Psychometric Properties and Clinical Cut-Off Scores of the Spanish Version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents

Psychotic (P) and Non-Psychotic (N-P) retardates were compared on 13 Rorschach “indicators” of psychosis using a matched pairs technique. Two of the 13 signs were found to significantly differentiate between groups with the P group demonstrating a lower F% and higher C' responding than the N-P group.     

Anticipación semántica e interferencia de tipo Stroop en tareas de denominación de palabras

Resumen

Una relación semántica entre los componentes de estímulo relevantes e irrelevantes facilita la ejecución en tareas de anticipación pero parece inhibir la ejecución en tareas de tipo Stroop. Se estudiaron las causas de esta discrepancia. En una serie de tareas de denominación de palabras, se analizaba el efecto del número de dominios semánticos (que covariaba con el número de alternativas de respuesta) presentando a un grupo de estudiantes un conjunto idéntico de estímulos en forma bloqueada o mixta. El experimento 1 muestra que la presentación bloqueada produce un efecto de interferencia de tipo Stroop, mientras la presentación mixta produce facilitación semántica. Los experimentos 2 y 3 muestran que la variante palabra-palabra de la tarea de Stroop y la variante denominación de palabra de la tarea de anticipación semántica pertenecen a una misma familia de tareas. Ambas tareas muestran: a) un efecto de facilitación cuando el anticipador se relaciona con el objetivo y b) un efecto de interferencia cuando el anticipador es miembro del conjunto de respuesta. En la tarea de Stroop, la competición de respuestas aumenta el efecto de facilitación; en la tarea de anticipación, el efecto de facilitación semántica aumenta el efecto de competición de respuestas.     

Is There Still Time?

In this article we intend to discuss the psychoanalysis of elderly patients and, also, to review certain prejudices that are based upon the psychoanalytic technique and theory.     

How Should We Assess the Fit of Rasch-Type Models? Approximating the Power of Goodness-of-Fit Statistics in Categorical Data Analysis

We investigate the performance of three statistics, R ₁, R ₂ (Glas in Psychometrika 53:525–546, 1988), and M ₂ (Maydeu-Olivares & Joe in J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 100:1009–1020, 2005, Psychometrika 71:713–732, 2006) to assess the overall fit of a one-parameter logistic model (1PL) estimated by (marginal) maximum likelihood (ML). R ₁ and R ₂ were specifically designed to target specific assumptions of Rasch models, whereas M ₂ is a general purpose test statistic. We report asymptotic power rates under some interesting violations of model assumptions (different item discrimination, presence of guessing, and multidimensionality) as well as empirical rejection rates for correctly specified models and some misspecified models. All three statistics were found to be more powerful than Pearson’s X ² against two- and three-parameter logistic alternatives (2PL and 3PL), and against multidimensional 1PL models. The results suggest that there is no clear advantage in using goodness-of-fit statistics specifically designed for Rasch-type models to test these models when marginal ML estimation is used.     

One, two, three, four, or is there something more? Numerical discrimination in day-old domestic chicks

Human adults master sophisticated, abstract numerical calculations that are mostly based on symbolic language and thus inimitably human. Humans may nonetheless share a subset of non-verbal numerical skills, available soon after birth and considered the evolutionary foundation of more complex numerical reasoning, with other animals. These skills are thought to be based on the two systems: the object file system which processes small values (<3) and the analogue magnitude system which processes large magnitudes (>4). Infants’ ability to discriminate 1 vs. 2, 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 3, but not 1 vs. 4, seems to indicate that the two systems are independent, implying that the conception of a continuous number processing system is based on precursors that appear to be interrupted at or about the number four. The findings from the study being presented here indicating that chicks are able to make a series of discriminations regarding that borderline number (1 vs. 4, 1 vs. 5, 2 vs. 4) support the hypothesis that there is continuity in the number system which processes both small and large numerousness.     

Brief treatment with alprazolam and behavioral guidance in panic disorder

Abstract

Thirty-two patients with panic disorder, with or without agoraphobic limitations, were treated with alprazolam (mean dose 3.5 mg/d) plus brief behavioral guidance in an open study during eight weeks. The sample had a notorious severity in the frequency of panics and phobic avoidance but was only mildly depressed. Before starting treatment the presence of demoralized mood and extensive avoidance were significant indicators of clinical severity, whereas the presence of dizziness as a relevant somatic complaint was not related to higher severity. After eight weeks of treatment a clinical improvement equal to or exceeding 80% of change was obtained in all cases (29) who completed treatment. Ninety-two percent of the patients were panic free at the end of treatment. There were significant reductions in all the scales with comparable declines in the subgroups formed according to the presence or absence of agoraphobic avoidance and demoralization. The data suggested that moderate doses of alprazolam could be a quick and effective treatment for panic-agoraphobic patients in the short term. The behavioral guidance probably helped in reducing agoraphobic avoidance and in obtaining global good effectiveness although this awaits controlled tests. Finally, the similarity in the response to treatment regardless of the presence of extensive avoidance or demoralized mood argues in favor of not considering the different variants of panic-agoraphobic syndrome differently, at least in samples with similar severity to the present one.     

Testing Posttraumatic Stress as a Mediator of Childhood Trauma and Adult Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

This study examined whether potential posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) mediated the relationships between different forms of childhood trauma (sexual abuse, physical abuse, violence between caregivers) and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization (psychological, physical, sexual). Participants were 1,150 female nurses and nursing personnel. Path analytic findings revealed potential PTSD partially mediated the relationships between childhood sexual abuse and psychological IPV and childhood sexual abuse and sexual IPV. Potential PTSD did not mediate the relationship between other types of childhood trauma and IPV. This study adds to the literature indicating PTSD as a risk factor for revictimization in the form of adult IPV among women. Screening for and treatment of PTSD among female child sexual abuse survivors could prevent future IPV victimization.     

Trajectories of Experience of Real Life Events. A Semiotic Approach to the Dynamics of Positioning

This paper is devoted to the study of experience as a semiotic process of constructing the personal meaning of the situation lived. Its main purpose is to devise a semiotic methodology capable of describing and explaining the dynamics of positioning when facing personal lived experiences in real life contexts. Twenty four young adults were exposed to a simulated conflict and then asked to write a narrative of their understanding of the incident and a self-report of their personal experiences. Results show how narratives and trajectories of experience present different forms in each participant, which could be related to: a) the understanding of the situation lived and the position taken regarding the conflict; and b) the position each participant takes regarding the reports they had to produce for the researchers. The incorporation of reflexivity into the applied method allows identification of how the dynamics of double positioning leave traces in the records produced.