The Rorschach Index of Repressive Style and Scale Checking Style: A Study of Sex Differences

Males and females, subdivided into contrasting groups on the Rorschach Index of Repressive Style (RIRS), completed semantic differentials using themselves and their own art productions as the objects rated. Analysis was made of the relationship between sex and verbal style, and a scale checking style (use of end points versus use of intermediate points) believed to reflect a dimension of rapid, extreme decisions versus careful consideration of nuances. Results showed that males characterized by rich and fluid verbal processes tended toward cautious ratings (use of intermediate points) while females who were verbally free exhibited more extreme ratings (use of end points). It is concluded that a test variable may have different predictive significance in males and females, even though there is no sex difference in the magnitudes of the variables involved. There may be sex differences in the organization of cognitive processes.     

A Normative Study of TAT Ambiguity

Type D personality refers to a clustering of 2 stable personality traits, namely negative affectivity and social inhibition. Currently Type D is standardly assessed using the DS14. An experimental Type D personality scale, the DS⁽³⁾, was developed to examine an avenue for assessing Type D more efficiently. The DS⁽³⁾ differs from the DS14 in its use of a 3-point Likert scale to rate responses, use of all negatively worded items, and a rearranged presentation of items. This article examines the psychometric properties of this questionnaire by examining its dimensionality, item and scale properties, and cutoff scores to screen for Type D personality. Data from 2 clinical samples were analyzed using item response theory. The results suggest that the DS⁽³⁾ is a potentially suitable instrument for Type D assessment. It has high reliability, and Type D personality classification based on this scale corresponds well with the current standard Type D assessment based on the DS14.     

Three Views of Otherness

In this article, I retrace a development in psychoanalytic conceptions of the experience of otherness from narcissistic loss to enjoyment of difference and argue that the latter conception of otherness in terms of difference involves a subtle but important ambiguity. In one sense, difference remains compatible with the objectification of the other; I therefore propose that the experience of otherness is an experience of the freedom of the other, which is not compatible with objectification. And I show how certain basic affective interpersonal attitudes (such as feeling jealous or feeling self-conscious) presuppose an experience of others as free.     

The Causes and Treatment of Backwardness by Cyril Burt

In this paper, self psychology is presented as a particular form of object-relations theory which directs the therapist to consider interactions within the group in the light of their effect on the sense of self of the individual. In traditional object-relations psychology the therapist works through defenses against the anxieties of expressing wishes for unacceptable forms of object-relations in the group, which are related to unconsciously warded off instinctual drives. In contrast, the therapist who adopts the framework of self psychology works through defenses against anxieties associated with expressing developmentally phase-legitimate self object needs. Thus, the individual's frustrated reactions to others are not interpreted as distorted and/or maladaptive, but as understandable reactions to the patient's experience of thwarted developmental needs for selfobject responsiveness which are repeated in the here-and-now interactions within the group. The selfobject transferences are described as well as the ways in which they may come into conflict with one another. Two clinical examples previously understood by the author from within a traditional object-relations framework are reviewed, and discussed from the perspective of self psychology.     

Simultaneous Event-Based and Emergent Timing: Synchronization,Continuation, and Phase Correction

It has been claimed that rhythmic tapping and circle drawing represent fundamentally different timing processes (event-based and emergent, respectively) and also that circle drawing is difficult to synchronize with a metronome and exhibits little phase correction. In the present study, musically trained participants tapped with their left hands, drew circles with their right (dominant) hands, and also performed both tasks simultaneously. In Experiment 1, they synchronized with a metronome and then continued on their own, whereas in Experiment 2, they synchronized with a metronome containing phase perturbations. Circle drawing generally exhibited reliable synchronization, although with greater variability than tapping, and also showed a clear phase-correction response that evolved gradually during the cycle immediately following a perturbation. When carried out simultaneously in synchrony, with or without a metronome, the two tasks affected each other in some ways but retained their distinctive timing characteristics. This shows that event-based and emergent timing can coexist in a dual-task situation. Furthermore, the authors argue that the two timing modes usually coexist in each individual task, although one mode is often dominant.     

Information Context Structure and Risk Assessment

Abstract

Assessment of probabilistic values which comprise multidimensional attributes (e.g. risk) involves complex cognitive processes. This study explores the degree to which three informational context variables (nature of information, presentational conditions, and context structure), allocated according to a factorial design, affect risk assessment. The risk situation is represented by alarm over a potentially toxic cloud stagnating above a town, and is rated from 1 (negligible) to 10 (lethal) by subjects randomly assigned to one of the eight experimental modalities. Ratings are then processed by analysis of variance. Significant effect is found for the first variable (concrete information gives rise to significantly higher ratings than abstract information) and the second variable (sequential presentation leads to higher ratings), but the third variable would appear to have less functional impact. These results are discussed in the general framework of behavioural theories of decision-making, stressing the relevance of certain concepts and cognitive processes involved in risk assessment.     

Visual Imagery Processing and Knowledge of Famous Names in Alzheimer's Disease and MCI

ABSTRACT

The study of memory for famous people and visual imagery retrieval was investigated in patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in the prodromal stage of AD, so-called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Fifteen patients with AD (MMSE ≥23), 15 patients with amnestic MCI (a-MCI) and 15 normal controls (NC) performed a famous names test designed to evaluate the semantic and distinctive physical features knowledge of famous persons. Results indicated that patients with AD and a-MCI generated significantly less physical features and semantic biographical knowledge about famous persons than did normal control participants. Additionally, significant differences were observed between a-MCI and AD patients in all tasks. The present findings confirm recent studies reporting semantic memory impairment in MCI. Moreover, the current findings show that mental imagery is lowered in a-MCI and AD and is likely related to the early semantic impairment.