Derivation and Implications of MMPI Cluster Groups in Clinically Depressed Inpatient Females

The purpose of this study was to subclassify clinically depressed patients based on a cluster-analytic examination of the MMPI. Subjects were 79 female inpatients with major depression. A cluster analysis of the MMPI validity and clinical scales resulted in three clusters labeled psychotic (287 MMPI profile), hostile (24 MMPI profile), and histrionic (32 MMPI profile) depression. The psychotic group exhibited the greatest depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The psychotic and hostile groups, however, did not differ on other associated aspects of depression, such as negative cognitions, nonassertiveness, or personality style. The hostile group reported the fewest physical difficulties and the most excessive alcohol use. The groups, however, did not differ on other aspects of depression history or presentation such as family history of depression or previous hospitalizations. A repeated measures ANOVA for the three cluster groups on the BDI at admission, discharge, and 6 months after discharge indicated that all groups showed improvement at discharge but that only the hostile depressive group continued to show improvement at the 6-month follow-up.     

Domain-specificity in perfectionism: Variations across domains of life

Perfectionism has been assessed in relation to salient or narrow domains within specific populations, yet little is understood across broader domains of life. The aim was to assess positive perfectionism (PP) and negative perfectionism (NP) in five broad domains; university/work, relationships, physical activity, domestic environment and appearance and to determine any gender differences within domains. One hundred and forty four university students (females n = 101; males n = 43) completed a modified perfectionism measure for each domain. Correlations within and between domains for PP and NP ranged from low to moderate with differential patterns by gender, supporting more domain specificity and less of a universal trait. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that, overall, PP and NP in the university/work domain was significantly higher than all other domains. Females reported greater PP in the university domain compared to other domains, and more PP in the relationship, domestic environment and appearance domains as compared to the physical activity domain. In contrast, males reported significantly higher PP in the physical activity domain. Females reported significantly higher NP in the university and appearance domains, while males had similar NP across all domains. These findings present a more complex picture of perfectionism with implications for domain-specificity in perfectionistic behavior.     

Measuring Responsiveness in the Therapeutic Relationship: A Patient Perspective

This article reports results from a three-country study of patient perceptions of physician responsiveness. Based on existing research in the medical and social-psychological literatures, we theorized that patients' perceptions of physician responsiveness to their needs would be an important component of the patient–physician relationship and that this construct could be distinguished reliably from more global assessments of patient satisfaction. We then developed a new measure designed to assess these perceptions from the patients' point of view. This measure was administered to large samples of patients in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Results supported our hypotheses. Patient perception of physician responsiveness significantly predicted both patient satisfaction and subjective health-related problems, over and above effects attributable to general satisfaction. We also noted the absence of significant differences across the three cultures or sex, suggesting that the process we identify has considerable generality. We also describe a short version of our measure that researchers may find useful in a variety of research or clinical settings.     

The Impact of P-hacking on “Redefine Statistical Significance”

In their proposal to “redefine statistical significance,” Benjamin et al. claim that lowering the default cutoff for statistical significance from .05 to .005 would “immediately improve the reproducibility of scientific research in many fields.” Benjamin et al. assert specifically that false positive rates would fall below 10% and replication rates would double under the lower cutoff. I analyze these claims here, showing how the failure to account for P-hacking and other widespread reporting issues leads to exaggerated and misleading conclusions about the potential impact of the .005 proposal.     

The undesired selves of repressors

Previous research has shown that prototypes of familiar categories are preferred over novel exemplars of familiar and unfamiliar categories. The present research demonstrates a reversal of this effect by simply inducing an exploratory mindset. Specifically, participants were asked to judge the attractiveness of dot patterns that represented prototypes of familiar categories, exemplars of familiar categories, or exemplars of novel categories. An exploratory mindset was manipulated by asking participants to imagine the stimuli as stars (versus as peas). Results show that participants in the exploration condition preferred exemplars of novel categories (thereby reversing the classical prototypicality effect), whereas participants in the control condition preferred prototypes. The role of mindsets and familiarity in attractiveness ratings is discussed.     

Supplemental Flashcard Drill Methods for Efficiently Helping At-Risk Kindergartners Make Letter-Sound Correspondences: Does Presentation Arrangement of Words Matter?

Variations of supplemental flashcard drill and practice instructional procedures (i.e., massed practice and interspersal presentation arrangements of words) were examined for six kindergartners who struggled making letter-sound correspondences. Findings revealed that the children demonstrated the highest learning rates when the presentation arrangement of flashcards required the children to make letter-sound correspondences in a word repeatedly (massed practice condition) before they were presented with a different word for which they were required to make letter-sound correspondences. Children maintained a higher rate of letter-sound correspondences that were taught under the massed practice condition. Implications for practice, limitations, and future directions are discussed.     

Assessing Approximate Fit in Categorical Data Analysis

A family of Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) statistics is proposed for assessing the goodness of approximation in discrete multivariate analysis with applications to item response theory (IRT) models. The family includes RMSEAs to assess the approximation up to any level of association of the discrete variables. Two members of this family are RMSEA₂, which uses up to bivariate moments, and the full information RMSEA_n. The RMSEA₂ is estimated using the M₂ statistic of Maydeu-Olivares and Joe (2005, 2006), whereas for maximum likelihood estimation, RMSEA_n is estimated using Pearson's X² statistic. Using IRT models, we provide cutoff criteria of adequate, good, and excellent fit using the RMSEA₂. When the data are ordinal, we find a strong linear relationship between the RMSEA₂ and the Standardized Root Mean Squared Residual goodness-of-fit index. We are unable to offer cutoff criteria for the RMSEA_n as its population values decrease as the number of variables and categories increase.     

Projects in progress

This department publishes articles on large-scale projects in which logic plays a significant role, especially editions of collected or selected works. In addition to factual and historical details, articles describe points of historiography and scholarship which are of more general interest. Articles should be submitted to the Editor.