bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Personality Correlates of Prepulse Inhibition of the Startle Reflex at Three Lead Intervals
Authors: Corr Philip J. , Tynan Allison , Kumari Veena
Published: April 2003

Abstract The acoustic startle reflex (ASR) is modulated by a number of experimental factors, the most important of which in the field of psychopathology is weak prestimulation: The ASR is reliably reduced if preceded briefly by a weaker stimulus (i. e., the prepulse), an effect known as prepulse inhibition (PPI). PPI is thought to reflect centrally-mediated sensorimotor gating of stimuli, preventing cognitive overload and behavioural confusion. PPI is impaired in a variety of psychiatric disorders, notably schizophrenia, as well as in individuals who score high on psychometric measures of psychosis proneness. Two experiments examined the association of personality (trait emotionality) and PPI at three prepulse-to-pulse intervals (30, 60 and 120 ms). Consistent with previous reports, findings from both experiments showed highly significant PPI (defined as percentage reduction in the amplitude of the ASR), which increased with prepulse-to-pulse interval (30 < 60 < 120 ms). A novel finding was that, in both experiments 1 (N = 36) and 2 (N = 63), the trait of neuroticism was negatively correlated with PPI; in addition, a measure of positive incentive motivation (i. e., Behavioural Activation System, Drive subscale; BAS-Drive) was also negatively correlated with PPI. These trait emotionality associations were independent of gender. Possible causal explanations of these personality associations are outlined. It is concluded that, in order to clarify the aetiological role of sensorimotor gating in psychopathological conditions (e. g., schizophrenia, often entailing emotional activation), trait emotionality variance should be routinely examined in future PPI studies.
The Antisocial Personality Questionnaire: An Inventory for Assessing Personality Deviation in Offender Populations1 * An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Fifth European Conference on Law and Psychology, Budapest, Hungary, August 1995.
Authors: Blackburn Ronald , Fawcett Diane
Published: April 2003

Summary: The development is described of the Antisocial Personality Questionnaire (APQ), a short multitrait, self-report inventory that measures intrapersonal and interpersonal dispositions of relevance to antisocial populations. Scales were generated through factor analysis of an item pool adapted from the MMPI, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and a self-report scale of Psychopathy, using samples of male mentally disordered offenders (N = 499) and male volunteer nonoffenders (N = 238). Eight factors extracted were identified as Self-Control, Self-Esteem, Avoidance, Paranoid Suspicion, Resentment, Aggression, Deviance, and Extraversion. Short scales constructed to measure these have satisfactory reliability (α), and correlations with measures of personality disorder, observer ratings of interpersonal style, and criminal career data support their construct validity. Scale intercorrelations yield two higher-order dimensions of hostile impulsivity and social withdrawal that reflect orientations towards others and the self, respectively. The APQ provides comprehensive coverage of the deviant traits implicated in personality disorder and antisocial behavior, and appears to tap three of the Big Five personality dimensions (Neuroticism, Extraversion and Agreeableness). The questionnaire has satisfactory psychometric properties and can aid research and intervention with offenders.
The Use of Student Data in Job Analysis Research
Authors: Voskuijl Olga F. , Meyer Joan
Published: April 2003

Summary: The use of student data in research in industrial and organizational psychology has been questioned several times (e. g., Gordon, Slade, & Schmitt, 1986 ; Cornelius, DeNisi, & Blencoe, 1984 ; DeNisi, Cornelius, & Blencoe, 1987 ). In this paper we discuss the problems surrounding the use and comparability of student data as opposed to expert data, and illustrate these with a study conducted in The Netherlands. This study examined the differences between first-year psychology students, students of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology, and professionals (psychologists) in the field of personnel psychology. Subjects rated a detailed job description on the importance of 20 attributes for successful job performance. Results showed, as expected, that neither student group can be considered equivalent to professionals, but that I/O students are more similar to professionals than freshmen. For specific research questions, specific student samples, such as I/O students, can provide results that can be generalized to professionals. The use of first-year students, however, remains questionable in this context.
Rorschach Responses in Borderline Personality Disorder with Alcohol Dependence
Authors: Skinstad Anne Helene , Troland Kari , Mortensen Jenny K.
Published: April 2003

Summary: The purpose of this exploratory study was to analyze differences in Rorschach responses between two groups of alcoholics, one of which was diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and the other Mixed Personality Disorder (MXPD). Forty-three male alcohol dependent inpatients participated in the study. The subjects were diagnosed by two independent clinical psychologists and divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 19 alcoholic patients also diagnosed BPD(BPD19); Group 2 consisted of 14 alcoholic patients also diagnosed MXPD; Group 3 comprised 10 alcoholic patients also diagnosed BPD as well as a secondary personality disorder diagnosis in addition (BPD10). The Rorschach was administered once 14 to 20 days after admission and scored according to Exner's Comprehensive System. BPD patients produced more responses than the MXPD group and revealed more interest in other people than MXPD. However, their interest in other people was marked by ambivalence, feelings of aggression, and withdrawal or isolation from social interaction. Both BPD groups revealed a significantly greater tendency to distorted perception of reality than the MXPD group and a greater tendency to pathological thinking and confusion.
Interpersonal Lexicon: Structural Evidence from Two Independently Constructed Verb-Based Taxonomies
Authors: De Raad Boele
Published: April 2003

