Book reviews

Dewsbury, D.A. (Ed.). (1990). Contemporary issues in comparative psychology. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer. Pp. xiii + 509. ISBN 0-87893-137-6. £21.95 (paperback).

Goudie, A.J., & Emmett-Oglesby, M. W. (Eds.). (1989). Psychoactive drugs: tolerance and sensitization. Clifton, NJ: The Humana Press. Pp. 600. ISBN 0-89603-148-9. £46.00.

Edwards, G. & Lader, M. (1990). The nature of drug dependence. Society for the Study of Addiction Monograph No 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp. 240. ISBN 0-19-261772-9. £30 (hardback).

Lieberman, D.A. (1990). Learning, behavior and cognition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Inc. Pp. xx + 500. ISBN 0-534-12318-X. £16.95 (hardback).

Krasnegor, N.A. & Bridges, R. S. (Eds.). (1990). Mammalian parenting. Biochemical, neurobiological, and behavioral determinants. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp. 502. ISBN 0-19-505600-0. £60.00 (hardback)     

Interpersonal responses among sibling dyads tested for BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutations.

OBJECTIVE: The familial context plays an important role in psychosocial responses to genetic testing. The purpose of this study was to compare sibling pairs with different combinations of BRCA1/BRCA2 test results on measures of affect, interpersonal responses, and physiological reactions. DESIGN: Forty-nine sibling dyads with different combinations of BRCA1/BRCA2 test results (i.e., mixed, positive, negative) completed a questionnaire, and 35 of the dyads also participated in a laboratory-based discussion of genetic testing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome variables included participant reports of supportive actions toward their sibling, state anger and anxiety, perceptions of sibling behavior, and electrodermal responses. RESULTS: Compared to positive and negative dyads, mixed pairs reported less friendly general support actions, noted more anger, and perceived their sibling to be less friendly and more dominant during the interactions. In comparisons between same-result (i.e., positive, negative) pairs, positive dyads reported more dominant support behaviors and perceived their sibling to be friendlier during the interactions. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that siblings who have different test results may experience more interpersonal strain than siblings who have the same test result. Future research on genetic testing and family relationships can expand upon these findings.     

Parent,teacher, and peer ratings of physically abused and nonmaltreated Children's behavior

Behavior ratings by parents, teachers, and classmates of physically abused fourth to sixth graders, identified from the New York City Maltreatment Register, and case-matched classroom controls, showed substantial concurrence among informants: Parents and teachers both rated significantly more behavioral disturbance in the abused children, and peers' ratings were significantly correlated with adults' ratings, especially those by teachers. Children's exposure to spouse or partner physical abuse, which had a substantial prevalence among both child-abusing and control families, reduced the difference in disturbance ratings between children who were themselves physically abused and those who were not. Overall, we conclude that physically abused children show pervasive behavioral disturbance, in that parents, teachers, and classmates all see higher levels of behavior problems and lower levels of socially desirable behavior in them compared to their nonmaltreated peers.This research was supported in part by research grant R01MH38814 and Clinical Research Center grant MH30906 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors thank the New York City Child Welfare Administration, especially Terry Weiss, for facilitating access to the Maltreatment Register; the NYC Board of Education for access to schools; and the many participating superintendents, principals, and teachers. Some preliminary data were presented as a poster at the Meetings of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, New York, 1989.     

Dimensions of interpersonal orientation: Cross-cultural studies regarding the structure of the ‘DOI Kit’

The DOI Kit is a four-version instrument (Junior Self and Other-Report, and Adult Self-and Other-Report) developed in Spain to measure ‘Dimensions of Interpersonal Orientation’ (Spanish: ‘Dimensiones de Orientación Interpersonal’ or DOI), which are defined as prevalent postures in interpersonal behaviour. The DOI Kit has six first-level scales that collapse into two broad oblique dimensions: Prosocial versus Antisocial Behaviour, and Sociability versus Unsociability.The aim of this article is to find out whether the first- and second-level structure of the Spanish DOI Kit can also be applied to data gathered in Chile and in Germany. A total of eight groups of data were studied. In order to find the best common structure for Spanish, Chilean, and German samples, Simultaneous Component Analysis (SCA) was applied. SCA shows an excellent replication of the original DOI Kit structure. This is also found when separate factor analyses (varimax and oblimin rotations) are performed.     

The Role of Neighborhood Context and School Climate in School‐Level Academic Achievement

In recent years, the quality of education available to children has become increasingly dependent on the social and economic demographics of neighborhoods in which the children live. This study assesses the role of community violence in explaining the relation between socio‐economic status (SES) and academic outcomes and the potential of positive school climate to promote academic achievement. With a sample of 297 Chicago public elementary schools, we examine community‐level and school‐level data and use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping to illustrate how school academic achievement coincides with neighborhood economics and crime statistics. Results support the hypothesized mediation, such that lower SES was associated with lower academic achievement, and violent crime partially mediated this relation. School climate was positively associated with academic achievement, and student safety significantly moderated the relation between SES and academic achievement. Implications for theory, research, and intervention are discussed.     

Equivalence‐based instruction to establish a textual activity schedule in an adult with Down syndrome

Transfer of control from picture to text‐based activity schedules has been shown to occur following conditional discrimination training in children with autism. This study extended this research by evaluating if conditional discrimination training could promote transfer of control in an adult with Down syndrome. The participant was taught to select photographs and pictures of kitchen tools when provided with dictated names. Then, he completed a text‐based activity schedule, matched printed words to photographs, and orally named printed words without direct training.     

A Meta-Analysis of Neuropsychological Effort Test Performance in Psychotic Disorders

Neuropsychology Review - Psychotic disorders are characterized by a generalized neurocognitive deficit (i.e., performance 1.5 SD below controls across neuropsychological domains with no specific...