A questionable questionnaire: a rejoinder to Marks

In a recent article Marks argues that two previous articles in this journal in 1986 and 1988, questioning the construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, should be dismissed due to methodological flaws and overwhelming evidence to the contrary. In this response to Marks, the methodologies of the two studies in question are clarified and defended. Research and other evidence supporting the two Chara studies are presented. It is concluded that the construct validity of the imagery questionnaire has not been established and that further investigations of the questionnaire, and particularly its rating scale, are warranted.     

An inquiry into the construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire

The construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) was investigated using a series of visual memory tasks. Subjects were shown a picture after completing the questionnaire. Their ability to recall that picture was probed through a free-recall procedure, drawing, two spatial-recall tasks, and a multiple-choice questionnaire. Scores on the VVIQ were statistically unrelated to performance on any of the memory tasks demonstrating a lack of support for construct validity as a measure of visual memory imagery.     

Experimental modification of interpretation bias in socially anxious children: Changes in interpretation, anticipated interpersonal anxiety, and social anxiety symptoms

We report on an experimental manipulation of interpretation bias in socially anxious youths. A non-clinical sample of 10–11-year-olds selected for high social anxiety was trained over three sessions to endorse benign rather than negative interpretations of potentially threatening social scenarios. This group was subsequently less likely to endorse negative interpretations of new ambiguous social situations than children in a test–retest condition. Children who received interpretation training also showed reduced trait social anxiety and reported significantly less anxiety about an anticipated interpersonal encounter, compared with the control group.     

Factors influencing the desire for children

187 college students (139 women; 175 between the ages of 18 to 25 years) were asked to report how many children they desired. Participants' desire for children was unrelated to skin color, socioeconomic status, and the need for postbaccalaureate education. Conversely, sex, value orientation, and religious orientation were significantly associated with a desire for children.     

Posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of a kamikaze attack

26 sailors who survived a Kamikaze attack during the battle for Okinawa in World War II were given two adapted forms of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian to assess the psychological reactions they had to the sinking of their ship. Depending on the assessment criteria used, their responses indicated significant stress reactions ranging from 8.3% to 44% of the sample. The findings provide evidence that a single combat experience can have lifelong, averse psychological effects.