Amnesia and competency to stand trial: A review of legal and clinical issues

Recent case law is discussed regarding the role of amnesia in determining competency to stand trial. Clinical issues are examined for a range of amnestic conditions on a spectrum of organic and functional disorders. Clinical methods are explored for establishing the extent of amnesia and its relevance to competency.     

Family coercion and valid consent

Coercion is commonly said to invalidate consent, and that is always true if the source of the coercion is the physician. However, if it is a family member who coerces the patient to consent, the resultant consent may be quite valid and treatment should proceed.     

Transformation to achieve a longitudinally stationary factor pattern matrix

Meredith's method of extracting a factorially invariant solution is adapted to longitudinal settings. An explorational estimation procedure is presented which attempts to identify the longitudinal factor components of an across occasion variance-covariance matrix. This is effected by transforming an initial factor pattern matrix to stationarity. The estimation is performed in two parts, the first employing a stepwise algorithm to ascertain the dimensionality and existence of the longitudinal components and the second being the direct estimation of the existing factor pattern.     

Curse of the qualia

In this paper I distinguish three alternatives to the functionalist account of qualitative states such as pain. The physicalist-functionalist₁ holds that (1) there could be subjects functionally equivalent to us whose mental states differed in their qualitative character from ours, (2) there could be subjects functionally equivalent to us whose mental states lacked qualitative character altogether and (3) there could not be subjects like us in all objective respects whose qualitative states differed from ours. The physicalist-functionalist₂ holds (1) and (3) but denies (2). The transcendentalist holds (1) and (2) and denies (3). I argue that both versions of physicalist-functionalism inherit the problem of property dualism which originally helped to motivate functionalist theories of mind. I also argue that neither version of physicalist-functionalism can distinguish in a principled way between those neurophysiological properties of a subject which are relevant to the qualitative character of that subject's mental states and those which are not. I conclude that the only alternative to a functionalist account of qualitative states is a transcendentalist account and that this alternative is not likely to appeal to the critics of functionalism.     

Assessment of stress-buffering effects of social networks on psychological symptoms in an inner-city elderly population

Social network researchers have been divided into two camps: those who propose that social networks have a direct effect on subsequent psychological symptoms and those who posit a stress-buffering effect as well. Previous research has been limited by rudimentary measures of social interaction and the absence of longitudinal data as well as by different approaches to the assessment of possible buffering effects. In the present study, using 19 social network variables, the authors followed 133 elderly residents of mid-Manhattan SRO hotels for 1 year. Three different methods of determining buffering effects were examined: Dividing the sample into high- and low-stress groups and contrasting differences in percentage variance accounted for by social networks between the two groups; Examining the group as a whole to assess if any Network Variable X Stress interactional terms are significant; Examining the group as a whole to assess whether there is a reduction in the beta value of stress with respect to psychological symptoms when network variables are added to the analysis. Method 1 indicated a direct network effect, but none of the methods indicated a buffering effect. Of clinical relevance was the nonlinearity of the network effects, that is, depending upon a person's stressor level, different network dimensions must be emphasized and strengthened.     

An objective evaluation of special class placement of elementary schoolboys with behavior problems

Behavioral checklists were employed to identify the type and degree of psychopathology observed in 90 boys who were referred for possible placement in classrooms for the socially and emotionally disturbed (SED). School behavior was assessed by teachers completing the Conners Teacher Rating Scale, while behavior at home was rated by parents with the Child Behavior Checklist. The checklist findings from both environments showed the boys to have high levels of psychological disturbance, especially for externalizing factors such as hyperactivity, aggression, and conduct disorder. This was especially true for those boys for whom SED placement was recommended. Further, the clinical usefulness of these checklists was investigated as an adjunctive method for the determination of the need for SED placement. By the use of discriminant function analysis, about three-fourths of the boys recommended for SED placement were accurately identified; correct classification was maximized when parent and teacher checklists were employed together.     

TRAINED,GENERALIZED, AND COLLATERAL BEHAVIOR CHANGES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN RECEIVING GROSS-MOTOR SKILLS TRAINING

Three preschool children participated in a behavioral training program to improve their gross-motor skills. Ten target behaviors were measured in the training setting to assess direct effects of the program. Generalization probes for two gross-motor behaviors, one fine-motor skill, and two social behaviors were conducted in other settings. Results indicated that the training program improved the gross-motor skills trained and that improvements sometimes generalized to other settings. Contrary to suggestions in educational literature, the gross-motor training program did not produce changes in fine-motor skills or social behaviors. Implications for educators and for the development of the technology of generalization are outlined.