Three scales of alexithymia: do they measure the same thing?

The psychometric properties of three scales of alexithymia were examined in a sample of 187 female undergraduates. The Shalling Sifneos Personality Scale (SSPS) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Alexithymia scale had little internal consistency. The scored archetypal test with nine elements (SAT9) had very low interrater reliability. As predicted, the tree measures were not significantly related to one another and the SSPS had a more clearly defined factor structure than the MMPI scale. The MMPI and SSPS scales were differentially related to measures of symptomatology but were similarly related to extraversion, absorption, and SAT scores. Of the three scales, the SSPS appeared to have the highest content validity. The results suggest that alexithymia is not a unitary construct and that its reification as such may be premature.     

Sudden gains in cognitive behavioral treatment for depression: when do they occur and do they matter?

Despite the use of efficacious treatments for depression, individuals differ in both the degree to which they recover and the rate at which recovery occurs. Tang and colleagues found that depressed patients who had sudden improvements in their symptomatology not only maintained these gains, but also enjoyed more improvement and higher rates of recovery than those without sudden gains (J. Consulting Clin. Psychol. 67(6) (1999) 894; J. Consulting Clin. Psychol. 70(2) (2002) 444). Our study examined the role of sudden gains in a cognitive-behavioral group treatment for depression. Results indicated that 41.9% of patients experienced sudden gains. Furthermore, sudden gains occurring in the first third of treatment appear to have special importance. Participants enjoying early sudden gains had significantly larger changes in depressive symptom scores over the course of treatment than those without sudden gains and were marginally more likely to be treatment responders compared to those without early sudden gains. In contrast to Tang and DeRubeis (J. Consulting Clin. Psychol. 67(6) (1999) 894), however, sudden gains were not associated with cognitive changes.     

The homogeneity assumption in differential prediction analysis: does it really matter?

In simulation studies, the F test for differences in regression slopes has tended to distort nominal Type I and II error rates when the 2 subgroup error variances exceeded a 1.50:1 ratio. This study examines the frequency and extent that this ratio is violated within data sets relevant to applied psychology. The General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validity study database contained ability data and overall job performance ratings. The Project A military database contained both ability and personality data, along with job performance factor scores and an overall job performance rating. Results suggest that subgroup (White-Black, male-female) error variances are often homogeneous enough to support F test results from past empirical work. Enough heterogeneity was found, however, to urge applied psychologists investigating differential prediction to explore their data and consider the possibility of alternative statistical tests.     

Measures of depressive dimensions: are they interchangeable?

Several theorists have posited two focuses for depressive experience and/or vulnerability: dependency and rejection, and self-criticism and failure. In turn, three instruments have emerged, each addressing these two components, respectively: the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ; Dependent and Self-Critical scales), the Sociotropy-Autonomy Scales (SAS), and the Anaclitic and Introjective Dysfunctional Attitude Scales (DAS). In this study, we addressed the relations within and among these three pairs of scales in a large undergraduate sample. Generally, the DEQ-Dependent, SAS-Sociotrophy, and DAS-Anaclitic scales showed substantial convergent and discriminant validity. Although this was true also for the DEQ-Self-Critical and DAS-Introjective scales, neither scale was closely related to the SAS-Autonomy scale, which appeared instead to be a better measure of counter dependency than a measure of self-critical, introjective features.     

Cross-national differences in the assessment of psychopathy: do they reflect variations in raters' perceptions of symptoms?

Cross-national differences in the prevalence of psychopathy have been reported. This study examined whether rater effects could account for these differences. Psychopathy was assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991). Videotapes of 6 Scottish prisoners and 6 Canadian prisoners were rated by 10 Scottish and 10 Canadian raters. No significant main or interaction effects involving the nationality of raters were detected at the level of full scores or factor scores. Using a generalizability theory approach, it was demonstrated that the interrater reliability of total scores was good, that is, the proportion of variance in test scores attributable to raters was small. The interrater reliability of factor scores was lower, typically falling in the fair range. Overall, the results suggest that the reported cross-national differences are more likely to be in the expression of the disorder rather than in the eye of the beholder.     

Causal attributions of married couples: when do they search for causes? What do they conclude when they do?

In this study, we examined when and whether married people engage in attributional activity or form causal attributions to explain their partners' behavior. We used an indirect probe to better approximate naturally occurring cognitive activity. We also examined the content of spouses' causal attributions, using both direct and indirect probes. Spouses were asked about frequent as well as infrequent relationship events, and about partner behaviors that had positive or negative impacts on the recipient. Husbands in unsatisfying relationships reported more attributional thoughts than did happily married husbands, whereas wives in the two groups did not differ. Behaviors having negative impacts elicited more attributional activity than did positive behaviors. Behavioral frequency and impact interacted in ways contrary to predictions. Finally, distressed couples were particularly likely to report distress-maintaining attributions and were particularly unlikely to report relationship-enhancing attributions, compared with their nondistressed counterparts.     

