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.     

Revising explications of common sense through dialogue: Thirty-six psychological theorems

An explication of common sense is an attempt to formulate a part of the ordinarily unformulated system of implications shared by all members of a given culture, familiar with a given context. Thirty-six alleged common sense formulations relating to Bandura's theory of self-efficacy were used. Students were asked 1) to give a prediction involving each theorem, 2) to judge whether or not an alternative prediction is conceivable, 3) to judge whether or not an explanation based on the theorem is acceptable, and 4) to judge whether or not an explanation based on the negation of the theorem is acceptable. The average consensus on these four types of judgments was respectively 93%, 80%, 92%, and 96%. A group of respondents were interviewed about the shortcomings of the formulations. The theorems were revised to incorporate these criticisms and, hence, are expected to yield higher consensus.     

Common sense as psychosocial reality: A reply to Sjöberg

Attempted explications of common sense can be submitted to consensual validation. Therefore, purely programmatic discussion about common sense may be dispensed with in favor of actual studies. The failures to recognize the fundamental role of common sense may stem from an unreflective presupposition that psychological language and psychological reality are independent realms. Actually, language and psychosocial reality are mutually constitutive, and the total cultural order is built upon common sense. We are not free to choose conceptualizations. Our theorizing must consist of explications of common sense.     

Between the analytic and the arbitrary: A case study of psychological research

It is argued that psychological theories must be seen as attempts to explicate the conceptual network embedded in ordinary language and that psychological data must be seen as historically constituted. Hence, psychological theory is regarded as, potentially, a system of logically necessary (analytic) theorems, analogous to, e. g., Euclidean geometry, and psychological data are seen as determined by the historical (arbitrary) circumstances that happen to prevail. An instance of published psychological research is shown to contain many unrecognized analytic and arbitrary elements. Its pretensions to generality are contradicted by its highly situation- and culture-bound assumptions, and its pretensions to being empirical are contradicted by the prevalence of necessarily true and necessarily false assumptions. The level of theoretical precision is seen as very low.     

Recursive messages in quantitative communication

The article concerns quantitative messages as opposed to "classifying" messages described in traditional communication theory. Recursive statements are an important part of quantitative messages. The structure and function of recursive statements are analysed. The mathematical principle of recursion is briefly outlined and the article offers a general method of analysing quantitative communication in terms of simple computer simulation. The relationship between recursive and paradoxical communication is pointed out. Finally, the possible application of recursive messages in therapy is discussed.     

Intercultural Effectiveness,Authoritarianism, and Ethnic Prejudice

This study examined the extent to which intercultural effectiveness dimensions (cultural empathy, open‐mindedness, social initiative, emotional stability, flexibility) and right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) predicted the ethnic prejudice of 166 Australian respondents toward Indigenous Australians. Intercultural effectiveness was assessed on the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire, and RWA was assessed on the RWA scale, whereas ethnic prejudice was measured on the Modern Racism Scale. The results revealed that intercultural effectiveness (open‐mindedness, flexibility, cultural empathy) was inversely related to ethnic prejudice, with open‐mindedness being the main predictor. Intercultural effectiveness was also inversely related to RWA, the latter being directly related to ethnic prejudice. The implications of these findings for the potential role of intercultural effectiveness in combating ethnic prejudice are discussed.