bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating sensitivity and bias in a yes/no task
Authors: Hautus Michael J. , Lee Alan
Published: September 2006

The estimation of sensitivity and bias from data collected in a yes/no detection‐theoretic experiment is complicated by the possibility of proportions of 0 or 1 appearing in the resulting contingency table. Inverse normal transforms of these probabilities result in mathematically intractable infinities. Typically, some transformation of the data must be applied prior to parameter estimation. Several transformations have been reviewed in the literature, in terms of both the bias and the variance of the estimates they produce. We propose three generalized transformations, which contain the two most reported transformations as special cases, and consider their performance in terms of the mean square error of the estimates they produce. Results indicate that the ‘1/N ’ and the adaptive log‐linear transformations outperform the others. Guidelines for the application of these transformations are presented.
Bayesian item fit analysis for unidimensional item response theory models
Authors: Sinharay Sandip
Published: September 2006

Assessing item fit for unidimensional item response theory models for dichotomous items has always been an issue of enormous interest, but there exists no unanimously agreed item fit diagnostic for these models, and hence there is room for further investigation of the area. This paper employs the posterior predictive model‐checking method, a popular Bayesian model‐checking tool, to examine item fit for the above‐mentioned models. An item fit plot, comparing the observed and predicted proportion‐correct scores of examinees with different raw scores, is suggested. This paper also suggests how to obtain posterior predictive p‐values (which are natural Bayesian p‐values) for the item fit statistics of Orlando and Thissen that summarize numerically the information in the above‐mentioned item fit plots. A number of simulation studies and a real data application demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested item fit diagnostics. The suggested techniques seem to have adequate power and reasonable Type I error rate, and psychometricians will find them promising.
Statistical inference in generalized linear mixed models: A review
Authors: Tuerlinckx Francis , Rijmen Frank , Verbeke Geert , De Boeck Paul
Published: September 2006

We present a review of statistical inference in generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). GLMMs are an extension of generalized linear models and are suitable for the analysis of non‐normal data with a clustered structure. A GLMM contains parameters common to all clusters (fixed regression effects and variance components) and cluster‐specific parameters. The latter parameters are assumed to be randomly drawn from a population distribution. The parameters of this population distribution (the variance components) have to be estimated together with the fixed effects. We focus on the case in which the cluster‐specific parameters are normally distributed. The cluster‐specific effects are integrated out of the likelihood so that the fixed effects and variance components can be estimated. Unfortunately, the integral over the cluster‐specific effects is intractable for most GLMMs with a normal mixing distribution. Within a classical statistical framework, we distinguish between two broad classes of methods to handle this intractable integral: methods that rely on a numerical approximation to the integral and methods that use an analytical approximation to the integrand. Finally, we present an overview of available methods for testing hypotheses about the parameters of GLMMs.
Standard errors in covariance structure models: Asymptotics versus bootstrap
Authors: Yuan Ke‐Hai , Hayashi Kentaro
Published: September 2006

Commonly used formulae for standard error (SE) estimates in covariance structure analysis are derived under the assumption of a correctly specified model. In practice, a model is at best only an approximation to the real world. It is important to know whether the estimates of SEs as provided by standard software are consistent when a model is misspecified, and to understand why if not. Bootstrap procedures provide nonparametric estimates of SEs that automatically account for distribution violation. It is also necessary to know whether bootstrap estimates of SEs are consistent. This paper studies the relationship between the bootstrap estimates of SEs and those based on asymptotics. Examples are used to illustrate various versions of asymptotic variance–covariance matrices and their validity. Conditions for the consistency of the bootstrap estimates of SEs are identified and discussed. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the relationship of different estimates of SEs and covariance matrices.
Detection of long‐range dependence and estimation of fractal exponents through ARFIMA modelling
Authors: Torre Kjerstin , Delignières Didier , Lemoine Loïc
Published: September 2006

We evaluate the performance of autoregressive, fractionally integrated, moving average (ARFIMA) modelling for detecting long‐range dependence and estimating fractal exponents. More specifically, we test the procedure proposed by Wagenmakers, Farrell, and Ratcliff, and compare the results obtained with the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the Bayes information criterion (BIC). The present studies show that ARFIMA modelling is able to adequately detect long‐range dependence in simulated fractal series. Conversely, this method tends to produce a non‐negligible rate of false detections in pure autoregressive and moving average (ARMA) series. Generally, ARFIMA modelling has a bias favouring the detection of long‐range dependence. AIC and BIC gave dissimilar results, due to the different weights attributed by the two criteria to accuracy and parsimony. Finally, ARFIMA modelling provides good estimates of fractal exponents, and could adequately complement classical methods, such as spectral analysis, detrended fluctuation analysis or rescaled range analysis.
Approximate sample size formulas for the two‐sample trimmed mean test with unequal variances
Authors: Luh Wei‐Ming , Guo Jiin‐Huarng
Published: September 2006

