Toward a comprehensive model of antisocial development: a dynamic systems approach

The purpose of this article is to develop a preliminary comprehensive model of antisocial development based on dynamic systems principles. The model is built on the foundations of behavioral research on coercion theory. First, the authors focus on the principles of multistability, feedback, and nonlinear causality to reconceptualize real-time parent-child and peer processes. Second, they model the mechanisms by which these real-time processes give rise to negative developmental outcomes, which in turn feed back to determine real-time interactions. Third, they examine mechanisms of change and stability in early- and late-onset antisocial trajectories. Finally, novel clinical designs and predictions are introduced. The authors highlight new predictions and present studies that have tested aspects of the model     

The impact of job complexity and performance measurement on the temporal consistency, stability, and test-retest reliability of employee job performance ratings

Although research has shown that individual job performance changes over time, the extent of such changes is unknown. In this article, the authors define and distinguish between the concepts of temporal consistency, stability, and test-retest reliability when considering individual job performance ratings over time. Furthermore, the authors examine measurement type (i.e., subjective and objective measures) and job complexity in relation to temporal consistency, stability, and test-retest reliability. On the basis of meta-analytic results, the authors found that the test-retest reliability of these ratings ranged from .83 for subjective measures in low-complexity jobs to .50 for objective measures in high-complexity jobs. The stability of these ratings over a 1-year time lag ranged from .85 to .67. The analyses also reveal that correlations between performance measures decreased as the time interval between performance measurements increased, but the estimates approached values greater than zero.     

Testing the degree of cross-sectional and longitudinal dependence between two discrete dynamic processes

Developmental research often involves studying change across 2 or more processes or constructs simultaneously. A natural question in this work is whether change in these 2 processes is related or independent. Associative latent transition analysis (ALTA) was designed to test hypotheses about the degree to which change in 2 discrete latent variables is related. The ALTA model is a type of latent class model, which is a categorical latent variable model based on categorical indicators. In the ALTA approach, level and change on 1 variable is predicted by level and change in another. Two types of hypotheses are discussed: (a) broad hypotheses of dependence between the 2 discrete latent variables and (b) targeted hypotheses comparing specific patterns of change between levels of the discrete variables. Both types of hypotheses are tested via nested model comparisons. Analyses of relations between psychological state and substance use illustrate the model. Recent psychological state and recent substance use were found to be associated cross-sectionally and longitudinally, implying that change in recent substance use was related to change in recent psychological state.     

Psychometric properties of the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale

Although the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS; Cheek, 1983) is widely used, its psychometric properties largely are unknown. In this investigation, we examined the normative data, factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent/discriminant validity of the RCBS using a sample of 261 university students. Results provided strong support for the stability of normative data over time, reliability of the measure, and its predicted associations with contemporary measures of shyness, social anxiety, and related constructs. Although support was obtained for a unifactorial conceptualization of shyness, an exploratory factor analysis revealed an alternative 3-factor solution that was supportive of a previously proposed meta-analytic model of shyness (Jones, Briggs, & Smith, 1986) and was consistent with other prominent shyness theories (Buss, 1980; Pilkonis, 1977a, 1977b; Zimbardo, 1977). This factor model was replicable on a holdout sample, and there were some data to support the discriminant validity of factors.     

Work conditions and employees' self-set goals: goal processes enhance prediction of psychological distress and well-being

Although previous theory and research suggest that employee well-being should be predicted by work conditions (viz., Karasek and colleagues' job demands-control-social support [J-DCS] model), other factors are also likely to be important. In this study, the authors consider correlates of employee psychological distress and well-being using a goal-focused approach grounded in Ford's (1992) motivational systems theory. Specifically, work conditions and midlevel work goal processes (WGP) were examined in a questionnaire study of health care employees. Regarding predictions derived from the J-DCS model, the authors found full support for the iso-strain, partial support for the nonlinearity, and no support for the buffer hypothesis. Of importance, however, WGP (i.e., cognitions and emotions involved in the pursuit of self-set work goals) explained variance in job satisfaction, burnout, depression, and somatic complaints, over and above that of the J-DCS model. This suggests that investigation of WGP can enhance our understanding of employee psychological distress and well-being.     

Why (and how) should we study the interplay between emotional arousal,Theory of Mind,and inhibitory control to understand moral cognition?

Findings in the field of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience have shed new light on our understanding of the psychological and biological bases of morality. Although a lot of attention has been devoted to understanding the processes that underlie complex moral dilemmas, attempts to represent the way in which individuals generate moral judgments when processing basic harmful actions are rare. Here, we will outline a model of morality which proposes that the evaluation of basic harmful actions relies on complex interactions between emotional arousal, Theory of Mind (ToM) capacities, and inhibitory control resources. This model makes clear predictions regarding the cognitive processes underlying the development of and ability to generate moral judgments. We draw on data from developmental and cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and psychopathology research to evaluate the model and propose several conceptual and methodological improvements that are needed to further advance our understanding of moral cognition and its development.     

