Relative absence of neuropsychological deficit in patients with low grade astrocytomas

Given the current accuracy and precision of modern brain imaging technology, there is presumed to be little utility in neuropsychological assessment procedures in patients with brain tumors. The primary exposure of many clinical neuropsychologists to patients with brain tumors is during their training, in the form of didactic classroom activities, such as reviewing the brain tumor cases of early investigators in the field. Historically, these brain tumors were the more aggressive and destructive tumors, such as grade III and IV astrocytomas, that could be identified with pre CT and pre MRI technology. With current imaging technology, low grade tumors that might previously have gone undiagnosed for years can be detected and patients followed over time. This series of cases represents documentation of the very unique neuropsychological status of patients with relatively slow growing, infiltrative brain tumors classified as grade II astrocytomas. The potential relevance of neuropsychological assessment for such cases is discussed.     

Concepts: a potboiler

An informal, but revisionist, discussion of the role that the concept of a concept plays in recent theories of the cognitive mind. It is argued that the practically universal assumption that concepts are (at least partially) individuated by their roles in inferences is probably mistaken. A revival of conceptual atomism appears to be the indicated alternative.     

The effects of the Let's Get Rational board game on rational thinking,depression, and self-acceptance in adolescents

The present study investigated the effects of the Let's Get Rational board game on rational thinking, depression, and self-acceptance in high school students. A sample of 80 subjects (40 male, 40 female) was selected for participation in this study. Four experimental groups of 10 students played the board game Let's Get Rational for one 52 minute class period once a week for seven weeks. Three dependent measures were used. These included a measure of rational thinking (Child and Adolescent Scale of Irrationality), a measure of depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and a measure of self-acceptance (Adjective Generation Technique). Cell means were calculated for the following independent variables: 1) treatment vs. no treatment, 2) gender—male vs. female, and 3) grade level—9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th. Results indicated that the subjects in the experimental group agreed with fewer irrational beliefs than subjects who received no treatment. Ninth grade experimental subjects reported less irrational thinking than did 9th-grade control group subjects. Finally, 10th-grade experimental subjects were significantly less depressed than 10th-grade control subjects.     

Relationship of High-School Seniors' Perceptions of Parental Involvement and Control to Seniors' Locus of Control

There are competing theories on the effects of parental involvement and control on adolescent development. Each theory holds implications for parents, adolescents, and counselors working with parents and adolescents. Using a national data set, this study sought to support or disconfirm theory and research regarding parental involvement with and control over various aspects of highschool seniors' lives. Findings support the contention that parental involvement and parental control are conditional on one another in predicting adolescents' locus of control. From high-school seniors' perspectives, parental control with parental involvement was related to internal locus of control, whereas control without involvement was related to external locus of control.     

The effects of desire for control and extrinsic rewards on the illusion of control and gambling

The role of individual differences in the desire to control events in an illusion of control situation was examined. Subjects high and low in the desire for control played several trials of a gambling game under conditions either facilitating or not facilitating the perception that the subject had control over the outcome of the game. Half of the subjects were allowed to trade their winnings in on prizes at the end of the experiment. The other half played the game without extrinsic incentives. It was found that high desire-for-control subjects were more susceptible to the illusion of control, but only when the winnings could be traded in on prizes. Desire for control level and illusion of control manipulations did not appear to affect betting behavior in the absence of extrinsic rewards.     

Reaction time,movement time,and intelligence: A replication and extension

The purpose of the investigation was to replicate and extend a study by Jensen and Munro which found reaction time (RT) and movement time (MT) parameters to correlate negatively and moderately with Raven matrices performance. A sample of 20 ninth-grade girls was used. Relationships between RT and MT and Raven scores were found to be negative and moderate to high, thus replicating the Jensen and Munro study. In addition, moderate to strong negative correlations were found between RT and MT parameters and reading comprehension and performance on the California Test of Basic Skills. Weaker relationships were found for mathematics and English grades although the direction was consistently negative.     

Reliability estimation for a test with parts of unknown lengths

The separate questions on an essay test or the individual judges on a rater panel may constitute congeneric parts rather than tau-equivalent parts. Also, it may be necessary to infer the lengths of the congeneric parts from their variances and covariances, rather than from some obvious feature of each part, such as the range of possible scores. Cronbach's alpha coefficient applied to such part-tests data will underestimate total score reliability. Several reliability coefficients are developed for such instruments. They may be regarded as extensions of the coefficient developed by Kristof for a three-part test.     

Further evidence on androgyny and interpersonal flexibility

The component scales from which Bem's index of psychological androgyny is derived are better thought of as measures of dominance and nurturance, rather than “masculinity” and “femininity.” When the Bem scales were administered to 202 male and female college students, along with eight scales that form an interpersonal circumplex, it was once again found that stereotyped, near-stereotyped, and androgynous classifications on the Bem index generalized to sex-role stereotype classifications on other dimensions of interpersonal behavior, as well. Moreover, the Bem index was found to be based on the best available combination of orthogonal interpersonal scales for measuring sex-role stereotypy. In this recent sample of college students, the hypothesis that Bem's index of androgyny reflects the more general construct of interpersonal flexibility was confirmed for both male and female subjects. The recognition that Bem's index of androgyny is specific to the interpersonal domain should encourage others to develop androgyny indices in other domains such as temperatment, interests, and cognitive styles.