A modified procedure for parallel analysis of ordered categorical data

Parallel analysis has been well documented to be an effective and accurate method for determining the number of factors to retain in exploratory factor analysis. The O'Connor (2000) procedure for parallel analysis has many benefits and is widely applied, yet it has a few shortcomings in dealing with missing data and ordinal variables. To address these technical issues, we adapted and modified the O'Connor procedure to provide an alternative method that better approximates the ordinal data by factoring in the frequency distributions of the variables (e.g., the number of response categories and the frequency of each response category per variable). The theoretical and practical differences between the modified procedure and the O'Connor procedure are discussed. The SAS syntax for implementing this modified procedure is also provided.     

ARE ALL LATINAS THE SAME? PERCEIVED BREAST CANCER SCREENING BARRIERS AND FACILITATIVE CONDITIONS

In this article, we examine perceived breast cancer screening barriers and facilitative conditions for immigrant women from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, and South America ( N = 58). Focus groups conducted separately with women of each ancestry were analyzed using grounded theory methods. Identified barriers comprise secrecy, lack of information, embarrassment, fear, and distrust of health care providers. Perceived facilitative conditions include knowing the importance of early detection and noticing a symptom. We compare and contrast findings across ancestries and discuss how psychosocial and cultural factors could be better integrated into early detection programs. The women's high screening rates also suggest that breast cancer screening can be facilitated in this population by addressing institutional factors (e.g., access to health care, transportation).     

Gesture and metaphor comprehension: Electrophysiological evidence of cross-modal coordination by audiovisual stimulation

In recent years, studies have suggested that gestures influence comprehension of linguistic expressions, for example, eliciting an N400 component in response to a speech/gesture mismatch. In this paper, we investigate the role of gestural information in the understanding of metaphors. Event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants viewed video clips of an actor uttering metaphorical expressions and producing bodily gestures that were congruent or incongruent with the metaphorical meaning of such expressions. This modality of stimuli presentation allows a more ecological approach to meaning integration. When ERPs were calculated using gesture stroke as time-lock event, gesture incongruity with metaphorical expression modulated the amplitude of the N400 and of the late positive complex (LPC). This suggests that gestural and speech information are combined online to make sense of the interlocutor’s linguistic production in an early stage of metaphor comprehension. Our data favor the idea that meaning construction is globally integrative and highly context-sensitive.     

Manifest values of eminent psychologists: A content analysis of their obituaries

Obituaries published in theAmerican Psychologist (from January 1979 to December 1990,N=161) were content analyzed to create a modal demographic profile of the deceased and a ranking of the most frequently occurring value themes. Virtually all of the eminent psychologists were highly productive academicians and researchers. Typically, they were also actively involved in other professional arenas (e.g., administration, service). The majority were male (87%), white (99%), and born in the United States (86%). Ninety-seven percent had obtained Ph.D.’s, most frequently from Columbia University (16%), Harvard (11%), and Chicago (6%). Median age at death was 76. The most frequently occurring value themes written about the deceased were that they were independent-minded (67%), a good friend (61%), hard-working (53%), a good teacher/mentor (51%), and a beloved family member (35%). The implications of these data are discussed.     

Academic and nonacademic community psychologists: An analysis of divergence in settings,roles, and values

Differences between academic and nonacademic psychologists may be viewed as immutable, worthy of encouragement, or as a situation which the latter group must remedy by becoming “more scientific.” We contend that for community psychology, which perceives theory, application, and action as valid aspects of its broad paradigm, it would be most adaptive toexplicitly address the challenge of managing a balance between diversity and cohesion. There are signs that the present leadership of Division 27 recognizes aspects of this problem and is reconsidering the role and purpose of the Division as an organizing framework for the discipline (Trickett, Note 3). It is our view that engendering a commitment from various subgroups within the membership to addressing the disparities revealed by our respondents is required for resolving what we see as major obstacles to future development of the discipline. The conceptual and empirical approach presented in this study can be an important tool in forging constructive solutions to the challenges we have presented.     

