Reconstructive processing of memory content for high versus low test scores and grades

Self-reported SAT and ACT scores and grades in college-level mathematics and related courses were verified for 494 individuals. Correct responses decline for 2 years and then stabilize. The percentage of correct responses is approximately twice as high for individuals whose grades are in the upper tercile than for those whose grades are in the lowest tercile. Given that an incorrect report is made, the proportion of those overstating grades or test scores is approximately 0.50 for those in the upper tercile of the distribution, and 0.90 and 0.75 for those in the lowest tercile of the grade and test score distribution. The inflated reports of grades and test scores by individuals with low scores are interpreted as reconstructions of memory content based on failure experiences and the affective context of these experiences.     

MEDICAL PERCEPTIONS OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

Thirty-five physicians in family practice or gynecology, 43 practicing nurses, and 35 menopausal or postmenopausal women rated the frequency, severity, and causality of 15 menopausal symptoms commonly reported in the literature. Subjects also rated their degree of preference for four possible menopause treatments (counseling, estrogen therapy, mood-altering medication, and no treatment) and answered an open-ended question asking them what they saw as the major factor in determining whether a woman would experience difficulty at menopause. The results overall suggest that medical persons see menopausal symptoms as more pathological than women who have experienced or are experiencing menopause and that physicians, relative to menopausal women, adhere to a more psychogenic model in which psychological causality and symptoms are given greater emphasis than menopausal women give them.     

Hormone Moralities

In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power, by Shoshana Zuboff, Basic Books, 1988, 496 pages, hb £14.95/$19.95, pb £8.95/$11.95.     

War-Zone Exposure and Long-Term General Life Adjustment Among Vietnam Veterans: Findings From Two Perspectives1

This two-part investigation examined associations between service in Vietnam and indices of long-term general life adjustment using a national sample of male and female members of the Vietnam generation. In Study 1, we documented reasonably high levels of satisfaction and attainment among Vietnam veterans, levels that differed minimally, on average, from those who served elsewhere and those who never served in the military. In Study 2, dimensions of war-zone stressor exposure were only marginally related to satisfaction and attainment, in contrast with research documenting strong relationships with psychopathol-ogy. These findings support the importance of expanding our thinking about dimensions of mental illness and mental health.     

Sequential Temporal Dependencies in Associations Between Symptoms of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Application of Bivariate Latent Difference Score Structural Equation Modeling

Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are highly comorbid conditions that may arise following exposure to psychological trauma. This study examined their temporal sequencing and mutual influence using bivariate latent difference score structural equation modeling. Longitudinal data from 182 emergency room patients revealed level of depression symptom severity to be positively associated with changes in PTSD intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal over 3 time intervals, beginning shortly after the traumatic event. Higher scores on depression anticipated increases (or worsening) in PTSD symptom severity. The pattern of influence from PTSD symptom severity to change in depression symptom severity simply followed the general trend toward health and well-being. Results are discussed in terms of the dynamic interplay and associated mechanisms of posttrauma depression and PTSD symptom severity.     

Identifying Beneficial Physical Activity During School Recess: Utility and Feasibility of the Fitbit

The purpose of the current study was to assess the utility, feasibility, and reliability of Fitbit accelerometers to measure physical activity (via steps) of 15 young children simultaneously during recess. Fitbit-recorded steps per minute (SPM) were used as the primary measure to assess levels of activity in children playing in various structured (i.e., instructed) and unstructured (i.e., free play) recess activities. The results suggested that the number of steps measured by two Fitbits resulted in high levels of agreement, and the Fitbits were successful at identifying differential levels of activity across multiple types of play activities. Across all children, running or walking was associated with the most SPM (M = 89) and highest percentage of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; M = 47%), followed by soccer (M = 58 SPM; M = 12% MVPA), free play (M = 53 SPM; 3% MVPA), and tag (M = 43 SPM; 7% MVPA). The utility of the Fitbit’s minute-by-minute data records was demonstrated, with the use of additional third-party software by Python, as differential levels of physical activity associated with various play behaviors were detected, and all 15 participants were assessed simultaneously with very few observers.     

Gender Awareness Inventory-VA: A Measure of Ideology,Sensitivity, and Knowledge Related to Women Veterans' Health Care

Within the Veterans Health Administration, it has become increasingly important to assess health-care workers' attitudes toward and beliefs about female patients, sensitivity to the unique needs of female patients, and knowledge about women veterans and the programs and services available to them. The current study describes the development of the Gender Awareness Inventory-VA, an instrument that assesses 3 components: gender-role ideology, gender sensitivity, and knowledge among health-care staff. Data were drawn from various samples of Veterans Health Administration employees in a large geographical region (overall N > 1,100; nationally, this population includes roughly 37% minorities). In a series of psychometric inquiries, evidence for reliability and validity was established, and preliminary evidence was provided for the instrument's underlying factor structure.     

Focus groups in psychological assessment: enhancing content validity by consulting members of the target population

A review of articles in Psychological Assessment reveals that many researchers develop instruments without the benefit of consultation with members of the target population. To the extent that researchers do consult the target population, most fail to bring consultation in early enough to inform the identification and specification of key constructs. Moreover, this consultation typically takes the form of one-to-one interviews. The authors' goal in this article was to elaborate on the importance of population consultation as part of content validation and to critically evaluate the potential of one method of consultation, focus groups, to inform multiple stages of instrument development. The authors suggest that this method holds promise for enhancing the content validity of instruments and, ultimately, the validity of research findings.     

Interaction between amount and pattern of training in the induction of intermediate- and long-term memory for sensitization in aplysia

In Aplysia, three distinct phases of memory for sensitization can be dissociated based on their temporal and molecular features. A single training trial induces short-term memory (STM, lasting <30 min), whereas five trials delivered at 15-min intervals induces both intermediate-term memory (ITM, lasting >90 min) and long-term memory (LTM, lasting >24 h). Here, we explore the interaction of amount and pattern of training in establishing ITM and LTM by examining memory for sensitization after different numbers of trials (each trial = one tail shock) and different patterns of training (massed vs. spaced). Under spaced training patterns, two trials produced STM exclusively, whereas four or five trials each produced both ITM and LTM. Three spaced trials failed to induce LTM but did produce an early decaying form of ITM (E-ITM) that was significantly shorter and weaker in magnitude than the late-decaying ITM (L-ITM) observed after four to five trials. In addition, E-ITM was induced after three trials with both massed and spaced patterns of training. However, L-ITM and LTM after four to five trials require spaced training: Four or five massed trials failed to induce LTM and produced only E-ITM. Collectively, our results indicate that in addition to three identified phases of memory for sensitization—STM, ITM, and LTM—a unique temporal profile of memory, E-ITM, is revealed by varying either the amount or pattern of training.     

National personality characteristics: II. Adaption-innovation in Canadian,American, and British samples

On the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory 1,106 Canadians scored as more adaptive than American and British standardization samples. Means for Canadian females and males were congruent with those in national samples from six other countries.