bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Specificity of autobiographical memory in social phobia and major depression
Authors: Heidenreich Thomas , Junghanns‐Royack Katrin , Stangier Ulrich 
Published: September 2006

Objectives Several studies have found evidence for overgeneral autobiographical memory in patients with major depression and other disorders. Individuals with social phobia have been found to report early memories relating to specific experiences of being depreciated or rejected. However, there are no clear results regarding specificity of autobiographical memory in social phobia to date.Design Experimental design is quasi‐experimental: Three groups were compared with regard to specificity of autobiographical memory. Emphasis was laid on matching the groups for age, gender and educational level.Methods Following the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) and another recent study, 10 emotional cue words of positive or negative valence were presented to 18 outpatients with social phobia without current comorbid depression, 18 outpatients with major depression without current anxiety disorder and 18 healthy control subjects in a think‐aloud task. Participants were asked to report a specific autobiographical event and received sufficient training to ensure that the method had been understood.Results Results indicated no significant differences between groups for specificity and latency of first specific response. In contrast with earlier studies, an overgeneral response style was not observed in depressed patients. However, significant differences in educational level emerged.Conclusions Social phobics demonstrated a high ability to recall detailed specific autobiographical memories. Possible explanations for the discrepancy between our results and previous findings regarding depressed patients are discussed in terms of sample characteristics, specific modifications of the AMT‐protocol and level of education.
Metacognition in anorexia nervosa, dieting and non‐dieting controls: A preliminary investigation
Authors: Cooper Myra J. , Grocutt Elizabeth , Deepak Kavita , Bailey Emma 
Published: September 2006

Objective The aim of the current study was to provide a preliminary investigation of the presence of metacognition in anorexia nervosa (AN).Method Female participants with a history of AN (N=16), dieters (N=15) and non‐dieting controls (N=17) completed self‐report questionnaires, including one assessing five dimensions of metacognition.Results Those with a history of AN, compared to both control groups, had higher scores on metacognition; indicating higher levels of uncontrollability and danger; cognitive confidence; need for control; and cognitive self‐consciousness, but not higher levels of positive beliefs.Conclusion Metacognition is worthy of further study in those with a history of AN.
The psychological consequences of combat exposure: The importance of appraisals and post‐traumatic stress disorder symptomatology in the occurrence of delusional‐like ideas
Authors: Campbell Michelle L. C. , Morrison Anthony P. 
Published: September 2006

Objective The aim of the current study is to explore the association between combat experience and the occurrence of delusional‐like beliefs. It is hypothesized that negative post‐trauma appraisals and positive beliefs about paranoia will be associated with vulnerability to delusional ideas and that veterans who meet criteria for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be more likely to hold delusional‐like ideas.Design A small‐scale survey design was employed in order to ensure that detailed information was gathered concerning battle exposure.Methods Forty‐one British war veterans completed questionnaires relating to combat experience, delusional ideation, beliefs about paranoia, appraisals of combat trauma and PTSD symptomatology.Results Negative post‐trauma cognitions and positive and negative beliefs about paranoia were associated with increased predisposition to delusional beliefs; however, the severity of combat experience was not. It was also found that veterans who met criteria for PTSD were more likely to hold delusional‐like ideas compared with those who did not. Furthermore, the PTSD group held more negative post‐trauma cognitions and more positive beliefs about paranoia.Conclusions These findings suggest that PTSD symptoms may confer vulnerability to delusional beliefs and that this may be mediated by negative appraisals about the self, the world and dysfunctional beliefs about paranoia. However, it is possible that psychotic‐like phenomena confer vulnerability to PTSD. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Distinguishing between anxiety and depression using the Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire (MASQ)
Authors: Buckby Joe A. , Yung Alison R. , Cosgrave Elizabeth M. , Cotton Sue M. 
Published: September 2006

Objective To examine the discriminant validity of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) in a sample of young help‐seekers.Method 136 young people referred to a psychiatric service completed a diagnostic interview and the MASQ.Results Participants were classified according to diagnostic status: Mood Only; Anxiety Only; Mixed Anxiety‐Depression; Other DSM‐IV Disorder; and No Axis‐I Disorder. Participants in the Mood Only and Mixed groups scored significantly higher than the remaining groups on all MASQ scales. Participants in the Anxiety Only group did not score significantly higher than participants in the Other DSM‐IV or No Diagnosis groups for any scale.Conclusion Our finding supported the specificity of the depression‐specific scale, however the purported anxiety‐specific scale did not distinguish between those with and those without Anxiety disorders. It was hypothesised that in clinical samples, the MASQ may measure general psychological distress.
The utility of the recognition memory test and the graded naming test for monitoring neurological patients
Authors: Bird Chris M. , Cipolotti Lisa 
Published: September 2006

