Dimensions of the perception of art: verbal scales and similarity judgements

Abstract.— An INDSCAL analysis was performed on subjects' similarity judgements of all pairs of 12 landscape paintings. Three principal INDSCAL dimensions were identified by analysing responses to 24 unidimensional rating scales derived from previous experiments. The present findings, together with those of previously published studies, suggest that three of the principal dimensions of perception of art appear to be (1) Hedonic-Representational, (2) Clarity, (3) A Dynamic factor involving activity, balance and symmetry. It is suggested that although Complexity may be an important factor influencing responses to simple stimuli, its rôle in the perception of paintings is small, and has frequently been over-emphasised.     

The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire Revisited: Dimensions and Correlates

The authors reexamined the factor structure of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (D. E. Broadbent, P. F. Cooper, P. Fitzgerald, & K. R. Parkes, 1982) and its correlates. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was designed to assess a person's likelihood of committing an error in the completion of an everyday task. A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded 4 internally consistent, interpretable factors. These factors were labeled Memory, Distractibility, Blunders, and (memory for) Names. This study lends partial support for the factor analytic solution proposed by L. K. Pollina, A. L. Greene, R. H. Tunick, and J. M. Puckett (1992). In addition, it extends previous findings by providing initial evidence for the construct validity of the factors established by correlating factor scores with measures of other related constructs (i.e., boredom proneness, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Type A behavior pattern).     

The comparability of verbal and nonverbal semantic differential scales in a joint semantic space

As an alternative to the verbal Semantic Differential (SD) measure of affective meaning systems, a nonverbal instrument-the Graphic Differential (GD)-has been developed for subject populations who have difficulty in verbal ratings. However, the factor structures of the pictographic scales have never been examined in a joint-verbal and nonverbal-semantic space as to whether their structures are equivalent to the affective systems defined by the verbal markers. The present study assessed this issue by reanalyzing the French (1977) data. The results indicated that when verbal SD and nonverbal GD scales were factor-analyzed separately, the three-dimensional structures of Evaluation (E), Potency (P), and Activity (A) were recaptured in both domains. However, when they were analyzed simultaneously in a joint semantic space, only the E and A dimensions were congruent. The GD P scales carried the meanings of denotative Heaviness, rather than the affective Potency. For future investigation, suggestion was made to systematically study both the affective and denotative semantic features within the contexts of nonverbal communciations.The authors made equal contributions toward the completion of the present research.     

Parental Perceptions of Characteristics of Non-Parental Child Care: Belief Dimensions, Family and Child Correlates

Investigators argue that it is essential to consider why parents select non-parental child care arrangements in studying the effects of that care on a child’s development. Existing investigations explore family economic and demographic characteristics as determinants of child care choice. The present investigation examined a wide array of parents’ beliefs about characteristics of child care arrangements with the goal of determining if these could be reduced to coherent dimensions. The emergent belief sets were examined in relation to maternal and child characteristics as potential correlates. Two hundred and twenty respondents with children in non-parental care completed surveys. These individuals represent diverse ethnic and economic groups. Ratings of the importance of characteristics were factor analyzed resulting in a six factor solution: Practical Concerns, Institutional Structure, Curriculum, Scheduling, Child Centered Orientation and School Readiness. The latter factor, or program components promoting social skills and classroom behaviors associated with succeeding in school, was identified as the most important dimension. Parents describing their children as more difficult temperamentally and as less developmentally advanced tended to describe school readiness and curriculum issues as less important. Child characteristics accounted for unique variance above and beyond mothers’ characteristics in predicting to parental beliefs. Results suggest that parents as consumers possess coherent belief sets and are sensitive to children’s developmental needs in evaluating care arrangements.     

Dimensions and Correlates of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Sluggish Cognitive Tempo

The present study examined Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) in relation to ADHD symptoms, clinical diagnosis, and multiple aspects of adjustment in a clinical sample. Parent and teacher reports were gathered for 322 children and adolescents evaluated for behavioral, emotional, and/or learning problems at a university clinic. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported the presence of three separate, but correlated factors (SCT, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity) in both parent and teacher ratings. As expected, SCT symptoms were greatest in youth with ADHD Inattentive type, but were also found in non-ADHD clinical groups. SCT symptoms were related to inattention, internalizing, and social problems across both parent and teacher informants; for parent reports, SCT was also related to more externalizing problems. Findings support the statistical validity of the SCT construct, but its clinical utility is still unclear.     

Knowledge and expectations: Perceived illness in myocardial infarction patients

In a study of 367 patients with myocardial infarction (MI), questionnaires were developed to assess two central aspects of perceived illness: factual and consensual illness knowledge and subjective expectations for the personal consequences of the MI. In a factor analysis, these two aspects of perceived illness were found to load on separate factors, and the patients views of the personal consequences of the MI were only moderately associated with their general cardiac health knowledge. Among a series of sociodemographic, medical, and psychological variables, including a standardized in-hospital patient education programme, the two aspects of perceived illness also proved to have different determinants. Differences in factual and consensual illness knowledge were mainly related to differences in formal education, and this aspect of perceived illness was influenced by the standardized education programme. In contrast, differences in subjective expectations were associated with levels of hopelessness. The implications for psychosocial interventions in the rehabilitation of MI patients are discussed.     

From denial to hope: A systemic response to clergy sexual abuse

This article offers a definition of sexual abuse in the ministerial relationship and describes a systemic approach for intervening that cares for the needs of victims and perpetrators, and provides an opportunity for congregations to move from denial to hope both spiritually and organizationally.He is the author of many articles on organizational structure and Christian social action.     