The hospice: Humane care for the dying

The hospice movement arose as a reaction to the dehumanizing atmosphere of acute-care hospitals, where excessive utilization of life support equipment deprived dying patients of a meaningful vision of their destiny. Respecting the spiritual quest of the terminally ill for wholeness and dignity, the hospice concept prescribes the rendering of compassionate and pastoral care by a benevolent community of family, health care staff, friends, and clergy. Approximately 800 hospice programs are currently evolving in the United States. St. Mary's (formerly “Hillhaven”) Hospice in Tucson, Arizona, offers the most comprehensive program of services, including home care, inpatient care, and artistic media through which the dying express their creativity. Numerous demonstration projects funded by several government agencies, principally the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), are expected to result in the legislative actions eliminating barriers to reimbursement of the cost of hospice services by Medicare, Medicaid, and other third-party payers. Existential analysis reveals the value of religion and spiritual support in enabling the dying to banish anxiety and muster the hope requisite for fully appreciating the authentic meaning of their destiny.     

Learning to Coordinate; a Recursion Theoretic Perspective

We consider two players each of whom attempts to predict the behavior of the other, using no more than the history of earlier predictions. Behaviors are limited to a pair of options, conventionally denoted by 0, 1. Such players face the problem of learning to coordinate choices. The present paper formulates their situation recursion theoretically, and investigates the prospects for success. A pair of players build up a matrix with two rows and infinitely many columns, and are said to “learn” each other if cofinitely many of the columns show the same number in both rows (either 0 or 1). Among other results we prove that there are two collections of players that force all other players to choose their camp. Each collection is composed of players that learn everyone else in the same collection, but no player that learns all members of one collection learns any member of the other. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Association of Gender,Ethnicity, and Length of Residence in the Bay Area to Adolescents' Knowledge and Attitudes about Acquired immune Deficiency Syndrome1

A large-scale survey was conducted in San Francisco to assess adolescents' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about AIDS. Data obtained from 1,326 adolescents demonstrate marked variability in knowledge across informational items, particularly about the precautionary measures to be taken during sexual intercourse which may reduce the risk of infection. The findings identified ethnic differences in knowledge about AIDS, with Asians having a lower overall knowledge score than Hispanics, Blacks, and Caucasians. Adolescents who score below the median for total number of correct responses were more than twice as likely to perceive themselves as very susceptible to AIDS. A comparison of surveys from other parts of the country suggests that proximity to an AIDS epicenter has great saliency for adolescents with respect to their knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. The proportion of adolescents reporting correct responses, for questions in common, between the surveys indicates that students in San Francisco score appreciably higher. A framework is also described for providing school-based risk-reduction health education for adolescents.     

Attributions of Blame and Responsibility in Relation to Distress and Health Behavior Change in People with AIDS and AIDS-related Complex1

There are conflicting views expressed in the literature about whether and under what conditions attributions of self-responsibility or self-blame for one's health affect such variables as distress, emotional adjustment, and adaptive coping. This study examined the impact of attributions of blame and responsibility for the cause and course of disease in 103 persons with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC). Attributing the cause of disease to the self was significantly positively correlated with dysphoria (a combined measure of depression, anxiety, and negative mood) in persons with ADS, whereas possible improvement attributed to the self was significantly negatively correlated with dysphoria in the ARC group. Persons with AIDS who attributed more responsibility for improvement to themselves also made more health behavior changes. Conversely, in the ARC group, health behavior change was not associated with attributing possible improvement to the self. We found no relationship between self-blame and any of the distress or behavior measures. Our findings that the pattern of association between attribution of responsibility are different between persons with AIDS and ARC underscores the need to examine psychological processes within the context of particular health conditions. The results also suggest that attributing self-responsibility for improvement does not have the negative psychological effects of “blaming the victim” as does attributing responsibility for the cause of AIDS to the self.