The usefulness of assessing suggestibility and compliance in prisoners with unidentified intellectual disabilities

Søndenaa, E., Rasmussen, K., Palmstierna, T. & Nøttestad, J. A. (2010). The usefulness of assessing suggestibility and compliance in prisoners with unidentified intellectual disabilities. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 434–438. This present study explored the relationship of interrogative suggestibility (n = 133) and compliance (n = 118) to intellectual functioning among prison inmates. The Norwegian versions of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) and the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale (GCS) were used. The results supported previous findings of a negative correlation between the Gudjonsson scales and IQ, and the scales were found useful throughout the IQ range. The impact of a memory artifact was discussed in the light of recent studies and criticism of the scales.     

Acquisition of locational information about reference points during locomotion: The role of central information processing

The role of central information processing for the acquisition of information about locations in a large-scale environment was investigated in two experiments. Subjects with and without a concurrent backwards counting task traversed a locomotion path repeatedly attempting to learn the locations of six reference points designated along the path, then estimated direction and distance numerically to these reference points when traversing the same path further times in a subsequent test phase. The main dependent measures were the latencies and the constant and variable errors of the estimates. The results indicated that acquisition of information about the locations was disrupted when central information processing was interfered with. However, central processing seemed to be less critical for long-term storage of information about the locomotion path. The latter type of information could thus be used by the subjects with the concurrent task when estimating the locations. Finally, the results suggested that information about the path was used also by the subjects without any concurrent task when the test phase required them to remain oriented relative to several reference points at the same time.     

Subjects' simplification of rules for estimating money saved when buying a specified quantity of a cheaper product compared with a more expensive one

Abstract.— Estimates of money saved, when buying a specified quantity of flowers of a cheaper kind compared with a more expensive kind, were collected from two different groups, for different quantities and combinations of prices. One group gave their estimates in 13 sec, and the other in 15 sec. The data were analysed according to four different models, all consisting of a multiplicative combination of two components, one related to the quantity to be bought and the other to the combination of prices. The estimates of both groups showed systematic deviation from the correct savings, and the estimates of the groups were best described by one simple and one more complex model respectively.     

Infant responses and the physical environment

A longitudinal study of infants ( n =23) from 6 to 13 months was made to explore infants' responses to objects high on complexity and responsiveness compared to low-scored ones, and whether the high-scored objects were preferred. Further, it was explored to what extent individual differences of the infants represent a source of variation. The results showed that more than 50% of the total variance was accounted for by differences in object qualities, and about 25% by individual differences. High-scored objects were significantly more often preferred compared to low-scored ones irrespective of age.     

The effects of bilateral ECT on primary memory

Sixteen patients treated with bilateral ECT and sixteen students were tested with single-trial free recall. Testing was carried out at both a fast and a slow rate of presentation, and recall was either immediate or delayed for 30 sec. The primary memory component was estimated with five different methods, and it is concluded that this memory component is essentially unaffected by ECT. The results are discussed in relation to other studies showing that individual differences in memory capacity are primarily related to the secondary memory component. It is argued that the results obtained in studies of memory functions in ECT patients and in patients with chronic amnesic syndromes are similar. The normal primary memory component in ECT patients is not considered conclusive evidence of two storage systems.     

Retrograde Amnesia after ECT. An Attempt to Demonstrate Reminder-effects in Humans

In a study of the retrograde amnesic effect of bilateral ECT, twelve patients were subjects in a repeated measures design. Both verbal and nonverbal materials were used and retention was tested with different methods: Yes-no recognition, forced-choice recognition and recall cued by initial letters. The absolute amount of retrograde amnesia was small; there seemed to be no difference between verbal and nonverbal materials, and cueing with initial letters was not found to be an effective method of reducing amnesia.     

An information processing analysis of mental multiplication

The specific model of central or conscious processing system (CPS) is presented. It consists of two part: (1) a number of information carrying registers, and (2) a functional unit controlling the processes performed on the contents of the registers. The capacity limit is explained as a combination of storage capacity and processing capacity. The capacity limit was estimated by an experiment using mental multiplication performed according to a particular algorithm. The results suggested that the capacity was around eight to nine registers when the algorithm was strictly followed; this limit could, however, be exceeded because some problems automatically were coded and remembered by rules rather then by rehearsal. The results further suggested that information processing, i.e. the multiplication, had to take place on a time-sharing basis in competition with rehearsal, thus suggesting the existence of higher-order control system.     

The Mental Vulnerability Questionnaire: A psychometric evaluation

Eplov, L.F., Petersen, J., Jørgensen, T., Johansen, C., Birket‐Smith, M., Lyngberg, A. C. & Mortensen, E. L. (2010). The Mental Vulnerability Questionnaire: A psychometric evaluation. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 51, 548–554. The Mental Vulnerability Questionnaire was originally a 22 item scale, later reduced to a 12 item scale. In population studies the 12 item scale has been a significant predictor of health and illness. The scale has not been psychometrically evaluated for more than 30 years, and the aim of the present study was both to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 22 and 12 item scales and of three new scales. The main study sample was a community sample comprising more than 6,000 men and women. In this sample the coefficients of homogeneity were all over 0.30 for the three new scales, but below 0.30 for the 12 and the 22 item scales. All five Mental Vulnerability scales had positively skewed score distributions which were associated significantly with both SCL‐90‐R symptom scores and NEO‐PI‐R personality scales (primarily Neuroticism and Extraversion). Coefficient alpha was highest for the 22 and 12 item scales, and the two scales also showed the highest long‐term stability. The three new scales reflect relatively independent dimensions of Psychosomatic Symptoms, Mental Symptoms, and Interpersonal Problems, but because of reliability problems it remains an open question whether they will prove useful as predictors of health and morbidity.     

Prevalence and severity of anxiety, depression and Type A behaviors in angina pectoris

The role of psychological factors in coronary heart disease was examined by administering the Bech Rating Scale (BRS) of mood disorders and the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) for Type A behavior patterns (TABP) to a consecutive sample of angina patients ( N = 94), to a consecutive sample of noncardiac patients ( N = 47), and to a random sample of adults from the general population ( N = 217). Anxiety and depression were both more frequent and more severe in angina patients than in noncardiac patients or in the general population. There was a tendency for certain components of TABP (i. e. speed, impatience, hard-driving and competitive disposition) to be elevated in angina patients, but a similar trend was noted in noncardiac patients. Although no consistent relations were observed between negative emotions and TABP scores in angina patients, their anxiety and depression scores were reliably related to their use of nitroglycerin. The findings concur with previous studies concerning the presence of anxiety and depression in patients with angina pectoris and indicate that such negative emotions are not closely related to Type A personality traits.