Yuen's two‐sample trimmed mean test statistic is one of the most robust methods to apply when variances are heterogeneous. The present study develops formulas for the sample size required for the test. The formulas are applicable for the cases of unequal variances, non‐normality and unequal sample sizes. Given the specified α and the power (1−β), the minimum sample size needed by the proposed formulas under various conditions is less than is given by the conventional formulas. Moreover, given a specified size of sample calculated by the proposed formulas, simulation results show that Yuen's test can achieve statistical power which is generally superior to that of the approximatettest. A numerical example is provided.
An algorithm for extracting maximum cardinality subsets with perfect dominance or anti‐Robinson structures
Authors: Brusco Michael J. , Stahl Stephanie
Published: September 2006

A common criterion for seriation of asymmetric matrices is the maximization of the dominance index, which sums the elements above the main diagonal of a reordered matrix. Similarly, a popular seriation criterion for symmetric matrices is the maximization of an anti‐Robinson gradient index, which is associated with the patterning of elements in the rows and columns of a reordered matrix. Although perfect dominance and perfect anti‐Robinson structure are rarely achievable for empirical matrices, we can often identify a sizable subset of objects for which a perfect structure is realized. We present and demonstrate an algorithm for obtaining a maximum cardinality (i.e. the largest number of objects) subset of objects such that the seriation of the proximity matrix corresponding to the subset will have perfect structure. MATLAB implementations of the algorithm are available for dominance, anti‐Robinson and strongly anti‐Robinson structures.
Design sequences for sensory studies: Achieving balance for carry‐over and position effects
Authors: Nonyane B. A. S. , Theobald C. M.
Published: September 2006

In sequences of human sensory assessments, the response toa stimulus may be influenced by previous stimuli. When investigating this phenomenon experimentally with several types or levels of stimulus, it is useful to have treatment sequences which are balanced for first‐order carry‐over effects. The requirement of balance for each experimental participant leads us to consider sequences of n symbols comprising an initial symbol followed byn‘blocks’ each containing a permutation of the symbols. These sequences are designed to include alln2ordered pairs of symbols once each, and to have treatment and sequence position effects which are approximately or thogonal. Such sequences were suggested byFinney and Outhwaite (1956), who were able to find examples for particular values ofn. We describe and illustrate acomputer algorithm for systematically enumerating the sequences for those values of n for which they exist. Criteria are proposed for choosing between the sequences according to the nearness to orthogonality of their treatment and position effects.
Multiple imputation for item scores when test data are factorially complex
Authors: van Ginkel Joost R. , van der Ark L. Andries , Sijtsma Klaas
Published: September 2006

Multiple imputation under a two‐way model with error is a simple and effective method that has been used to handle missing item scores in unidimensional test and questionnaire data. Extensions of this method to multidimensional data are proposed. A simulation study is used to investigate whether these extensions produce biased estimates of important statistics in multidimensional data, and to compare them with lower benchmark listwise deletion, two‐way with error and multivariate normal imputation. The new methods produce smaller bias in several psychometrically interesting statistics than the existing methods of two‐way with error and multivariate normal imputation. One of these new methods clearly is preferable for handling missing item scores in multidimensional test data.
Predicting item exposure parameters in computerized adaptive testing
Authors: Chen Shu‐Ying , Doong Shing‐Hwang
Published: September 2006

The purpose of this study is to find a formula that describes the relationship between item exposure parameters and item parameters in computerized adaptive tests by using genetic programming (GP) – a biologically inspired artificial intelligence technique. Based on the formula, item exposure parameters for new parallel item pools can be predicted without conducting additional iterative simulations. Results show that an interesting formula between item exposure parameters and item parameters in a pool can be found by using GP. The item exposure parameters predicted based on the found formula were close to those observed from the Sympson and Hetter (1985) procedure and performed well in controlling item exposure rates. Similar results were observed for the Stocking and Lewis (1998) multinomial model for item selection and the Sympson and Hetter procedure with content balancing. The proposed GP approach has provided a knowledge‐based solution for finding item exposure parameters.
Estimating the polychoric correlation from misclassified data
Authors: Yiu Choi‐Fan , Poon Wai‐Yin
Published: September 2006

