ROC and z-ROC analysis in recognition memory: continuous, threshold, and asymmetric models

In this research, we applied the operating characteristic of the receiver (ROC) to evaluate item-recognition memory by means of open class words (CA) and closed class words (CC). The purpose was to evaluate memory processes and models, according to the type of stimuli used: words in Spanish, classified according to grammar characteristics. To register the data, a rating scale was applied to obtain the appropriate response levels. Statistically significant differences between the processing of both types of words were obtained. We evaluated models of threshold, continuous, and unequal variance. As a result, we could contribute to the resolution of the present controversy about the models adapted to evaluate the memory of item recognition. Lastly, the differentiation and integration of the models from an empirical point of view is discussed.     

Spanish adaptation of the Need for Closure Scale

The Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC) refers to the motivation to seek and maintain a definitive answer to a given problem. This mental closure allows people to avoid confusion, ambiguity and uncertainty. The NCC plays a critical role in a variety of processes of diverse nature, including intra-personal (e.g., the higher the NCC, the less generation of hypothesis), inter-personal (e.g., decreased empathy), intra-group (e.g., increased desire for consensus), and inter-group (increased in-group favouritism) phenomena. The goal of the present research was to provide a Spanish adaptation of Antonio Pierro and Arie Kruglanski's Revised NCC Scale (2005, Rev NfCS), examining the reliability and the validity of participants' scores. In the present studies, it was found that the Spanish version of the scale had acceptable internal reliability and adequate factor structure (Study 1), as well as acceptable test-retest reliability and adequate discriminant validity with regard to the scores in another measure of individual differences such as the Need for Cognition (NC, Study 2).     

Psychometric analysis of the AF5 multidimensional scale of self-concept in a sample of adolescents and adults in Catalonia

The aim of this study is to carry out a psychometric study of the AF5 scale in a sample of 4.825 Catalan subjects from 11 to 63 years-old. They are students from secondary compulsory education (ESO), from high school, middle-level vocational training (CFGM) and from the university. Using a principal component analysis (PCA) the theoretical validity of the components is established and the reliability of the instrument is also analyzed. Differential analyses are performed by gender and normative group using a 2 x 6 factorial design. The normative group variable includes the different levels classified into 6 sub-groups: university, post-compulsory secondary education (high school and CFGM), 4th of ESO, 3rd of ESO, 2nd of ESO and 1st of ESO. The results indicate that the reliability of the Catalan version of the scale is similar to the original scale. The factorial structure also fits with the original model established beforehand. Significant differences by normative group in the four components of self-concept explored (social, family, academic/occupational and physical) are observed. By gender, significant differences appear in the component of physical self-concept, academic and social but not in the family component.     

Facilitation of the equivalence--equivalence responding

Equivalence-Equivalence responding, based on equivalence class formation, is a key concept of the functional-analytic model of analogical reasoning held by RFT theorists. Relational stimulus control is supposed to play an important role in this arbitrary relational response. Previous research showed that mere training of the prerequisites for equivalence class formation is not always enough for the derivation of equivalence-equivalence responding, even in adults. In the first experiment, with 12 adult participants, we designed a matching-to-sample training and testing procedure that, although it provided all necessary conditions, did not lead to Equivalence-Equivalence responding in most participants, so that the efficacy of a facilitation procedure could be assessed. In Experiment 2, with 32 valid participants, a matching-to-sample procedure based on non-arbitrary relations was introduced to assess its efficacy in enhancing stimulus control by the relational properties of sample and comparisons. Results showed a moderate effect: 40.6% of the participants passed the test after being exposed to a non-arbitrary relational matching task (but none without it). This research underlines the importance of non-arbitrary relational responses in the derivation of more complex repertoires.     

Impact of anxiety and depression on the physical status and daily routines of cancer patients during chemotherapy

The evolution of symptoms, emotional state and daily routines in patients with breast cancer and lung cancer during treatment with intravenous chemotherapy (CT) is described and the influence of anxiety and depression on these variables is analyzed. 66 patients, 29 with breast cancer and 37 with lung cancer, were evaluated before starting treatment, and after completing the first, second and last cycle of CT using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), rating scales and interview. Less than 30% of the patients showed clinical anxiety or depression according to the HADS. Throughout the treatment, tiredness, fatigue and nausea increased significantly and work and leisure activity decreased. Concern about the future of relatives and insomnia increased significantly over time in patients with breast cancer whereas they decreased in patients with lung cancer. By introducing the HADS scores as covariates, it was found that most differences are due to the time factor and the type of cancer. During treatment with CT, emotional disturbances do not seem to have significant impact on the symptoms and changes in daily life reported by cancer patients.     

