Effect of first ball possession on partial and final scores in 2003, 2005, and 2007 Water Polo World Championships

The purpose was to analyze the influence of winning the first ball possession on the partial and final score in male and female water polo. The 288 matches disputed by the teams participating in the 2003, 2005, and 2007 Water Polo World Championship were recorded. The results reflect statistically significant differences for the influence of gaining the first ball possession on the partial and final scoreboard of each period and for the influence between the total number of first possessions obtained and the final result.     

Validation study of the Questionnaire on School Maladjustment Problems (QSMP)

The aim of this study was to analyze the exploratory and confirmatory structure, as well as other psychometric properties, of the Cuestionario de Problemas de Convivencia Escolar (CPCE; in Spanish, the Questionnaire on School Maladjustment Problems [QSMP]), using a sample of Spanish adolescents. The instrument was administered to 60 secondary education teachers (53.4% females and 46.6% males) between the ages of 28 and 54 years (M= 41.2, SD= 11.5), who evaluated a total of 857 adolescent students. The first-order exploratory factor analysis identified 7 factors, explaining a total variance of 62%. A second-order factor analysis yielded three dimensions that explain 84% of the variance. A confirmatory factor analysis was subsequently performed in order to reduce the number of factors obtained in the exploratory analysis as well as the number of items. Lastly, we present the results of reliability, internal consistency, and validity indices. These results and their implications for future research and for the practice of educational guidance and intervention are discussed in the conclusions.     

Assessment of perceptual discrepancy: utility of the Primary Communication Inventory

The Primary Communication Inventory was factor-analyzed in order to validate the subscales of this instrument. These subscales were derived by Navran (20) on the basis of face validity and were labeled verbal and nonverbal communication subscales. The analysis yielded two factors. However, they could not be labeled verbal and nonverbal. Instead, the factors were interpreted as: (a) the individual's perceptions of own communication ability, and (b) the spouse's perceptions of the individual's communication ability. The scoring of the Primary Communication Inventory was revised and used as a measure of perceptual discrepancy between husbands and wives. Interestingly, discrepancy within the marital dyad was greater for the nondistressed participants than for the distressed participants. The results illustrate the potentially adaptive nature of positive perceptual distortion within the marital dyad and the potential utility for future research of calculating perceptual discrepancy scores for each spouse using the Primary Communication Inventory.     

Brain c-Fos immunocytochemistry and cytochrome oxidase histochemistry after a fear conditioning task

The involvement of the basolateral and the medial amygdala in fear conditioning was evaluated using different markers of neuronal activation. The method described here is a combination of cytochrome oxidase (CO) histochemistry and c-Fos immunocytochemistry on fresh frozen brain sections. Freezing behavior was used as an index of auditory and contextual fear conditioning. As expected, freezing scores were significantly higher in rats exposed to tone-shock pairings in a distinctive environment (conditioned; COND), as compared to rats that did not receive any shocks (UNCD). CO labeling was increased in the basolateral and medial amygdala of the COND group. Conversely, c-Fos expression in the basolateral and medial amygdala was lower in the COND group as compared to the UNCD group. Furthermore, c-Fos expression was particularly high in the medial amygdala of the UNCD group. The data provided by both techniques indicate that these amygdalar nuclei could play different roles on auditory and contextual fear conditioning.     

Psychometric properties of the d2 selective attention test in a sample of premature and born-at-term babies

The psychometric properties of the d2 Selective Attention Test are analyzed in two samples of premature ( n = 63) and born-at-term ( n = 78) children. The reliability coefficients (internal consistency) reached values of around .90. Principal components analysis revealed a three-factor structure, which accounts for 58% of the variance, and thus coincides with the number of factors presented in the manual of the Spanish adaptation of the test but not with their composition. Results suggest that the d2 test has adequate psychometric properties both for the global sample and for each sub-sample.     

Teaching Principal Components Using Correlations

Introducing principal components (PCs) to students is difficult. First, the matrix algebra and mathematical maximization lemmas are daunting, especially for students in the social and behavioral sciences. Second, the standard motivation involving variance maximization subject to unit length constraint does not directly connect to the “variance explained” interpretation. Third, the unit length and uncorrelatedness constraints of the standard motivation do not allow re-scaling or oblique rotations, which are common in practice. Instead, we propose to motivate the subject in terms of optimizing (weighted) average proportions of variance explained in the original variables; this approach may be more intuitive, and hence easier to understand because it links directly to the familiar “R-squared” statistic. It also removes the need for unit length and uncorrelatedness constraints, provides a direct interpretation of “variance explained,” and provides a direct answer to the question of whether to use covariance-based or correlation-based PCs. Furthermore, the presentation can be made without matrix algebra or optimization proofs. Modern tools from data science, including heat maps and text mining, provide further help in the interpretation and application of PCs; examples are given. Together, these techniques may be used to revise currently used methods for teaching and learning PCs in the behavioral sciences.     

Spinal cord injured people: differences in psychological variables from a gender perspective

This ex post factor study is within the framework of studies dealing with the psychological aspects involved in the rehabilitation of people with physical handicaps from the perspective of gender. From this perspective, the study focuses on comparing and studying the differences between men and women using the EMELM Scale (Multidimensional Evaluative Scale for People with Spinal Cord Injury). Participants were 143 people -99 men and 44 women- with spinal cord injuries. The results showed no differences as a result of gender in any of the following psychological variables related to the spinal cord injury adjustment process: extraversion-neuroticism, motivation and anxiety, locus of control, current coping strategies, remembrance of coping strategies and depression. The implications of these results for future research are discussed.     

Using Structured Telephone Follow‐up Assessments to Improve Suicide‐Related Adverse Event Detection

Adverse event (AE) detection and reporting practices were compared during the first phase of the Emergency Department Safety Assessment and Follow‐up Evaluation (ED‐SAFE), a suicide intervention study. Data were collected using a combination of chart reviews and structured telephone follow‐up assessments postenrollment. Beyond chart reviews, structured telephone follow‐up assessments identified 45% of the total AEs in our study. Notably, detection of suicide attempts significantly varied by approach with 53 (18%) detected by chart review, 173 (59%) by structured telephone follow‐up assessments, and 69 (23%) marked as duplicates. Findings provide support for utilizing multiple methods for more robust AE detection in suicide research.