Many variables that are used in social and behavioural science research are ordinal categorical or polytomous variables. When more than one polytomous variable is involved in an analysis, observations are classified in a contingency table, and a commonly used statistic for describing the association between two variables is the polychoric correlation. This paper investigates the estimation of the polychoric correlation when the data set consists of misclassified observations. Two approaches for estimating the polychoric correlation have been developed. One assumes that the probabilities in relation to misclassification are known, and the other uses a double sampling scheme to obtain information on misclassification. A parameter estimation procedure is developed, and statistical properties for the estimates are discussed. The practicability and applicability of the proposed approaches are illustrated by analysing data sets that are based on real and generated data. Excel programmes with visual basic for application (VBA) have been developed to compute the estimate of the polychoric correlation and its standard error. The use of the structural equation modelling programme Mx to find parameter estimates in the double sampling scheme is discussed.
Estimating the π* goodness of fit index for finite mixtures of item response models
Authors: Revuelta Javier
Published: September 2006

Testing the fit of finite mixture models is a difficult task, since asymptotic results on the distribution of likelihood ratio statistics do not hold; for this reason, alternative statistics are needed. This paper applies the π* goodness of fit statistic to finite mixture item response models. The π* statistic assumes that the population is composed of two subpopulations – those that follow a parametric model and a residual group outside the model; π* is defined as the proportion of population in the residual group. The population was divided into two or more groups, or classes. Several groups followed an item response model and there was also a residual group. The paper presents maximum likelihood algorithms for estimating item parameters, the probabilities of the groups and π*. The paper also includes a simulation study on goodness of recovery for the two‐ and three‐parameter logistic models and an example with real data from a multiple choice test.
Digit ratio and faculty membership: Implications for the relationship between prenatal testosterone and academia
Authors: Brosnan Mark J.
Published: September 2006

Digit ratio (length of index finger divided by length of ring finger) is an index of exposure to prenatal testosterone. Prenatal testosterone slows the growth rate of the left side of the brain while enhancing growth of the right side. Right hemisphere processing is associated with better visual‐spatial and mathematical abilities, as is digit ratio. Thus, traditional sex differences in visual‐spatial and mathematical abilities can be attributed to differences in exposure to prenatal testosterone, indexed by a sex dimorphic pattern in digit ratio (female=1.00, male=0.98 for UK samples). Additionally, the digit ratio is a marker for within‐sex variance in visual‐spatial ability. This study examines the digit ratio of an academic sample. No sex differences are found and there is a significant difference between the Science Faculty and Social Science Faculty. Social Scientists of both sexes have a ratio consistent with the male norm (0.98) whilst Scientists have a digit ratio consistent with the female norm (1.00). These results are discussed in terms of the lower normal range of male testosterone being associated with highest visual spatial abilities. Relationships with fertility and Dyslexia are also identified.
Immediate disambiguation of lexically ambiguous words during reading: Evidence from eye movements
Authors: Rayner Keith , Cook Anne E. , Juhasz Barbara J. , Frazier Lyn
Published: September 2006

Sentences containing lexically ambiguous words were read as readers' eye movements were monitored. On half of the trials, the dominant meaning of the ambiguous word was instantiated, while in the other half, the subordinate meaning was instantiated. Furthermore, on half of the trials, an adjective or modifier immediately preceded the target noun (kitchen table, statistical table), which was consistent with either the dominant or subordinate meaning. The results of the experiment demonstrate that readers are able to immediately utilize the modifier to select the appropriate meaning of the ambiguous word.
Vitalism, purpose and superstition
Authors: Lindeman Marjaana , Saher Marieke
Published: September 2006

Developmental studies have shown that children assign purpose to objects more liberally than adults, and that they explain biological processes in terms of vitalistic causality. This study tested the hypothesis that similar misconceptions can be found among superstitious adults. The results from 116 superstitious and 123 sceptical individuals showed that more than sceptics, superstitious individuals attributed purpose to objects, and explained biological processes in terms of organ intentionality and energy transmission. In addition, they thought of energy as a vital force, attributing life and mental properties to it. These conceptual confusions were positively associated to all types of superstitions as well as belief in alternative medicine. The results support the argument that category mistakes and ontological confusions underlie superstitious and vitalistic thinking.
Reading the road: The influence of age and sex on child pedestrians' perceptions of road risk
Authors: Underwood Jean , Dillon Gayle , Farnsworth Bill , Twiner Alison
Published: September 2006