Web of Science production quality indicators of ten professors' at the area of personality, assessment and psychological treatment: additional contributions to Olivas-Ávila y Musi-Lechuga study

Rankings of scientific productivity are increasingly relevant both from an individual and a collective perspective. Therefore, making sure they are based on reliable and exhaustive information is really important. This study clearly shows that available rankings change dramatically when internationally acknowledged bibliometric indices are considered. Data from the 10 Professors belonging to the 'Personality, Assessment, and Psychological Treatment' Department considered in the recent analysis by Olivas-ávila y Musi-Lechuga ( Psicothema 2010. Vol. 22, no 4, pp. 909-916) are revisited here for illustrative purposes.     

Workplace bullying and health complaints: the moderating role of physiological activation

Previous research has shown that workplace bullying is related to several negative outcomes. In this line of research, few studies have focused on possible moderators of the experience of bullying. The aim of the present study was to examine the moderating role of physiological activation, measured as systolic blood pressure, in the relationship between bullying and health problems. The sample was made up of 213 employees, who filled in a questionnaire about health and well being, and participated in a voluntary medical check-up that was carried out by an independent Occupational Health Service. Results revealed that physiological activation strengthened the relationship between bullying and health problems, so that those with high levels of blood pressure reported more health complaints in bullying situations. These results are in line with the allostatic load theory.     

Behavioural problems in adolescents who are in adoption, residential care, and grandparent fostering

The aim of this research is to identify the severity and type of behavioural problems found in a sample of 181 Spanish adolescents, aged 11 and 18, who have been, or still are in the protective system and to provide give up-to-date figures about behavioural problem situations of children are living under protective measures, and to determine the existence of diverse behavioural problems concerning the kind of care the adolescents are receiving (adoption, residential care, or with grandparent fostering). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used in this study. The results show that most of the adolescents scored within the normal range and only a small percentage of them had important behavioural problems and were therefore situated within the clinical range of the trial. The adopted adolescents scored higher than the adolescents who were either fostered by their extended families or in residential care. The main problems identified in each section are discussed, along with the results, in the context of modernising the Spanish protection system.     

Early psychopathological features in Spanish adolescents

Schizotypal experiences and depressive symptoms are quite common among adolescents, and have been considered as risk markers for schizophrenia-spectrum and mood disorders. The main goal of the present study was to analyze the relationship between schizotypal experiences and depressive symptoms in a community sample of non-clinical adolescents. The sample comprised a total of 1653 participants, 794 male (48%), with an average age of 15.94 years (SD = 1.23). Results showed that schizotypal traits and depressive symptoms were closely related at a subclinical level. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that the two sets of variables shared approximately 48% of the variance. The study of the dimensionality underlying the subscales of the self-reports revealed the presence of three components, namely: Depressive, Anhedonia and Reality Distortion. These results are convergent with previous studies conducted in both clinical and non-clinical samples, indicating overlap between schizotypal experiences and depressive symptoms.     

Personality differences between alcohol abusers and matched controls: Relation to frontal symptoms and subtypes of addicts

Epidemiological studies usually show a link between personality disorders and addictions. Dimensional models of personality, such as that of Cloninger, are able to diagnose and discriminate between transient dysfunctional behavior styles and relatively more stable traits. Certain brain areas have been proposed, as trait locations, based on their activation. This paper explores differences in personality traits among a sample of alcohol abusers (N= 95) and a control group of non-clinical population (N= 95), matched in sociodemographic variables, using the TCI-R-67 and the FrSBe-Sp. It is hypothesized that such differences are associated with frontal symptomatology. The existence of different subgroups of addicts based on certain combinations of traits is also analyzed. Results showed significant differences in two temperament traits (Novelty Seeking and Harm Avoidance) and a characterial trait (Self-Direction). We also found a correlation with a large effect size between these traits and frontal symptomatology. Cluster analysis classified the participants into several subtypes with different combinations of traits that matched diverse frontal symptomatology. Possible neurobiological explanations of these differences and their importance in the clinical practice are discussed.