Coping and job performance

An organizational field study comprising 42 subjects examined the relationship between growth-oriented coping and subsequent job performance. Growth orientation was measured using the 7-item growth scale obtained from the Lazarus Ways of Coping Checklist. The hypothesized relationship between growth orientation and job performance was confirmed. Individuals obtaining high evaluations of managerial performance emphasized growth-oriented strategies in their behaviors. Further research directions are introduced.     

Concurrent validity of the motor domain of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales

The concurrent validity of the motor domain from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales was estimated using scores from the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales as criteria. A moderately high correlation between the measures was obtained. Implications, particularly for preschool children, were discussed.     

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ESTIMATES OF CONTENT AND CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY VALUES

The correspondence between inferences made using two validation strategies–content and criterion-related–were examined in a specific personnel selection application. Empirical validity values and Law-she's (1975) content validity ratios (CVR) were obtained for items from three structured interview guides used in the selection of insurance agents. Ratings of each item by over 300 field managers were used to calculate the CVR values. Statistically significant, yet modest correlations were found between empirical item validities and content validities for an interview guide used to select applicants with prior insurance sales experience. No significant differences were found among these correlations by comparing job experts of different levels of managerial experience and experience in selection. Data for the interview guide used to select experienced applicants also indicated that a content validity approach can be useful in developing a selection instrument with an empirically valid composite rating. The hypotheses were not confirmed for interview guides used to select applicants with no prior insurance sales experience. The practical importance of these results are discussed, as are plans for future research.     

Failure to acquire an inhibitory task following seizure-induced brain damage

Male rats that had displayed limbic seizures following a single pair of systemic injections of lithium and pilocarpine were trained 2 months later on an operant schedule that required differential low rates of responding (DRL). The seizured rats never acquired schedules that required either 6-sec. or 12-sec. inhibition of responses following a reward; these rats displayed more perseverative responding and shorter interresponse times than controls. Histomorphology indicated severe brain damage primarily within the entorhinal cortices (and adjacent amygdala) and dorsal thalamus.     

Effect of alcohol on visual constancy values and possible relation to driving performance

The effects of the constancy phenomena in vision seem to be to provide information about the environment which is not solely dependent upon the characteristics of shape or size of the retinal image but which is modified by the brain to appear closer to the idealized characteristics of the real object. There is a regression away from the retinal image towards the actual object's characteristics. A plate viewed from an angle tends to look more like a disc than would be predicted from the geometry of perspective. This ability of the brain to impose conditions on perception is a high-level process which may be adversely affected by the depressive action of alcohol on the nervous system. In this case, objects such as road signs, etc. would tend to look smaller and so more distant than when sober if regression is inhibited. Drivers' reactions may be delayed if hazards are seen smaller and further away, thereby increasing the possibility of accident. This research indicates a reduction in phenomenal regression after ingestion of alcohol. There are implications for accident-rates in driving or in industry.     

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome--3 case reports

An account is given of three patients who exhibited a malignant neuroleptic syndrome after the administration of neuroplegics. Like other authors, we identified typical elicitation factors and clinical characteristics. In one case a catatonic dilemma with lethal issue was observed. In the final case dealt with in this paper, the renewed application of neuroplegics following the termination of the malignant neuroleptic syndrome was tolerated without complications, whereas in the case of an epileptic patient with damage to the brain, the malignant neuroleptic syndrome returned upon dosage increase.     

Is eye movement dysfunction a biological marker for schizophrenia? A methodological review

There is a high prevalence of eye movement dysfunction (EMD) in persons with schizophrenia and their first-degree relatives. Studies addressing the prevalence, stability, familial transmission, and psychological correlates of EMD in persons from both psychiatric and general populations offer suggestive evidence that this abnormality may serve as a biological marker for schizophrenia. Although these findings are promising, their significance for elucidating the diagnostic bandwidth, pathophysiology, and genetics of this disorder remains to be determined. More precise characterization of ocular motility, perhaps when used in conjunction with global measures of pursuit adequacy, may be essential for clarifying the pathophysiological and genetic significance of EMD for schizophrenia. Recent research efforts are beginning to identify particular abnormalities that could serve as more specific biological markers for schizophrenia.     

Alcohol challenge with sons of alcoholics: a critical review and analysis

Studies are reviewed in which response to acute administration of alcohol was compared between individuals with and without family histories of alcoholism (FH+, FH-). This research represents a search for a psychobiological marker for alcoholism. A methodological critique of the procedures reported in this literature is then presented. Finally, a conceptual model is suggested in which differences in the response to alcohol between FH+ individuals and FH- individuals must be understood in relation to time after drinking alcohol. This Newtonian differentiator model proposes that sons of alcoholics exhibit acute sensitization as blood alcohol level rises and acute tolerance as blood alcohol level falls, compared with sons of nonalcoholics. Therefore, FH+ subjects find alcohol more rewarding because they accentuate the pleasurable, excitatory aspects of initial intoxication and attenuate the feelings of anxiety and depression that predominate as blood alcohol levels drop.