New Factor Structure of the Interpretation of Intrusions Inventory with University Students

The Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (OCCWG) created the Interpretation of Intrusions Inventory (III) to measure appraisals (interpretations) of mental intrusions. Validation attempts by the OCCWG suggest that the three appraisal mechanisms hypothesized to comprise the III are better described as a single construct. The underlying factor structure of the III was investigated with university students (n = 307). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the theoretically-derived three-factor model and on the empirically-derived one-factor model of the III. Both models failed to adequately fit the data. Thus, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted, which produced a two-factor model consisting of appraisals of Responsibility and Importance/Control of Thoughts. The new factors exhibited good predictive validity, as they predicted the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and subtypes of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Anxiety and Depression: Evidence for the Differentiation of Commonly Cooccurring Constructs

Anxiety and depression frequently cooccur diagnostically. This observation has led researchers to investigate whether anxiety and depression can be meaningfully distinguished as unique theoretical constructs or whether they are better conceptualized as features of a general psychological distress. In the present study, we attempted to differentiate self-reported state and trait anxiety from depression in a university sample (N = 593) using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales (EMAS). In addition, we examined the relationship among self-reported anxiety, depression, and neuroticism to determine the extent to which the Anxiety and Depression facet scales of the NEO Personality Inventory—Revised represent distinct and mutually exclusive measures of anxiety and depression. Principal-components analyses and a series of multiple regression models were used to conduct this investigation. Results indicate that both state and trait anxiety and depression can be reliably differentiated with the BDI and the EMAS. Results also suggest that invoking a single general distress factor to explain the strong interrelationships between anxiety and depression in nonclinical samples is premature.     

Workaholism among employees in Japanese corporations: An examination based on the Japanese version of the Workaholism Scales

Abstract: To examine the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Workaholism Scales developed originally by J. T. Spence and A. S. Robbins (1992), a questionnaire survey of workers in Japanese industrial organizations was conducted. The Japanese questionnaire was developed by back-translation. Added to the original questionnaire were scales for work overload - quantity, work overload - quality, role ambiguity and role conflict. A total of 1,072 workers (962 men, 110 women) returned usable data (response rate = 87.5%). The factor structure and reliability of the workaholism instrument for Japanese male subjects look almost identical to those obtained by the original study in America except that the work involvement dimension was not reproduced as an independent factor, but overlapped with the drive dimension for the Japanese sample. There was a significant impact of workaholism on job stress and health complaints among Japanese male employees.     

Obtaining Systematic Teacher Reports of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Utilizing DSM-IV

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Vanderbilt AD/HD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale (VADTRS) and provides preliminary normative data from a large, geographically defined population. The VADTRS consists of the complete list of DSM-IV AD/HD symptoms, a screen for other disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety and depression, and ratings of academic and classroom behavior performance. Teachers in one suburban county completed the scale for their students during 2 consecutive years. Statistical methods included (a) exploratory and confirmatory latent variable analyses of item data, (b) evaluation of the internal consistency of the latent dimensions, (c) evaluation of latent structure concordance between school year samples, and (d) preliminary evaluation of criterion-related validity. The instrument comprises four behavioral dimensions and two performance dimensions. The behavioral dimensions were concordant between school years and were consistent with a priori DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Correlations between latent dimensions and relevant, known disorders or problems varied from .25 to .66.     

Investigating the validity of the Perceptual Awareness Scale – The effect of task-related difficulty on subjective rating

The Perceptual Awareness Scale (PAS) is often used to probe conscious experience, but the assumptions behind the scale and its validity are rarely tested. Using a continuous colour estimation task to assess perceptual quality, we focus on how well PAS follows perceptual quality and how the presence of the estimation task affects PAS ratings. We varied the number and presentation time of stimuli in a simultaneous presentation and target position in a sequential presentation. In all experiments, PAS rating closely followed colour precision. However, it was affected by task-induced response bias, even when the possible task difficulty was judged, without performing the task itself. Still, this bias was only observed on the absolute rating level rather than the scale's ability to capture changes in perceptual quality. Reported studies shed light on factors influencing scales outside of the scale formulation and construction.     

