Extreme appraisals of internal states and bipolar symptoms: the Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Predictions Inventory

The Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Predictions Inventory (HAPPI; W. Mansell, 2006) was developed to assess multiple, extreme, self-relevant appraisals of internal states. The present study aimed to validate the HAPPI in a clinical sample. Participants (N = 50) with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (confirmed by a structured clinical interview) completed a series of questionnaires pertaining to clinical factors, reward motivation, cognitive style, symptoms, and functioning at baseline, in addition to the HAPPI. Over the following 4 weeks, participants were asked to complete self-report measures of symptoms (activation, perceived conflict, depression, and well-being), as well as work and social functioning, twice weekly. The authors hypothesized that the HAPPI would be associated with prospective bipolar symptoms and functioning, when controlling for baseline symptoms and potentially confounding measures. The HAPPI was positively, independently associated with activation and conflict after 4 weeks. Furthermore, individual HAPPI factors were associated with activation, conflict, and depression. The results provided preliminary support for the predictive validity of the HAPPI in a clinical sample. The HAPPI could be used in the future as a tool in cognitive behavioral therapy for bipolar disorder to identify problematic beliefs and guide formulation.     

Age and age of acquisition: An evaluation of the cumulative frequency hypothesis

An important determinant of picture and word naming speed is the age at which the names were learned (age of acquisition). Two related interpretations of these effects are that they reflect differences between words in their cumulative frequency of use, or that they reflect differences in the amount of time early and lateacquired words have spent in lexical memory. Both theories predict that differences between early and late-acquired words will be less apparent in older than younger adults. Two experiments are reported in which younger and older adults read words varying in age of acquisition or frequency, or named objects varying in age of acquisition. There was an observed effect of word frequency only for young adults' word naming. In contrast, strong age of acquisition effects were found for both the young and the old participants. The implications of these results for theories of how age of acquisition might affect lexical processing are discussed.     

The use of imagery in cognitive therapy for psychosis: A case example

There has been a long tradition of studying imagery in relation to psychotic symptoms. Recent studies have suggested that imagery may be involved in the development and maintenance of psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions in particular). Following a review of this literature, including work conducted by the author and colleagues, a case study is used to illustrate the clinical applications of this work. Working with images that were associated with persecutory delusions appeared to contribute to a reduction in distress, preoccupation, and conviction in relation to these beliefs, which were assessed using a standardised measure (PSYRATS). The implications for theory, practice, and future research are considered.     

Intrusive thoughts and auditory hallucinations: a comparative study of intrusions in psychosis

Several theories of auditory hallucinations implicate the involvement of intrusive thoughts and other theories suggest that the interpretation of voices determines the distress associated with them. This study tested the hypotheses that patients who experience auditory hallucinations will experience more intrusive thoughts and be more distressed by them and interpret them as more uncontrollable and unacceptable than the control groups. It also examines whether the interpretation of hallucinations is associated with the distress caused by them and whether there are differences in the way that patients respond to and interpret their thoughts and voices. A questionnaire examining the frequency of intrusive thoughts and the reactions to them was administered to a group of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia who experienced auditory hallucinations, a psychiatric control group and a non-patient control group. In addition, the patients in the first group completed a similar questionnaire in relation to their voices. Analyses of covariance showed that patients who experienced auditory hallucinations had more intrusive thoughts than the control groups and that they found their intrusive thoughts more distressing, uncontrollable and unacceptable than the control groups. Correlational analyses revealed that patients' interpretations of their voices were associated with the measures of distress in relation to them. Repeated measures analyses of covariance found no differences between thoughts and voices on the dimensions assessed. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Facial composite production: a comparison of mechanical and computer-driven systems

Computer-driven systems for constructing composite faces of suspects (E-fit; Mac-a-Mug) have largely replaced mechanical systems (Photofit; the Identikit) in police use, yet little is known of their comparative effectiveness in rendering an accurate likeness. Participants (N = 24) constructed 2 of 4 familiar or unfamiliar faces, for one of which they used Photofit and for the other, E-fit. A likeness of each face was made first under target-absent conditions and then with photographs of the target present. The accuracy of the resulting composites was assessed by familiarity ratings, names elicited, and matching accuracy. The computer-driven system showed consistent superiority only when a familiar face was constructed in the presence of photographs; when participants worked from memory, E-fit was no better than Photofit. The implications of these findings for theories of face retrieval and the operational use of composites are discussed.     

Thoughts regarding the qualitative analysis of human movement

The qualitative analysis of human movement is composed of many parts. Trying to assess the contribution of each of these components to the whole process of qualitative analysis is difficult. Evaluating a qualitative approach to human movement analysis using quantitative procedures can lead to misinterpretations. Qualitative analysis of movement has components important to its success which cannot be gauged by traditional biomechanical standards.     

Interpret with caution: multicollinearity in multiple regression of cognitive data

Shibihara and Kondo in 2002 reported a reanalysis of the 1997 Kanji picture-naming data of Yamazaki, Ellis, Morrison, and Lambon-Ralph in which independent variables were highly correlated. Their addition of the variable visual familiarity altered the previously reported pattern of results, indicating that visual familiarity, but not age of acquisition, was important in predicting Kanji naming speed. The present paper argues that caution should be taken when drawing conclusions from multiple regression analyses in which the independent variables are so highly correlated, as such multicollinearity can lead to unreliable output.