Sort-Score Correlates of Schizophrenia

The Structured Objective Rorschach Test was administered to 61 schizophrenic patients in a psychiatric hospital. Ss scored within the average range on all but 2 of 27 attributes; these were the attributes Popular and Original. Popular and Original scores were inversely related and differentially related to W, Dd, and F-. When P and O were combined the score for the Conformity attribute was within the average range. A validity scale is discussed.     

The role of context and timeframe in moderating relationships within the theory of planned behaviour

This study examined the moderating effect of context and timeframe on the predictive ability of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs. Three hundred and eighty-three students completed TPB measures either in a campus bar or a library and were randomly allocated to one of three timeframe conditions: tonight, tomorrow or next week. There was a three-way interaction such that the subjective norms of participants in a bar were more predictive of their intentions to binge drink that night, whereas the subjective norms of participants in a library were less predictive of intentions to binge drink that night. This research provides empirical evidence that ignoring context may result in underestimation of the importance of normative factors in binge drinking. It also suggests that other research utilising the TPB needs to take greater account of the impact of context of data collection, which has been neglected to date.     

Too much of a good thing? Examining the relationship between passion for exercise and exercise dependence

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between passion (i.e., love for an activity that is valued for which and a great deal of time is invested) for exercise and exercise dependence symptoms.DesignA cross-sectional correlational survey design was utilised.MethodA total of 480 participants (n = 275 females, n = 205 males; M_age = 18.58, SD = 1.66) completed the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin, Jobin, & Bouillon, 1986), the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003), and the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised (Hausenblas, Symons-Downs, & Nigg, 2004). Path analysis using structural equation modelling was used to assess the relationships between passion and exercise dependence.ResultsPath analysis using structural equation modelling via AMOS 20.0 (Arbuckle, 2011) revealed that harmonious passion (i.e., being in control of the activity and deciding when and when not to engage in it) was positively related to the exercise dependence dimensions of time and tolerance. On the other hand, obsessive passion (i.e., an internal compulsion to engage in the activity even when not appropriate to do so) was positively related to all seven exercise dependence dimensions: time, tolerance, withdrawal, continuance, intention effects, lack of control, and reduction in other activities (CFI = .91, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .06).ConclusionAn empirical relationship has been established to support the proposed theoretical link between passion (harmonious and obsessive) for exercise and exercise dependence dimensions.     

Figuring out la femme fatale: conceptual and assessment issues concerning psychopathy in females

Despite the growing number of studies on psychopathy in females, the core characteristics of this personality disorder among females remain uninvestigated. Most studies on psychopathy in females have attempted to understand the disorder by applying male criteria to adult females: they have ignored putative gender differences in the constitution and expression of this disorder. Several issues require resolution: first, whether practitioners apply the same criteria to diagnose psychopathy in women, second, whether the instruments used to assess psychopathy are tapping the same construct across gender, third, whether the same types of behavioral expression of key traits are similar across genders, and fourth, whether the diagnosis possesses the same forensic utility across genders. The relevant literature is reviewed and issues of design and analysis are considered.     

The childhood experiences of psychopaths: a retrospective study of familial and societal factors.

We compared the childhood experiences of criminal psychopaths with those of criminal nonpsychopaths, to examine whether differences in either the type or intensity of adverse experience in childhood could be identified. One hundred and five prisoners, 50 psychopaths, and 55 nonpsychopaths were assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse (CECA) semistructured interviews. Both assessment measures have been demonstrated to be reliable and valid instruments. File information from both adult and child services provided corroborative material. Factor analysis of the childhood experience variables revealed two distinct factors, familial and societal, both of which were highly correlated with adult psychopathy scores. These findings suggest that the experiences psychopaths have in childhood influence adult outcome.     

Writing induces a right hemisphere linguistic advantage in dysphonetic dyslexic children: implications for attention and capacity models of laterality

An experiment demonstrated a complete hemispheric processing reversal in 10 male, dysphonetic dyslexic children that occurred during a dichotic listening test of their verbal working memory. Requiring a written response to dichotic digits produced a right hemisphere/left ear superiority in the dysphonetic dyslexics whereas normal subjects and other dyslexics maintained a left hemisphere/right ear advantage. This reversal was unaffected by changes in task difficulty. A second experiment assessed the influence on producing the reversal of concurrent manual interference with left hemisphere verbal processing (responding orally vs. manually) and selective right hemisphere priming (Forward Writing vs. Backward Writing). The dysphonetic children reverted to a strong left hemisphere superiority when recalling the dichotic digits orally. Backward writing produced no ear advantage in either direction. The findings suggest that dysphonetic dyslexia may be related to (1) left hemisphere processing demands that exceed capacity, (2) easily activated right hemisphere processing strategies and (3) failure to coordinate linguistic processing interhemispherically. The results supported a novel hybrid conceptualization of dyslexia consisting of a synthesis of selective activation, and dual processor-limited capacity, theories.