Individual differences in object-examining duration: do they reflect the use of different encoding strategies?

Much evidence has shown that individual differences in the duration of visual fixation in infancy are related to processing of wholistic versus featural properties of the stimuli. In the present study, an object-examining technique was used with 8-month-old infants to test the hypothesis that infants who display differential attention durations to visuo-manually presented stimuli will vary in their processing of wholistic versus featural aspects of the stimuli. The results confirmed the hypothesis, indicating that, after being familiarized with an object comprised of both global and local properties, long examiners attended more to an object comprised of new-local rather than new-global aspects, whereas short examiners attended more to the new-global rather than the new-local object. These findings provide support to the contention of the existence of close similarities between visual fixation and object-examining measures as indexes of infant information processing, extending the convergences between the two measures to the domain of individual differences.     

The epidemiology of autistic spectrum disorders: is the prevalence rising?

For decades after Kanner's original paper on the subject was published in 1943, autism was generally considered to be a rare condition with a prevalence of around 2-4 per 10,000 children. Then, studies carried out in the late 1990s and the present century reported annual rises in incidence of autism in pre-school children, based on age of diagnosis, and increases in the age-specific prevalence rates in children. Prevalence rates of up to 60 per 10,000 for autism and even more for the whole autistic spectrum were reported. Reasons for these increases are discussed. They include changes in diagnostic criteria, development of the concept of the wide autistic spectrum, different methods used in studies, growing awareness and knowledge among parents and professional workers and the development of specialist services, as well as the possibility of a true increase in numbers. Various environmental causes for a genuine rise in incidence have been suggested, including the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR]. Not one of the possible environmental causes, including MMR, has been confirmed by independent scientific investigation, whereas there is strong evidence that complex genetic factors play a major role in etiology. The evidence suggests that the majority, if not all, of the reported rise in incidence and prevalence is due to changes in diagnostic criteria and increasing awareness and recognition of autistic spectrum disorders. Whether there is also a genuine rise in incidence remains an open question.     

Trauma,personality disorders and chronic depression – the role of the conversational model of psychodynamic psychotherapy in treatment resistant depression

Objective: To report preliminary data describing the interim treatment outcome of 44 patients referred with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), comorbid personality disorders and histories of early childhood trauma using the Conversational Model (CM) of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Method: Patients (N = 44), 13 males and 31 females with long histories of depression ranging from 2 to 30 years, resistant to multiple trials of treatment, were referred by mental health practitioners, including psychiatrists. They were treated with twice weekly CM psychotherapy by multidisciplinary trainees and supervised by experienced trained clinicians. Questionnaires were administered at assessment and at 12 months to assess symptoms, functioning, self-esteem, history of trauma, personality functioning and suicidality. In this preliminary study, there was no separate control group, and patients served as their own controls. Results: Patients with TRD were found to have comorbid severe personality disorders and histories of early childhood trauma. Significant improvement in symptoms, self-esteem, functioning and suicidality was noted after 12 months. Conclusion: Patients responded with symptomatic and functional improvement to twice weekly CM therapy.     

Three approaches to the psychology of culture: Where do they come from? Where can they go?

Cultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, and indigenous psychology are three approaches to the psychology of culture. The author begins by comparing the three approaches – conceptually, methodologically; and historically. She concludes that each approach has contributed knowledge of the "deep structure" of culture to the field of psychology. This "deep structure" consists of the framework of individualism and collectivism; particular cultures are therefore surface forms of one or the other of these basic cultural frameworks. Rather than being universal, classical social and developmental psychology are seen as reflecting a particular indigenous psychology. For the future, a truly universal psychology must offer a theoretical framework that encompasses alternative indigenous psychologies.     

Summer camp and the AGPA Institute: what do they have in common?

This paper describes similarities between children's experiences when going to summer camp and experiences in the two-day Institute of AGPA. The paper focuses on the dynamics of leadership and membership, addressing tasks involved in joining, including finding the courage and taking the risks required to emotionally fully join a group. Particular resistances arising out of being a therapist-as-member and exposing one's work as a leader to colleagues are discussed.     

Chronic, low-grade depression in a nonclinical sample: depressive personality or dysthymia?

