A study of blocking and other response variables in psychotic, brain-damaged and personality-disturbed patients

An experiment was conducted on the hypothesis that the differences in personality and behaviour of various groups of psychiatric patients would be reflected in a serial visuo-motor task. The patients' errors, blocks and RT variability were ascertained and significant differences emerged between the groups. All of the experimental groups—chronic schizophrenic, brain-injured psychotics, brain-injured non-psychotics—differed from the disturbed, non-psychotic control group on all of the variables tested. A group of paranoid schizophrenic patients, however, differed from the controls in only two respects, i.e. variability and number of responses per minute. The paranoid schizophrenic group produced a strikingly different performance from that of the chronic schizophrenic group. The latter group exceeded all other groups in both the frequency and duration of blocks.     

Neuropsychological characteristics of young adult chronic psychiatric patients: preliminary observations

Psychological evaluation included tests of brain-behavior functioning and academic level for 110 young adults (16 to 39 yr. of age), each a moderate to heavy user of mental health services. The composite patient manifested borderline, diffuse brain dysfunction with deficiencies in language, visuospatial, motor, concentration, and higher-order problem-solving skills, together with below normal performance on tests of intelligence, reading comprehension, arithmetic calculation, and spelling. Standard mental health services appear inadequate for habilitation or rehabilitation of many such people. The findings suggest that one reason for these patients' lack of response to conventional mental health treatments is that clinicians fail to identify patients' fundamental deficiencies and to incorporate this knowledge in planning treatments and evaluating progress. Suggestions for further studies are offered.     

Spontaneous individual differences in cognitive performances of young adult rats predict locomotor response to amphetamine

Inter-individual differences in cognitive capacities of young adult rats have largely been ignored. To explore this variability and its neurobiological bases, the relationships between individual differences in working memory and locomotor responses to novelty and to amphetamine were investigated in SD rats. Groups of good and poor learners were isolated, the latter demonstrating a markedly slower learning of the task compared to performant rats, with more perseverations independently to motivational state. They also presented a much higher increase in amphetamine-induced locomotion that remained significant for more than 1h after the injection. These results provide evidence that variability in cognitive capacities can be used to reveal their neurobiological substrates. They open new perspectives to study a possible cognitive origin of addictive behaviors and to investigate the involvement of these inter-individual differences on those observed later in life.     

Personality characteristics of young adult migraineurs

Young adults with migraine headaches and nonmigraineurs were compared by means of two questionnaire batteries (the 16 P-F and PRF) and sets of specific measures focused on stimulation-seeking and independence. A number of low correlations were obtained but overall, results tend to contradict the existence of a "migraine personality" as a measureable entity.     

Test response inconsistency in young children

Five studies were conducted which indicated that young children show a high degree of inconsistency of response from test to retest. The first three studies included one in which the same concepts were measured on two different forms of a test of basic concepts given one day apart—one in which the same test was given prior to and following a 3-month intervention program, and one in which the same concepts were presented twice on the same test. Studies four and five employed standardized test items from the Stanford Binet, WPPSI and McCarthy Scales with retest intervals of approximately 3 months and 15 minutes, respectively. Results indicated that preschool children show a high degree of variability when responding to the same test questions even with a short time interval. In the first two studies, 90% to 100% of the children were inconsistent in responding. In the third study, one third of the children responded inconsistently. The last two studies with standardized test items revealed inconsistency of response among approximately 40% to over 80% of the children, depending upon the retest interval and the items examined. The studies highlight the need for those who evaluate educational programs and those who design tests to have a greater understanding of the manner in which young children perform in situations that are designed to demonstrate learning.     

Assessing decision making in young adult romantic relationships

Romantic relationships among young adults are rich with ambiguity and without a clear, universal progression emphasizing the need for active decision making. Lack of active decision making in romantic relationships can lead to increases in constraints (e.g. pregnancy, shared living space or finances) that promote the continuation of relationships that would have otherwise ended, leading to increased risk of relationship distress. Because there is no available assessment of thoughtfulness regarding relationship decisions, the authors of the present studies report data on the development of one such scale, the Relationship Deciding Scale (RDS). Study 1 (N = 995) reveals the factor structure of the RDS and provides reliability data for the emergent subscales. In Study 2 (N = 963), the obtained three-factor structure (Relationship Confidence, Knowledge of Warning Signs, and Deciding) is tested via confirmatory factor analysis, demonstrates convergent and discriminant validity, and is shown to predict relationship characteristics 14 weeks later. Study 3 (N = 805) shows the sensitivity of the three factors to change through examination of the influence of a semester-long intervention targeted at increasing decision making in relationships. Use of this scale for identifying and intervening with couples or individuals who lack active decision making in relationships may decrease their risk for future relationship distress.     

Disfluencies and rate of speech in young adult nonstutterers

The purpose of this study was to identify disfluency levels and rates of speech in young adults while they were being interviewed and during reading. Fifty undergraduate students (25 males and 25 females) served as subjects. Each was recorded individually while being interviewed and while reading a standard clinical passage. Percentage of disfluency, using eight disfluency categories, and rates of speech were obtained for all conditions. Results provide information that allows for comparison of post-therapy stutterers with nonstutterers during a clinical interview.     

An individual approach to psychotherapy with psychotic patients

In this paper I attempt to explore particular aspects of the therapeutic process, especially the unusual way in which the therapy of this 11-year-old girl, referred for possible or potential anorexia nervosa, came to a sudden end. The oedipal configuration provides a useful theoretical framework in which to consider the course and vicissitudes of treatment. The restoration of a link between the child and her father allowed a distance to be created between mother and daughter. The meaning of this is considered both in terms of external events and clinically within the transference relationship.