Measuring Context-Specific and Cross-Contextual Components of Hierarchical Constructs

Rating scales are often used to measure behavioral constructs. Yet, different informants’ ratings may not necessarily agree. The situational specificity (SS) perspective postulates that discrepancies between ratings by different informants are primarily attributable to contextual behavior of the people being rated. The multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) perspective, however, attributes discrepancies between informants to rater bias, i.e., each informant provides a systematically distorted picture of the person being rated. Similarly, the Attribution-Bias-Context (ABC) perspective also attributes informant discrepancies to systematic biases. Within the context of measuring hierarchical constructs, we proposed a hybrid perspective that takes account of variance attributable to the behavior of the person being rated in a particular context from the perspective of a specific informant. We then provided a parametric representation of this perspective and analyses of mother, teacher, and self-ratings of Rule-Breaking and Aggressive Behavior to illustrate features of the model. Strengths and limitations of the SS, MTMM, and hybrid perspectives are discussed.     

An Examination of the Factor,Convergent, and Discriminant Validity of the Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scales

The Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scales (BIS/BAS scales) are the most widely used measures designed to assess Gray’s Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory. However, questions remain regarding its factor, convergent, and discriminant validity. We assessed these properties in two samples of undergraduates (N = 723, N = 103). In Study 1, confirmatory factor analysis supported previous findings that suggested removal of several items, resulting in acceptable fit for a four-factor model. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed for the original and revised scales. In Study 2, a public speaking task was used to assess validity of the scales in reference to positive/negative affect. Convergent and discriminant validity for the revised scales were not substantially different from the original scales. We suggest that future researchers should consider the use of the revised measure we describe. We also suggest that the creation of a revised BIS/BAS scale using new items may be warranted.     

Emotional Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Elevated Depressive Symptoms

Difficulties with emotion and its regulation are of central importance to the etiology and course of depression. The current study investigated these constructs in relation to childhood and adolescence by comparing the emotional functioning of 170 9- to 15-year-olds reporting high levels of depressive symptoms (HD) to a matched sample of 170 children and adolescents reporting low levels of depressive symptoms (LD). Compared to LD, HD participants reported significantly greater shame proneness, poorer functioning on emotion regulation competencies (emotional control, self-awareness and situational responsiveness), less healthy emotion regulation strategy use (less reappraisal and greater suppression), and lower levels of guilt proneness. Empathic concern did not differ between the two groups. The findings enhance current knowledge by providing a more comprehensive profile of the emotional difficulties experienced by children and adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms.     

Interpersonal aggression and team effectiveness: The mediating role of team goal commitment

This study examines the detrimental effect that interpersonal aggressive behaviours may have on two dimensions of team effectiveness, namely team performance and team viability. Moreover, this study investigates the mediating role of team goal commitment in these relationships. Data were collected from 97 work teams (341 members and 97 immediate supervisors) working in a public safety organization. The results indicate that interpersonal aggression is negatively related to team performance and team viability. The results also show that team goal commitment exercises a complete mediating role with regard to these relationships. Overall, this study highlights potential negative consequences of interpersonal aggression at the team level.     

Three Students with Developmental Disabilities Learn to Operate an iPod to Access Age-Appropriate Entertainment Videos

Students with developmental disabilities may not have the necessary skills or the same opportunities to access multimedia-based leisure materials as their typical peers. Portable multimedia devices such as the iPod Touch® may provide them with a useful tool for accessing age-appropriate leisure material. The present study examined the feasibility of teaching 3 students with developmental disabilities to independently operate an iPod to watch age-appropriate entertainment videos. A delayed multiple-probe design across participants was implemented with baseline, intervention, fading, and follow-up phases. Video modeling and least-to-most response prompting were successfully used to teach these 3 students to operate an iPod Touch® to watch preferred videos without adult assistance. The results complement previous findings supporting the use of video modeling as an instructional strategy and add to the literature by using portable multimedia devices as assistive technology for teaching an age-appropriate leisure skill.     

Religion and the decision to donate organs: Exploring the potential role of religious leaders

The two‐step flow model of communication (Katz, 1957 ) suggests opinion leaders obtain critical information from the mass media and, in turn, communicate this information to interpersonal contacts such as friends, family and co‐workers. It is suggested that religious leaders (RLs) may serve as opinion leaders on the topic of organ donation by debunking donation myths, promoting donation during worship services, or communicating the benefit of donation to families faced with the opportunity to participate in living or cadaveric donation. The current study examined the personal knowledge, experiences, and willingness to communicate about organ donation in a sample of RLs (N = 59) in Rochester, New York. Structured interviews were conducted in summer and fall of 2009 with a random sample of RLs. Results indicate a disparity between RLs' expressed personal support for donation and their engagement in donor registration. Approximately one‐quarter of RLs have spoken about donation during a religious service and many indicate their knowledge is not sufficient to discuss organ donation in detail. Results elaborate on how RLs may be trained to serve as opinion leaders in the promotion of organ donation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Perceptual awareness and categorical representation of faces: evidence from masked priming

How internal categories influence how we perceive the world is a fundamental question in cognitive sciences. Yet, the relation between perceptual awareness and perceptual categorization has remained largely uncovered so far. Here, we addressed this question by focusing on face perception during subliminal and conscious perception. We used morphed continua between two face identities and we assessed, through a masked priming paradigm, the perceptual processing of these morphed faces under subliminal and supraliminal conditions. We found that priming from subliminal faces followed linearly the information present in the primes, while priming from visible faces revealed a non-linear profile, indicating a categorical processing of face identities. Our results thus point to a special relation between perceptual awareness and categorical processing of faces, and support the dissociation between two modes of information processing: a subliminal mode involving analog treatment of stimuli information, and a supraliminal mode relying on discrete representation.     

The Family Alliance Assessment Scales: Steps Toward Validity and Reliability of an Observational Assessment Tool for Early Family Interactions

We present the first steps in the validation of an observational tool for father-mother-infant interactions: the FAAS (Family Alliance Assessment Scales). Family-level variables are acknowledged as unique contributors to the understanding of the socio-affective development of the child, yet producing reliable assessments of family-level interactions poses a methodological challenge. There is, therefore, a clear need for a validated and clinically relevant tool. This validation study has been carried out on three samples: one non-referred sample, of families taking part in a study on the transition to parenthood (normative sample; n = 30), one referred for medically assisted procreation (infertility sample; n = 30) and one referred for a psychiatric condition in one parent (clinical sample; n = 15). Results show that the FAAS scales have (1) good inter-rater reliability and (2) good validity, as assessed through known-group validity by comparing the three samples and through concurrent validity by checking family interactions against parents’ self-reported marital satisfaction.