Summary: In this study the structure of interpersonal behavior is investigated according to the principles of the so-called psycholexical approach. As bases for this study, we used the data from a taxonomy of interpersonal behavior verbs and a subset of data from a taxonomy of interpersonal trait verbs. The interpersonal trait verbs were selected from a set of 543 personality descriptive verbs constructed by De Raad, Mulder, Kloosterman, and Hofstee (1988) . Self- and peer-ratings from 200 subjects on a subset of 303 interpersonal trait verbs were subjected to principal components analysis. The interpersonal behavior verbs taxonomy started with a pool of 986 interpersonal behavior verbs. Two methods were used to arrive at a description of interpersonal structure, the semantic interaction method and the synonymity groups method. Judgmental data were subjected to principal components analyses. In all studies, the main results centered around a two-factor solution, approximately reflecting the axis of the traditional interpersonal circumplex, Dominance and Nurturance. In addition, other factor solutions were used to identify clusters of interpersonal meaning, not present in the traditional circumplex. The relationship of the two interpersonal factors with the Big Five is discussed.
The Structure of Wiggins' Interpersonal Circumplex: Cross-Cultural Studies
Authors: Martínez-Arias Rosario , Silva Fernando , Díaz-Hidalgo Ma Teresa , Ortet Generós , Moro Micaela
Published: April 2003

Summary: This paper presents the results obtained in Spain with The Interpersonal Adjective Scales of J.S. Wiggins (1995) concerning the variables' structure. There are two Spanish versions of IAS, developed by two independent research groups who were not aware of each other's work. One of these versions was published as an assessment test in 1996. Results from the other group have remained unpublished to date. The set of results presented here compares three sources of data: the original American manual (from Wiggins and collaborators), the Spanish manual (already published), and the new IAS (our own research). Results can be considered satisfactory since, broadly speaking, the inner structure of the original instrument is well replicated in the Spanish version.
Fieldtest of the ITC Guidelines for Adapting Educational and Psychological Tests
Authors: Hambleton Ronald K. , Yu Jiayuan , Slater Sharon C.
Published: April 2003

Summary: In 1994, the International Test Commission (ITC) and seven other international organizations published a draft set of guidelines for adapting educational and psychological tests from one language and culture to other languages and cultures. The purposes of the research described in this paper were to (1) fieldtest the ITC Guidelines in an actual test adaptation project and (2) suggest any necessary revisions to the Guidelines. The fieldtest involved the adaptation of a 69-item grade-8 mathematics test from English to Chinese. The results were informative because they highlighted the sorts of problems that arise in test adaptation projects. Also, as the first formal evaluation of the ITC Test Adaptation Guidelines, this work was useful to the ITC in suggesting revisions and clarifications. The findings should also be interesting to psychologists interested in cross-cultural research because the Guidelines are being widely adopted for use around the world and evidence of their validity is important.
Test-Retest Reliability of a Self-Report Questionnaire for DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Disorders
Authors: Ottosson Hans , Grann Martin , Kullgren Gunnar
Published: April 2003

Summary: Short-term stability or test-retest reliability of self-reported personality traits is likely to be biased if the respondent is affected by a depressive or anxiety state. However, in some studies, DSM-oriented self-reported instruments have proved to be reasonably stable in the short term, regardless of co-occurring depressive or anxiety disorders. In the present study, we examined the short-term test-retest reliability of a new self-report questionnaire for personality disorder diagnosis (DIP-Q) on a clinical sample of 30 individuals, having either a depressive, an anxiety, or no axis-I disorder. Test-retest scorings from subjects with depressive disorders were mostly unstable, with a significant change in fulfilled criteria between entry and retest for three out of ten personality disorders: borderline, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Scorings from subjects with anxiety disorders were unstable only for cluster C and dependent personality disorder items. In the absence of co-morbid depressive or anxiety disorders, mean dimensional scores of DIP-Q showed no significant differences between entry and retest. Overall, the effect from state on trait scorings was moderate, and it is concluded that test-retest reliability for DIP-Q is acceptable.
Factorial Structure of the Spanish Version of the DOTS-R Questionnaire
Authors: Marcet Consol , Guardia Joan , Almirall Helena , Lorenzo Urbano
Published: April 2003

