Structural equation models and personality research

This article is a nontechnical introduction to the use of structural equation models in personality research Although such models can be fruitfully used to address a variety of important theoretical issues, the substantive focus in this article is on the use of such models for elucidating the construct validity of personality measures We include numerous more specific topics under our treatment of construct validity First of all, we show how structural equation models can be applied to the issues of convergent and discriminant validity Do our variables measure the constructs we want them to measure and not other constructs that we would prefer not to measure? Second, we show the utility of structural equation models for predictive validity Do our variables reliably predict other constructs with which they are theoretically linked? Finally, we examine the stability of personality constructs through structural equation models Through-out, our emphasis is on the particular advantages that structural equation models bring to these analytic tasks Ultimately, such models must be used in the service of theory, and when used appropriately, they can help us to refine both our measures and our theories of individual differences     

Alcohol use disorders and risk factor interactions for adolescent suicidal ideation and attempts.

Four hundred eighty-two adolescents who were diagnosed with at least one mental disorder were studied to determine the predictors of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Major depression was predictive of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts for both genders. Chronic stress was found predictive of male suicidal ideation, while low self-esteem and high family dysfunction were found to be predictive of suicidal ideation in females. Statistical trends suggest that females with comorbid alcohol use/conduct disorder were approximately three times more likely to have attempted suicide than those with only one of these conditions. Clinicians working with adolescents should be aware that, while depression remains the number one clinical risk forsuicidal behavior, risk factors for suicidal ideation may be different than those for attempted suicide and may vary by gender.     

Hemispheric performance in object-based attention

The goal of the present study was to investigate whether object-based attention effects differ across the cerebral hemispheres. Previous research has suggested that object-based attention is preferentially lateralized to the left hemisphere (Egly, Driver, & Rafal, 1994; Egly, Rafal, Driver, & Starrveveld, 1994). However, work by Vecera (1994) has suggested that these previous studies may have failed to obtain a pure measure of object-based attention. The present study applied modified versions of Duncan's (1984) seminal object-based attention paradigm. Subjects were typically presented with one target object to a single visual field (one-object display), two target objects to the same visual field (two-object unilateral display), or two target objects to different visual fields (two-object bilateral display). In all three experiments, response accuracy was higher for the one-object displays than for the two-object displays. Most important, this object-based cost was especially severe when selection of two target elements was isolated to the right visual field (left hemisphere). We confirmed that this effect was specific to object-based attention in three different ways: Experiment 1 manipulated stimulus distance, as recommended by Vecera; Experiment 2 ensured that target selection was based on nonspatial attributes; and Experiment 3 used overlapping displays, as in Duncan (1984). Collectively, the data are in accord with previous conclusions that object-based attention is a specialized form of orienting subserved by lateralized cortical brain mechanisms. However, contrary to previous research, it appears that it is the right hemisphere, and not the left hemisphere, that is preferentially biased for committing object-based attention to elements in the visual environment.     

Sleep-Related Problems in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Intensive Exposure Therapy

Limited research has examined sleep-related problems (SRPs) among children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study addresses this gap by investigating preliminary associations between SRPs, demographic factors (gender and age), family variables (family accommodation and parental stress), and clinical factors (medication status, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, OCD severity, OCD-related impairment), and treatment outcomes in a sample of 103 youth (aged 7 to 17 years; 53% female) with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Clinician, parent, and child measures were used to assess demographic, family, and clinical predictors. SRPs were assessed using an 8-item measure comprising items of the Child Behaviour Checklist, Child Depression Inventory, and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children as used in previous studies. Results showed that SRPs were highly prevalent among this sample and that more SRPs were associated with younger age, internalizing problems, and functional impairment. However, SRPs were not an independent predictor of OCD severity, impairment, or treatment response. Preliminary findings suggest that SRPs among youth with OCD may be more strongly associated with broader internalizing symptoms than with OCD itself. Future longitudinal research is warranted to further explore the complexity of SRPs when co-occurring with pediatric OCD.     

Tracking cognitive phases in analogical reasoning with event-related potentials

Analogical reasoning consists of multiple phases. Four-term analogies (A:B::C:D) have an encoding period in which the A:B pair is evaluated prior to a mapping phase. The electrophysiological timing associated with analogical reasoning has remained unclear. We used event-related potentials to identify neural timing related to analogical reasoning relative to perceptual and semantic control conditions. Spatiotemporal principal-components analyses revealed differences primarily in left frontal electrodes during encoding and mapping phases of analogies relative to the other conditions. The timing of the activity differed depending upon the phase of the problem. During the encoding of A:B terms, analogies elicited a positive deflection compared to the control conditions between 400 and 1,200 ms, but for the mapping phase analogical processing elicited a negative deflection that occurred earlier and for a shorter time period, between 350 and 625 ms. These results provide neural and behavioral evidence that 4-term analogy problems involve a highly active evaluation phase of the A:B pair.