The Missouri Children's Picture Series: Correlates of the aggression scale in normal fourth-grade males

Missouri Children's Picture Series (MCPS) Aggression scale scores and four more traditional measures of aggression were intercorrelated for 40 normal fourthgrade boys. Results indicated that the MCPS Aggression scale must be viewed as a highly specific instrument which has little if any usefulness in a public school setting. In addition, the failure of the five aggression measures to be interrelated significantly suggests that aggression may be a highly situational response, with children varying in the modality through which they are able to express aggressive feelings and motives.     

Correlates of Satisfaction with a Peer Evaluation System: Investigation of Performance Levels and Individual Differences

The present research examined the effects of performance level and individual differences on participants' satisfaction with a peer evaluation system. One hundred and fifty-three individuals working in groups completed a questionnaire assessing self-monitoring, self-esteem, and individualism. A peer evaluation system was used at the end of the project. Subjects indicated their satisfaction with and reaction to the peer evaluation system. The findings demonstrated that performance level, individualism, self-esteem, and self-monitoring helped to understand and to predict group members' reactions to the peer evaluation system. Implications for future research and implementation of peer rating systems are discussed.     

State and Trait Correlates of Job Performance: A Tale of Two Perspectives

The relative importance of dispositional and situational influences on organizational behaviors has been widely debated within the organizational sciences. In the current research, we report the results of two field studies that, taken together, provide an opportunity to examine the relative contributions of psychological well-being, positive mood, and negative mood as predictors of job performance. In Study 1, bivariate correlational analyses demonstrated that psychological well-being and negative mood, but not positive mood, were related to job performance measured over the past year. Hierarchical regression analysis found that psychological well-being was positively related to job performance, even when controlling for positive and negative mood. These findings were replicated and extended in the second study. In particular, bivariate correlational analyses demonstrated that psychological well-being and negative mood were predictive of job performance at the present time. However, unlike Study 1, hierarchical regression analyses found that both psychological well-being and negative mood were predictive of performance, even after controlling for each other and positive mood.     

The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire: Validity and Psychological Correlates in a Clinical Samples

This study sought to compare the original and revised scoring systems of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) and to assess the construct validity of the Dependent and Self-critical subscales of the DEQ in a clinically depressed sample. Subjects were 103 depressed inpatients who completed the DEQ the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hopelessness Scale, the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS), and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). The original and revised scoring systems of the DEQ evidenced good concurrent validity for each factor scale, but the revised system did not sufficiently discriminate dependent and self-critical dimensions. Using the original scoring system, self-criticism was significantly and positively related to severity of depression, whereas dependency was not, particularly for males. Factor analysis of the DEQ scales and the other scales used in this study supported the dependent and self-critical dimensions. For men, the correlation of the DEQ with the MMPI scales indicated that self-criticism was associated with psychotic symptoms, hostility/conflict, and a distress/exaggerated response set, whereas dependency did not correlate significantly with any MMPI scales. Females, however, did not exhibit a differential pattern of correlations between either the Dependency or the Self-criticism scales and the MMPI. These findings suggest possible gender differences in the clinical characteristics of male and female dependent and self-critical depressive subtypes.     

Real‐World Correlates of Performance on Heuristics and Biases Tasks in a Community Sample

In the current study, we sought to examine whether performance on several heuristics and biases tasks and thinking dispositions was associated with real‐life correlates in a community sample of adults. We examined performance on five heuristics and biases tasks (ratio bias, belief bias in syllogistic reasoning, cognitive reflection, probabilistic and statistical reasoning, and rational temporal discounting), three thinking dispositions (actively open‐minded thinking, future orientation, and avoidance of superstitious thinking), and a questionnaire assessing real‐world correlates in several domains (substance use, driving behavior, financial behavior, gambling behavior, electronic media use, and secure computing). Our heuristics and biases tasks and thinking disposition measures were modestly associated with several real‐world outcomes, including the domains of secure computing, financial behaviors, and the total scores. That is, better performance on the heuristics and biases measures was associated with fewer negative outcomes. We found that the associations were generally higher in males than in females. Heuristics and biases performance and thinking dispositions were unique predictors of real‐world outcomes after statistically controlling for educational attainment and sex differences. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geometry Versus Drawing: Changing the Meaning of the Task as a Means to Change Performance