Summary: This study presents the first Spanish version of Windle and Lerner's questionnaire “Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey” (DOTS-R) (1986) . 214 men and 480 women between 19 and 34 years of age responded to the 54 items of the DOTS-R. The results confirm the 10-factor structure.
Relation of Statistically Significant, Abnormal, and Typical WAIS-R VIQ-PIQ Discrepancies to Full Scale IQs
Authors: Hsu Louis M. , Hayman Judy , Koch Judith , Mandell Debbie
Published: April 2003

Summary: In the United States' normative population for the WAIS-R, differences (Ds) between persons' verbal and performance IQs (VIQs and PIQs) tend to increase with an increase in full scale IQs (FSIQs). This suggests that norm-referenced interpretations of Ds should take FSIQs into account. Two new graphs are presented to facilitate this type of interpretation. One of these graphs estimates the mean of absolute values of D (called typical D) at each FSIQ level of the US normative population. The other graph estimates the absolute value of D that is exceeded only 5% of the time (called abnormal D) at each FSIQ level of this population. A graph for the identification of conventional “statistically significant Ds” (also called “reliable Ds”) is also presented. A reliable D is defined in the context of classical true score theory as an absolute D that is unlikely (p < .05) to be exceeded by a person whose true VIQ and PIQ are equal. As conventionally defined reliable Ds do not depend on the FSIQ. The graphs of typical and abnormal Ds are based on quadratic models of the relation of sizes of Ds to FSIQs. These models are generalizations of models described in Hsu (1996) . The new graphical method of identifying Abnormal Ds is compared to the conventional Payne-Jones method of identifying these Ds. Implications of the three juxtaposed graphs for the interpretation of VIQ-PIQ differences are discussed.
Looking for a Simple Big Five Factorial Structure in the Domain of Adjectives* * The original data upon which this paper is based are available at www.hhpub.com/journals/ejpa
Authors: Perugini Marco , Gallucci Marcello , Livi Stefano
Published: April 2003

Summary: The Big Five factors structure is currently the benchmark for personality dimensions. In the domain of adjectives, various instruments have been developed to measure the Big Five. In this contribution we propose a methodology to find a simple factorial structure and we apply this methodology to the domain of Big Five as measured by adjectives. Using data collected on a sample of 337 subjects, we propose a five-factor benchmark structure derived from the 50 best marker adjectives selected among the adjectives contained in three instruments specifically developed to measure the Big Five (i.e., Goldberg 's 100 adjectives list, IASR-B5, and SACBIF). We use this common factor structure (or benchmark structure) to investigate the differences and the similarities between the three operationalizations of the Big Five, and to investigate the placements of the full set of adjectives contained in the three instruments. The main features of the proposed methodology and the generalizability of the obtained results are discussed.
Brief Report. The PCL-R and Gender
Authors: Grann Martin
Published: April 2003

Summary: Hare's Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991 ) was originally constructed for use among males in correctional and forensic settings. In this study, the PCL-R protocols of 36 matched pairs of female and male violent offenders were examined with respect to gender differences. The results indicated a few significant differences. By means of discriminant analysis, male Ss were distinguished from their female counterparts through their relatively higher scores on “callous/lack of empathy” (item 8) and “juvenile delinquency” (item 18), whereas the female Ss scored relatively higher on “promiscuous sexual behavior” (item 11). Some sources of bias and possible implications are discussed.
Brief Report. The Effect of the Accountability Instruction and Two Job Types on the Big Five Scores
Authors: ter Laak J. , van Leuven M. , Brugman G.
Published: April 2003

Summary: Self-report questionnaires are susceptible to social desirability, and applicants can adapt their answers to job requirements. To combat social-desirable responding, subjects are asked to answer spontaneously and not think too long about their answer. Hofstee (1996) faces this problem in a different way by proposing to ask the applicant to answer accountably, in other words, to prove answers through future behavior. In the first study 46 subjects filled in the Big Five under the spontaneous and accountability conditions. Contrary to expectations, there was a small but significant effect. If subjects were asked to give answers they would have to account for, they scored higher on conscientiousness and emotional stability. In the second study subjects filled in the Big Five for two jobs differing in the extent to which the applicant has to manage people or systems. In line with expectations, there was an effect of autonomy but contrary to expectations not of conscientiousness and extroversion. The practical consequences of the accountability instruction for the validity of personality questionnaires and of job types for norms are discussed.
Brief Report. Applicability of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale for Measurement of Marital Quality with Turkish Couples
Authors: Fışıloğlu Hürol , Demir Ayhan
Published: April 2003

Summary: The study investigates the reliability and validity of the Turkish Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Scores of the DAS were studied for its reliability and validity. The sample consisted of 264 married individuals. The α coefficient for the DAS was .92. Computed split-half reliability coefficient was .86. The DAS correlated .82 with the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test. The original factor structure of the DAS was replicated in the present study. In general, the data indicated that the DAS provides a reliable and valid measure of marital adjustment for a Turkish sample.
Absolute and Relative Accuracy in the Retrospective Estimate of Positive and Negative Mood
Authors: Kardum Igor , Tićac Daskijević Koraljka
Published: April 2003

