The Mosher Guilt Scale: Theoretical Formulation,Research Review and Normative Data

The construct of trait guilt and the research results of the Mosher Guilt Scale were reviewed. Trait guilt is a personality predisposition to guilt that inhibits violation of moral standards. Normative data (N=862) for college and inmate males on the MGS were presented, along with personality correlates. The data supported the construct of trait guilt. Both sexual guilt and hostility guilt covaried with race and type of offense. The MGS offers promise for future research in assessing potential for acting out.     

The Mosher Guilt Scales: a construct validity extension

The three subscales of the Mosher Guilt Scales (sex guilt, hostility guilt, and morality conscience guilt) and several personality and attitude measures were ad ministered to college subjects in an effort to examine the construct validity of the Mosher Guilt Scales. The variables that were compared with the guilt subscales were hostility, anxiety, religious orthodoxy, self-esteem, and the importance of religious and economic values in one's life. The results indicated that both the construct validity of the Mosher Guilt Scales and the need for the continued use of its three subscales were supported. Among the most crucial findings of the study were that both of the religiosity measures were positively correlated with all three guilt subscales, and that economic values were negatively correlated with both sex guilt and morality-conscience guilt.     

Visual Elaboration Scale as a measure of imagery

We studied the correlation of one measure of imagery ability, the Visual Elaboration Scale, with two others, absorption of image and effort required to form a mental image. Significant correlations were obtained between the Visual Elaboration Scale and the other scales, with the exception of Absorption for women.     

The Last-Weiss Rorschach Ego-Strength Scale as a prognostic measure for psychiatric inpatients

This study tested the hypothesis that the Last-Weiss (Last & Weiss, 1976) Rorschach Ego-Strength Scale would predict outcome among a representative sample of first-lifetime psychiatric admissions. One hundred seventeen patients were assessed with structured symptom, psychiatric history, and social data interviews at hospital admission, and 2-year follow-up. Outcome measures included a multidimensional variable involving rehospitalization time, social and work functioning, and recent symptom level and symptom measures. Unexpectedly, the Last-Weiss Sum E variable correlated significantly with negative multidimensional outcome, a result that was strengthened when any possibly confounding effects of social class, IQ, and number of Rorschach responses were partialled out. It was found that Sum E's predictive value for poorer outcome was due to the space response (S+) component of the ego-strength variable. Possible explanations of the findings and implications for the previously validated Klopfer's Rorschach Prognostic Rating Scale are discussed.     

The Last-Weiss Rorschach Ego-Strength Scale as a prognostic measure for psychiatric outpatients

This study tested the hypothesis that the Last and Weiss (1976) Rorschach Ego-Strength Scale (sigma E) would predict outcome among a representative sample of never-hospitalized psychiatric outpatients. 78 patients were assessed with structured symptom, psychiatric history, and social data interviews at the time of initial clinic contact and at 2-yr. follow-up. Outcome measures included the Menninger Health-Sickness Scale, a multidimensional variable involving social and work functioning and recent symptom level, symptom measures, and an index of diagnostic severity. sigma E, controlled for number of responses, correlated significantly with Health-Sickness, neurotic symptoms, diagnostic severity, and psychotic symptomatology. Among the components of sigma E, M+, and FC+ had significant relationships or contributed to significant relations with outcome variables. Considered with an earlier study of inpatients, in which S+ sigma E component correlated inversely with outcome, this study suggested that sigma E components have differing prognostic significance, depending on adaptational level of the patient.     

Choice reaction time as a measure of recovery from general anesthesia

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of choice reaction time as a measure of recovery from general anesthesia. An experimental group of 43 patients underwent surgery under general anesthesia; they were measured before anesthesia and also 90, 150 and 210 min. after the end of anesthesia. A control group of 38 underwent the same procedure. Choice reaction time was not a valid measure of recovery from general anesthesia since the test was not reliable.     

A Comparison of the Psychometric Properties of the Forced Choice and Likert Scale Versions of a Personality Instrument

The present research investigated if an item response theory (IRT)‐scored forced‐choice personality questionnaire has the same normative data structures as a similar version that uses a 5‐point Likert scale instead. The study was conducted using a sample of 349 training delegates who completed both an IRT‐scored forced‐choice and a normative single‐stimulus version of the questionnaire. Results largely supported the scaling properties, measurement precision, and equivalence of the data structures of the two scoring methods.     

