MMPI-2 F scale as a predictor of acute versus chronic disorder classification

This study examined the relation between elevation of the infrequency (F) scale on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the classification of psychological disorders as chronic or acute in an outpatient mental health setting. MMPI-2 and clinician rating data at time of intake were considered for 158 adult patients from an outpatient clinic. The results indicate that elevation on the F scale is associated with more chronic disorders even after the influence of other variables, such as age and comorbidity of other disorders, is statistically accounted for These results are discussed in terms of the utility and incremental validity of including the F scale as part of diagnostic screening.     

Avoidance and depression: the construction of the cognitive-behavioral avoidance scale

Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between avoidance and depression, although the nature of this relationship has been confused by inconsistent definitions of avoidance. Following a review of the construct of avoidance and an examination of past research, a new multidimensional measure of avoidance was developed and validated using an undergraduate student sample (245 females and 146 males). Four reliable factors reflecting combinations of cognitive/behavioral and social/nonsocial dimensions of avoidance were obtained from the factor analysis of the new scale, entitled the "Cognitive-Behavioral Avoidance Scale" (CBAS). The scale showed the predicted relationships with convergent and divergent measures used for construct validation. As predicted, subscales of the CBAS, as well as the overall scale score, were significantly related to the depression and anxiety criterion measures. The findings from this study suggest that avoidance may be an important construct in the psychosocial conceptualization of depression. In addition, this integrated measure of avoidance has potential utility for depression researchers. Suggestions for further scale development and research are provided.     

Cognitive-behavioural interventions in a patient with an anxiety disorder related to diabetes

This study extends the data on the efficacy of cognitive interventions for patients with chronic medical problems and describes the case of a 37-year-old woman with an anxiety disorder related to diabetes. The effects on panic frequency, use of safety behaviour and related beliefs were investigated after the introduction of two main cognitive-behavioral interventions. The results are consistent with predictions from the cognitive model of panic. This case demonstrates the usefulness of directly challenging the 'meaning' of the feared situation in order to produce clinically significant improvements in the management of physical disease.     

Career benefits associated with mentoring for protégeé: a meta-analysis

Meta-analysis was used to review and synthesize existing empirical research concerning the career benefits associated with mentoring for the protégé. Both objective (e.g., compensation) and subjective (e.g., career satisfaction) career outcomes were examined. Comparisons of mentored versus nonmemored groups were included, along with relationships between mentoring provided and outcomes. The findings were generally supportive of the benefits associated with mentoring, but effect sizes associated with objective outcomes were small. There was also some indication that the outcomes studied differed in the magnitude of their relationship with the type of mentoring provided (i.e. career or psychosocial).     

Numerical stroop effect

2 male and 2 female students from an undergraduate class in experimental psychology were participants in a numerical Stroop effect experiment. Mean age for the students was 19.5 yr., with a SD of 2.4. The Stroop effect was investigated with a numerical, as opposed to a color, task. The four conditions were Symbols (-, + + +, ===, ::, :::), versus Alphabetic Characters (C, AAA, DD, BBB, DDD), versus Matched Digits and Number of Digits (1, 4444, 333, 22, 4444), versus Mismatched Digits and Number of Digits (2, 1111, 444, 33, 3333). Participants took longer to count Mismatched Digits than Symbols or Alphabetic Characters (analogous to the color Stroop effect). Participants took longer to read Mismatched Digits than Alphabetic Characters (analogous to the color reverse Stroop effect). Participants took less time to read or count Matched Digits than Alphabetic Characters (facilitation effect).     

Self-control in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): controlling for differential stimulus exposure

Previous research on self-control using macaques (Macaca fascicularis) showed these animals have a strong bias for a delayed, larger reinforcer (Self-control) over an immediate, smaller reinforcer (Impulsive). Typical studies of self-control have used a discrete trials methodology with a secondary discriminative stimulus during the delay periods. This results in a greater exposure to the stimulus representing the self-controlled option and may account for some of the early exclusive preference for self-control observed. The present experiment examined self-control bias in three rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) while controlling for differential durations of stimulus exposure. Subjects were presented stimuli via a computer monitor and made choices by touching the stimulus at which point both stimuli were removed for the delay periods. All three subjects displayed a nearly exclusive bias for the delayed, larger reinforcer self-control). These results are consistent with previous studies, despite the variations in methodology and species.     

Adult attachment and patterns of extradyadic involvement

Relationships between patterns of extradyadic involvement (EDI) and adult attachment were examined separately with undergraduates and community adults reporting prior EDI. Those with fearful or preoccupied styles reported more intimacy motivations for EDI, and undergraduates with these styles also reported more self-esteem motivations. Conversely, those with a dismissive style reported more autonomy motivations for EDI. Those with a fearful attachment style reported ambivalence about intimacy in the EDI. Fearful and preoccupied undergraduates and community males reported a more obsessive extradyadic relationship. However, dismissive individuals did not report more casual EDI. Gender effects also emerged, with females reporting more intimacy motivations than males, and undergraduate males reporting more casual EDI than undergraduate females. In the undergraduate sample, dismissive males had the most extradyadic partners over the prior 2 years relative to all other groups, and preoccupied females reported more partners than secure females. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Predicting infant maltreatment in low-income families: the interactive effects of maternal attributions and child status at birth

Maternal attributions and child neonatal status at birth were assessed as predictors of infant maltreatment (harsh parenting and safety neglect). The population included low-income, low-education families who were primarily Hispanic. Child maltreatment during the 1st year of life (N = 73) was predicted by neonatal status (low Apgar scores, preterm status), as moderated by mothers' attributions. The highest levels of maltreatment were shown within dyads that included a mother with low perceived power and an at-risk infant. Partial support was found for maternal depressive symptoms as mediators of harsh parenting among at-risk infants. It is suggested that lack of perceived parental power constrains investment in protective relationships and fosters sensitization to potential threat.     

Interoceptive sensitivity and self-reports of emotional experience

People differ in the extent to which they emphasize feelings of activation or deactivation in their verbal reports of experienced emotion, termed arousal focus (AF). Two multimethod studies indicate that AF is linked to heightened interoceptive sensitivity (as measured by performance on a heartbeat detection task). People who were more sensitive to their heartbeats emphasized feelings of activation and deactivation when reporting their experiences of emotion over time more than did those who were less sensitive. This relationship was not accounted for by several other variables, including simple language effects. Implications for the role of interoception in experienced emotion and the validity of self-reported emotion are discussed.     

Too proud to let go: narcissistic entitlement as a barrier to forgiveness

Narcissistic entitlement impedes forgiveness in ways not captured by other robust predictors (e.g., offense severity, apology, relationship closeness, religiosity, Big Five personality factors), as demonstrated in 6 studies. Narcissistic entitlement involves expectations of special treatment and preoccupation with defending one's rights. In Study 1, entitlement predicted less forgiveness and greater insistence on repayment for a past offense. Complementary results emerged from Study 2, which used hypothetical transgressions, and Study 3, which assessed broad forgiveness dispositions. Study 4 examined associations with the Big Five, and Study 5 extended the findings to a laboratory context. Study 6 demonstrated that entitlement predicted diminished increases in forgiveness over time. Taken together, these results suggest that narcissistic entitlement is a robust, distinct predictor of unforgiveness.