Summary: In a research carried out on 69 subjects, we examined the absolute and relative accuracy in the retrospective estimate of positive and negative mood as well as specific factors within positive and negative mood. The absolute accuracy was defined as the difference between average daily estimates within a period of 35 to 42 days and retrospective mood estimates for the same period, which was examined one week after the end of the day-to-day estimates. The results show statistically significant differences between average daily and retrospective mood estimates, both for positive and negative mood, for all specific factors of positive mood and for sadness as a specific factor of negative mood. In all cases retrospective estimates are statistically higher in comparison to the average day-to-day estimates. The correlation coefficients, which reflect the relative accuracy, are statistically significant and high for all mood factors. The results obtained are discussed in the context of the cognitive and motivational processes that can be operative in the retrospective mood estimates and the main measurement implications of the results are indicated.
The Care Perception Questionnaire
Authors: Audenhove Ch. Van , Humbeeck G. Van , Spruytte N. , Storms G. , Hert M. De , Heyrman J. , Peuskens J. , Pieters G. , Vertommen H.
Published: April 2003

Summary: Major changes have taken place over the last decade in the mental health care services in Belgium as well as in the rest of Europe. To track these developments, Shepherd and colleagues developed an instrument to assess the degree of perceived accomplishment of 11 key areas in such care. This instrument was translated and adapted as the Care Perception Questionnaire. In clinical settings the instrument can be a good tool for exploring the perspective of patients and professionals regarding the 11 key areas. However, for research purposes it is not practical to work with the 28 separate items or with the 11 key areas. The goal of this study is to reduce the 11 key areas to a smaller number of scales with good psychometric properties and with relevance to clinical practice. Using principal-component analysis by means of promax rotation and scale construction, we developed four statistically reliable and meaningful scales: (1) support in social relations and practical aid, (2) treatment and monitoring of the course of the illness, (3) information and insight, and (4) coordination and continuity of care. The relevance of the findings for clinical work and for research is discussed.
Rorschach Tolerance and Control of Stress Measures D and AdjD
Authors: Greenway Philip , Milne Lisa C.
Published: April 2003

Summary: How people perceive situations and their own reactions to these situations relates to how well they tolerate and control stress. In this paper, the hypothesis was tested that D and AdjD, Rorschach measures of tolerance and stress control, can be shown to relate to individuals' beliefs, both about whether it is possible to control internal states and their perceptions of how well they themselves do so. The study was carried out in a nonclinical population. The findings were, first, that variations in levels of D, but not AdjD and its component variables, were associated with lower or higher scores on the Perceived Control of Internal States Inventory (PCOISI; Pallant, 1998 ), a multidimensional questionnaire on individuals' beliefs about the possibility of controlling internal states.
The Next Generation of the ITC Test Translation and Adaptation Guidelines
Authors: Hambleton Ronald K
Published: April 2003

Summary: The ITC Test Translation and Adaptation Guidelines have been available for nearly 7 years, and numerous researchers and practitioners have provided comments on their strengths and weaknesses. This paper addresses three goals: First, comments on the 22 guidelines that have resulted from the numerous field-tests and reviews are presented. Second, where possible, specific suggestions for revising the ITC Guidelines are described. Finally, three suggestions for essential research to improve the methodology associated with translating and adapting tests are presented.
Guidelines for Test Users: A Review of National and International Initiatives
Authors: Bartram Dave
Published: April 2003

Summary: The paper describes why we need guidelines on test use and why, in particular, we need international agreement on what these guidelines should be. The work of the International Test Commission (ITC) is described and the ITC 's International Guidelines on Test Use are reviewed. Various other important national initiatives in Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States are described together with the work of the European Federation of Professional Psychologists Associations (EFPPA) Standing Committee on Tests and Testing. While there is considerable agreement on what constitutes good practice in test use, there is wide diversity in the ways in which different countries have attempted to implement good practice or regulate test use. The need for guidelines and test user qualification procedures to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate innovation and change in assessment practices is stressed.
Guidelines for the Assessment Process (GAP): A Proposal for Discussion
Authors: Fernández-Ballesteros R. , De Bruyn E.E.J. , Godoy A. , Hornke L.F. , Ter Laak J. , Vizcarro C. , Westhoff K. , Westmeyer H. , Zaccagnini J.L.
Published: April 2003

