Internal Validity of the Disruptive Behavior Disorder Symptoms: Implications from Parent Ratings for a Dimensional Approach to Symptom Validity

A dimensional approach was used to evaluate the internal validity of the DSM-III-R ADHD-inattention, ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms (i.e., whether a symptom has a stronger correlation with its own dimension than the other three). Parents rated 4,019 children between the ages of 2 and 19 on these symptoms. The results showed that 5 of the 6 inattention symptoms, 3 of the 4 hyperactivity symptoms, 1 of the 4 impulsivity symptoms, 6 of the 9 oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, and 8 of the 11 CD symptoms had significant internal validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) found support for inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, oppositional defiant, and conduct disorder dimensions. Multiple-group CFA also found support for factor pattern and loading invariance across gender. The implications of these results as well as the merits of the dimensional approach to symptom validity are discussed in the context of the DSM-IV changes in ADHD, ODD, and CD.     

The consistency of scores and configural patterns between the MMPI and MMPI-2

This article is an extension of the Ben-Porath and Butcher (1989a) study, investigating the claim that the scores and configural patterns of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) are consistent with those of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). College students (200 men and 200 women) were randomly assigned to either the original to original condition (O-O), in which they took the MMPI twice, or the original to revised condition (O-R), in which they took the MMPI and the MMPI-2. Correlations and configural patterns of the O-O condition were compared to those of the O-R condition. Results suggest some score changes between the MMPI and MMPI-2, particularly on Scales L, 5, and 8 for men and Scales L and 5 for women.     

Eating disorders in the DSM-IV

The guiding principles and operating procedures of the Eating Disorders Work Group are described. Provisional diagnostic criteria for the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are listed, together with an explanation of how and why they differ from the revised 3rd edition (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Consideration of a possible new diagnosis is noted.     

Self-esteem and sexual behavior: Exploring gender differences

Previous studies have shown that the relationship between sexual permissiveness and self-esteem fluctuates with the social climate. The present study found that high self-esteem males and females had a significantly greater number of sexual partners than low self-esteem subjects. The relationship is particularly strong for males. The greatest difference in self-esteem levels was found between male virgins and nonvirgins. Self-esteem levels did not differ between female virgins and nonvirgins. Sensation seeking, marital status, and age were also found to be significantly related to number of coital partners.     

Symbiosis and Confirmation Between the Parents of the Schizophrenic

Parents of schizophrenics (N = 17 ) were compared with parents of nonschizophrenic hospitalized patients (N = 14 ) and parents of normals (N = 15 ) on the degree of symbiotic enmeshment and confirmation of individuality in the parental relationship. Symbiosis was divided into six component variables: undifferentiation, dependency, intervention, disapproval of other relationships, separation difficulty, and injunctions. Confirmation was bifurcated into acknowledgment and accommodation. Projective tests (TAT and Make-A-Picture-Story) and interviews were used to measure both variables. The results suggest that mothers of schizophrenics tend to be symbiotically attached to their husbands and view their husbands as forming the same type of attachment to them. Fathers of schizophrenics do not tend to be symbiotically involved with their wives but fail to confirm them. The implications of the results for the family system of the schizophrenic are discussed.     

Rapid adaptation to a prismatic distortion

Among several shape distortions caused by a wedge prism is one where a pattern of evenly spaced lines that are parallel to the prism base reaches the eye with distances seen through the base region contracted and distances seen through the apex region expanded. Rapid partial adaptation to this distortion was obtained by having subjects who wore the prism in vertical orientation move the head up and down during the exposure period. The head movements caused the distortion to shift up and down through the line pattern. When, with subjects’ heads stationary, the distortion was made to shift up and down by artificial means, rapid adaptation failed to develop. It is proposed that head movements are here needed for adaptation to develop, because the covariance between them and the shifting of the distortion serves as a signal that the distortions are not objective facts and causes the initiation of the adaptation process.     

Occupational level and Holland's theory for employed men and women

The main concern of this study was to investigate occupational level differences among men and women employed in Enterprising environments using the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and the Self-Directed Search (SDS). The VPI and SDS were administered to 84 male and female workers at high (insurance managers) and low (route salespersons) occupational levels. All workers were employed in Enterprising environments. The findings showed that high occupational level workers tend to be more differentiated and more masculine than low occupational level workers. In addition, the results revealed that the employed men and women tend to respond differently to the VIP and the SDS. Finally, the evidence indicated that all of the occupational groups obtained mean scores on the Enterprising scale of the two inventories that were consistent with Holland's theoretical predictions.     

Intraindividual consistency on a cross-modality matching task

Three observers matched tone bursts and flashes for stimulus magnitude. Matches were made by each observer during 14 sessions over a 2-month period. No intraindividual differences in power function exponents were found. Power function exponents for individuals seem to remain constant across many repetitions of this psychophysical task.     

Functional organization of the rat amygdala with respect to avoidance behavior.

Bilateral electrolytic lesions in the periamygdaloid piriform cortex of female albino rats produced marked disruptive effects on the acquisition of active avoidance responses in a 1-way as well as a 2-way test situation, significantly impaired passive avoidance behavior, and inhibited feeding in a novel environment. Lesions in each of the 6 major subdivisions of the amygdala (cortical, medial, central, intercalated, lateral, and basolateral nuclei) consistently produced facilitatory effects on active avoidance behavior in 1-way as 2-way situations. Passive avoidance behavior was impaired in animals with lesions in the central, intercalated, and basolateral nuclei. Damage to the anterior amygdaloid area or the the nuclei of the lateral olfactory tract did not reliably affect active or passive avoidance behavior.