Depressive personality disorder (DPD) is being considered for inclusion in future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, there is substantial conceptual and empirical overlap between DPD and dysthymic disorder (Dysthymia) criteria, suggesting that these two constructs may not be distinct. Confirmatory factor analysis of the DPD traits and dysthymia symptoms in a large, nonclinical sample (N = 368) indicated that a two-factor model was a better fit than a one-factor model. However, binary diagnostic analysis revealed that over half of the individuals meeting criteria for DPD also met criteria for dysthymia and that the best-fitting model allowed the psychological symptoms of dysthymia to load on both DPD and dysthymia latent factors. All of the individuals with DPD alone failed to meet criteria for dysthymia because they did not report chronic depressed mood. Our results suggest that although DPD is not synonymous with Dysthymia, it may be a milder subtype.     

Three measures of locus of control: what do they measure?

The Rotter, Adult Nowicki-Strickland, and Levenson IE scales were completed by 175 undergraduate students. Factor analyses reconfirmed the factor structure of the Levenson IE scale. Partial correlation analyses showed that the portion of common variance shared by the Rotter IE and the Adult Nowicki-Strickland IE scales associated closely with Levenson's Chance factor. These findings support a multi-dimensional view of locus of control attribution.     

What do the MMPI scales fundamentally measure? Some hypotheses

I consider the question of whether all psychopathological behaviors can, on an evolutionary foundation, be considered as positive adaptations. I proposed that higher functions can be differentiated from their associated emotional modulations at simultaneous subjective, behavioral, and neural levels and that organizing analyses in this way will enable us to fill in our understanding of both the effects and relief of traumatic experiences. I then present each of the 8 clinical scales of the MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943) as a dimension of positive adaptation with simultaneous cognitive-emotional, operant-classical, and neocortical-limbic elements. A variety of life-experience paradigms are then offered to explain the factors that operate to increase MMPI scale elevations as well as countermeasures that can operate to reduce such elevations. Understanding all such behaviors as adaptive leads to a notable enhancement of empathy.     

Physical education teachers in Australia: Why do they stay?

Studies related to reasons why teachers stay are far less frequent than those reporting reasons to leave. This study assessed the factors that satisfied PE teachers and the motivators to stay in PE teaching. Physical educator stayers (N?=?139) responded to a ‘PE Teachers’ Career Intentions Questionnaire’, ‘Basic Satisfaction Needs at Work Scale’ and an open-ended question to ascertain retention motivators. Basic needs satisfaction for competence, autonomy and relatedness support, along with satisfaction for ‘professional interaction’, ‘participation in decision-making’, ‘organisation of teaching’, and ‘respect’ predicted retention. PE teachers gain work-related motivation from their expertise, the opportunity to implement ideas collaboratively, but also the sense of efficacy to control their pedagogy and student outcomes of focus. Supportive policy and actions; not just the absence of career-thwarting stimuli, appear vital for teacher self-efficacy, leading to career fulfillment. Quality mentoring programs may serve to enhance PE teacher satisfaction and are worthy of further investigation.     

The functioning of central categories Middle Level and Sometimes in graded response scales: does the label matter?

The present study evaluates the extent to which central categories explicitly labeled as being in the middle of the other response categories, specifically Middle Level and Sometimes, function as expected according to the integer scoring system. The assumptions are tested by means of Bock's Nominal Model in two 5-response scales. Results show that the assumption of the ordering of the response categories is met for all the items. The ordering of thresholds is satisfied for all but one item with the central category Middle Level . Results are compared with those obtained when middle categories are not explicitly labeled as being in the middle of the other response categories, as in the case of Not Sure , Undecided or?     

Can the MMPI-2 validity scales detect depression feigned by experts?

Major depression is one of the most frequently presented disorders for claims of psychiatric disability. Evidence also suggests that many individuals making claims of disability exaggerate or even fabricate mental illness. These facts suggest that the detection of feigned depression is an important task in psychiatric disability claim assessments. In this study, the capacity of a number of MMPI-2 validity scales and indicators to detect feigned depression was examined. Twenty-three mental health professionals with specific expertise and significant experience in assessing and treating major depression were asked to complete the MMPI-2 as if they were suffering from major depression. The MMPI-2 protocols of this sample were compared to those of a sample of patients diagnosed with major depression. Results indicated that the validity scales F, back F (FB), and the Dissimulation scale (Ds) were highly successful at distinguishing MMPI-2 protocols of feigned depression from bona fide depression. Replicating results from previous studies, however, FB proved most effective, outperforming all other validity scales and indicators, including F and Ds. These findings suggest that even experts are unable to feign major depression successfully on the MMPI-2, and that the FB scale might be the most effective indicator for detecting feigned depression.