Summary: Current existing or proposed standards and guidelines in the field of psychological assessment are confined to psychological tests and psychological testing. But tests constitute only one category of psychological assessment procedures, and testing is only one of many available strategies or classes of actions in the course of the assessment process. Tests and testing are closely linked to a certain approach to psychological assessment, i. e., the psychometric one. This is one reason why it is relatively easy to formulate and establish standards or guidelines in the case of psychological tests and testing. The much more comprehensive assessment process is an indispensable part of any approach to psychological assessment, even of those that do not use psychometric tests. This makes the formulation of guidelines for the assessment process an ambitious and very difficult enterprise. But it can be done, at least at the level of recommendations that could help the assessor to cope with the complexities and demands of assessment processes in various contexts of psychological assessment. The European Association of Psychological Assessment (EAPA) decided to sponsor the development of Guidelines for the Assessment Process (GAP), setting up a Task Force for this specific purpose. The GAP introduced in this paper are intended as a first proposal to initiate a broad discussion about how to improve the practice of psychological assessment and the education and training of psychological assessors.
Disclosing Situational Constraints to Ecological Behavior: A Confirmatory Application of the Mixed Rasch Model* * The original data upon which this paper is based are available at www.hhpub.com/journals/ejpa
Authors: Kaiser Florian G. , Keller Carmen
Published: April 2003

Summary: The present paper explores whether differential endorsement probabilities are related to the behavioral consequences of certain environments, rather than being solely indicative of method bias. One's living environment is among the more salient contextual factors affecting ecological performance. By applying the mixed Rasch model confirmatorily, we aimed at disclosing valid situational influences that can be held responsible for facilitating and constraining people's ecological behaviors in three particular residential environments. A cross-sectional survey of 895 Swiss residents living in various residential contexts revealed that living in urban and rural environments resulted in three distinguishable arrays of behavioral consequences, each the result of situational factors, such as an environment's particular performance opportunities, the predominant features of its public transportation systems and its respective social climate. Remarkably, an environment's being suburban has no apparent uniform significance for people's ecological behavior.
Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the BSI
Authors: Ruipérez M. Ángeles , Ibáñez M. Igancio , Lorente Esther , Moro Micaela , Ortet Generós
Published: April 2003

Summary: This study investigates in a nonclinical sample some aspects of the reliability and validity of the Spanish adaptation of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) as well as the relationship of personality dimensions and psychopathological symptoms. Factor analysis showed a six-factor structure: depression, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, obsession-compulsion, somatization, and hostility/aggressivity. Alpha reliabilities for the six BSI scales showed optimal indices (between 0.70 and 0.91). Furthermore, the relationships among BSI-extracted factors and extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), and psychoticism (P) scales of the EPQ-R were also studied. Phobic anxiety and somatization were related to N and P; hostility/aggressivity was related to N, P and E; obsession-compulsion was related to N, P and inversely to E. In conclusion, the Spanish version of the BSI is a reliable, valid, and rapid tool for the assessment of symptoms of depression, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, obsession-compulsion, somatization, and hostility/aggressivity in the nonclinical population.
Global Job Satisfaction and Facet Description: The Moderating Role of Facet Importance
Authors: Jackson Chris J. , Corr Philip J.
Published: April 2003

Summary: Recent research supports Locke's (1976) model of facet satisfaction in which the “range of affect” of objectively defined facet descriptions is moderated by subjective evaluations of facet importance ( McFarlin & Rice, 1992 ). This study examined the utility of Locke's moderated model of facet satisfaction for the prediction of organizationally important global measures of job satisfaction. A large dataset of two groups of workers allowed testing over different time periods and across a broad range of satisfaction measures. The hypothesis derived from Locke's model, that global satisfaction would represent a linear function of facet satisfactions (i.e., facet description × facet importance), was not supported. Instead, a simple (have-want) discrepancy model (operationalized as facet description) provided the most consistent set of predictors. The results suggest that workers, when providing global measures of job satisfaction, may use cognitive heuristics to reduce the complexity of facet description × importance calculations. The implications of these data for Locke's model and directions for future research are outlined.
Wechsler Memory Scale, Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test, and Everyday Memory Questionnaire in Healthy Adults and Alzheimer Patients
Authors: Efklides Anastasia , Yiultsi Efterpi , Kangellidou Theopisti , Kounti Fotini , Dina Fotini , Tsolaki Magda
Published: April 2003

Summary: The Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) is a laboratory-based memory test that has been criticized for its lack of ecological validity and for not testing long-term memory. A more recent memory test, which aims at testing everyday memory, is the Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT); it tests prospective memory and other forms of memory not tapped by WMS. However, even this test does not capture all aspects of everyday memory problems often reported by adults. These problems are the object of the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ). This study aimed at identifying the relationships between these three memory tests. The differential effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on the above relationships was also studied. The sample consisted of 233 healthy adults (20 to 75+ years of age) and 39 AD patients (50 to 75 years of age). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the following latent factors: Verbal Memory, Visual Reconstruction, Orientation, Message (action embedded in spatial context), Visual Recognition, Spatial Memory, New Learning/Association Forming, Prospective/Episodic Memory, and Metamemory. These first-order factors were further explained by two second-order factors: Semantic Memory and Coordination of Semantic and Visuo-Spatial Memory. This basic structure was preserved in the sample of AD patients, although AD patients performed less well on the WMS and the RBMT. Some interesting findings regarding semantic memory, face recognition, and metamemory in AD patients are also reported. Age, education, but no gender effects on memory performance were also detected.
Effects of Ability Scale Purification on the Identification of dif
Authors: Navas-Ara María J. , Gómez-Benito Juana
Published: April 2003