The United Kingdom has one of the highest records of child pedestrian accidents in the European Union, and statistics show boys are particularly vulnerable. This study investigated whether there were identifiable developmental or sex differences in the perception of road risk, which might explain the occurrence of such child pedestrian accidents. The study was a between‐participants experimental design with three independent variables: age, sex and task. The sample comprised 119 school children in three age groups (7–8 years; 9–10 years and 11–12 years) with equal sex distribution in each age group. All children, tested individually, completed two sorting tasks. The tasks differed in that children first classified 20 photographs of road scenes on self‐selected criteria (free sort) and then reclassified the scenes on the basis of safety of each scene (cued sort). When children operated a free sort, age differences were apparent in both the number and type of categories produced. However, this age variation was not apparent for the cued sort showing that the younger children were strongly influenced by cueing. Younger children exhibited a more personal and idiosyncratic perspective of the road compared to older children, who were able to view the road from global perspectives. Sex differences in assessing safety were limited but interesting, demonstrating that the males focussed on physical attributes of the scene and females on the actors within the scene. The focus of females on the dynamic attributes of the scene may be a partial explanation of their greater safety record compared to their male peers.
The relative importance of external and internal features of facial composites
Authors: Frowd Charlie , Bruce Vicki , McIntyre Alex , Hancock Peter
Published: September 2006

Three experiments are reported that compare the quality of external with internal regions within a set of facial composites using two matching‐type tasks. Composites are constructed with the aim of triggering recognition from people familiar with the targets, and past research suggests internal face features dominate representations of familiar faces in memory. However the experiments reported here show that the internal regions of composites are very poorly matched against the faces they purport to represent, while external feature regions alone were matched almost as well as complete composites. In Experiments 1 and 2 the composites used were constructed by participant‐witnesses who were unfamiliar with the targets and therefore were predicted to demonstrate a bias towards the external parts of a face. In Experiment 3 we compared witnesses who were familiar or unfamiliar with the target items, but for both groups the external features were much better reproduced in the composites, suggesting it is the process of composite construction itself which is responsible for the poverty of the internal features. Practical implications of these results are discussed.
Effects of speed and accuracy instructions on performance in a visual search task by children with good or poor attention
Authors: Wilding John , Pankhania Priya , Williams Angharad
Published: September 2006

Children rated by teachers as having good or poor attention ability carried out a visual search task in which they were required to find a series of targets in a complex display. Different groups were told to concentrate on either speed or accuracy. Previous studies using this task have consistently shown that children rated as having poor attention make more errors (false alarms to non‐targets in the display), but do not differ in the time to make a correct response; this result was replicated. Though the instructions produced wide differences in speed and error rates in the expected directions, these differences were similar in both attention groups and the differences in error rates between the two groups remained unchanged. It is suggested that these findings are not compatible with the view that children with poor attention make errors primarily due to fast impulsive responding, nor with an explanation in terms of slower processing of the input by such children. An alternative explanation of the high error rates in such children is offered in terms of weak executive function resulting in poor ability to inhibit false alarms to non‐targets.
Personality and music: Can traits explain how people use music in everyday life?
Authors: Chamorro‐Premuzic Tomas , Furnham Adrian
Published: September 2006

This paper reports the results of a study on the relationship between individual differences and specific uses of music, referring to why and how people use music in everyday life. Questionnaire data from 341 respondents showed that open and intellectually engaged individuals, and those with higher IQ scores, tended to use music in a rational/cognitive way, while neurotic, introverted and non‐conscientious individuals were all more likely to use music for emotional regulation (e.g. change or enhance moods). Results suggest that individual differences in personality and cognitive ability may partly determine the way in which we experience music. Limitations and suggestions for future studies are discussed.
A comparative study of body image of Australian and Pakistani young females
Authors: Mahmud Nargis , Crittenden Nadia
Published: September 2006

This research compares Australian and Pakistani females on body image attitudes. The sample consisted of Caucasian‐Australian and Pakistani first year university students, ranging in age from 17 to 22. The Pakistani sample was subdivided into two groups: Urdu‐medium and English‐medium, representing the middle and upper social classes, respectively. The results revealed that, although all the groups identified a similar body shape as the ‘ideal’, the Australian females expressed significantly higher levels of body dissatisfaction on all measures of body image than did the Pakistani females. Within the Pakistani sample, females from the English‐medium institutions expressed greater weight concern than did the Urdu‐medium females. The findings are discussed in terms of the possible role of cultural values in shaping the body image attitudes of young females.
Effects of post‐cue interval on intentional forgetting
Authors: Lee Yuh‐Shiow , Lee Huang‐Mou , Tsai Sheng‐Hsiung
Published: September 2006

