Developing a biodata measure and situational judgment inventory as predictors of college student performance

This article describes the development and validation of a biographical data (biodata) measure and situational judgment inventory (SJI) as useful predictors of broadly defined college student performance outcomes. These measures provided incremental validity when considered in combination with standardized college-entrance tests (i.e., SAT/ACT) and a measure of Big Five personality constructs. Racial subgroup mean differences were much smaller on the biodata and SJI measures than on the standardized tests and college grade point average. Female students tended to outperform male students on most predictors and outcomes with the exception of the SAT/ACT. The biodata and SJI measures show promise for student development contexts and for selecting students on a wide range of outcomes with reduced adverse impact.     

Fear of success as a situational phenomenon

This study was designed to determine whether different arousing situations will generate different responses in fear-of-success (FOS) and performance behavior. Female subjects were given instructions stating that the tasks they were going to complete would later be evaluated by a panel of males, females, or persons in order to determine whether the panel would select them as a potential friend, co-worker, or acquaintance. Results indicated that no significant differences in FOS were due to the different situations. However, there was evidence to conclude that level of performance behavior depends on the situation in which it is measured. Possible explanations for the failure to find FOS situational are discussed, as well as the inability to explain the significant interaction in performance behavior.     

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.     

Self-reported arousal Factorial complexity as a function of the subject's arousal level

Abstract.— The factorial stability of a previously constructed six-factor check-list for self-reported arousal was studied in three different situations which were conceived of as inducing different levels of arousal, viz. in the evening before going to bed, at a lecture, and at an examination. The analyses showed that the six factors obtained in the Lecture group were reduced to five in the Examination group and to four in the Evening group. This reduction was due to a combination of the items from pairs of the original factors into one factor. Significant differences between the three groups were obtained in all factors but one. The results were regarded as support for the usefulness of the six-factor instrument, the implication being that one or two of the factors in some situations might be redundant. The relevance of the results for a previously proposed model of arousal was discussed.     

Neuropeptide S: a novel modulator of stress and arousal

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a recently identified bioactive peptide that modulates stress and arousal. NPS is expressed in a few discrete nuclei in the brainstem, such as the pericoerulear (locus coeruleus (LC)) area and the parabrachial nucleus. NPS activates its cognate G protein-coupled receptor at low nanomolar agonist concentrations and induces elevation of intracellular Ca2+ and cAMP, therefore acting as an excitatory transmitter. The NPS receptor is widely expressed in the brain, including regions known to regulate stress responses such as hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala and limbic cortex. We have recently reported that the NPS system can modulate stress responses and induce wakefulness based on a battery of behavioral tests. Activation of NPS receptors induces arousal and reduces all sleep stages. At the same time, NPS produces anxiolytic-like effects in rodents. These studies indicate that the NPS system has a unique pharmacological profile to promote both anxiolytic and arousal effects. NPS might interact with other hypothalamic neuropeptide systems that are known to be involved in stress and appetite control and thus might be a valuable target for development of a new class of drugs to treat anxiety disorders.     

The equivalence interval as a measure of uncertainty

Subjects made a series of 15 psychophysical judgments, one about each of five stimuli in three different stimulus classes. Then, supposing that their answers were not exactly correct, half of the subjects indicated the range of values within which they were reasonably certain that the correct answer did in fact lie. This range is termed an equivalence interval. The remaining subjects simply rated their confidence in the accuracy of each judgment. It was found that the width of the equivalence intervals correlated quite highly with the confidence ratings, and that they became wider the further the judged stimulus was from a clearly defined standard of comparison. Interestingly, however, although the equivalence intervals increased in size as the subjects' judgments became less accurate, they still failed to enclose the correct value nearly 42% of the time. The results were discussed in terms of the usefulness of the equivalence interval as a measure of uncertainty.     

Countertransference as a prototype: The development of a measure

Countertransference is a concept that is widely acknowledged, but there exists little definitional consensus, making research in the area difficult. The authors adopted a prototype theory (E. H. Rosch, 1973a, 1973b; see C. B. Mervis & E. Rosch, 1981, for a review) to examine this construct because it conceptually fits well with constructs that elude explicit definition. In Study 1, 45 experienced psychologists highly agreed with the prototypicality of 104 different examples of countertransference providing support for the presence of a prototype. In Study 2, the usage of this prototype in a sample of 35 trainees was related to ability to perceive countertransference in a case example drawn from the literature and positively correlated with self-reports of their experiences of countertransference but not with their self-reported ability to manage countertransference once it was manifest. Implications for training and research are discussed.     

Displacement activities as a behavioral measure of stress in nonhuman primates and human subjects

Traditionally, research on human stress has relied mostly on physiological and psychological measures with a relatively minor emphasis on the behavioral aspects of the phenomenon. Such an approach makes it difficult to develop valid animal models of the human stress syndrome. A promising approach to the study of the behavioral correlates of stress is to analyze those behavior patterns that ethologists have named displacement activities and that, in primates, consist mostly of self-directed behaviors. In both nonhuman primates and human subjects, displacement behavior appears in situations characterized by social tension and is likely to reflect increased autonomic arousal. Pharmacological studies of nonhuman primates have shown that the frequency of occurrence of displacement behavior is increased by anxiogenic compounds and decreased by anxiolytic drugs. Ethological studies of healthy persons and psychiatric patients during interviews have found that increased displacement behavior not only correlates with a subjective feeling state of anxiety and negative affect but also gives more veridical information about the subject's emotional state than verbal statements and facial expression. The measurement of displacement activities may be a useful complement to the physiological and psychological studies aimed at analyzing the correlates and consequences of stress.     

How I feel: a self-report measure of emotional arousal and regulation for children

This article details the development and preliminary validation of a multidimensional self-report measure of emotion for 8- to 12-year-old children--the How I Feel (HIF). Item generation and selection occurred via 2 pilot administrations (ns = 250 and 378, respectively). Ten experts provided data on content validity. Exploratory factor analysis and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis with samples of 406, 524, 349, and 349 3rd-through 6th-grade children supported a 3-factor model, including the frequency and intensity of (a) positive emotion, (b) negative emotion, and (c) positive and negative emotion control. Results showed moderate longitudinal stability for 120 children over 2 years. Concurrent validity was established. The HIF can be useful in understanding the interplay between arousal and control in social-emotional adjustment in school-age children.     

Multiple measure analysis of women experiencing low sexual arousal.

Five women experiencing low sexual arousal were exposed to a multiple measures analysis of their sexual behavior before and after undergoing a comprehensive sex therapy program. Measures included: (1) clinical interview, (2) behavioral record, (3) self-reported ratings of sexual and anxiety arousal, and (4) physiological records. Results showed that though all women reported very positive attitudes toward the therapists and substantial therapeutic benefits in post-therapy and two year follow-up interviews, none of the objective measures showed any clinically significant changes at post-therapy. The implications of this finding were discussed.