Barbadian adolescents' views of the "ideal" family

An instrument examining the perceptions of "ideal" family functioning was administered to 536 adolescents aged 12 to 18 yr. in Barbados. Analysis indicated fairly extensive differences between the views of male and female students, somewhat fewer differences in age and type of school attended, and very few differences associated with household composition and religious affiliation.     

Factor structure and differential validity of the expanded Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale

The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) is one of the most widely used measures in psychiatric outcome and clinical psychopharmacology research. To date, however; research on the psychometric properties of the expanded version of the BPRS (BPRS-E) has been limited. An exploratory factor analysis (n = 360) using maximum likelihood extraction with oblimin rotation found a four-factor solution (Thought Disturbance, Animation, Mood Disturbance, Apathy) to underlie the BPRS-E. Furthermore, these factors were logical in nature and estimates of internal consistency were acceptable. A confirmatory factor analysis conducted on a second, independent sample (n = 280)found that for the five models currently available in the literature, the model developed herein provided the best fit to the data. Again, estimates of internal consistency were found acceptable. Finally, the four factors demonstrated appropriate differential validity with regards to both demographic variables and various psychiatric diagnoses.     

The determinants of beliefs in human nature

This study set out to examine which of a range of ‘demographic’ factors best predicted peoples' beliefs in the heredity vs environmental determinants of specific features in human nature. Ss' sex, age, education, class, voting pattern and religion were related to their beliefs in the heredity vs environmental determinants of six human characteristics: physical characteristics, psychological skills, personality, beliefs, psychological problems and physical problems. Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated the close relationship between the independent demographic variables, particularly education and voting pattern, and the dependent belief variables, particularly personality and beliefs. The literature on correlates of political beliefs was examined and related to the findings in this study.     

Personality,age, and fluid intelligence

A total of 383 participants (aged 19 to 66 years) completed the Raven's Progressive Matrices, the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation‐Behavior (FIRO‐B), and the California Psychological Inventory‐434 (CPI‐434). Results showed that IQ was positively correlated with perceiving (MBTI), control (FIRO‐B), intellectual efficiency (CPI‐434), achievement via independence (CPI‐434), and negatively correlated with sensing (MBTI), internality (CPI‐434) and norm‐favouring (CPI‐434), supporting the majority of the hypotheses. Participants' age was correlated with many measures, particularly intelligence and accounted for a third of the variance in IQ scores. Limitations are considered.     

How to be a type-C physicalist

This paper advances a version of physicalism which reconciles the “a priori entailment thesis” (APET) with the analytic independence of our phenomenal and physical vocabularies. The APET is the claim that, if physicalism is true, the complete truths of physics imply every other truth a priori. If so, “cosmic hermeneutics” is possible: a demon having only complete knowledge of physics could deduce every truth about the world. Analytic independence is a popular physicalist explanation for the apparent “epistemic gaps” between phenomenal and physical truths. The two are generally seen as incompatible, since the demon’s deductions seem to presuppose analytic connections between physical and phenomenal terms. I begin by arguing, in support of the APET, that implications from the complete truths of physics to phenomenal truths cannot be a posteriori. Such implications are (according to the physicalist) necessarily true. But they cannot be Kripke-style a posteriori necessities, since (according to the physicalist) the complete truths of physics fix any relevant a posteriori facts about the reference of terms. I then show how the physicalist can turn the tables: the demon can exploit the physical fixing of reference to bridge the gap between the vocabularies, by deducing when phenomenal and physical terms co-refer. This opens the way for a “type-C” physicalism, which accepts in-principle deducibility while still appealing to analytic independence to explain why we (who are not demons) find it impossible to see phenomenal-physical connections a priori.     

Top-down inhibition of search distractors in parallel visual search

In three experiments, we examined distractor inhibition in parallel ("pop-out") visual search. Distractor inhibition was measured in terms of reaction time (RT) to a simple luminance increment probe presented, after the search task response, at display locations that either contained a search distractor (on-probe) or were blank (off-probe). When the search stimuli remained in view, the on-probe (relative to off-probe) RT cost was larger than in a baseline condition in which observers had only to passively view, rather than search, the display. This differential on-probe RT cost, which discounts effects of masking, was interpreted as a measure of distractor inhibition associated with target selection in parallel visual search. Taken together, the results argue that the distractor inhibition is an object-based and local phenomenon that affects all distractors (of a particular type) in an equal manner.     