Summary: Research related to the detection of item bias or differential item functioning (dif) has proliferated in psychometric and applied psychological literature over the last 25 years. In fact, debate has been heated on the nature and, more particularly, on the methods for bias/dif detection. Today, conditional methods have obtained wide acceptance. However, these methods present a problem of circularity: If the test contains biased items, then a biased measure of the matching variable will be used for investigating dif. Thus, we investigate dif with a biased measure. The aim of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of improving item bias identification through “purification” of the ability measure used. Several bias-detection techniques are analyzed: Mantel-Haenszel statistic, logit model, logistic regression procedure, restricted factor analysis, and two item response theory (IRT)-based indices. Results show that purifying the ability scale improves item bias detection greatly, providing rates of correct identification close to 100% with all these techniques. IRT-based indices showed the greatest improvement.
The Underlying Traits of the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP)
Authors: Ortet Generós , Ibáñez Manuel Ignacio , Llerena Adrián , Torrubia Rafael
Published: April 2003

Summary: This research studies the factor structure of the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) and its location within Eysenck's three broad dimensions of personality: psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism. A series of factor analyses and structural equations with the KSP and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) scales were carried out. The relationships between KSP and other biologically rooted personality traits (Zuckerman's sensation seeking and Gray's sensitivity to punishment) were also investigated. The results showed four underlying traits of the KSP: negative emotionality, aggressive nonconformity, impulsive unsocialized sensation seeking, and social withdrawal. Negative emotionality was mainly related to neuroticism; aggressive nonconformity was associated with psychoticism and, to a lesser degree, with neuroticism; impulsive unsocialized sensation seeking was correlated with both psychoticism and extraversion; and social withdrawal was principally related to low extraversion.
Factorial Structure of a French Version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire1
Authors: Gana Kamel , Martin Bettina , Canouet Marie-Dominique , Trouillet Raphael , Meloni Fiammetta
Published: April 2003

Summary: This study presents a French version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), the factorial structure of which was evaluated on a nonclinical sample of 668 adults. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the French PSWQ is a one-dimensional worry instrument. However, the inclusion of method factors was needed to reach a good fit of the model. Method effects appear to be associated with negatively keyed items. Finally, the instrument demonstrated excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliability.
The Psychometric Evaluation of a Multidimensional Measurement Instrument of Professional Expertise1
Authors: van der Heijden Beatrice I.J.M. , Verhelst Norman D.
Published: April 2003

Summary:The present study of small- and medium-sized enterprises aimed to determine the reliability and validity of a measurement instrument for professional expertise. The instrument consists of five different scales (with contents ranging from 12 to 19 items each), each reflecting one of five dimensions: knowledge, metacognitive knowledge, skills, social recognition, growth, and flexibility. Participants were two different groups of raters: individual employees (N = 233) and their immediate supervisors (N = 217). The item-sets for both groups are nominally identical, except that wording was adapted to suit one group or the other. The reliabilities of the developed scales are high with Cronbach's Alpha ranging from .83 to .92, for both the self-ratings and the supervisor ratings. All five scales are homogeneous and distinctive as corroborated by the multitrait-multimethod analysis.
Ecological Behavior, Environmental Attitude, and Feelings of Responsibility for the Environment
Authors: Kaiser Florian G. , Ranney Michael , Hartig Terry , Bowler Peter A.
Published: April 2003

Given their definition of subjective norms, rational-choice theories must be located within the realm of social conventionality. However, subjective norms can be grounded in moral as well as conventional considerations. Not surprisingly, then, rational-choice theories insufficiently explain behaviors that are at least partially moral, such as ecological behavior. The present paper establishes an expanded rational-choice model of environmental attitude that extends into the moral domain by using feelings of personal obligation toward the environment (i. e., feelings of responsibility) as an additional predictor of intentions to behave ecologically. Findings from two studies are presented. In Study 1 a sample of Swiss adults (N = 436) was used to test the proposed model. Study 2 replicates the findings of Study 1 with a sample of California college students (N = 488). Assessments were carried out in a structural equation modeling framework. Environmental knowledge, environmental values, and responsibility feelings together explained 45% (50% in Study 2) of the variance of ecological behavior intention which, in turn, predicted 76% (94%) of the explainable variance of general ecological behavior. As the inclusion of responsibility feelings increased the proportion of explained variance of ecological behavior intention by 5% (10%) above and beyond a more basic attitude model, the moral extension of the proposed attitude model is largely supported.
Conscious Experience Depends on Multiple Brain Systems
Authors: Umiltà Carlo
Published: April 2003

