Forgetting the once-seen face: estimating the strength of an eyewitness's memory representation

The fidelity of an eyewitness's memory representation is an issue of paramount forensic concern. Psychological science has been unable to offer more than vague generalities concerning the relation of retention interval to memory trace strength for the once-seen face. A meta-analysis of 53 facial memory studies produced a highly reliable association (r=.18, d=0.37) between longer retention intervals and positive forgetting of once-seen faces, an effect equally strong for both face recognition and eyewitness identification studies. W. A. Wickelgren's (1974, 1975, 1977) theory of recognition memory provided statistically satisfactory fits to 11 different empirical forgetting functions. Applied to the results of field studies of eyewitness memory, the theory yields predictions relevant to fact finders' evaluations of eyewitness credibility. A plausible upper limit for witness initial memory strength corresponds to a probability of .67 of being correct on a fair six-person lineup. Furthermore, not only can the percentage of remaining memory strength be determined for any retention interval, but this strength estimate can be translated into an estimated probability of being correct on a fair lineup of a specified size.     

Evidence-Based Psychological Assessment

In recent years there has been increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP), and as is true in most health care professions, the primary focus of EBPP has been on treatment. Comparatively little attention has been devoted to applying the principles of EBPP to psychological assessment, despite the fact that assessment plays a central role in myriad domains of empirical and applied psychology (e.g., research, forensics, behavioral health, risk management, diagnosis and classification in mental health settings, documentation of neuropsychological impairment and recovery, personnel selection and placement in organizational contexts). This article outlines the central elements of evidence-based psychological assessment (EBPA), using the American Psychological Association's tripartite definition of EBPP as integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences. After discussing strategies for conceptualizing and operationalizing evidence-based testing and evidence-based assessment, 6 core skills and 3 meta-skills that underlie proficiency in psychological assessment are described. The integration of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences is discussed in terms of the complex interaction of patient and assessor identities and values throughout the assessment process. A preliminary framework for implementing EBPA is offered, and avenues for continued refinement and growth are described.     

Adults’ implicit associations to infant positive and negative acoustic cues: Moderation by empathy and gender

In this study a novel auditory version of the Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT-A) was developed to investigate (a) the valence of adults’ associations to infant cries and laughs, (b) moderation of implicit associations by gender and empathy, and (c) the robustness of implicit associations controlling for auditory sensitivity. Eighty adults (50% females) were administered two SC-IAT-As, the Empathy Quotient, and the Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale. Adults showed positive implicit associations to infant laugh and negative ones to infant cry; only the implicit associations with the infant laugh were negatively related to empathy scores, and no gender differences were observed. Finally, implicit associations to infant cry were affected by noise sensitivity. The SC-IAT-A is useful to evaluate the valence of implicit reactions to infant auditory cues and could provide fresh insights into understanding processes that regulate the quality of adult–infant relationships.     

Beyond dysfunction and threshold-based classification: a multidimensional model of personality disorder diagnosis

An alternative dimensional model of personality disorder (PD) diagnosis that addresses several difficulties inherent in the current DSM conceptualization of PDs (excessive PD overlap and comorbidity, use of arbitrary thresholds to distinguish normal from pathological personality functioning, failure to capture variations in the adaptative value of PD symptoms, and inattention to the impact of situational influences on PD-related behaviors) is outlined. The model uses a set of diagnostician-friendly strategies to render PD diagnosis in three steps: (1) the diagnostician assigns every patient a single dimensional rating of overall level of personality dysfunction on a 50-point continuum; (2) the diagnostician assigns separate intensity and impairment ratings for each PD dimension (e.g., narcissism, avoidance, dependency); and (3) the diagnostician lists any personality traits-including PD-related traits-that enhance adaptation and functioning (e.g., histrionic theatricality, obsessive attention to detail). Advantages of the proposed model for clinicians and clinical researchers are discussed.     

Maternal personality, parenting cognitions, and parenting practices

A community sample of 262 European American mothers of firstborn 20-month-olds completed a personality inventory and measures of parenting cognitions (knowledge, self-perceptions, and reports about behavior) and was observed in interaction with their children from which measures of parenting practices (language, sensitivity, affection, and play) were independently coded. Factor analyses of the personality inventory replicated extraction of the 5-factor model of personality (Openness, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness). When controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, the 5 personality factors qua variables and in patterns qua clusters related differently to diverse parenting cognitions and practices, supporting the multidimensional, modular, and specific nature of parenting. Maternal personality in the normal range, a theoretically important but empirically neglected factor in everyday parenting, has meaning in studies of parenting, child development, and family process.     

Discrimination of facial expression by 5-month-old infants of nondepressed and clinically depressed mothers

Five-month-old infants of nondepressed and clinically depressed mothers were habituated to either a face with a neutral expression or the same face with a smile. Infants of nondepressed mothers subsequently discriminated between neutral and smiling facial expressions, whereas infants of clinically depressed mothers failed to make the same discrimination.     

Extending the revelation effect to faces: haven't we met before?

The revelation effect is an episodic memory phenomenon where participants are more likely to report that they recognise an item when it is judged after an interpolated task than when it is not. Although this effect is very robust, nearly all of the extant research has used verbal or readily verbalisable stimuli. The present two experiments examined whether a revelation effect could be produced with non-verbal stimuli such as faces. A revelation effect was found in both experiments, for both targets and lures, using faces as stimuli. The findings are integrated into the prevailing empirical frameworks for the revelation effect and face recognition memory.     

Construct validity of the Relationship Profile Test: links with attachment,identity, relatedness,and affect

Studies suggest that overdependence and detachment have negative effects on psychological adjustment, health, and therapy process and outcome. In contrast, healthy dependency (ie., flexible, situation-appropriate help and support seeking) has beneficial effects in each of these areas. In this investigation, 90 college students (50 women and 40 men) completed a battery of personality scales including the Relationship Profile Test (RPT), a 30-item measure of destructive overdependence, dysfunctional detachment, and healthy dependency. RPT scores showed the expected patterns of subscale intercorrelations, gender differences, and links with measures of attachment style, identity, relatedness, and affect. Implications of these results for the construct validity of the RPT are discussed in the context of theoretical models of dependency-detachment.