Stabilité à long terme des scores du WISC-IV : forces et faiblesses personnelles

Intelligence is considered as a stable trait over time; psychologists make predictions about the future performance of the child from the interpretation of the WISC-IV scores. However, stability at interindividual level does not necessarily imply stability at intra-individual level. By a test-retest procedure, the stability of categories that classify the performances, and the stability of the personal strengths and personal weaknesses are evaluated on a sample of 277 children aged from seven to 12 years. Categorical stability reveals that the classification into seven categories proposed by the designers of the WISC-IV does not allow reliable predictions. The stability of personal strengths and personal weaknesses is unsatisfactory for the different index scores.     

Signed difference analysis: Theory and application

Psychological constructs can only be measured indirectly in terms overt behavior, often by means of changes in the level of performance on tasks they are presumed to affect. However, the exact relationship between constructs and the tasks they are presumed to affect is usually not known, which often requires non-essential auxiliary assumptions to be added to a psychological model to allow it to contact the data. Signed difference analysis is a method of deriving testable consequences from psychological models under the general assumption that the relationship between task performance and the constructs or combinations of constructs postulated by the model is at least monotonic. The predictions derived using signed difference analysis do not depend upon estimation of either model parameters or explicit functional relationships. In the present paper, the mathematical theory of signed difference analysis is presented and applied to illustrative problems drawn from research in memory, spatial attention, and reading. The relationships between signed difference analysis and related inferential procedures such as conjoint measurement, state-trace analysis, and double dissociation are discussed.     

Characterizing observers using external noise and observer models: assessing internal representations with external noise

External noise methods and observer models have been widely used to characterize the intrinsic perceptual limitations of human observers and changes of the perceptual limitations associated with cognitive, developmental, and disease processes by highlighting the variance of internal representations. The authors conducted a comprehensive review of the 5 most prominent observer models through the development of a common formalism. They derived new predictions of the models for a common set of behavioral tests that were compared with the data in the literature and a new experiment. The comparison between the model predictions and the empirical data resulted in very strong constraints on the observer models. The perceptual template model provided the best account of all the empirical data in the visual domain. The choice of the observer model has significant implications for the interpretation of data from other external noise paradigms, as well as studies using external noise to assay changes of perceptual limitations associated with observer states. The empirical and theoretical development suggests possible parallel developments in other sensory modalities and studies of high-level cognitive processes.     

The reliability of the Thematic Apperception Test

Controversy over the TAT's reliability may stem largely from the mis-application of traditional psychometric measures, which are inappropriate to this test. The TAT is implicitly based on a multiple regression model, for which coefficient alpha is not appropriate. Also, test-retest correlations may be adversely affected by the standard instructions to write a "creative" story. In a test-retest study, 47 high school students retook the TAT after a year with instructions designed to break the implicit set to produce a new and different story from that previously written. The test-retest correlations were r = .48 (need for affiliation) and .56 (need for intimacy), or approximately the same as those for, e.g., the MMPI, 16PF, and CPI, It was demonstrated that this high stability over time was not due to subjects' recalling and repeating previous responses. Finally, it was shown that alpha considerably underestimated the test-retest reliability, contrary to assumptions of classical psychometrics.     

Measuring service learning outcomes: test-retest reliability of four scales

Previous research efforts have developed and validated various scales potentially useful in evaluating service learning outcomes. The developmental efforts reported for the four scales examined in this study did not include the test-retest reliabilities that would provide assurance to service learning researchers of the long-term stability and therefore usefulness of these measures. Summary estimates of 13-wk. test-retest reliabilities for the scales Civic Participation, Self-efficacy Toward Service, Attitude Toward Helping Others, and College Education's Role in Addressing Social Issues provide service learning researchers with evidence of stability of the scales over the typical duration of service learning courses.     

The Psychological Processes of Discerning the Vocation to the Catholic Priesthood: A Qualitative Study

This study explores the psychological process of discerning the vocation to the Catholic priesthood. Grounded theory, a qualitative research methodology, was used to uncover the meaning and essence of the psychological processes of discerning the vocation to the Catholic priesthood. Five themes emerged from the data paralleling other developmental theories. Presently, assessment work follows similar patterns used in vocational testing in relation to any career. Based on the findings of this research, another facet of psychological assessment in regards to developing a sense of self may be beneficial in understanding a man’s readiness to serve the Catholic Church as a priest.     

Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS) scores: stability and relationships with psychological adjustment

We examined the structural validity, internal consistency (alpha and omega), and test-retest reliability of scores on the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS; Vandiver et al., 2000 ; Worrell, Vandiver, & Cross, 2004 ), as well as the relationship between CRIS scores and several variables related to psychological adjustment. Participants consisted of several groups of African American college students (34 ≤ n ≤ 340) attending a predominantly White university in a Western state. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated an acceptable fit of the data to the theoretical model, and alpha and omega coefficients indicate that CRIS scores have moderate to high internal consistency. CRIS scores also demonstrated stability over periods between 2 and 20 months in ranges that suggest long-term stability of racial attitudes. As predicted by the expanded nigrescence model (Cross & Vandiver, 2001 ), only self-hatred attitudes had consistent, meaningful relationships with psychological adjustment.     