Evaluating associations between maternal social support and cognitive development for infants in poverty

Infant cognitive development may be associated with maternal social support, although these relations have not been well-examined for infants living in poverty. We explore whether maternal social support is associated with cognitive development for 113 infants living in poverty. Infant cognition was measured at age 9–12 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development 3rd edition. Mothers provided information regarding perceived social support received from fathers, family, friends, and community members. Controls included maternal race and infant sex. Linear regression revealed no significant relationships between maternal social support and infant cognition in this sample.     

Associational social capital and psychological type: an empirical enquiry among cathedral Friends in England

A sample of 1131 members of the Friends associations of six English cathedrals (616 women and 515 men) completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) and a modified version of the Williams Religious Social Capital Index (WRSCI). The data demonstrated that higher levels of religious social capital were found among extraverts (compared with introverts), sensing types (compared with intuitive types), and feeling types (compared with thinking types). No significant differences were found between judging types and perceiving types. The finding that extraverts displayed higher levels of religious social capital poses a challenge for the cathedrals, given that introverts outnumbered extraverts by nearly 2:1 in the Friends groups. Since religious social networks are known to influence generosity with time and money, it is suggested that cathedrals not only develop strategies to recruit more extravert Friends but also devise novel ways of encouraging introvert types to participate in associational activities where social capital will be generated.     

Adaptation of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning for use among infants aged 5‐ to 24‐months in rural Gambia

Infants in low‐resource settings are at heightened risk for compromised cognitive development due to a multitude of environmental insults in their surroundings. However, the onset of adverse outcomes and trajectory of cognitive development in these settings is not well understood. The aims of the present study were to adapt the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) for use with infants in a rural area of The Gambia, to examine cognitive development in the first 24‐months of life and to assess the association between cognitive performance and physical growth. In Phase 1 of this study, the adapted MSEL was tested on 52 infants aged 9‐ to 24‐months (some of whom were tested longitudinally at two time points). Further optimization and training were undertaken and Phase 2 of the study was conducted, where the original measures were administered to 119 newly recruited infants aged 5‐ to 24‐months. Infant length, weight and head circumference were measured concurrently in both phases. Participants from both phases were split into age categories of 5–9 m (N = 32), 10–14 m (N = 92), 15–19 m (N = 53) and 20–24 m (N = 43) and performance was compared across age groups. From the ages of 10–14 m, Gambian infants obtained lower MSEL scores than US norms. Performance decreased with age and was lowest in the 20–24 m old group. Differential onsets of reduced performance were observed in the individual MSEL domains, with declines in visual perception and motor performance detected as early as at 10–14 months, while reduced language scores became evident after 15–19 months of age. Performance on the MSEL was significantly associated with measures of growth.     

The psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Personality Inventory for DSM‐5

The DSM‐5 Section III proposes a hybrid dimensional‐categorical model of conceptualizing personality and its disorders that includes assessment of impairments in personality functioning (criterion A) and maladaptive personality traits (criterion B). The Personality Inventory for the DSM‐5 is a new dimensional tool, composed of 220 items organized into 25 facets that delineate five higher order domains of clinically relevant personality differences, and was developed to operationalize the DSM‐5 model of pathological personality traits. The current studies address the internal consistency (study 1), the test‐retest reliability (study 2) and the criterion validity (studies 3 and 4) of the Portuguese version of the PID‐5 in samples of native speaking psychology students. Results indicated good internal consistency reliabilities and good temporal stability reliabilities for the majority of the PID‐5 traits. The correlational pattern of the PID‐5 traits with two measures of personality was in accordance with theoretical expectations and showed its concurrent validity.     

Exploring the factor structure of the Francis Psychological Type Scales among a sample of Anglican clergy in England

ABSTRACT

The Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) were designed to provide a fresh conceptualisation and operationalisation of psychological type theory suitable for application within self-report quantitative studies in the individual differences tradition. The present study tests the factor structure of this instrument among a sample of 722 Anglican clergy. The Varimax Rotated Solution with Kaiser Normalisation recovered the hypothesised location of 74 of the 80 items across four factors with factor weightings of or above .38. The FPTS are commended for use.