, as well as an overall word advantage. These results support the theory that neural representations of words are more strongly established in the left hemisphere through prior learning, despite open communication between the hemispheres during both learning and recall.     

Convergent and discriminant validity of psychopathy factors assessed via self-report: a comparison of three instruments

Psychopathy has been conceptualized as a personality disorder with distinctive interpersonal-affective and behavioral deviance features. The authors examine correlates of the factors of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), Self-Report Psychopathy-II (SRP-II) scale, and Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) to understand similarities and differences among the constructs embodied in these instruments. PPI Fearless Dominance and SRP-II Factor 1 were negatively related to most personality disorder symptoms and were both predicted by high Dominance and low Neuroticism. In addition, PPI Fearless Dominance correlated positively with antisocial personality features, although SRP-II Factor 1 did not. In contrast, PPI Impulsive Antisociality, SRP-II Factor 2, and both APSD factors correlated with antisocial personality features and symptoms of nearly all personality disorders, and were predicted by low Love. Results suggest ways in which the measurement of the constructs in each instrument may be improved.     

Hemispheric superiorities on a unilateral tactile test: relationship to cognitive dimensions

Subjects, 30 male and 30 female, were administered a unilateral tactile test, which requires the subject to judge line orientations. More field-independent individuals in the sample perceived line orientation significantly more accurately with their left hand than with their right hand, while more field-dependent individuals showed no significant lateral difference. However, a similar pattern was observed when a verbal comprehension measure was used as a criterion. The results are discussed as they relate to the hypothesis of a link between psychological differentiation and cerebral specialization.     

Negative cognitive style and looming cognitive style synergistically predict stress generation

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that cognitive vulnerabilities to depression or anxiety may lead individuals to generate negative interpersonal life events. However, there has been no study to date that examines the effects of co-occurring vulnerabilities to depression and anxiety. In a sample of 304 participants, we examined the potential interaction of co-occurring negative cognitive style, a vulnerability to depression and looming cognitive style, vulnerability to anxiety. Results indicate that co-occurring cognitive vulnerabilities synergistically predict higher levels of negative interpersonal life events six weeks later, even when controlling for initial levels of stressful life events and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Thus, co-occurring vulnerabilities may have stronger stress generating effects than would be expected from the additive effects of each vulnerability considered separately. This finding highlights the importance of examining cognitive vulnerabilities as interactive effects rather than as individual vulnerabilities.     

Hemispheric asymmetries and cognitive flexibility: an ERP and sLORETA study

Although functional cerebral asymmetries (FCAs) affect all cognitive domains, their modulation of the efficacy of specific executive functions is largely unexplored. In the present study, we used a lateralized version of the task switching paradigm to investigate the relevance of hemispheric asymmetries for cognitive control processes. Words were tachistoscopically presented in the left (LVF) and right visual half field (RVF). Participants had to categorise the words either based on their initial letters, or according to their word type. On half of the trials the task changed (switch trials) whereas on the other half it stayed the same (repeat trials). ERPs were recorded and the neural sources of the ERPs were reconstructed using standardised low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). In the word type task, participants were faster on repeat trials when stimuli were presented in the RVF. In contrast, in the initial letter task participants were faster on repeat trials and in general more accurate after stimulus presentation in the LVF. In both tasks, no hemispheric asymmetries in reaction times were observed on switch trials. On the electrophysiological level, we observed a left lateralization of the N1 that was mediated by activation in the left extrastriate cortex as well as a greater positivity of the P3b after stimulus presentation in the RVF compared to the LVF that was mediated by activation in the superior parietal cortex. These results show that FCAs affect the neurophysiological correlates of executive functions related to task switching. The relation of neurophysiological and behavioural asymmetries is mediated by task complexity, with more complex tasks leading to more interhemispheric interaction and smaller left-right differences in behavioural measures. These findings reveal that FCAs are an important modulator of executive functions related to cognitive flexibility.     

Interrelationships among three measures of preference for cognitive style based on hemisphere specialization theory

Right and left cerebral hemisphere and limbic scores derived from the Herrmann Brain Dominance Profile were correlated with left, right, and integrated scores from the Torrance-Reynolds Your Style of Learning and Thinking and four cognitive style scores from the Kolb Learning Style Inventory. Coefficients from 40 students in occupational therapy indicated low moderate positive relationships between like-named hemisphere scores, lack of significant relationships between cognitive style and two independent measures of hemispheric preference, and relative independence of preferred hemisphere mode as well as relative independence between cerebral and limbic systems. The data are interpreted as requiring cautious concern about the validity of these measures by potential users.     

Hemispheric asymmetries in cognitive modeling: connectionist modeling of unilateral visual neglect

Neglect is an acquired cognitive disorder characterized by a lack of processing of one side of a stimulus or representational space. There are hemispheric asymmetries in its cause and in its effects, but implemented computational models of neglect have tended not to incorporate this fact. The authors report a series of neural network simulations of the line-bisection task. They test the hypothesis that simple, neuroanatomically realistic principles of connectivity in the nervous system can produce emergent behaviors that capture a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data observed in neglect patients presenting with general visuospatial neglect. They demonstrate that exploring low-level architectural principles in implemented computational models is both a productive avenue of research and offers the most parsimonious explanations of behaviors observed in patients.     