Validity of the Sluggish Cognitive Tempo, Inattention, and Hyperactivity Symptom Dimensions: Neuropsychological and Psychosocial Correlates

This study examined the latent structure and validity of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptomatology. We evaluated mother and teacher ratings of ADHD and SCT symptoms in 140 Puerto Rican children (55.7% males), ages 6 to 11?years, via factor and regression analyses. A three-factor model (inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and SCT) provided the best fit for both sets of ratings. Inattention was the strongest correlate of lower scores on neuropsychological, achievement, and psychosocial measures. Externalizing problems were most strongly associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity, and internalizing problems were most strongly associated with parent-rated SCT and teacher-rated Inattention. SCT was not associated with executive function but was negatively associated with math. Inattention accounted for a disproportionate amount of ADHD-related impairment, which may explain the restricted discriminant validity of DSM-IV types. The distinct factors of hyperactivity-impulsivity and SCT had unique associations with impairing comorbidities and are roughly equivalent in predicting external correlates of ADHD-related impairment.     

Changes in smoking behavior after a myocardial infarction

Among 383 participants in a longitudinal study of myocardial infarction (MI) patients, 230 smoked at the time of the MI. Posthospital smoking status was based on self-report for the day of follow-up, whereas information about length of continuous cessation was not available. Six months after the heart attack, 40.6% of the smokers had resumed smoking, whereas 49.4% smoked at a 3- to 5-year (M = 43-month) follow-up. Resumption of smoking within 6 months after the heart attack was associated with an increase in anxiety and depression during the first weeks after discharge, less cardiac health knowledge, and a less severe MI. In patients who relapsed at a later point, resumption of smoking was associated with a subsequent decline in general cardiac health knowledge, as well as in correct understanding of smoking at a risk factor. Long-term changes in smoking status were also related to previous heart disease, premorbid work instability, age, and severity of the MI. The results indicate that antismoking counseling of MI patients should not be limited to the health risks associated with smoking and that training in coping with negative affects without smoking may be valuable in promoting smoking cessation.     

Smoking following myocardial infarction: a critical review of the literature

This paper critically reviews the available research on the effects of smoking cessation following acute myocardial infarction (MI). Studies that have examined the rate of smoking cessation following an MI indicate that approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the smokers who suffer from MI subsequently reduce or quit smoking. Furthermore, studies that have examined subsequent mortality and morbidity suggest that individuals who quit smoking following MI exhibit lower mortality and morbidity than those who continue to smoke. It is argued that past studies may have overestimated post-MI smoking cessation rates, and by failing to control for a priori differences between quitters and continuing smokers (e.g., MI severity) may have underestimated the negative effects of smoking following MI. Suggestions for future research are proposed.     

Remembering to Relate: Socioemotional Correlates of Mother-Child Reminiscing

Previous research has established that mothers vary in how elaborately they reminisce with their preschool children, but explanation of these individual differences is lacking. We predicted that maternal elaborations during reminiscing would be related to mother-child attachment status, as well as to measures of verbal and nonverbal emotional expressiveness. Thirty-eight middle class mothers and their 41/2-year-old children participated in a reminiscing task and a joint art activity, and mothers completed the Attachment Behavior Q-set (Waters, 1987). Mothers who were more elaborative during reminiscing also reported a more secure attachment bond, but these variables were unrelated to either verbal or nonverbal expression of emotion during mother-child interaction. However, patterns of relations also varied by gender of child. Theoretical implications of these results for understanding joint reminiscing and attachment are discussed.     

Retention of verbal information by rehearsal in relation to the fluency of verbal output in aphasia

The purpose of the present study was to determine if aphasic subject groups differentiated by the fluency of their verbal output employed rehearsal as a strategy for maintaining verbally coded information in primary memory. A task based upon the Brown-Peterson paradigm was administered to 10 fluent aphasic patients, 10 nonfluent aphasic patients, 10 right-brain-damaged patients, and 10 nonneurological patients. The findings indicate that the nonfluent aphasic patients did not rehearse the verbal information while the fluent aphasic, right-brain-damaged, and nonneurological patients did rehearse. In addition, both fluent and nonfluent aphasic patients encoded significantly less information into the memory system initially and performed worse on the task overall than right-brain-damaged and nonneurological patients.     

The fear of love: the denial of self in relationship

This paper explores the fear of love and relationship which develops when a child has experienced parents who cannot tolerate emotional separation and so attempt to retain perfect contingency with their infant, long after the infant needs to begin to separate and individuate. The child is a 'self-object' for the parents, who depend on the responses of others, including their own child, to maintain a sense of their own identity. The impact of this demand for 'reverse parenting' on the child's development is explored and clinical work with an adult patient whose history reflects this process is described.     

A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Investigation of the External Correlates of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and ADHD-Inattention Symptoms Dimensions

The objective was to determine if the external correlates of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) and ADHD-inattention (IN) dimensions were the same in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Teachers and aides rated SCT, ADHD-IN, ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and depression along with academic impairment in 758 Spanish children (55 % boys) on three occasions (twice at the end of the first grade year [6-week separation] and then again 12-months later at the end of the second grade year). Three of eight SCT symptoms showed substantial loadings on the SCT factor and substantially higher loadings on the SCT factor than the ADHD-IN factor for teachers and aides at each assessment (seems drowsy, thinking is slow, and slow moving). Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses yielded similar results with SCT and ADHD-IN factors having different and unique external correlates (higher scores on SCT predicted lower scores on ADHD-HI and ODD while higher scores on ADHD-IN predicted higher scores on ADHD-HI and ODD with SCT and ADHD-IN both uniquely predicting academic impairment and depression). Developmental and methodological reasons are discussed for the failure to find an inconsistent alertness SCT factor (daydreams, alertness fluctuates, absent-minded, loses train of though, and confused).