Factors Affecting Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources Across Life-Threatening Medical Conditions

This study aimed to determine whether participants used different criteria to allocate scarce medical resources depending on the medical condition. Allocations of HIV antiretroviral treatment and heart-transplant surgery were examined. Participants completed 2 questionnaires requiring them to prioritize 16 hypothetical patients. Demographic data on hypothetical patients varied on 4 dimensions: age, gender, sexual orientation, and promiscuity. There were significant main effects of age, sexual orientation, and promiscuity in both medical conditions. Young people were favored over old, heterosexuals over homosexuals, and monogamous over promiscuous patients. Stronger effects of sexual orientation and promiscuity were found in the HIV treatment condition. Participants used a more utilitarian approach in their allocation decisions and demonstrated prejudice against homosexuals and promiscuous patients.     

The stability of inhibited/uninhibited temperament from ages 3 to 11 years in mauritian children

Stability of inhibited/uninhibited temperament was assessed using 1,795 Mauritian children tested at ages 3, 8, and 11 years. Children were divided into uninhibited, middle, and inhibited groups at each age based on social behavior. Results indicated that, relative to uninhibited children (1) those inhibited at age 3 obtained larger inhibition scores at age 8 (p< .0001), (2) those inhibited at age 8 obtained larger inhibition scores at age 11 (p< .002), and (3) those remaining inhibited from ages 3 to 8 obtained larger inhibition scores at age 11 (p< .002). Relative to children who changed classification from ages 3 to 8, those remaining inhibited obtained larger inhibition scores (p< .05) and those remaining uninhibited obtained smaller inhibition scores (p< .015) at age 11. Inhibition scores tended to be higher in females by age 11. Results remained regardless of ethnicity. The results provide some support that inhibited/uninhibited temperament remains stable from ages 3 to 8 and may continue to age 11. The results suggest cross-cultural generalizability of these findings with implications regarding the development of anxiety disorders in the Mauritian population. The efforts of Cyril Dalais, Brian Bell, Athenea Chiriaca, and all the local members of the longitudinal study, the Mauritius Joint Child Health Project, are gratefully acknowledged. We are also especially thankful to Drs. Michael E. Dawson, David Walsh, and Bill McClure for their helpful comments and suggestions.The data used in this study were collected while the project was supported by the Medical Research Council (UK), the Wellcome Trust (UK), and the Mauritian government. The data were analyzed and findings written as part of the first author's dissertation work under the support of the NIMH Pre-doctoral Individual National Research Service Award and a USC Dissertation Fellowship Award.     

Assessing personality at risk in personnel selection and development

This paper demonstrates the validity and usefulness of a count technique to screen for potential personality dysfunctioning in NEO‐PI‐R ratings obtained in selection and professional development assessments. The usefulness of this screening technique for Industrial, Work and Organizational (IWO) psychologists is demonstrated in five different samples that were administered the NEO‐PI‐R for selection or development purposes. Three additional samples served as normative data to compute FFM PD count cut‐offs that can be used for selection and career development decisions. Evidence for the construct validity of 6 out of 10 FFM PD counts was provided, and all FFM PD compound scales were significantly related to important criteria, including the final selection decision, the results of a behaviourally oriented selection interview and self‐rated work competencies. The practical utility and limitations of this count technique for personnel selection and development are discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subjective Wellbeing and Homeostatically Protected Mood: Theory Validation With Adolescents

Researchers generally agree that Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) comprises both cognitive and affective components. However, the proportioning of their contributions, and the relationship between these constructs and personality, remain equivocal. This study investigated the relationship between these constructs, representing affect by Homeostatically Protected Mood (HPMood). Using a sample of 205 Victorian high-school students aged between 13 and 20 years, structural equation modeling determined that an HPMood-driven model of SWB was better fitting than either a personality-driven model of SWB or a cognition-driven model of SWB, explaining 80% of variance. These results support HPMood as the major component of SWB. They also reinforce the proposition that HPMood may be the driving force behind individual SWB set-points and the variable that SWB homeostasis seeks to defend.