An Examination of PAI Clinical Descriptors and Correlates in an Outpatient Sample: Tailoring of Interpretive Statements

The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey 1991, 2007) was designed to evaluate patterns of psychopathology utilizing validity, clinical, treatment, and interpersonal scales. Its psychometric strengths include easily read items, gradations of responses, and extensive validation. The primary focus of the current study is to examine item-level clinical correlates to inform interpretation. For external validity, the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (PDSQ; Zimmerman 2002) was utilized by examining individual items and subscales. The investigation used archival data from 192 outpatients. The most specific and detailed clinical correlates were found for PAI mood disorder scales. Several other clinical scales, such as Schizophrenia (SCZ), had comparatively few clinical correlates. The current findings underscore the need to further validate PAI external correlates in order to augment PAI statements.     

A Systematic Review of Cognition in Chiari I Malformation

Displacement of the cerebellar tonsils in Chiari type I malformation (CMI) can affect functions controlled by the cerebellum and brainstem. While playing an integral role in the control of movement, the cerebellum also has widespread cortical connections, influencing a range of cognitive process. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine the relationship between cognition and CMI, assessing evidence for general or domain-specific cognitive change. The search protocol examined the AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases. Articles meeting the following criteria were included in this review (i) examined children or adults with a clinically defined diagnosis of CMI, (ii) assessed cognitive function with a prospective examination, (iii) included at least one standardized instrument designed to measure general or specific domains of cognitive function, and (iv) were published in English in a peer-reviewed journal. Twelve articles were identified, including 783 cases aged 3 months to 64 years. General cognition, processing speed, and learning and memory appeared less affected, while language deficits appeared to diminish with age. Executive dysfunction was the most commonly reported cognitive impairment, while attention and working memory, and visuospatial and perceptual skills also appeared vulnerable. Numerous methodological limitations were identified that should be considered in interpreting the impact of CMI and planning future investigations. Overall, there is currently insufficient evidence to describe a valid and reliable profile of cognitive impairment in CMI. Further research is required to confirm these preliminary psychometric results and integrate them with pathophysiological models     

Making the audience a key participant in the science communication process

The public communication of science and technology has become increasingly important over the last several decades. However, understanding the audience that receives this information remains the weak link in the science communication process. This essay provides a brief review of some of the issues involved, discusses results from an audience-based study, and suggests some strategies that both scientists and journalists can use to modify media coverage in ways that can help audiences better understand major public issues that involve science and technology. Carol L. Rogers is editor of the interdisciplinary journal Science Communication.     

Factors predicting the use of technology: findings from the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE)

The successful adoption of technology is becoming increasingly important to functional independence. The present article reports findings from the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) on the use of technology among community-dwelling adults. The sample included 1,204 individuals ranging in age from 18-91 years. All participants completed a battery that included measures of demographic characteristics, self-rated health, experience with technology, attitudes toward computers, and component cognitive abilities. Findings indicate that the older adults were less likely than younger adults to use technology in general, computers, and the World Wide Web. The results also indicate that computer anxiety, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence were important predictors of the use of technology. The relationship between age and adoption of technology was mediated by cognitive abilities, computer self-efficacy, and computer anxiety. These findings are discussed in terms of training strategies to promote technology adoption.     

Exemplary multicultural training in school psychology programs

This study examined the characteristics of school psychology programs noted for training students from a multicultural perspective. The program characteristics and training environment at 17 programs were studied through semistructured interviews with faculty and students, and reviews of prospective student application materials for multicultural content. Findings suggest that students at all programs were exposed to minority clients during applied fieldwork, 94% of the programs required a diversity issues course, 59% of the programs specialized in training with specific minority group populations, 31% of the students and 25% of the faculty represented a racial-ethnic minority group member, and 24% of the faculty were bilingual. Most programs used multiple multicultural curriculum models and employed a wide variety of recruitment and retention strategies specifically aimed at minority students. Faculty and students characterized their overall university training environment as supportive of programmatic initiatives regarding diversity issues, yet several reported uneven experiences with implementation.     

Effects of ventral and dorsal CA1 subregional lesions on trace fear conditioning

Recent lines of research have focused on dissociating function between the dorsal and ventral hippocampus along space and anxiety dimensions. In the dorsal hippocampus, the CA1 subregion has been implicated in the acquisition of contextual fear as well as in the trace interval in trace fear conditioning. The present study was designed to test the relative contributions of dorsal (dCA1) and ventral CA1 (vCA1) in trace fear conditioning. Long-Evans rats received ibotenate lesions of the ventral CA1 (n=7), dorsal CA1 (n=9), or vehicle control lesions (n=8) prior to trace fear conditioning acquisition. Results suggest dCA1 and vCA1 groups show no significant deficits during acquisition when compared to control groups. dCA1 and vCA1 both show deficits in the retention of contextual fear when tested 24 h post-acquisition (P<.05 and P<.01, respectively), and vCA1 was impaired relative to dCA1 (P<.05). This is suggestive of a graded involvement in contextual retention between the dorsal and ventral aspects of CA1. dCA1 showed no deficit for retention of conditioned fear to the tone or the trace when tested 48 h post-acquisition, whereas vCA1 did show a significant deficit for the trace interval and a slight, non-significant reduction in freezing to the tone, when compared to the control group (p<.05). Overall the data are suggestive of a graded involvement in retention of fear conditioning between the dorsal and ventral aspects of CA1, but it is likely that vCA1 may be critically involved in retention of trace fear conditioning.     

Studies of the vicarious traumatization of college students by the September 11th attacks: effects of proximity, exposure and connectedness

From mid-October 2001 through the end of November 2001, we collected fairly large sets of questionnaires from undergraduates at three public universities (Albany, NY, n = 507, Augusta, GA, n = 336, Fargo, ND, n = 526 ) to assess rate of acute stress disorder (ASD) and level of ASD symptoms following the September 11th attacks, rate of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and level of PTSD symptoms, and current level of depressive symptoms resulting from the September 11th attacks. We also gathered information on exposure to media coverage of the attacks, connectedness to the World Trade Center (WTC) and personnel there, and degree of engagement in reparative acts such as giving blood, attending vigils. We found higher levels of ASD, ASD symptoms, PTSD and PTSD symptoms as a function of geographical proximity to New York City (and within the Albany site, proximity of students' homes) and gender. Exposure (hours of TV watched) was a predictor in some instances as was connectedness to WTC victims. ASD symptoms were the strongest predictor of subsequent PTSD symptoms. Path models accounted for over 60% of the variance in PTSD symptoms.