Individual differences in religiosity as a function of cognitive ability and cognitive style

The current study examines the degree to which individual differences in cognitive ability and cognitive style (rational thinking vs. experiential thinking) uniquely and jointly account for differences in religiosity. Using an array of measures of religiosity, results show that cognitive ability has a medium to large negative effect on various aspects of religiosity. Though also negatively related to religiosity, rational thinking style did not add significant unique effects, nor did it convey a significant indirect effect from cognitive ability. Experiential thinking was generally unrelated to ability but was positively related to some aspects of religiosity. Overall the results confirm that those with higher cognitive ability are less likely to accept religious doctrine or engage in religious behaviors and those with lower ability are more likely to accept religious doctrine and exhibit higher levels of fundamentalism. Cognitive style appears to play a lesser role in explaining individual differences in religiosity than cognitive ability.     

Depression and cognitive style: comparisons between measures

Several instruments have been developed recently to measure cognitive styles associated with depression. At least four of them appear to have an underlying similarity. Each appears to reflect a tendency for respondents to infer a general lack of self-worth (or a continued likelihood of bad events) on the basis of a single discrete failure. The present research was a comparative test of one of these scales against the other three in terms of associations with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. Though all instruments were significantly correlated with BDI, partial correlations revealed that our generalization scale was a more robust predictor of BDI than were (a) a measure of characterological self-blame, (b) a measure of cognitive bias, and (c) a measure of attributional style.     

Divine intuition: cognitive style influences belief in God

Some have argued that belief in God is intuitive, a natural (by-)product of the human mind given its cognitive structure and social context. If this is true, the extent to which one believes in God may be influenced by one's more general tendency to rely on intuition versus reflection. Three studies support this hypothesis, linking intuitive cognitive style to belief in God. Study 1 showed that individual differences in cognitive style predict belief in God. Participants completed the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT; Frederick, 2005), which employs math problems that, although easily solvable, have intuitively compelling incorrect answers. Participants who gave more intuitive answers on the CRT reported stronger belief in God. This effect was not mediated by education level, income, political orientation, or other demographic variables. Study 2 showed that the correlation between CRT scores and belief in God also holds when cognitive ability (IQ) and aspects of personality were controlled. Moreover, both studies demonstrated that intuitive CRT responses predicted the degree to which individuals reported having strengthened their belief in God since childhood, but not their familial religiosity during childhood, suggesting a causal relationship between cognitive style and change in belief over time. Study 3 revealed such a causal relationship over the short term: Experimentally inducing a mindset that favors intuition over reflection increases self-reported belief in God.     

Field dependency: cognitive style or perceptual skill?

This study was designed to determine which information-processing elements are embodied in the Group Embedded Figures Tests as well as other representative measures of cognitive style. An alpha factoring method indicated the presence of two major factors. It was concluded that field-dependency primarily represents individual variation in perceptual preference patterns rather than the traditionally defined behavioral styles.     

Mesomorphy correlates with experiential cognitive style

The purpose of this study was to test for a relationship between mesomorphy and experiential cognitive style (S. Epstein, 1994) in a sample of university students (30 women and 24 men). Anthropometric somatotypes were obtained using the Heath-Carter procedure (J. E. L. Carter, 2002). Experiential cognitive style was operationalized as scores on the experiential scale of the Rational Experiential Inventory for Adolescents (A. D. Marks, D. W. Hine, R. L. Blore, & W. J. Phillips, 2008). Nonparametric bootstrap correlations were calculated using 80% confidence intervals. There were significant correlations between mesomorphy and experiential cognitive style for men (r(s) = .33) and women (r(s) = .25). For men, experiential cognitive style was also correlated with endomorphy (r(s) = .39) and ectomorphy (rs = -.48).     

How checking as a cognitive style influences working memory performance

Compulsive checking is known to influence memory, yet there is little consideration of checking as a cognitive style within the typical population. We employed a working memory task where letters had to be remembered in their locations. The key experimental manipulation was to induce repeated checking after encoding by asking about a stimulus that had not been presented. We recorded the effect that such misleading probes had on a subsequent memory test. Participants drawn from the typical population but who scored highly on a checking‐scale had poorer memory and less confidence than low scoring individuals. While thoroughness is regarded as a quality, our results indicate that a cognitive style that favours repeated checking does not always lead to the best performance as it can undermine the authenticity of memory traces. This may affect various aspects of everyday life including the work environment and we discuss its implications and possible counter‐measures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modifying acute pain by matching cognitive style with cognitive treatment

To test whether congruence between cognitive style and cognitive coping would facilitate the attenuation of pressure pain, 30 verbalizers and 30 visualizers were assigned in equal numbers (ns = 10) to pleasant imagery, rational thoughts, and expectancy conditions. Separate 2 X 3 (cognitive style X experimental condition) analyses of covariance on pain tolerance and subjective discomfort indicated that imagery was superior to expectancy in raising tolerance. These findings are discussed in terms of the flexibility of cognitive coping and the content of the images and thoughts which were used.     

Integrating values and cognitive style in a model of right-wing radicalism

Research has shown that multi-factorial models of ideology not only account for political orientation but also highlight its core aspects (Feldman & Johnston, 2014). Recently, Montuori (2005) argued that reasoning according to a “logic of disjunction that creates binary opposition” exacerbates what is termed the “totalitarian mindset” (p. 26). In this study we examined this hypothesis by testing a model in which a disjunctive binary logic mediates values and proxies for right-wing radicalism. Methods: 425 participants completed a survey on political orientation that included measures of social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism. Personal values, egalitarianism, and beliefs in a free society were also assessed as they are motives typically associated with ideology. Lastly, we assessed disjunctive logic based on a scale derived from a comprehensive study of ambiguity intolerance markers. Results: A structural equation model in which beliefs in free society, egalitarianism, security, universalism and traditionalism predicted right-wing radicalism was tested with or without interposing a disjunctive logic factor. Our findings show that disjunctive logic played a major role in predicting behaviors associated with right-wing radicalism.