There is now much convincing evidence that the context in which children are given cognitive tasks can have a huge effect on their performance in those tasks, even when the experimental and control conditions make exactly the same logical and cognitive demands. According to this, we found that children faced with a cognitive-perceptual task (the Rey–Osterrieth's complex figure reproduction test) performed better or worse in one context (geometry) than in another (drawing), depending on their performance history in these contexts, although the task was the same in both conditions. These effects are discussed both in relation to underlying processes and in perspective with another phenomenon (stereotype threat) which also provides evidence for the social regulation of cognitive functioning in the school environment. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Within-Person Examination of Correlates of Performance and Emotions While Working

In this article, we propose and test within-person hypotheses about real-time correlates of momentary performance and emotions while working. Experience sampling methodology was used to prompt repeated reports of momentary task cognitions and emotions. Hypotheses were largely supported, with task difficulty, skill, interest, and effort predicting momentary perceived performance within person. Task interest had an effect on performance beyond that due to its contribution to effort. Skill, interest, effort, and performance predicted concurrent emotions. The effect of effort on positive emotions was fully mediated through performance, whereas interest had an effect on emotions beyond performance. The effects of skill and effort on emotions changed sign when performance was controlled, suggesting that it is unpleasant to be skilled or exert effort when performance does not improve commensurately. Perceived performance accounts for unique variance in emotions beyond that due to other predictors. Further within-person research on real-time motivation, performance, and emotions is encouraged.     

儿童绘图作业内隐学习智力独立性研究

实验采用中性参数程序和绘图作业,让正常智力、轻度智力落后、中度智力落后3组8～12岁右利手儿童接受符合、不符合或与“起始-旋转法则”无关的绘图练习,考察练习对原初行为方式的影响。结果发现,违反“起始-旋转法则”的练习使智力落后组被试的绘图行为发生了明显改变,证明内隐学习具有智力独立性;“意识污染”对内隐学习结果的影响可能是复杂的而非单向的;中性参数实验程序能够更好地隐蔽规则学习的实验目的,但不能有效消除意识污染的影响。     

Acceptance of Genetic Counseling and Testing in a Hospital-Based Series of Patients with Gynecological Cancer

Referral of patients with endometrial (EC) and/or ovarian cancer (OC) for genetic counseling is based on age at diagnosis and family history. Many patients with hereditary cancers are missed by following this strategy. We determined acceptance and mutation detection rate of offering genetic counseling and testing to unselected EC and OC patients. Therefore, in 2007, EC and OC patients were invited for genetic counseling and testing. Patients were asked for their reasons to accept or decline. Nineteen out of fifty-two EC patients (36 %) and twenty-two out of thirty-five OC patients (63 %) accepted genetic counseling, mainly to receive risk assessment for themselves and relatives. Counseling was declined mainly because patients did not want more tests or had no relatives for whom it was relevant. Eighteen out of nineteen EC patients (95 %) and twenty out of twenty-two OC patients (91 %) underwent genetic testing. One EC patient carried an MSH6 mutation (mutation detection rate: 6 %). BRCA1/2 mutations were found in two out of twenty OC patients (10 %). Eleven patients (29 %) received surveillance recommendations for themselves and their relatives. Finally, family history recorded by the gynecologist was compared to that taken by the clinical geneticist. Gynecologists reported family history in ten out of forty-one participants (24 %). In conclusion, genetic counseling and testing are acceptable to patients with OC and/or EC. The 10 % BRCA1/2 mutation detection rate and underreporting of family history by gynecologists warrant referral for genetic counseling for all OC patients, followed by BRCA1/2 testing if indicated. We recommend that microsatellite instability and immunohistochemical analysis be performed in all EC patients, followed by genetic counseling if appropriate. These strategies will lead to better cancer prevention in gynecological cancer patients and their relatives.     

Correlates of subjective health in older adults: a meta-analysis

Age-associated changes of subjective health and associations of subjective health with physical health, functional health, and mental health were meta-analyzed in older adults (M age > 60 years). An age-associated decline of subjective health, which was stronger in old-old samples than in young-old samples, was found. Subjective health was correlated with the indicators of objective health, but the association with physical health was stronger than with functional health. Correlations of subjective health with physical health and functional health were lower in the old-old than in the young-old samples, whereas associations of subjective health with mental health were stronger in older samples. Furthermore, the size of the association between subjective and objective health varied by the method of assessment of objective health, showing highest associations with symptom checklists and results of medical examinations due to strict protocols.     

