An Evaluation of the Concurrent Validity of the Porteous Checklist Using a Structured Interview Schedule

The concurrent validity of the Porteous Problem Checklist was examined by comparing the responses adolescents made to checklist items with their responses to similar or identical questions posed in an individual interview setting. The checklist was administered to 135 adolescents in three secondary schools. The pupils were then interviewed, using a structured interview schedule which focused on specific areas of concern to adolescents. The results supported the validity of the checklist as a means of quantifying and describing adolescent problems, and as a useful instrument in adolescent counselling and assessment.     

A Review of “Positive Psychology in Latin America”: from Emblematic Paradoxes to Knowledge Enrichment

Latin America is a fascinating and puzzling case study for scholars specialized in happiness and well-being research, as well as positive psychology in general. A book that launches a discussion of the topic, therefore, is a landmark in itself. At the very least, it is the first to convey a sustainable and fundamental discussion on positive psychology in this region of the globe using a global awareness and perspective, condensing a complex history and, at the same time, pointing to a pulsating future.     

Investigating the relationship between working memory and emotion regulation in mothers

Recent work suggests that executive functions, specifically working memory, may facilitate emotion regulation (ER). Here we examined whether measures of visuospatial working memory and verbal working memory relate to ER in a group of recent mothers. We found that while visuospatial working memory was associated with, and predictive of, self-reported measures of ER and emotion dysregulation—verbal working memory was correlated to only one dimension of emotion dysregulation. These findings suggest that working memory may play a unique role in everyday regulatory functioning. We frame our results in terms of the broader implications they may have for the potential role of executive functioning in parenting.     

Mismatching the opponent's offers in negotiation

Mismatching in negotiation involves responding with high demands to the opponent's low demands and with low demands to the opponent's high demands. Prior research has shown that the opponent's demands are often mismatched but that this effect is attenuated when information is available about the outcomes achieved by the opponent from the available alternatives. The present research showed that mismatching was also attenuated when the negotiator knew the location of the opponent's limit (the alternative beyond which the opponent would not concede). Two new interpretations of the attenuation effect were suggested on the basis of this finding. In addition, women were found to engage in more mismatching than men, being particularly likely to exploit a soft opponent.     

Extension of Feldt's approach to testing homogeneity of coefficients of reliability

Limitations and extensions of Feldt's approach to testing the equality of Cronbach's alpha coefficients in independent and matched samples are discussed. In particular, this approach is used to test equality of intraclass correlation coefficients.This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health Specialized Research Center Grant # MH-30854.     

European Portuguese Validation of the Thought Control Questionnaire Insomnia-Revised (TCQI-R)

Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - Individuals with insomnia complaints often report intrusive thoughts. In this sense, strategies to cope with cognitive arousal are a...     

Negative Halo Effects in Parent Ratings of ADHD,ODD, and CD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and Conduct Disorder (CD) are highly comorbid, with symptoms that share some similarities. The evidence-based diagnostic process for these disorders includes ratings from adults in the child’s life to assess behavior across settings, so it is important to understand how these raters think about potentially overlapping symptoms. Researchers have identified negative halo effects in ratings of ADHD and ODD symptoms, but ratings of CD have not been examined in these prior studies. Thus, the current study extended past research to examine negative halo effects in parent ratings of the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation of ADHD (i.e., ADHD/HI), ODD, and CD. Parent participants read one of four vignettes that portrayed an 11-year-old boy displaying symptoms of ADHD/HI, ODD, CD, or typical development, and then completed a disruptive behavior scale. The general trend we found was that the presence of a relatively more severe disorder (i.e., CD) artificially inflated ratings of - or showed a negative halo effect for - the relatively less severe disorder (i.e., ADHD/HI), but with some nuance as discussed in the paper. These findings explain and validate how important it is that clinicians conduct evidence-based psychological assessments to decrease the chance of misdiagnosis.

     

Cognitive and emotional factors in health behaviour: Dual-process reasoning,cognitive styles and optimism as predictors of healthy lifestyle,healthy behaviours and medical adherence

Current Psychology - Although it is today commonly accepted that cognitive and emotional factors interact in guiding decisions and behaviour in various domains, including medical and health related...