This study examined the effect of post‐cue interval on directed forgetting and suppression. Experiments 1 and 2 used the item method of directed forgetting. The interval between the cue to remember/forget (R/F) and the presence of the next item was manipulated. As the post‐cue interval increased, the rates of hits and ‘remember’ responses on the recognition test also increased not only for R items but also for F items, suggesting that participants did not stop processing F items after the F cue. Experiment 3 manipulated both the number of response/suppression attempts and the duration of response/suppression for each word pair during the response/suppression phase. The results showed that increasing the number of suppression attempts led to worse recall in the subsequent memory test. However, increasing the duration of suppression reduced the suppression effect. These results provide insights into a key factor for successful intentional forgetting and suppression.
The location of trait emotional intelligence in personality factor space
Authors: Petrides K. V. , Pita Ria , Kokkinaki Flora
Published: September 2006

The construct of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self‐efficacy) provides a comprehensive operationalization of emotion‐related self‐perceptions and dispositions. In the first part of the present study (N= 274, 92 males), we performed two joint factor analyses to determine the location of trait EI in Eysenckian and Big Five factor space. The results showed that trait EI is a compound personality construct located at the lower levels of the two taxonomies. In the second part of the study, we performed six two‐step hierarchical regressions to investigate the incremental validity of trait EI in predicting, over and above the Giant Three and Big Five personality dimensions, six distinct criteria (life satisfaction, rumination, two adaptive and two maladaptive coping styles). Trait EI incrementally predicted four criteria over the Giant Three and five criteria over the Big Five. The discussion addresses common questions about the operationalization of emotional intelligence as a personality trait.
Automatic contrast: Evidence that automatic comparison with the social self affects evaluative responses
Authors: Ruys Kirsten I. , Spears Russell , Gordijn Ernestine H. , De Vries Nanne K.
Published: September 2006

The aim of the present research was to investigate whether unconsciously presented affective information may cause opposite evaluative responses depending on what social category the information originates from. We argue that automatic comparison processes between the self and the unconscious affective information produce this evaluative contrast effect. Consistent with research on automatic behaviour, we propose that when an intergroup context is activated, an automatic comparison to the social self may determine the automatic evaluative responses, at least for highly visible categories (e.g. sex, ethnicity). Contrary to previous research on evaluative priming, we predict automatic contrastive responses to affective information originating from an outgroup category such that the evaluative response to neutral targets is opposite to the valence of the suboptimal primes. Two studies using different intergroup contexts provide support for our hypotheses.
A classification of handedness using the Annett Hand Preference Questionnaire
Authors: Dragovic Milan , Hammond Geoff
Published: September 2006

The Annett Hand Preference Questionnaire (AHPQ) was administered to a sample of 352 randomly selected individuals from the general community to examine the reproducibility of its handedness classification and to evaluate its model‐based reliability and convergent validity. Latent class analysis showed that the eight categories of hand preferences could not be justified on statistical grounds. Instead, three broad handedness classes adequately accommodated the variety of handedness patterns: ‘consistent right’ (66.0%), ‘consistent left’ (9.8%) and ‘inconsistent or mixed’ (24.2%). Confirmatory factor analysis not only showed that the AHPQ is reliable and has solid convergent validity, but also the measurement properties of the AHPQ could be further improved by eliminating a few items from the scale. The implications of these findings are discussed, and it is suggested that questionnaire requires modification, possibly by replacing obsolete items such as ‘sweeping’ and ‘shovelling’ with modern manual activities, such as ‘typing SMS messages’ and ‘using a remote control’.
Children's recognition of time in the causes and cures of physical and emotional reactions to illnesses and injuries
Authors: Raman Lakshmi , Gelman Susan A.
Published: September 2006

