Is there an optimal factor structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in patients with first‐episode psychosis?

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) is the most widely used scale to assess a variety of symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and other psychoses. The factor structure of the PANSS has been examined with confirmatory factor analyses in several studies, but not in a well‐defined first‐episode psychosis sample. The aim of this paper is to examine the statistical fit of five different PANSS models in a first‐episode, non‐affective psychosis sample. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed on PANSS data (n = 588). A main criterion for best fit was defined as the Expected Cross Validation Index (ECVI). No tested model revealed an optimally satisfactory model fit index. The Wallwork/Fortgang five‐factor model demonstrated the most optimal psychometric properties. The corresponding subscales of all evaluated five‐factor models were strongly intercorrelated. The Wallwork/Fortgang five‐factor model was found to be statistically and clinically ideal among patients with first‐episode psychosis. Therefore, we recommend this model in forthcoming studies among patients with first‐episode psychosis. However, to prevent the loss of clinically valuable information on an item level, we do not recommend removing any items from the original form. Our study also implies that the specific choice of model will not have a substantial effect on outcome results in studies on the course and outcome in first‐episode psychosis.     

A randomized study of the impact of a sensitizing intervention on the child‐rearing attitudes of parents of low birth weight preterm infants

Nordhov, S. M., Kaaresen, P. I., Rønning, J. A., Ulvund, S. E. & Dahl, L. B. (2010). A randomized study of the impact of a sensitizing intervention on the child‐rearing attitudes of parents of low birth weight preterm infants. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 385–391. The background for this study was that nurturant child‐rearing attitudes are associated with positive development in low birth weight (LBW) infants. The objective was to study child‐rearing attitudes and early intervention (EI) in parents of LBW infants from 12–36 months corrected age. LBW infants (BW < 2000 g) were randomized to an intervention (IG) or a control group (CG). The EI consisted of seven in‐hospital sessions prior to discharge, then four home visits. A Child Rearing Practices Report was administered at 12 (mothers only), 24 and 36 months. A total of 146 infants were randomized. The mean BW in IG was 1396 (SD 429) g and 1381 (436) g in CG. The mean GA was 30.2 (3.1) weeks in IG and 29.9 (3.5) weeks in CG. Mothers in IG reported significantly more nurturant child‐rearing attitudes at 12 and 24 months. There was a significant change in restrictive and nurturant attitudes over time. It was concluded that EI may lead to more nurturant child‐rearing attitudes in mothers of preterms.     

The AMQ: A Four‐Factor Inventory of Absentmindedness and Memory

The Absentmindedness and Memory Questionnaire (AMQ) is a new self‐rating scale designed to evaluate everyday memory problems related to absentmindedness. It includes 24 items and is based on studies of different samples (N= 623). Its test‐retest reliability is high and it has consistently shown similar factor structure. The AMQ thus measures four weakly correlated factors: Absentmindedness, Persons, Locations and Codes/Addresses. Factor analysis further indicates that Absentmindedness may include two subfactors: momentary attention deficit and prospective forgetfulness or impaired agenda memory. Gender differences were found in Persons (Female+) and Locations (Male+) but not in Absentmindedness or Codes/Addresses. The current version of AMQ has seven interindividually comparable response alternatives for each item in the questionnaire. This makes it useful as a measure of subjective absentmindedness or forgetfulness as well as a complementary measure of subjective memory for persons, locations, and codes/addresses/stories, especially at follow‐up examinations.     

Acquisition of locational information about reference points during locomotion with and without a concurrent task: Effects of number of reference points

Maintenance of orientation relative to reference points along a locomotion path and acquisition of locational information about these reference points were investigated by requiring subjects with and without a concurrent backwards counting task to walk in alleys and estimate direction and distance to the reference points when stopped. One or three reference points were presented on each trial in different groups of subjects. Acquisition of locational information was indicated by decreased latencies and variable errors with repeated exposure to the same locomotion path. Neither the larger number of reference points nor the concurrent task seemed to affect acquisition, but both lead to increased latencies indicating that the subjects under these conditions were unable to keep track of the locations of the reference points whilst walking. However, they may still have been able to infer these locations after the locomotion path had been traversed.     

Effect of task, selection set, and dispersion of attention on visual identification time

Schioldborg, P., Paus, E. & Myhre, G. Effect of task, selection set, and dispersion of attention on visual identification time. Scand. J. Psychol., 1973, 14, 195–198. Letters and digits were presented in rows of one, two, or three, and the time required for identifying their position, colour, class, or names recorded for three subjects. The identification tasks were performed under three different conditions of preparatory set, making use of position, colour, and class as selecting attributes. (1) Under each selection set, only the identification of letters and digits as such required more time with increasing number of items, indicating limiting conditions for a "constancy" model of attention. (2) For all identification tasks, selection procured by class yielded longer identification time than selection by position or colour, suggesting different levels of complexity in information processing. (3) Identification of class under a position set, or position under a class set, required less time than the corresponding combinations with colour in place of position, suggesting that analysis of form and position relate basically to the same processes.     

The rate of internal speech in paced rehearsal

Hollnagel, E. The rate of internal speech in paced rehearsal. Scand. J. Psychol., 1973, 14, 241–243.-The purpose of the experiment was to measure the rate of internal speech in rehearsal. The method used was paced rehearsal, i. e. the subjects should synchronize their internal speech with an external signal. The known rate of the external signal, the pace rate, was used as an ndication of the rate of internal speech. For each subject the maximum pace rate was found, and the corresponding maximum rate of internal speech was calculated. The mean of the maximum rates of internal speech for 17 subjects was 126 ms/syllable. This is considerably faster than the results obtained from experimental studies up to now.     

Human information processing capacity in counting several things simultaneously

Abstract.— In the area of human information processing an important concept is that of a limited capacity central processing system (CPS). Posner (1970) emphasized the distinction between a short-term memory (STM) and an operational memory (OM). To evaluate this distinction, as well as to obtain data on the capacity limit of the CPS, and experiment was carried out, in which 14 subjects had to keep a running count of the number of occurrences of two or more predetermined items in a series of stimuli. Based on the experimental data a register model of the CPS was suggested which emphasized the distinction between the STM and the OM as one of two different memory functions carried out by a common memory system. The model also suggested that the capacity limit of the CPS was around eight items of verbally coded information.     

The effects of partial information in amnesic and normal subjects

Two studies of the effects of partial information (initial-letter cueing) on amnesic and normal performance are reported. In Experiment I the beneficial effects of partial information on the performance of patients treated with ECT were confirmed. In Experiment II normal subjects were tested after different retention intervals with yes-no recognition and initial-letter cueing. With the yes-no recognition data corrected for guessing, an interaction between method of testing and retention interval was obtained. It is argued that the beneficial effects of partial information are not conclusive evidence of retrieval deficits in amnesia.