MMPI identification of nonrehabilitants among disabled veterans.

Utilized the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) with IQ scores and selected biographic data to identify drop-outs in a Veterans Administration vocational rehabilitation program. Subjects were 61 male disabled veterans. Data were collected at VA Hospital Richmond, Virginia, between September 1973 and September 1974. Follow-up six months after entrance into training utilized persistence in training or employment as success criteria. Multivariate analysis identified 32 of 33 successful and 25 of 28 unsuccessful subjects with p less than .001. Factor analysis of the best predictors identified MMPI Psychopathic deviate (Pd) Hypomania (Ma), and Lie (L) scales which was interpreted to be a social adjustment factor. Four other factors were identified. Results indicated the MMPI was a useful instrument in the identification of disabled veterans who were likely to experience difficulty in post-hospital vocational rehabilitation.     

The primary personality factors of Hawaiian, middle adolescents

To determine whether the primary personality factors of Hawaiian, middle adolescents were the same as those Cattell postulated in 1970, for adolescents on the mainland of the United States, and in 1974 for adolescents in Germany, a personality questionnaire representing those factors completed by 694 Hawaiian, middle adolescents (M age = 15.9 yr.) was factor analyzed. Despite the analysis adhering closely to the recommendations of Cattell stated in 1973 and 1978, the eight factors derived are not the set of primary factors postulated for the other populations. Six of them do appear to be, however, primary factors within a set of seven reported in 1988 for a younger population of Hawaiian, early adolescents. In addition, these six factors also appear to be similar to the major constructs in the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Horney.     

The effect of repeated testing on judgement bias in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris)

Animal Cognition - Judgement bias paradigms are increasingly being used as a measure of affective state in dogs. Approach to an ambiguous stimulus is commonly used as a measure of affect, however,...     

Social representation of aggression as an explanation of gender differences: A preliminary study

Academic theories of aggression can be dichotomized as expressive (in which aggression results from a failure of self control) or instrumental (in which aggression represents the exercise of control over others). We propose that the two sexes hold a parallel distinction in their social representations of aggression; women subscribe to an expressive model, men to an instrumental model. A 20-item questionnaire was generated by systematic comparison of the two theories with respect to their differential predictions concerning perceived social value, proximate causes, relevant emotions and congnitions, form, aim, social facilitators, and reputational aspects of aggression. Factor analysis indicated a first factor of expressive-instrumental aggression on which all items had significant loadings. A significant correlation (.46) was found between gender and questionnaire score confirming the hypothesis. The notion of gender-specific social representations is discussed in terms of its ability to coherently interpret patterns of differences in aggression found in experimental and observational studies.     

Decreasing Neuroleptic Doses in Older Adults with Schizophrenia

This prospective study of 27 older adults, residing in long-term care facilities, examined the effects of reducing neuroleptic medications to the point of controlling symptoms and reducing side effects. Schizophrenia is a challenging health care condition that leads to delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and a host of other symptoms. Unfortunately, medications control many of the symptoms but cause unwanted side effects unless monitored closely and regulated to each person's needs. This study addresses six research questions related to the reduction of neuroleptic medications. Study findings related to neuroleptic medication dose reduction were encouraging. Additionally, the findings strongly suggest that health care providers working with older adults with the diagnosis of schizophrenia would benefit from planned educational programs about behavior, observations, and medications.     

Is there a neighborhood frequency effect in English? Evidence from reading and lexical decision

What is the effect of a word's higher frequency neighbors on its identification time? According to activation-based models of word identification (J. Grainger & A. M. Jacobs, 1996; J. L. McClelland & D. E. Rumelhart, 1981), words with higher frequency neighbors will be processed more slowly than words without higher frequency neighbors because of the lexical competition mechanism embodied in these models. Although a critical prediction of these models, this inhibitory neighborhood frequency effect has been elusive in studies that have used English stimuli. In the present experiments, the effect of higher frequency neighbors was examined in the lexical decision task and when participants were reading sentences while their eye movements were monitored. Results suggest that higher frequency neighbors have little, if any, effect on the identification of English words. The implications for activation-based models of word identification are discussed.     

When is being known or adored by romantic partners most beneficial? Self-perceptions, relationship length, and responses to partner's verifying and enhancing appraisals

An experiment tested the hypothesis that relationship length moderates preferences for both verifying and enhancing appraisals from romantic partners, particularly for people with negative self-perceptions. One hundred and three romantically involved couples participated in this research. Participants with both negative and positive self-perceptions were randomly assigned to receive either verifying or enhancing feedback ostensibly created through comparison of their self-ratings and their partner's appraisals. The critical test was for those with negative self-ratings who received verifying feedback. For these participants, results revealed that those in longer relationships felt their partners were seeing the best in them more than did those in shorter relationships, whereas the opposite pattern of results was observed for those who were enhanced. Individuals with negative self-ratings who were verified also reported greater feelings of intimacy in the relationship when in long-term relationships. The importance of relationship length in moderating responses to partner's appraisals is discussed.