Development of the Treatment Acceptability Questionnaire

This article describes the development and psychometric properties of a measure designed to assess the treatment acceptability of psychological treatments for both adult and child populations. Initial evidence on the Treatment Acceptability Questionnaire (TAQ) indicates that it has a good internal consistency and test-retest stability (over a 3-week period). The pattern of correlations with other measures of treatment acceptability for child-oriented interventions provides evidence of concurrent validity. Suggestions are made regarding the further validation and use of the TAQ.     

Relevance of genotype and its environmental counterpart to the theory,interpretation, and nomenclature of ability measures

While the constructs of aplitude and achievement, which are here defined as genotypic and environmental constructs, are potentially useful in psychological theory and in the development of predictors and weights for predictors, the use of these terms for psychological tests is highly misleading. When used for tests, the terms lead to invalid inferences concerning the constructs and to erroneous predictions of later criteria. All psychological tests measure current performance levels which are phenotypic characteristics. Practically all such tests can be used to estimate both genotypic and environmental constructs with nonzero accuracy. The basic error is to use a term which denotes a genetic or an environmental construct for a phenotypic measure. Implications of this position for inferences concerning group differences in aptitude and for construct validity of tests are briefly discussed.     

A tutorial on hierarchically structured constructs

Many psychological constructs are conceived to be hierarchically structured and thus to operate at various levels of generality. Alternative confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models can be used to study various aspects of this proposition: (a) The one-factor model focuses on the top of the hierarchy and contains only a general construct, (b) the first-order factor model focuses on the intermediate level of the hierarchy and contains only specific constructs, and both (c) the higher order factor model and (d) the nested-factor model consider the hierarchy in its entirety and contain both general and specific constructs (e.g., bifactor model). This tutorial considers these CFA models in depth, addressing their psychometric properties, interpretation of general and specific constructs, and implications for model-based score reliabilities. The authors illustrate their arguments with normative data obtained for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and conclude with recommendations on which CFA model is most appropriate for which research and diagnostic purposes.     

Interactive effects of personality and perceptions of the work situation on workplace deviance

Previous research on workplace deviance has examined the relationship of either personality or employees' situational perceptions with deviant behavior. In this study, the authors focused on the joint relationship of personality and perceptions of the work situation with deviant behavior. Using 4 samples of employees and multiple operationalizations of the core constructs, the authors found support for the hypothesis that positive perceptions of the work situation are negatively related to workplace deviance. In addition, consistent with hypotheses, the personality traits of conscientiousness, emotional stability, and agreeableness moderated this relationship. Specifically, the relationship between perceptions of the developmental environment and organizational deviance was stronger for employees low in conscientiousness or emotional stability, and the relationship between perceived organizational support and interpersonal deviance was stronger for employees low in agreeableness.     

From ugly duckling to swan?: Japanese and American beliefs about the stability and origins of traits

Two studies compared the development of beliefs about the stability and origins of physical and psychological traits in Japan and the United States in three age groups: 5–6-year-olds, 8–10-year-olds, and college students. The youngest children in both cultures were the most optimistic about negative traits changing in a positive direction over development and being maintained over the aging period. The belief that individual differences in traits are inborn increased with age, and in all age groups, this belief was related to predictions of greater trait stability. In both cultures, all ages believed positive traits would be maintained over development. In addition to developmental similarities across cultures, cultural variations, consistent with the hypothesis that interdependent cultures have a more incremental view of traits, were present. Japanese participants were more optimistic than American participants about negative traits changing towards the positive and were more likely to attribute differences in trait expression to effort.     

An empirical validation of a dynamic systems model of interaction: do children of different sociometric statuses differ in their dyadic play?

Studying short-term dynamic processes and change mechanisms in interaction yields important knowledge that contributes to understanding long-term social development of children. In order to get a grip on this short-term dynamics of interaction processes, the authors made a dynamic systems model of dyadic interaction of children during one play session. The control parameters of the model relate to children's goal-directedness, concerns, emotional appraisals, social power, and social competence. Three groups of dyads of different sociometric statuses are represented by specific control parameter values. The model's order parameters consist of children's emotional expressions and other- versus self-directed actions. This article describes the empirical validation of the model and the methods needed for such validation. It focuses on the model's predictions of averages and distributions of the major variables, of the occurrence of attractors and power law distributions, and on the model's sensitivity. Overall, the model fits the empirical data well. In the discussion, we reflect on the developmental and methodological implications for explaining social interaction on the short-term as well as on the long-term time scale. In addition, implications for intervention and assessment are presented, in particular relating to the problem of rejection.