The cognitive failures questionnaire revisited: dimensions and correlates

The authors reexamined the factor structure of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (D. E. Broadbent, P. F. Cooper, P. Fitzgerald, & K. R. Parkes, 1982) and its correlates. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire was designed to assess a person's likelihood of committing an error in the completion of an everyday task. A principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded 4 internally consistent, interpretable factors. These factors were labeled Memory, Distractibility, Blunders, and (memory for) Names. This study lends partial support for the factor analytic solution proposed by L. K. Pollina, A. L. Greene, R. H. Tunick, and J. M. Puckett (1992). In addition, it extends previous findings by providing initial evidence for the construct validity of the factors established by correlating factor scores with measures of other related constructs (i.e., boredom proneness, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Type A behavior pattern).     

A Factor Analytic Study of the Boredom Proneness Scale

This study investigated the factor structure of the Boredom Proneness (BP) Scale. Previous research on boredom indicates the existence of at least five factors that comprise this construct. Data from 385 participants on the BP scale items were analyzed through a principal components factor analysis with a varimax rotation in which five factors were requested. The results supported the hypothesis that boredom proneness, and therefore the BP scale, consists of at least five factors that are conceptually similar to those discussed in the literature. The findings are discussed in terms of how they provide a more precise measurement of the construct, and how this may have implications for counseling, education, and industry.     

Age-Invariance in the Asymmetry of Stimulus-Evoked Emotional Facial Muscle Activity

This study examined possible effects of aging on the lateralization of stimulus-evoked emotional facial muscle activity. Older participants (mean age 68.4 years) and younger participants (mean age 26.4 years) viewed slides of positive, neutral, or negative emotional content. While participants viewed the slides, bilateral electromyographic (EMG) recordings were obtained from the skin surface over zygomatic and corrugator facial muscles. The participants also made ratings of experienced emotional valence and arousal. Expected patterns of subjective experience and asymmetrical EMG activity were found in response to target stimuli. Greater corrugator muscle activity occurred during presentation of negative stimuli, whereas greater zygomatic muscle activity occurred during presentation of positive stimuli. Consistent with right-hemisphere specialization theories of emotion, left-sided facial EMG activity was consistently greater than that of the right side during presentation of emotional stimuli. However, neither subjective ratings nor EMG patterns showed a significant effect of age group. Such similar patterns of emotional response for the two groups suggest, that the aging process does not produce marked changes in stimulus-evoked emotional experience or in the pattern, magnitude, or lateralization of facial muscle activity associated with emotional states.     

Individual Growth Curve Modeling of Specific Risk Factors and Memory in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes: An Accelerated Longitudinal Design

Objective: To examine if diabetes risk factors disrupt memory score trajectories in youth with T1D over three years with a powerful accelerated longitudinal method and individual growth curve modeling. Methods: Participants aged 9–17 completed memory measures at study enrollment and two years later. Results: Poorer metabolic control over the course of the study related to a significant decrease in visual memory scores. Compared to baseline, these youth scored 1.99 points lower at follow-up. Generally appropriate developmental gains were made in memory trajectories and girls' visual and verbal memory improved more than boys. No significant effects of disease duration, age of onset, or severe hypoglycemia were found on visual or verbal memory over three years time. Conclusions: Of the risk factors studied, only poorer metabolic control had a significant impact upon visual memory after three years. Verbal memory was unaffected. However, given that level of metabolic control tends to remain relatively consistent over time, the effect of continued poorer metabolic control on memory should be monitored.     

Does school suspension affect subsequent youth non‐violent antisocial behaviour? A longitudinal study of students in Victoria,Australia and Washington State,United States

School suspension has been not only associated with negative behaviours but also is predictive of future poor outcomes. The current study investigates (1) whether school suspension is a unique predictor of youth non‐violent antisocial behaviour (NVAB) relative to other established predictors, and (2) whether the predictors of NVAB are similar in Australia and the United States (USA). The data analysed here draw on two statewide representative samples of Grade 7 and 9 students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, USA, resurveyed at 12‐month follow‐up (N = 3,677, 99% retention). School suspension did not uniquely predict NVAB in the final model. The predictors of NVAB, similar across states, included previous student NVAB, current alcohol and tobacco use, poor family management, association with antisocial friends, and low commitment to school. An implication of the findings is that US evidence‐based prevention programmes targeting the influences investigated here could be trialled in Australia.     

The Children's Behavior Questionnaire very short scale: psychometric properties and development of a one-item temperament scale

Little research has been conducted on the psychometrics of the very short scale (36 items) of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, and no one-item temperament scale has been tested for use in applied work. In this study, 237 United States caregivers completed a survey to define their child's behavioral patterns (i.e., Surgency, Negative Affectivity Effortful Control) using both scales. Psychometrics of the 36-item Children's Behavior Questionnaire were examined using classical test theory, principal factor analysis, and item response modeling. Classical test theory analysis demonstrated adequate internal consistency and factor analysis confirmed a three-factor structure. Potential improvements to the measure were identified using item response modeling. A one-item (three response categories) temperament scale was validated against the three temperament factors of the 36-item scale. The temperament response categories correlated with the temperament factors of the 36-item scale, as expected. The one-item temperament scale may be applicable for clinical use.     

RSVP: A task,reading aid,and research tool

Computer presentation of text material is evaluated with respect to its efficiency relative to normal reading. All results are examined in light of the various task analyses associated with different variations on the technique. Finally, the utility of computer presentation as a research tool for investigating human information processing is addressed.