Following brain damage, information processing and consciousness can break down. This phenomenon is termed dissociation between preserved implicit (nonconscious) knowledge and impaired explicit (conscious) knowledge. Examples of the implicit/explicit dissociation are provided based on neuropsychological deficits such as cortical blindness, prosopagnosia, neglect, and amnesia. Also, models of the dissociation are discussed. The explicit/implicit dissociations are domain specific, in the sense that they always occur in a single domain only. For that reason, it is argued that there is no unitary area in the brain on which the activity of conscious experience depends. It is proposed instead that the neural substrate of conscious experience is distributed, and that the contents of consciousness depend on activity in many independent cortical areas.
A Social Skill Training for Persons with Down's Syndrome
Authors: Soresi Salvatore , Nota Laura
Published: April 2003

Social skills are generally considered essential to adjustment processes in school and working life, and to the social mainstreaming of both disabled and nondisabled subjects. The definition itself of learning disabilities considers deficits in interpersonal relationships as essential to a disability diagnosis. With reference to Behavioral Social Skills Training (SST), a program was devised to teach social abilities to an experimental group of subjects with Down's syndrome attending the first years of a vocational school for disabled youths. The program is made up of ten didactic units aiming at increasing the ability to enact positive relational behaviors with teachers and peers, and ten didactical units aiming at favoring generalization. Evaluation of training effectiveness, carried out according to criterion tests, direct observations, and teachers' evaluations, suggest that the program can in fact improve the social skills of persons with Down's syndrome.
Anxiety Gives Priority to Anticipation of Threatening Events
Authors: Castillo M. Dolores , Calvo Manuel G.
Published: April 2003

Reading times were collected to assess the probability and time course of inferences predictive of danger as a function of anxiety. Participants high or low in trait anxiety read (a) context sentences suggesting threat-related or nonthreat outcomes of events, followed by (b) disambiguating sentences in which a target word confirmed or disconfirmed the predicted outcome. The results revealed that low anxiety facilitated processing of nonthreat outcomes, whereas high anxiety facilitated processing of threatening outcomes. Furthermore, these selective effects occurred on a posttarget region of the disambiguating sentence; in contrast, all participants—regardless of anxiety level and threat content of stimuli—showed facilitation when reading the final region of that sentence. These findings indicate that anxiety leads one to prioritize (i. e., increased probability and reduced time) the anticipation of threat-related events.
Low Self-Control of Emotions as an Antecedent of Self-Reported Physical Symptoms: A Longitudinal Perspective
Authors: Kokkonen Marja , Pulkkinen Lea , Kinnunen Taru
Published: April 2003

The study was part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, underway since 1968, in which children's low self-control of emotions was studied using teacher ratings at age 8 in terms of inattentiveness, shifting moods, aggression, and anxiety. The study was based on data from 112 women and 112 men who participated in the previous data collections at ages 8, 27, and 36. At age 27, the participants had been assessed in Neuroticism (N) using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire , and at age 36 they filled in several inventories measuring, among others, conscious and active attempts to repair negative emotions in a more positive direction as well as physical symptoms. The present study used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesis that personality characteristics indicating low self-control of emotions at ages 8 and 27 are antecedents of self-reported physical symptoms at age 36; and that this relationship is indirect, mediated by attempts to repair negative emotions in a more positive direction. The findings showed, albeit for men only, that inattentiveness at age 8 was positively related to self-reported physical symptoms at age 36 via high N at age 27 and low attempts to repair negative emotions at age 36. Additionally, N at age 27 was directly linked to self-reported physical symptoms at age 36. The mediation of an active attempt to repair negative emotions was not found for women. Correlations revealed, however, that shifting moods and aggression in girls were antecedents of self-reported physical symptoms in adulthood, particularly, pain and fatigue.
Mind-Body Interaction and Development: Biology, Behavior and Context
Authors: Susman Elizabeth J.
Published: April 2003

Theoretical models that integrate or segregate mind and body have been in existence since the 15th century. The purpose of this contribution is to present contemporary models that integrate biological, psychological, and social contextual processes in human development, specifically, the development of antisocial behavior. The discussion begins with a historical background on the progression of mind-body models that have been used to integrate biological and psychological processes. Recent developmental science perspectives, the neurobiology of mind-body interaction, and the concept of stress and antisocial behavior are considered instances demonstrating the importance of integrating biological and psychological processes. Empirical evidence for the concept of low physiological arousal and antisocial behavior is presented. The strengths of a holistic mind-body holistic interaction model for theory development and research in the future is discussed.
Intraindividual Variability in Development Within and Between Individuals
Authors: Nesselroade John R.
Published: April 2003

