Prognostic validity of the Rorschach

Fifty adult stutterers entering therapy at the UCLA Psychology Clinic were administered the Rorschach, with a Klopfer method inquiry, scoring, form level rating, and calculation of scores on the Rorschach Prognostic Rating Scale (RPRS). On the basis of independent clinician ratings of attitudinal or psychotherapeutic improvement, subjects were divided into groups of Improved Most (n = 21) and Improved Least (n = 29). Subjects were also divided into Continued (n = 43) and Dropped (n = 7). Logistic regression was employed to compare groups on the following Rorschach dimensions: Prognostic Score (RPRS); Human Movement; Animal Movement; Inanimate Movement; Shading; Color; Form Level. The Improved Most group was significantly higher in M, FM, Shading, and Productivity. The finding that M and FM discriminates between improvement groups corroborates results obtained in a previous study (Sheehan et al., 1954). The Rorschach movement variables, particularly M and FM, seem to be stable indicators of capacity for improvement in psychotherapy.     

Evidence for the external validity of a social simulation measure of social skills

Two studies were conducted in order to obtain evidence regarding the external validity of a social simulation measure of social skills. The first study employed a contrasted group design, with the groups consisting of National Guardsmen and psychiatric patients. As predicted, trained judges rated the performances of the National Guardsmen in the simulations as more skillful and appearing less anxious than the psychiatric patients. In the second study, trained judges' ratings of psychiatric patients' performances in the simulations were found to be significantly related to ratings made by interviewers who had conducted a structured social history interview with the patients, nurses' ratings based on their observations of patients after 3 days on the psychiatric unit, a research assistant's ratings based on contact with the patient during the experiment, and finally, the subject's own self-ratings. In discussing the findings, it is hypothesized that one reason why support was found for the external validity of the simulation strategy in this study, in contrast to some previously reported studies, was the use of molar ratings in this study as opposed to the more molecular rating procedures used in those previous studies.These studies were funded in part by a research grant from the Veterans Administration.     

Assessing measurement equivalence across rating sources: a multitrait-multirater approach

Research examining the structure of multisource performance ratings has demonstrated that ratings are a direct function of both who is doing the rating (rating source) as well as what is being rated (performance dimension). A separate line of research has focused on the extent to which performance ratings are equivalent across sources. To date no research has examined the measurement equivalence of multisource ratings within the context of both dimension and rating source direct effects on ratings. We examine the impact of both performance dimension and rating source as well as the degree of measurement equivalence across sources. Results indicate that (a) the impact of the underlying performance dimension is the same across rating sources, (b) the impact of rating source is substantial and only slightly smaller than the impact of the underlying performance dimension, and (c) the impact of rating source differs substantially depending on the source.     

Perceived stress and physiological dysregulation in older adults

We use a population-based representative sample of older Taiwanese to investigate links between respondents' perceived levels of stress and a broad set of biological measures. These biomarkers were collected at a single time (2000) and reflect sympathetic nervous system (SNS)-activity, hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-activity, immune function, cardiovascular function, and metabolic pathways. We model the relationship between perceived stress and (1) extreme values for each of 16 individual biological indicators; and (2) a measure of cumulative physiological dysregulation based on the full set of biomarkers. We consider two measures of perceived stress, one derived from the 2000 interview and the second based on data from three interviews (1996-2000). Age and sex-adjusted models reveal significant associations between measures of perceived stress and extreme values of cortisol, triglycerides, interleukin-6 (IL-6), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and fasting glucose. Examined individually, numerous biomarkers, including those pertaining to blood pressure and obesity, are not significantly related to perceived stress. Jointly, however, the measure of cumulative physiological dysregulation is associated with both the level of perceived stress at a given time and to a longitudinal measure of perceived stress. Some results suggest that the relationship between level of perceived stress and physiological response is stronger for women than men.     

Dealing with trauma at work—the employee's story

This paper describes the responses of employees to traumatic incidents at work. Although organizational policies and procedures have a strong influence on employee behaviours at times of trauma, the psychological contract formed between the employee and the organization is an equally powerful influence. The employee's responses to trauma are described in a three phase model; this model separates the responses at the time of the trauma from the acute responses following the trauma and the chronic responses, some of which may last for many years. Typical employee responses at each trauma phase are illustrated with case material taken from workplace settings. Finally, the paper returns to the importance of the psychological contract and describes how the organizational care programmes can be enhanced or damaged by the way the organization deals with the aftermath of the trauma and its traumatized employees.     

A response Consistency statistic for the millon clinical multiaxial inventory (MCMI)

Response style in objective psychological testing is an important issue in the reliability and validity of tests as well as in the interpretation of test results. The MCMI provides two response-style indices, the validity scale and the weight factor. The present work presents an additional statistic to assess random response in subjects. The Consistency Coefficient is the correlation between the subjects' endorsement of even and odd items across the 20 MCMI scales. The distributions of 500 patient and 500 randomly generated profiles were compared. Good separation between these distributions was found. The subject data were extremely negatively skewed, whereas the randomly generated data were normally distributed. Data are presented that display positive and negative predictive values, as well as sensitivity and specificity across ranges of prevalence and cut score. These data facilitate the identification of subjects who respond to the MCMI in a random manner so that their scores can be interpreted accordingly.