The present set of studies examined children's and college students' recognition of the role of time in the manifestation of causes and cures for illnesses and injuries. In Study 1, participants ranging from 4‐year‐olds through college students were presented with biological, moral, psychological, and irrelevant causes for illness symptoms and were asked how much time elapsed between the cause and the symptom. They were also asked if medicine would make the person feel better and if so how much time elapsed between taking the medicine and feeling better. Study 2 replicated Study 1 with 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds. Study 3 examined whether 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds and college students could differentiate between physical and emotional reactions to illnesses and injuries, with regard to time course. Overall, young children underestimate how long it takes for illness symptoms to emerge (expecting them to result right away following exposure to contamination). Nonetheless, children generated longer timelines for biological cures than biological causes. Moreover, 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds expect physical and emotional reactions to follow different time courses. These results suggest that young children have a nascent expectation that biological events are distinct from non‐biological events, in how they unfold over time.
I was like a wild wild person: Understanding feelings of anger using interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Eatough Virginia , Smith Jonathan
Published: September 2006

This paper is concerned with illuminating how emotion (anger) and emotion‐related phenomena such as feelings, thoughts and expressions appear to the individual person. In particular, it focuses on the role of feelings in emotion experience. It does this through the qualitative analysis of interview material from a single person case study using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The paper examines how the participant feels and experiences anger, the defining characteristics of anger episodes, and how the typical pattern of these episodes is disrupted by life‐changes. The findings are examined in light of phenomenological ideas and the utility of these ideas for psychology's understanding of emotion argued for.
Severity of Alzheimer's disease and effect on premorbid measures of intelligence
Authors: McFarlane Jean , Welch John , Rodgers Jacqui
Published: September 2006

Objectives To assess the robustness of the National Adult Reading Test (NART), Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), Cambridge Contextual Reading Test (CCRT), Spot the Word (STW), and a demographic regression equation in estimating premorbid ability in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Design A cross‐sectional multiple measures design.

Method Sixty‐six probable AD participants were classified into stages of severity according to their Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score (minimal 24 to 28; mild 14 to 23). Their scores on the NART, WTAR, CCRT, STW and a demographic equation were compared with 32 healthy age matched controls.

Results Significant between‐group differences were found for the tests of reading ability (NART, WTAR and CCRT). The mild group made significantly more errors than the control and minimal groups. For the mild group, there was an advantage of putting the NART words into context (CCRT), but this group still made significantly more errors than the control and minimal groups. The NART was compared with the demographic estimate and there was a significant difference for the mild group with the demographic estimate providing a higher estimate. This was not the case for the control or minimal groups. There was no significant difference between the groups on the lexical decision task (STW).

Conclusion Reading of irregular words is compromised in AD for those with a MMSE score in the range of 14 to 23. A lexical decision task may provide a more accurate estimate of premorbid intelligence in those with mild AD. Further research is needed to provide evidence of STW's correlation with current ability.
The effectiveness and quality of routine child and adolescent mental health care outreach clinics
Authors: Day Crispin , Davis Hilton
Published: September 2006

Objectives Little evidence has been available about the functioning and outcomes of child mental health services operating at the primary care interface. This study investigated the effectiveness and quality of one particular model of outreach clinic.

Design The study used a quasi‐experimental design comparing outcomes of children attending the outreach clinics with a waiting list comparison. The intervention group (n=88) was assessed at referral, four months and twelve months later. The comparison group (n=99) completed measures at referral and four months.

Method The main carers of participant children completed self‐report measures of problem severity, impact, burden, parental stress and parent satisfaction. Clinicians provided clinical activity information.

Results There were significant reductions in children's problem severity, distress and impairment, particularly for behavioural difficulties. In contrast, the results showed no effect upon the outcomes of children's emotional problems or parental stress. High ratings of satisfaction were obtained for many aspects of care.

Conclusions The children receiving care through this system of decentralised, outreach clinics derived clinical benefits that were maintained over time. The outreach clinics received strong consumer support suggesting the service offered a high level of acceptability to parents.
The role of clinical and social cognitive variables in parasuicide
Authors: O'Connor Rory C. , Armitage Christopher J. , Gray Lorna
Published: September 2006

ObjectivesThe central aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which social cognitive variables could mediate the effects of past self‐harm behaviour and clinical variables on intentions to engage in deliberate self‐harm (DSH) and suicidality in the next three months. In addition, we aimed to extend the application of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) beyond distal health outcomes to a behaviour that is proximal and extreme.

Design and methodA prospective study design was employed. Ninety parasuicide patients admitted via accident and emergency to a general hospital completed measures of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, past self‐harm behaviour, standard TPB and group identity measures within days of an overdose. Three months later, participants were asked to complete a measure of suicidal thinking and behaviour.