Guilt as a Source of Narcissistic Gratification

This article takes as its starting point a paper by Hugo Bleichmar presented at the 2003 Joseph Sandler Research Conference on Depression. The author argues in favour of viewing depression in a broad perspective. The Freudian prototype of “guilty depression” represents only one of many pathways leading to depressive states. Psychoanalytic understanding of depression should represent a multidimensional approach, characterised by interacting determinants, both internal and external. In clinical practice, this would imply an attitude of greater freedom and flexibility in the analyst. The paper compares the psychoanalytic account of depression with that given by the cognitive approach. It is argued that within a diverse research field, where depression is studied from different angles—as a disorder of the brain and in terms of cognitive deficits—the contribution of psychoanalysis is that depression is most usefully studied at the level of psychological causation. The psychoanalytic understanding of depressive states in terms of unconscious interpretation and meaning of experience represents a distinct contribution. Implications of viewing depression as an “illness” are discussed.     

Choice as a dependent measure in autoshaping: sensitivity to frequency and duration of food presentation.

Previous investigations have shown that rate, latency, and percentage of trials with at least one response are somewhat insensitive measures of the strength of autoshaped responding. In the present studies, these measures were contrasted with the allocation of responding during simultaneous choice tests, a measure of response strength frequently used in operant paradigms. In two experiments, nine pigeons were exposed to a forward pairing autoshaping procedure. Training sessions consisted of the successive presentation of three stimuli, each followed by food on either 100%, 50%, or 0% of the trials. Choice testing involved the simultaneous presentation of the three stimuli. In Experiment I, all pigeons consistently directed their initial choice responses and the majority of subsequent responses to the stimulus always followed by food, despite the fact that during training sessions the response rates of most birds were highest in the presence of the stimulus followed by food on 50% of the trials. In Experiment II, rate, latency, and percentage of trials with at least one response did not change appreciably as a function of duration of feeder presentations. However, choice responding was lawfully affected by duration of feeder presentations. These data suggest that choice is perhaps a more sensitive measure of the strength of autoshaped responding than other, more commonly employed, indices.     

The MCMI as a measure of DSM-III

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) has been interpreted as a measure of DSM-III disorders. However, the MCMI was constructed and validated primarily as a measure of Millon's (1969, 1981) taxonomy, not DSM-III. Comparison of the two taxonomies and examination of the MCMI's content validity for two of the MCMI scales indicate only a partial congruence between the Millon and DSM-III taxonomies. There has been no published empirical research concerning the relationship between the MCMI and DSM-III, and the derivation and cross-validation research for the MCMI scales employed Millon's taxonomy and not DSM-III. It is suggested that until such data have been presented one should be cautious in one's interpretation of the MCMI as a measure of DSM-III disorders.     

The House-Tree-Person Test as a measure of intelligence and creativity.

The House-Tree-Person test and a verbal test of mental ability, the Basic Word Vocabulary Test, were administered to 23 male and 27 female, university undergraduates and to 27 boys and 38 girls in Grades 3 to 8. The drawings were given three separate and independent scorings by judges who computed intelligence scores according to the House-Person manual; rated them impressionistically on intelligence, using a forced-distribution method; or rated them impressionistically on creativity, using the same forced-distribution method. The three House-Tree-Person measures were highly intercorrelated for all groups of subjects. All three House-Tree-Person scores also correlated positively and significantly with vocabulary test scores for female university students, as did both Impressionistically derived House-Tree-Person scores for grade-school girls. Male students' and boys' vocabulary scores were unrelated to any of the House-Tree-Person scores. Results suggest that competence in graphic expression operates independently of verbal intelligence in males but validity as a nonverbal test of mental ability and that it can be scored efficiently and reliably by using a global, impressionistic method.     

The implicit association test as a general measure of similarity.

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is widely used as a measure of semantic similarity (i.e., associations in semantic memory). The results of previous research and of a new study show that IAT effects can, however, also be based on other types of similarity between stimuli. We therefore put forward the hypothesis that the IAT provides a general measure of similarity. Given that similarity is highly dynamic and context-dependent, our view that the IAT measures similarity is compatible with existing evidence showing that IAT effects are highly malleable. We provide further evidence for this in a new study in which the outcome of an IAT depended on whether the perceptual or functional characteristics of the stimuli were made salient.     

The Observed Witness Efficacy Scale: a measure of effective testimony skills

Despite advances in the scientific methodology of witness testimony research, no sound measure currently exists to evaluate perceptions of testimony skills. Drawing on self‐efficacy and witness preparation research, the present study describes development of the Observed Witness Efficacy Scale (OWES). Factor analyses of a mock jury sample yielded a two‐factor structure (poise and communication style) consistent with previous research on witness self‐ratings of testimony delivery skills. OWES subscales showed differential patterns of association with witness credibility, witness believability, agreement with the witness, and verdict decision. Juror gender moderated the impact of communication style, but not poise, on belief of and agreement with the witness. Results are discussed with attention to application of the OWES to witness research and preparation training.