Interdisciplinary agreement in the diagnosis of headache types

The degree of agreement in independent diagnosis of headache by a neurologist and a clinical psychologist was determined to be 86.4% in a series of 66 consecutive patients. Fifty-five percent of the disagreements were due to the patients' giving different information to the two assessors. This source of disagreement was associated with the patients' having had previous psychiatric treatment.This research was supported in part by Grant NS-15235 from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke.     

Perceiving words during reading: Lack of facilitation from prior peripheral exposure

As their eye movements were being monitored, college students read short texts displayed on a cathode-ray tube. As they read, the contents of certain word locations changed from fixation to fixation, alternating between two words differing in two letters. This manipulation had no effect on reading unless the subjects happened to regress to or reread the word later. The results indicated that these words, which were low in contextual constraint, were read only when directly fixated, and that there was no facilitation from prior peripherally obtained information about the words.     

Death scene characteristics in 118 fatal cases of autoerotic asphyxia compared with suicidal asphyxia

A series of 118 autoerotic asphyxial deaths, recorded by the Coroners or Medical Examiners from the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Alberta, were compared with the same number of asphyxial suicides matched by province, year of death (within 3 years) and method of asphyxiation. Comparison of the death scenes revealed major differences between the two groups, with nudity of the body, evidence of a wide range of sexual activity at the time of death, and absence of verbal or written indication of suicidal intent being characteristic of the autoerotic asphyxia group. The data indicate that autoerotic asphyxia and suicidal asphyxia can usually be readily distinguished by death scene features.     

What Do Confidence Items Measure in the Physical Activity Domain?1

The study's purpose was to examine the measurement domain of confidence items used in physical activity research. We hypothesized that confidence items, including a phrase to hold motivation constant, would differ from standard confidence items. Participants (N = 248 students) completed confidence items, a thought‐listing procedure, and a 2‐week self‐report of physical activity. Results showed that confidence items with motivation held constant loaded exclusively on one factor, but standard confidence items were factor complex with intention. Correlations with physical activity intention and behavior were larger for confidence items than confidence items with motivation held constant. Finally, the thought‐listing procedure identified that 3 of the 7 reasons for answering confidence items were outside the intended measurement domain of self‐efficacy.     

Effects of reducing attentional demands on performance of reading comprehension tests by third graders

The researchers examined the effects of reducing attentional demands on reading comprehension test scores. Third grade students (N=939) completed two forms (T & S) of the Stanford 9 Reading Comprehension Test (54 items, 50 min.) in the spring of 1999. Form T (state-mandated) was administered following standardized procedures in one session. Form S (alternate) was administered in multiple, divided-time sessions, that is, the total test time and items were divided in halves and thirds per session to lessen attentional demands. A repeated-measure analysis of variance yielded significant effects for average and low readers. A resource match explanation and a metacognitive explanation are offered for the results, and educational implications are discussed.     

Child pornography offenses are a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia

This study investigated whether being charged with a child pornography offense is a valid diagnostic indicator of pedophilia, as represented by an index of phallometrically assessed sexual arousal to children. The sample of 685 male patients was referred between 1995 and 2004 for a sexological assessment of their sexual interests and behavior. As a group, child pornography offenders showed greater sexual arousal to children than to adults and differed from groups of sex offenders against children, sex offenders against adults, and general sexology patients. The results suggest child pornography offending is a stronger diagnostic indicator of pedophilia than is sexually offending against child victims. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.