ResultsThere was clear evidence that the social cognitive variables were significant predictors of intention to engage in DSH and suicidality three months later. Depression was the only clinical variable which remained significant when all variables were entered into the final model to predict intentions. Attitudes, self‐efficacy and intention mediated the clinical variables‐suicidality relationship.

ConclusionsThe TPB is a useful framework for understanding suicidal behaviour. The results extend the application of the TPB beyond distal health outcomes to a behaviour that is both proximal and extreme. Future research should explore the implications for screening assessment and suicide prevention.
The effectiveness of computerized cognitive behavioural therapy in routine care
Authors: Cavanagh K. , Shapiro D. A. , Van den Berg S. , Swain S. , Barkham M. , Proudfoot J.
Published: September 2006

Objectives and design The efficacy of a Computerized Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CCBT) package, Beating the Blues, has been demonstrated in a large randomized controlled trial. The current study tests the generalizability of this finding in a naturalistic non‐randomized trial.

Method 219 patients with anxiety and/or depression were recruited to receive CCBT in routine care. The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation‐Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM) and Work and Social Adjustment scale (WSA) were administered pre‐treatment, immediately on completing treatment and at 6 months post‐treatment. Single‐item self‐report measures of anxiety and depression were also collected during each treatment session.

Results Completer and intention‐to‐treat analysis demonstrated statistically and clinically significant improvements on the CORE‐OM, WSA and in self‐reported anxiety and depression. Intention‐to‐treat analysis indicated an average 0.29‐point drop on the CORE‐OM, equating to an uncontrolled pre‐post effect size of 0.50. Research completers achieved an average 0.61‐point drop equating to an uncontrolled pre‐post size of 1.00 on the same measure. Where data was available (18%), these benefits were maintained at week 32 (6 months follow‐up).

Conclusion CCBT can be an effective first line tool within a stepped care framework for the management of common mental health problems.
A pilot study to investigate the effectiveness of emotion recognition remediation in schizophrenia using the micro‐expression training tool
Authors: Russell Tamara A. , Chu Elvina , Phillips Mary L.
Published: September 2006

Objective Emotion recognition impairments are a common feature of schizophrenia. This pilot study investigates the effectiveness of the ‘micro‐expressions training tool’ (METT) to help improve this skill.

Method Twenty patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy matched control participants completed the assessment, training and practice subsections of the METT. They were additionally evaluated pre‐ and post‐training on an emotion‐matching task (EMT).

Results Both groups improved with METT training; patients with schizophrenia improved to a level that did not distinguish them from pre‐trained controls (on both METT and EMT assessments).

Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia make significant improvements in emotion recognition following training with this tool, suggesting that brief remediation therapy may be a valuable adjunct to existing treatment programmes.
Perceived non‐shared environment, personality traits, family factors and developmental experiences in bulimia nervosa
Authors: Lehoux Pascale M. , Howe Nina
Published: September 2006

Objective The role of perceived non‐shared environmental influences and personality traits in the risk of developing bulimia nervosa (BN) was compared in 40 women with BN and their non‐eating disordered sisters.

Methods The two sisters were compared for (a) eating pathology, (b) perceived non‐shared environmental factors (differential family relationships, developmental teasing, traumatic experiences), (c) personality traits (impulsivity, affective instability, narcissism), and (d) psychopathology (anxiety, depression).

Results Specific perceived non‐shared risk factors (e.g. perceptions of teasing), non‐specific non‐shared risk factors (e.g. insecure paternal attachment) and personality traits (e.g. narcissism) distinguished women with BN from sisters. In the final logistic regression, insecure paternal attachment predicted the risk for BN, while trends were apparent for narcissism and developmental teasing after controlling for psychopathology.

Conclusions Our correlational cross‐sectional design does not allow for investigation of direction of effects. However, it is an important first step in identifying possible perceived non‐shared environmental influences and personality traits that may constitute vulnerability factors predisposing individuals to the development of BN. Findings are discussed in the light of existing models of risk factors for the etiology of BN.
Illness perception and its relationship to readiness to change in the eating disorders: A preliminary investigation
Authors: Stockford Katie , Turner Hannah , Cooper Myra
Published: September 2006

Objective This study investigated the psychometric properties of a modified version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire – Revised (IPQ‐R) in individuals with eating disorders. The relationship between illness representations and stage of change was then explored.

Design and method A cross‐sectional design was employed and participants were asked to complete a set of questionnaires. A subset of participants completed the IPQ‐R again after 2 weeks in order to assess test‐retest reliability. The relationship between illness representations and stage of change was explored using hierarchical multiple regression analyses.

