Measuring the core features of personality disorders in substance abusers using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI)

Personality disorders (PDs) are still classified through categorical taxonomies that are at odds with current research findings. Dimensional models provide a suitable alternative for measuring individual differences. However, as they have traditionally lacked a clear definition of the "disorder" construct, the clinical utility of these models has been limited. This study tests whether Cloninger's dimensional model is able to capture two domains: the features that differentiate PD subtypes from each other and the common core features underlying all PDs. Seventy-four drug dependent patients were independently assessed using the SCID-II and Cloninger's TCI. There was a slight relationship between TCI temperament dimensions and the DSM personality disorder subtypes, but the association was not specific enough to allow differential diagnosis. The character dimension Self-Directedness was strongly associated with the presence and severity of all PDs, irrespective of subtype, correctly classifying 77% of subjects. Character dimensions are a reliable, valid and low-cost tool for detecting PDs in drug abusers and may help to provide an operational definition of the common core features underlying all PDs.     

An Evaluation of Pyramidal Training to Teach Implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System

The pyramidal training or train‐the‐trainer model is a method of training in which a professional teaches a skill to a small group of individuals who then teach that skill to another set of individuals. This model has demonstrated efficacy to teach several behavioral intervention techniques to parents, teachers, and direct care staff in a timely manner. The purpose of the present study was to extend the literature on pyramidal training to teach implementation of the first four phases of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to university students working with a confederate learner. We used a multiple baseline across participants design (Tier 1 and 2) and a non‐concurrent multiple baseline design (Tier 3) to demonstrate the efficacy of this model. Results replicate and extend the literature on pyramidal training. Discussion focuses on implications and limitations to be addressed in future work. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hegel’s logic of finitude

In ??Violence and Metaphysics?? Jacques Derrida suggests that ??the only effective position to take in order not to be enveloped by Hegel would seem to be??to consider false-infinity??irreducible.?? Inversely, refuting the charge of logocentrism associated with Hegelian true infinity (wahrhafte Unendlichkeit) would involve showing that Hegel??s speculative logic does not establish the infinity of being exempt from the negativity of the finite. This paper takes up Derrida??s challenge, and argues that true infinity is crucial to Hegel??s understanding of ideality as a question of normative authority, which does not fall prey to logocentrism. Through an exposition of the dialectic of the finite and the infinite in Hegel??s Science of Logic, I argue that true infinity is not an ontological category that eliminates division, but rather refers to the metalogical standpoint involved in a philosophical account of determinacy. Although fully achieved at the end of the Logic, the metalogical standpoint that Hegel elaborates in the Seinslogik under the banner of the true infinite already clarifies that determinacy is a product of normative authority that is itself precarious.     

On the discrepant results in synchrony judgment and temporal-order judgment tasks: a quantitative model

Research on the perception of temporal order uses either temporal-order judgment (TOJ) tasks or synchrony judgment (SJ) tasks, in both of which two stimuli are presented with some temporal delay and observers must judge the order of presentation. Results generally differ across tasks, raising concerns about whether they measure the same processes. We present a model including sensory and decisional parameters that places these tasks in a common framework that allows studying their implications on observed performance. TOJ tasks imply specific decisional components that explain the discrepancy of results obtained with TOJ and SJ tasks. The model is also tested against published data on audiovisual temporal-order judgments, and the fit is satisfactory, although model parameters are more accurately estimated with SJ tasks. Measures of latent point of subjective simultaneity and latent sensitivity are defined that are invariant across tasks by isolating the sensory parameters governing observed performance, whereas decisional parameters vary across tasks and account for observed differences across them. Our analyses concur with other evidence advising against the use of TOJ tasks in research on perception of temporal order.     

How Does Confucianism Influence Health Behaviors,Health Outcomes and Medical Decisions? A Scoping Review

Journal of Religion and Health - The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of Confucianism on health behaviors, health outcomes and medical decisions. The research was conducted using the...     

Evaluating the use of preparation guides in interteaching versus a quiz alternative

Interteaching is a behavioral teaching method that has demonstrated efficacy in higher education. Of particular interest is the use of a preparation guide (a guided reading assignment), which is designed to promote engagement in the other areas of the interteaching process. The present study compared the use of a preparation guide completed before the start of class with that of a quiz administered at the start of the class. The quiz was hypothesized to serve as a functional alternative to the preparation guide. A total of 38 undergraduate students enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology course participated in this study. The primary dependent measure was student performance on tests following each condition. The analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between the conditions, F(1, 302) = 0.103, p = .748, though qualitative feedback revealed student preference for preparation guides. Future research is necessary to examine the effects of quizzing while addressing the limitations of this study.     

Potencial de aprendizaje: una presentación

Resumen

El «Potencial de Aprendizaje» (PA) es uno de los conceptos más prometedores como complemento y/o sustitución del estático constructo inteligencia y su medida. Basado en el concepto vygostkyano de «Zona de Desarrollo Próximo» así como en otros más recientes como «Modificabiliaad» o «Educabilidad», en los últimos años se han desarrollado una serie de investigaciones tratando tanto de profundizar en este concepto como de proceder a su medida. Con estos objetivos, en la última década un grupo de investigación en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid han desarrollado un dispositivo de medida de PA. A modo de Introducción de este Dossier sobre «Potencial de Aprendizaje» se presenta una síntesis de las investigaciones realizadas.     

Estudio y adaptación experimental del test discriminativo neurológico rápido «QNST»

RESUMEN

En este trabajo los autores presentan una primera adaptación al castellano del Test Discriminativo Neurológico Rápido (QNST), de Mutti, Sterling y Spalding (1974–1978). Para ello comienzan describiendo los catorce subtests que componen la prueba, cómo se corrige y los estudios de validez y fiabilidad realizados. Seguidamente presentan su propio estudio del test, teniendo en cuenta variables tales como edad, sexo, “status” y procedencia rural-urbana (esta última sólo para seleccionar la muestra) y realizan unos baremos referidos a una muestra de la población española. Los autores encuentran que los siete y ocho años son edades clave en las que se producen cambios significativos en la ejecución del QNST, que las diferencias encontradas según el sexo son mínimas y que el nivel cultural influye en la realización de algunas tareas.     

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale in women

This instrumental study was designed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS). The total sample was made up of 582 female college students, with a mean age of 21.68 (SD= 4.45). The results of confirmatory factor analysis identified the six-factor solution proposed by the original authors as the best factor structure, with acceptable fit indices. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .93 for the FMPS total score and ranged from .74 to .91 for the subscales. Test-retest reliability suggested a good temporal stability of the FMPS total score [ICC= .89 (95% CI= .80-.94)] and its subscales. Results showed moderate to high associations between the Spanish version of the FMPS and other measures of perfectionism. The Spanish version of FMPS has shown satisfactory psychometric properties to be used in women. Future research should replicate these findings in broader samples, in clinical populations, and use longitudinal designs to determine whether perfectionism is a risk factor for psychopathology in women.