The interaction between cohesive systems and dispersive systems: Creating the trigenerational therapeutic context

The author presents a model for research investigation and clinical use that deals with the interaction between cohesive and dispersive family of origin systems as reflected in marital and family interaction in nuclear families.From a paper presented at the tenth annual meeting of the American Family Therapy Association, June, 1988, Montreal, PQ, Canada.     

Linguistic abilities in patients with prefrontal damage

The language abilities of 21 patients with prefrontal lesions (11 right and 10 left) and 15 matched normal subjects were analyzed, using a linguistic ability test designed to evaluate performance in six areas: automatic language, language production, verbal memory, syntax, derivative words, and comprehension of logical grammatical structures. Significant differences in the obtained scores of all groups were found. In spite of formal conservation of language in patients with frontal damage, their complex and conceptual verbal abilities were severely compromised.     

Perceptual learning enhances retrospective revaluation of conditioned flavor preferences in rats

Forward and backward blocking of taste preference learning was compared in rats. In the forward condition, thirsty rats were exposed to a flavor (A) in sucrose solution (+) or in water (-), after which they were exposed to A in compound with another flavor (B) in sucrose solution (i.e., AB+). In the backward condition, these phases were reversed. Consumption of B alone was assessed when rats were food deprived. In the forward condition, rats given A+ consumed less B than rats given A-, providing evidence of forward blocking, whereas in the backward condition, rats given A+ drank more of B than those given A-. Subsequent experiments found that alternating but not blocked preexposure to A and B, when given prior to training, produced blocking of B whether A+ was given before or after AB+, suggesting that prior failures to observe backward blocking reflect failures of discrimination.     

Cultural Values Underlying Psychometric Cognitive Testing

It is proposed that culture (values, beliefs, styles of behavior) can affect neuropsychological testing.Cognitive testing represents a social situation that-as any social situation, it is one governed by implicit cultural rules. At least eight different culture-dependent values underlie cognitive testing: (1)One-to-one relationship, (2) Background authority, (3) Best performance, (4)Isolated environment (5) Special type of communication, (6) Speed, (7) Internal or subjective issues, and (8) The use of specific testing elements and strategies. In addition, it is proposed that“the distance” (e.g., gender, age, ethnicity) between the examiner and the examinee may potentiallyimpact the testing situation. A special analysis regarding the function of instruction in cognitive tests is also presented emphasizing that test instruction interpretation is also culture-dependent. Some potential avenues of research are finally proposed.     

The impact of culture and education on non-verbal neuropsychological measurements: a critical review

Clinical neuropsychology has frequently considered visuospatial and non-verbal tests to be culturally and educationally fair or at least fairer than verbal tests. This paper reviews the cross-cultural differences in performance on visuoperceptual and visuoconstructional ability tasks and analyzes the impact of education and culture on non-verbal neuropsychological measurements. This paper compares: (1) non-verbal test performance among groups with different educational levels, and the same cultural background (inter-education intra-culture comparison); (2) the test performance among groups with the same educational level and different cultural backgrounds (intra-education inter-culture comparisons). Several studies have demonstrated a strong association between educational level and performance on common non-verbal neuropsychological tests. When neuropsychological test performance in different cultural groups is compared, significant differences are evident. Performance on non-verbal tests such as copying figures, drawing maps or listening to tones can be significantly influenced by the individual's culture. Arguments against the use of some current neuropsychological non-verbal instruments, procedures, and norms in the assessment of diverse educational and cultural groups are discussed and possible solutions to this problem are presented.     

Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in 4- to 17-Year-Old Children in the General Population

The purposes of this study were (a) to estimate the prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) symptoms in the general preschool and school population; and (b) to analyze the influence of gender, age, and socioeconomic status (SES) variables on AD/HD symptoms. Out of the 80,000 preschool and schoolchildren living in Manizales, Colombia, a random sample of 540 children was selected. Two gender, three age (4- to 5-year olds, 6- to 11 -year olds, and 12- to 17-year olds), and three SES (low, middle, and high) groups were used. The 18 DSM-IV symptoms corresponding to AD/HD Criterion A were assessed on a scale of 0 (never) to 3 (almost always). All three demographic variables established statistically significant differences: AD/HD symptoms were more frequent in 6-to 11-year-old, low-SES, male participants. DSM-IV Criterion A for AD/HD was fulfilled by 19.8% of the boys and 12.3% of the girls. However, this difference was marginally significant only in the AD/HD Subtype I: Combined. It was concluded that demographic variables are significant correlates of the AD/HD diagnosis. The prevalence found in this study was higher than usually reported, even though only the symptomatic DSM-IV AD/HD criterion was analyzed. We failed to confirm the assumed AD/HD gender ratio.     

Houston Conference: Need for More Fundamental Knowledge in Neuropsychology

Two training models in neuropsychology have been recently proposed (Guidelines of the INS-Division 40 Task Force on Education, Accreditation, and Credentialing, Clin. Neuropsychol. 1: 29–34, 1987; Hannay, H. J. et al., Arch. Clin. Neuropsychol. 13: 157–250, 1998). When comparing both educational models, similarities but also differences are found. According to the Houston Conference model—but not to the former model—neuropsychology represents a specialty of psychology. In the Houston Conference training model, applied knowledge is overtly emphasized, whereas fundamental or basic knowledge in neuropsychology appears weak. The proposed program does not seem to provide sufficient emphasis and background knowledge in (1) History of neuropsychology, (2) Neuropsychological syndromes, and (3) Neuropsychology theory.     

The Spanish version of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire: factor structure and internal consistency reliability

We examined the factor structure and internal consistency reliability of the Spanish version of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire which was applied to a sample of 850 secondary school students. Factor structure investigated by principal components analysis, followed by varimax orthogonal rotation, indicated that a single factor explained 37% of the variance. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was good (Cronbach alpha=.88). We conclude that the Spanish version of the questionnaire, like the English version, has a single factor and high internal consistency reliability.