The swimsuit issue: Correlates of body image in a sample of 52,677 heterosexual adults

Past research on adults’ body image has typically used small convenience samples, limiting the ability to examine associations of personal characteristics to body satisfaction. This study of 52,677 heterosexual adults ages 18–65 examined associations of body satisfaction to age, height, gender, and body mass index (BMI). Age and height were mostly unrelated to body satisfaction. Consistent with an Objectification Theory perspective, fewer men than women reported being too heavy (41% versus 61%), rated their body as unattractive (11% versus 21%), or avoided wearing a swimsuit in public (16% versus 31%). Men felt better about their bodies than women across most of the weight span, although among underweight individuals, women felt better than men. Slender women (BMIs 14.5–22.49) were more satisfied than most other women (BMIs 22.5–40.5). Among men, underweight and obese men were least satisfied. These findings highlight gender differences in the association of weight to body satisfaction.     

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 Roles of Emotional Comprehension and Representational Drawing Skill in Children's Expressive Drawing

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the roles of emotional comprehension and representational drawing skill in children's expressive drawing. Fifty 7‐ to 10‐year‐olds were asked to produce two (happy and sad) expressive drawings, two representational drawings (drawing of a man running and drawing of a house) and to answer the Test of Emotion Comprehension (Pons & Harris, 2000). The expressive drawings were assessed on the number of expressive subject matter themes (‘content expression’) and the overall quality of expression on a 5‐point scale. Each of the representational drawings was measured on a scale assessing detail and visual realism criteria, and contributed to a single representational drawing skill score. In line with our predictions, we found that both emotional comprehension and representational drawing skill accounted for a significant variance in children's expressive drawings. We explain that children's developing emotional comprehension may allow them to consider more detailed and poignant expressive ideas for their drawings and that their developing representational drawing skill facilitates the graphic execution of these emotional ideas. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Franck Drawing Completion Test: a tool for research in sex-role identification

The criterion validity of the Franck Drawing Completion Test (FDCT) was reexamined, employing a developmental sample of 486 students from grades 2,4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 as well as an adult sample of 107 college students. The measure was found to differentiate between males and females at a high level of significance at every grade level and in the adult sample. Clear developmental trends were found for males in the general direction of increasing numbers of masculine responses with age, while female means were stable throughout. Results are interpreted as providing strong support for the FDCT as a useful measure of sex-role identification. The original theoretical interpretation of the FDCT is reviewed and an alternative values interpretation is suggested.     

The Interaction of Criterion and Feedback Information in Learning a Drawing Task

Experiments were designed to examine the influence of criterion and feedback information in the learning of a two-dimensional drawing task. Experiment 1 showed that when the task criterion is well known to the subject, the combined presentation of criterion information and information feedback facilitates the rate of acquisition of the skill but not its overall performance level of achievement. Experiment 2 showed that when the task criterion information is not well known to the subject, presentation of criterion information facilitates both the rate of acquisition and the overall performance level and, furthermore, is essential if configuration information feedback is to be utilized effectively. Experiment 3 showed that it is the combined presentation of criterion and configuration information feedback, rather than the isolated presentation of either type of information alone, that facilitates learning and performance. Collectively, the findings from the three experiments suggest an interactive effect of prior knowledge by the learner and type of augmented information in facilitating the acquisition of skill, according to the constraints imposed in the task. The data are consistent with the proposal that the degrees of freedom in the information available to support motor skill learning must match the degrees of freedom to be constraint in the perceptual-motor workspace.     

