Affect, personality, and facial expressive characteristics of older people

This study explored the relationship between emotion-based personality traits and expressive patterns in older subjects. Specifically, the study sought to demonstrate (a) that individuals have emotion expression biases, as revealed by structural and dynamic properties of the face, and (b) that there is a link between facial characteristics (as indexed by the judgments of trained and naive raters) and personality traits. An encoding/decoding paradigm was used; 30 adult, naive judges rated five emotion-pose photographs for each of 14 older subjects who had also completed a personality trait measure. Results indicated that individuals vary in their ability to accurately encode emotion states and that these patterns are linked to personality traits in an affect-specific way. The results are discussed within the framework of Darwinian theory and Plutchik's model of personality.     

Radial localization in the aged

Elderly subjects were 41% less accurate than young subjects in localizing a point in the frontal plane. The decline could be ascribed neither to an age difference in image formation or skill acquisition nor to a difference in motivational level or trace retention. Evidently the "ambient" or "transient" visual system is compromised at an elementary level. Reasons why this deficit may not be compounded at more complex levels of spatial processing are suggested.     

The assessment of type a behavior in children and adolescents: An overview

The present article presents an overview of the instruments that have been used to assess the Type A behavior pattern in children and adolescents. The development, usage, and psychometric properties of each assessment technique are discussed, with methodological concerns being addressed whenever appropriate. The Matthews Youth Test for Health is the assessment of choice for children, because of its brevity, ease of administration, and adequate psychometric properties. The Hunter-Wolf A-B Rating Scale is desirable only for older, highly literate children. The Adolescent Structured Interview appears to be the most promising device for the adolescent age range. The other adolescent assessment devices are relatively unpopular, difficult to administer, and not always conceptually parallel to existing research on Type A behavior. Recommendations for future research are presented.     

Social policy and the role of the behavior analyst in the prevention of delinquent behavior

The purpose of this article is to encourage behavior analysts to expand their domain of interest and application to include the "social/political" contingencies that are developed and implemented by policymakers and lawmakers. Using the Vermont juvenile justice system as a prototype, examples are provided that focus on the tertiary, secondary, and primary prevention of delinquent behavior.     

Preliminary Steps in the Development of a Screening Instrument To Assess Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The authors demonstrate the complexities and processes involved in constructing a screening test for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Discussion includes item development, field testing, and preliminary results.