Reliability of the bipolar form of the profile of mood states using an alternative test protocol

The bipolar version of Profile of Mood States was completed by 124 participants (58 women and 66 men, M age 26.5, SD=3.9 yr.) on two occasions--once when the measure was self-administered according to that test protocol and once when POMS-BI items were projected onto a screen with participants being asked to provide oral responses to items. Data from both modes of administration provided similar support for the internal consistency of the measure (alpha values ranged from .78 to .90).     

The relations of effortful control and ego control to children's resiliency and social functioning

The relations of effortful control and ego control to children's (mean age = 137 months) resiliency, social status, and social competence were examined concurrently (Time 3) and over time. Adults reported on the constructs, and a behavioral measure of persistence was obtained. At Time 3, resiliency mediated the unique relations of both effortful and reactive control to social status, and effortful control directly predicted socially appropriate behavior. Negative emotionality moderated the relations of ego and effortful control to socially appropriate behavior. When levels of the variables 2 years prior were accounted for, all relations held at Time 3 except that effortful control did not predict resiliency (even though it was the stronger predictor at Time 3) and ego control directly predicted socially appropriate behavior.     

Controversy and consensus regarding the use of cognitive ability testing in organizations

Seven hundred three members of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology indicated agreement or disagreement with 49 propositions regarding cognitive ability tests in organizations. There was consensus that cognitive ability tests are valid and fair, that they provide good but incomplete measures, that different abilities are necessary for different jobs, and that diversity is valuable. Items dealing with the unique status of cognitive ability were most likely to generate polarized opinions. A 2-factor model, classifying items as those reflecting societal concerns over the consequences of ability testing and those reflecting an emphasis on the unique status of "g," fit the data well, and these factors proved especially important for predicting responses to the more controversial items.     

Accurate intelligence assessments in social interactions: mediators and gender effects

Research indicates that people can assess a stranger's measured intelligence more accurately than expected by chance, based on minimal information involving appearance and behavior. The present research documents behavioral correlates of perceived and measured intelligence and identifies behaviors that mediate the relationship between perceived and measured intelligence. In particular, when judges rated targets with video and auditory stimuli available, responsiveness to conversation partner, eye-gaze, and looking at partner while speaking were each significant mediators in the accurate assessment of intelligence. Each of those behaviors, as well as the percentage of looking at partner while speaking as a function of the target's own speaking time, were significant mediators in the video silent condition. Additionally, judge and target gender contributed to accurate intelligence assessments.     

The two faces of typicality in category-based induction

Studies of category-based induction using different methods have found somewhat contradictory results for whether typical items are a stronger basis for induction. Typical category items are generally more similar to other category items than are atypical ones, and they are also more likely to be categorized into the category in question. We propose that the first aspect (representativeness) influences induction, but the second (uncertainty about the correct category) does not. Two experiments using artificial categories found support for this prediction. Two further experiments manipulated pictures of objects and also found that representativeness in the category influenced the strength of induction, but uncertainty of classification did not. Thus, the two aspects of typicality have different effects on category-based induction.     

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology among partners of men in treatment for relationship abuse

This longitudinal study examined posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among current and former female partners (N = 96) of men participating in a group treatment program for partner abuse perpetrators. Female partner probable PTSD rates, obtained during time points corresponding with pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up for the male clients, were 52%, 34%, and 29%, respectively. Psychological abuse exposure was more strongly and uniquely associated with PTSD symptoms than was physical abuse exposure. Among psychological abuse ratings, denigration, restrictive engulfment, and dominance/intimidation behaviors evidenced the strongest associations with PTSD symptoms. Findings from this study suggest the association between psychological abuse and PTSD is complex and multidetermined.     

Evidence for an activation locus of the word-frequency effect in lexical decision

The authors report a lexical decision experiment designed to determine whether activation is the locus of the word-frequency effect. K. R. Paap and L. S. Johansen (1994) reported that word frequency did not affect lexical decisions when exposure durations were brief; they accounted for this by proposing that data-limited conditions prevented late-occurring verification processes. Subsequently, P. A. Allen, A. F. Smith, M. Lien, T. A. Weber, and D. J. Madden (1997) and K. R. Paap, L. S. Johansen, E. Chun, and P. Vonnahme (2000) reported additional evidence that word-frequency effects do and do not have an activation locus, respectively. The authors further tested this issue in a lexical decision experiment using data-limited procedures--predicted by verification models to eliminate word-frequency effects. The authors observed word-frequency effects using individually determined exposure durations that were only 1 screen cycle longer than the exposure duration that yielded chance performance. Word-frequency effects persisted even when an adjusted measure of performance was used.     

National Stuttering Association members' opinions about stuttering treatment

As stuttering support groups, such as the National Stuttering Association (NSA), have gained prominence and visibility, it has become increasingly important for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to learn about the people who participate in such groups. This article presents results of a brief survey completed by 200 members of the NSA to examine the opinions of support group members regarding the field of speech-language pathology and stuttering treatment options. Results indicate that NSA members hold a variety of opinions, both positive and negative, about the resources available to them. Findings highlight a number of ways in which SLPs can work with stuttering support groups, both to learn more about the needs of people who stutter and also to provide needed information about treatment options that are available for people who stutter. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: The reader will learn about and be able to describe (1) the role of support groups in stuttering treatment; (2) the people who are members of the NSA; and (3) their opinions about various issues related to stuttering and its treatment.     

How shared are age-related influences on cognitive and noncognitive variables?

Several theories have suggested that age-related declines in cognitive processing are due to a pervasive unitary mechanism, such as a decline in processing speed. Structural equation model tests have shown some support for such common factor explanations. These results, however, may not be as conclusive as previously claimed. A further analysis of 4 cross-sectional data sets described in Salthouse, Hambrick, and McGuthry (1998) and Salthouse and Czaja (2000) found that although the best fitting model included a common factor in 3 of the data sets, additional direct age paths were significant, indicating the presence of specific age effects. For the remaining data set, a factor-specific model fit at least as well as the best fitting common factor model. Three simulated data sets with known structure were then tested with a sequence of structural equation models. Common factor models could not always be falsified--even when they were false. In contrast, factor-specific models were more easily falsified when the true model included a unitary common factor. These results suggest that it is premature to conclude that all age-related cognitive declines are due to a single mechanism. Common factor models may be particularly difficult to falsify with current analytic procedures.