Attribute Range and Response Range: Limits of Compatibility in Multiattribute Judgment

Previous research suggests that attributes may have greater effects on judgment when attribute scales and response scales are compatible. We examine a particular form of compatibility, similarity of ranges, and test between two theories of attribute range and response range effects. Two groups of subjects rated the overall class performance of students as described by two exam scores and an essay grade. An identical set of exam scores was presented in narrow and wide exam ranges. One group made performance ratings using a narrow response scale, and the other rated performance with a wide response scale. In both response range conditions, the effect of the common attribute levels was greater for the narrow exam range than for the wide exam range. This finding is inconsistent with a range-compatibility hypothesis which predicts that the effect of an attribute depends on the compatibility between attribute range and response range. Results are consistent with a range-frequency hypothesis in which the same attribute levels span a greater range of subjective values when presented in a narrow attribute range, regardless of the response scale.     

表征变化及其影响因素的微观发生研究

Karmiloff-Smith的表征重述理论认为表征重述是人类获取知识的重要途径,并且表征变化的过程包括程序、元程序和概念化三个阶段。采用微观发生法（包括前测、练习和迁移3个阶段,共8个期间）,以数字分解组合任务为研究材料,探讨了120名小学一、二年级儿童问题解决中的表征变化及所受年龄和练习模式等因素的影响。结果表明,前测中存在发展性差异,即二年级儿童达到概念化阶段的人数显著多于一年级儿童,但前测处于程序阶段的儿童接受5次解题练习过程中以及在近迁移题目上都没有表现出年级差异,而在远迁移题目上二年级儿童的完成情况好于一年级儿童。练习模式对表征变化的影响主要体现在三个方面：（1）从变化的路线看,与简单模式相比,复杂模式更能促进儿童的表征发生变化,而且这时儿童表征变化的路线更丰富,表征变化发生循环的人数比例也更高。（2）从变化的速度看,复杂模式下儿童在插入难题的两次练习期间表征变化比较迅速,其余期间变化较小;简单模式下儿童在第二次和第三次练习期间表征变化比较迅速,随后变化比较平稳。（3）从变化的广度看,练习中所获表征能力（在最后三次练习中达到元程序或概念化阶段）的推广,无论是在近迁移题还是远迁移题上两种练习模式之下的被试没有明显差异;但两组被试在近迁移题上的表现均好于远迁移题     

Response Inhibition and ADHD Traits: Correlates and Heritability in a Community Sample

Endophenotypes or intermediate phenotypes are of great interest in neuropsychiatric genetics because of their potential for facilitating gene discovery. We evaluated response inhibition, latency and variability measures derived from the stop task as endophenotypes of ADHD by testing whether they were related to ADHD traits in the general population, heritable and shared genetic risk with ADHD traits. Participants were 16,099 children and adolescents, ages 6 to 18 years who visited a local science center. We measured ADHD traits using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-symptoms and Normal-Behavior (SWAN) rating scale and performance on the stop signal task (SST)—response inhibition (SSRT), response latency (GoRT), and response variability (GoRTSD). Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship of cognitive measures and ADHD traits while controlling for family, age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and treatment status. Heritability of ADHD and cognitive traits was estimated using SOLAR in 7,483 siblings from 3,507 families that included multiple siblings. Bivariate relationships between pairs of variables were examined. Individuals with greater ADHD trait scores had worse response inhibition, slower response latency, and greater variability. Younger participants and girls had inferior performance although the gender effects were minimal and evident in youngest participants. Inhibition, latency, variability, total ADHD traits, inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity scores were significantly heritable. ADHD traits and inhibition, but not latency or variability were coheritable. In the largest study in the general population, we found support for the validity of response inhibition as an endophenotype of ADHD.     

The Nature and Correlates of Conversational Sensitivity

People differ in their sensitivity to what happens during conversations: Some individuals enjoy listening to social exchanges, pick up hidden meanings in conversations, can generate optimal ways of saying things in interactions, and are generally “savvy” about the different sorts of power and affinity relationships exhibited in conversations. In this article we explore the nature and correlates of conversational sensitivity. People high in sensitivity make more high-level inferences when listening to social exchanges, unitize conversation in smaller chunks, emphasize conversation characteristics in their memories of interactions, and make more self-referents about conversations than less sensitive individuals. In addition, conversational sensitivity is positively related to self-monitoring, private self-consciousness, perceptiveness, self-esteem, assertiveness, empathy, and social skills. It is inversely related to communication apprehension, receiver apprehension, and social anxiety. In a final study, conversational sensitivity is construed not as an individual difference but as situational response: In some settings under some conditions, people become more sensitive to what happens in conversation.