Results Sixty‐nine participants with a clinical eating disorder took part in the study. With the exception of the causal subscales, the modified version of the IPQ‐R had good internal validity and good test‐retest reliability. Consequences, treatment control and personal control as well as cyclical timeline perceptions accounted for a significant and unique amount of variance in readiness to change stage scores.

Conclusions Findings suggest that this modified version of the IPQ‐R provides a reliable means of exploring illness representations in individuals with eating disorders. Given the significant relationships between illness representations and stage of change, it may be helpful to consider these aspects of illness representations when carrying out therapeutic work with this clinical population. Further research might usefully investigate the relationship between illness perceptions and clinical outcome, as well as examine what factors are important in the shift between stages of change in a longitudinal design.
Friendship quality, body dissatisfaction, dieting and disordered eating in adolescent girls
Authors: Schutz Helen K. , Paxton Susan J.
Published: September 2006

Objectives This study examined relationships between adolescent girls' body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, quality of same‐sex peer relationships and beliefs about thinness in interpersonal relationships, before and after controlling for depression.

Design Correlations between body image, eating and friendship variables were examined before and after controlling for depressive symptoms. Top and bottom quartiles on symptom variables were identified and analyses of variance, with and without depressive symptoms entered as a covariate, were used to compare scores between groups on friendship variables.

Methods Grade 10 girls (N=324) completed self‐report questionnaires.

Results Consistent relationships were observed between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, and negative friendship qualities (friend alienation, friend conflict), but not positive friendship qualities (friend communication, friend trust and peer acceptance). The strength of relationships with negative friendship qualities was reduced when depressive symptoms were taken into account. High and low symptom groups differed on perceived friend concern with weight and advantages of thinness in interpersonal relationships before and after controlling for depressive symptoms.

Conclusions Results suggest the importance of addressing negative aspects of peer relationships, social anxieties and beliefs about the importance of thinness in the peer environment as well as depressive symptoms, in interventions for body dissatisfaction and eating problems.
Specificity of autobiographical memory in depressed older adults and its relationship with working memory and IQ
Authors: Birch Lucy S. , Davidson Kate M.
Published: September 2006

Objectives The study investigated whether depressed older adults retrieve fewer specific memories and more categoric memories than non‐depressed older adults on the autobiographical memory test (AMT). The second objective was to investigate the relationship between AMT performance and both working memory and intelligence quotient (IQ).

Design The study was cross‐sectional, involving a single interview with each participant.

Methods A group of 17 depressed participants was matched for age, gender and education with a group of 17 non‐depressed participants. All were screened for cognitive impairment. Participants completed the AMT, spatial span and letter‐number sequencing subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale III and the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading.

Results The depressed group retrieved significantly fewer specific memories than the non‐depressed group, but did not differ in their categoric memory recall. Specific memory scores were positively correlated with measures of working memory, but not with IQ. Categoric memory scores were negatively correlated with measures of working memory, but not with IQ.

Conclusions Depression adversely affects older adults' ability to retrieve specific memories. Working memory capacity was related to specific autobiographical memory retrieval independently of IQ. A strong relationship between AMT performance and spatial span is discussed.
Prospects for a cognitive‐developmental account of psychotic experiences
Authors: Bentall Richard P. , Fernyhough Charles , Morrison Anthony P. , Lewis Shôn , Corcoran Rhiannon
Published: September 2006

PurposeIt has recently been recognized that psychosis represents the end‐point of abnormal developmental pathways. The neurodevelopmental framework, within which this observation has typically been interpreted, has a number of limitations, particularly its failure to take account of recent advances in our understanding of the psychology of unusual experiences, such as hallucinations and delusions. The purpose of the present review is to highlight the advantages of considering psychosis within the framework of mainstream developmental psychology. The approach we advocate integrates findings from neurodevelopmental research with research on typical cognitive and sociocognitive development and the psychology of psychotic symptoms.

MethodWe review selected research on the developmental precursors of psychosis and on the role of cognitive processes in psychotic symptoms, together with relevant literature addressing the development of these processes in healthy children.

ResultsDevelopmental psychology provides clues about the cognitive and sociocognitive abnormalities that may be involved in hallucinations and delusions. An integration of these findings with existing knowledge on the neurodevelopment of psychosis suggests new avenues of research for investigators working at both biological and psychological levels of explanation.

ConclusionsThe literature on typical cognitive and sociocognitive development provides a rich source of hypotheses about the ontogenetic pathways leading to psychosis.