Frequency of neurologic-psychiatric findings in the late phase following minor and medium severe blunt craniocerebral injuries

The authors present a short review of the pertinent literature and report on their own neuropsychiatric findings following internal craniocerebral injuries, at the same time drawing attention to the necessity of psychological examination. Statistical comparisons with the international literature are complicated owing to the different classifications used for craniocerebral injuries.     

THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICALLY BASED INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ON WORKER PRODUCTIVITY: A META-ANALYSIS

A meta-analysis of the effects on worker productivity of 11 types of psychologically based organizational interventions showed that such programs, on average, raised worker productivity by nearly one-half standard deviation. The strength of effects was found to vary by type of intervention, criterion of productivity, contextual factors in organizations, and features of research design. Also discussed in the paper are comparisons of conclusions reached through meta-analysis versus traditional methods of literature review.     

EFFECTS OF APPLICANT RACE, SEX, SUITABILITY, AND ANSWERS ON INTERVIEWER'S QUESTIONING STRATEGY AND RATINGS

Impression formation research (Snyder & Swann, 1978) suggests that people engage in information seeking strategies designed to confirm their impressions of others. In an extension of this work to the selection interview, Sackett (1982) found, however, that subjects did not consistently adopt a confirmatory information seeking strategy. This study is a further examination of Snyder and Swann's theory. In simulated interviews 170 subjects (1) read resumes of hypothetical applicants, (2) selected ten questions to ask each applicant, (3) received written responses to each question immediately on its selection, and (4) rated each applicant's suitability. An interaction accounting for 73% of variance indicated that applicant ratings were based primarily on the content of applicants' responses, but initial impressions also played a part. No clear-cut, confirmatory information seeking strategy was observed.     

Microcomputer-assisted relaxation

The present pilot study was designed to test the effectiveness of a microcomputer program developed by the authors to induce relaxation and focused attention, which are common to most clinical stress-reduction and hypnotic procedures. A nonclinical sample of 20 adults used the program on an APPLE IIc computer in two 30-min. sessions in a within-subjects design. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed significant decreases in the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale and on a visual analog anxiety scale. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.     

Laterality and field dependence

The purposes of this study were (1) to replicate a right visual-field advantage for a version of the Embedded Figures Test modified for tachistoscopic presentation and (2) to test for a relationship between field independence and performance on modified Embedded Figures Test items presented to the right visual-field. 34 right-handed subjects were presented Embedded Figures Test items to the left, center, and right visual-fields for 150 msec. The Group Embedded Figures Test was also given. Results showed a right visual-field advantage on the modified embedded-figures test and (2) a negative relationship between Group Embedded Figures Test performance and right visual-field scores. These findings were discussed in terms of the differences between the two versions of the embedded-figures test, memory for simple figures, specificity of judgment, and sustained versus tachistoscopic perception. A tentative conclusion suggests that a better internal representation of the briefly presented complex figures places field-independent subjects at a disadvantage on the modified version of the test.     

Effects of figure-ground reversal on the visual-perceptual and visuo-motor performances of cerebral palsied and normal children

Individuals with brain damage often encounter visual perceptual and visuo-motor difficulties. Studies have indicated an improvement in exceptional individuals' performances when the colors of figure-ground materials were reversed. Effects of reversals were studied for spastic cerebral palsied and normal children's scores on the Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration and the Motor-free Visual Perception Test. Normal children performed better than the cerebral palsied children on all tests; the cerebral palsied children performed best on the reversed-format Motor-free Visual Perception Test. Reversal affected neither group's scores on visual-motor integration.     

Control in memory for movement cues by mentally retarded children

The study was designed to determine the desirability of providing external prompts (1) to use a mnemonic to enhance accuracy of recall and (2) to use response 'priming' in memory for spatial location by mentally retarded persons. Two groups of 40 mentally retarded boys and girls and two groups of 40 MA-matched nonretarded children were compared for accuracy in the recall of movement on an arm-positioning task. No differences were found between mentally retarded subjects and MA-matched subjects treated under the same conditions. However, all groups were unable to make spontaneous control adjustments to accommodate the covert manipulations made just prior to recall. By providing response primes, appropriate performance adjustments were made by all groups, resulting in a significant improvement in accuracy of recall. These findings serve to reaffirm earlier reports showing remarkable similarity between the mentally retarded and MA-matched nonretarded subjects.     

Improving the test-taking skills of learning-disabled students

16 learning-disabled second- and third-grade students were matched on previous years' achievement scores and grade and assigned at random to experimental and control conditions. Students in the experimental condition were given 8 20-min. sessions of training in test-taking skills particular to the Stanford Achievement Test. Analysis of test scores indicated trained students scored significantly higher on one subtest of a shortened version of the test than students who had not been trained.     

Exner's Four Square: useful index in appraisal of learning disability?

Rorschach protocols, focusing on Exner's Four Square, were obtained for 14 boys who had been referred for a second opinion following an initial diagnosis as learning disabled. The findings indicated wide diversity, suggesting that a significant proportion of students manifest fundamental problems which are not essentially cognitive in nature. For these students, traditional psychoeducational decisions may be inappropriate and unproductive.     

Effects of a paradoxical intervention on a child's anxiety about sleep- and sports-related performance

A paradoxical instruction was used to treat a 10-yr.-old boy's complaint of crying when unable to sleep and the daytime equivalent of fearing the public display of crying when failing at sports performances. The instruction resolved both the sleep disturbance and the public crying. The results suggest that, like adults, children may experience anxiety about sleep difficulties and that paradoxical intention may have promise for the treatment of some children's insomnia.