A focus on the study of development and other kinds of changes in the whole individual has been one of the hallmarks of research by Magnusson and his colleagues. A number of different approaches emphasize this individual focus in their respective ways. This presentation focuses on intraindividual variability stemming from Cattell's P-technique factor analytic proposals, making several refinements to make it more tractable from a research design standpoint and more appropriate from a statistical analysis perspective. The associated methods make it possible to study intraindividual variability both within and between individuals. An empirical example is used to illustrate the procedure.
A Genetic Neuroscience Approach to Human Cognition
Authors: De Geus Eco J.C. , Boomsma D.I.
Published: April 2003

A large gap exists between behavior genetics and cognitive neuroscience, although psychologists feature prominently in both fields. Behavior genetics focuses on individual differences and, through sophisticated statistical modeling in twin and family studies, addresses the genetic and environmental contribution to variation in cognitive ability. Cognitive neuroscience tends to focus on species universals in brain function during specific cognitive operations, which are isolated by clever experimental design, and located in the time and (brain) space by modern imaging techniques. This paper describes the complementary approach of “genetic neuroscience” that integrates the study of cognition as an individual trait and the study of cognition as an universal process. It is argued that the intermediate phenotypes or “endophenotypes” of brain function and structure from neuroscience will boost the power of geneticists' association and linkage approaches to find the genes underlying differences in cognitive ability. Neuroscience, in turn, will profit greatly from successfully identified gene functions. Genes can provide insight in the “black box” between molecular events and cognition. They offer many opportunities to lay bare gene by environment interactions in the psychological laboratory. By reviewing some of the main issues in each field and summarizing the mutual advantages of collaboration between geneticists and neuroscientists we hope to mount further support for a complementary approach.
Genetic Contributions to Individual Differences in Memory Performance
Authors: Nilsson Lars-Göran , Van Broeckhoven Christine , Adolfsson Rolf
Published: April 2003

This paper discusses generally the potential effects of genetic markers on individual differences in cognitive performance. Research on the role of two genetic markers related to the immune system—complement factor C3 and haptoglobin—and one genetic marker—apolipoprotein E (ApoE)—and the interaction with environmental conditions of cognitive support at memory encoding and retrieval are discussed in particular. Data from an ongoing longitudinal study are used to illustrate that the two markers of the immune system are strongly associated with performance in episodic memory tasks, although there is no association to semantic memory. Cross-sectional data reveal a relatively weak association between apolipoprotein E and memory performance. Preliminary analyses of longitudinal data reveal a somewhat stronger association between this genetic marker and some aspects of episodic memory performance.
Early Applied Psychology: The Early Days of the IAAP
Authors: Carpintero Helio , Herrero Fania
Published: April 2003

This study presents an approach to the origins of applied psychology, with consideration of the social and cultural context surrounding the development of science in Europe from the end of the 19th century. The second part provides quantitative information on the contents of applied psychology in its early history by looking at the evolution of participation, countries, authors, and subjects at the International Congresses of Applied Psychology from 1921 to 1958. This is done by applying bibliometric analysis objective methodology on the indexes and proceedings volumes.
Causes of Loneliness in North America and Spain
Authors: Rokach Ami , Orzeck Tricia , Moya Miguel C. , Expósito Francisca
Published: April 2003

The present study examined the influence of cultural background on the causes of loneliness. A total of 639 participants from North America and 454 from Spain volunteered to answer an 82-item questionnaire examining the causes of their loneliness. The factors that comprise the causes of loneliness are Personal inadequacies, Developmental deficits, Unfulfilling intimate relationships, Relocation/Significant separations, and Social marginality. Results indicated that cultural background indeed affects the causes of loneliness. North Americans scored higher on all five factors, and a similar trend was evident when men and women were compared across cultures.
Nonadiabatic coupling effects on the short time signal in four-wave mixing experiments
Authors: Lavoine J. P. , Boeglin A. J.
Published: April 2003

The transient four-wave mixing signal from a three-level system coupled to a bath of harmonic oscillators is calculated in the short-pulse limit and analyzed at short times. The two excited states of the system are coupled by a constant nonadiabatic interaction V which is treated exactly. This allows an examination of the influence of V on the dynamics in the excited levels at short times. We show that the positions of the minima of the potential energy surfaces of the excited states with respect to the one of the fundamental state play an important role in the relaxation processes. We also show that for high nonadiabatic coupling it is possible to minimize the effect of the bath and hence to minimize, at short times, the coherence losses of the system. The identification of the molecular parameters required to take advantage of this effect should be of interest in the selection of materials for applications in nonlinear optics.