Objectives Repeated neuropsychological assessments are often used to monitor cognitive changes in neurological patients. In this study we document: test‐retest reliability (TRR), group changes in performance and measures of intra‐subject variability for two commonly used cognitive tests.Design A large sample of neurological patients with either acute or degenerative neurological damage, and relatively static cognitive profiles, were retrospectively selected if they had been administered twice either the Recognition Memory Test (RMT) and/or the Graded Naming Test (GNT) within a 2‐year interval.Results Overall, the TRR of the RMT was reasonable in both patient groups, although slightly better in the neurodegenerative population. The GNT had excellent reliability in both patient populations. For both tests, the intra‐subject variability was generally large and greater than that observed in healthy adults.Conclusions Despite its reasonable TRR, the RMT's very large intra‐subject variability makes it unsuitable for monitoring the gradual changes in episodic memory performance that may be associated with both acute and degenerative neurological conditions. In contrast, the GNT is a reliable test of nominal skills and is sensitive to gradual changes in performance over time.
Subtypes of borderline personality disorder, associated clinical disorders and stressful life‐events: A latent class analysis based on the British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey
Authors: Shevlin Mark , Dorahy Martin , Adamson Gary , Murphy Jamie 
Published: September 2006

Objectives. The current study examined the types of borderline personality profiles, associated psychological disorders and stressful life‐events.Design. Data from the British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey were used to examine homogeneous subtypes of participants based on their responses to nine borderline personality disorder (BPD) criteria.Methods. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify homogeneous groups, or classes, of individuals. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between classes and associated psychological disorders and stressful life‐events.Results. A 4‐class solution provided the best fit, ranging from a class with a low probability of showing any BPD symptoms to a class whose members had a relatively high probability of endorsing all criteria. Severity of BPD was associated with higher co‐morbidity and higher stressful life‐events.Conclusions. Results suggest that four discrete classes make up the borderline continuum.
Perceptions of athletic competence and fear of negative evaluation during physical education
Authors: Ridgers Nicola D. , Fazey Della M. A. , Fairclough Stuart J. 
Published: September 2006

Background. Physical education (PE) aims to enhance self‐esteem, develop sporting interests and to encourage a physically active life‐style. However, little is known about how a fear of negative evaluation (FNE), the socially evaluative aspect of social anxiety, affects children's attitudes to PE.Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between perceived athletic competence and FNE within PE lessons, specifically looking at differences between boys and girls and primary and secondary schools.Sample. The participants were 192 children in three primary schools (N = 85, mean age = 9.5±1.1 years) and two secondary schools (N = 107, mean age = 14.5±0.8 years) from rural areas of North Wales and the Midlands region of England.Methods. The participants completed the Brief‐FNE Scale and the Self‐Perception Profile for Children immediately post‐lesson on one occasion.Results. Girls had higher FNE but lower perceptions of athletic competence than did boys. Older girls had higher FNE and lower perceived competence than the remaining three groups. Additionally, a significant and reverse but weak correlation was observed between girls' perceived athletic competence and FNE.Conclusions. The findings suggest that girls with a high FNE report lower perceptions of their athletic competence. Individuals who are high in FNE behave in ways to avoid the prospect of being evaluated negatively. However, they may seek feedback from significant others as a signal that unfavourable evaluations have been avoided. Therefore, positive, encouraging feedback used in child‐centred learning strategies may foster feelings of competence in boys and girls and could reduce the girls' social anxiety.
The effects of adapting a writing course to students' writing strategies
Authors: Kieft Marleen. , Rijlaarsdam Gert. , Galbraith David. , van den Bergh Huub. 
Published: September 2006

Background. When writing a text, students are required to do several things simultaneously. They have to plan, translate and review, which involve demanding cognitive processes. In order to handle this complexity, writers need to develop a writing strategy. The two most well‐defined writing strategies that have been identified, are those of a planning strategy and a revising strategy.Aims. To establish whether students will be more competent in managing the complexity of writing when writing instruction is adapted to their habitual writing strategy, thus resulting in better texts.Sample. 113 high school students (10th grade).Method. Students were randomly assigned to either the planning or the revising condition. To identify writing strategies, students completed a questionnaire concerning their planning and revising tendencies. To measure the level of writing skill, students' texts written during pre‐test and post‐test were analysed.Results. The effect of instruction based on a planning strategy interacted with the level of planning or revising strategy: the greater the use of such a strategy, the larger the effect on writing skill. In contrast, the effect of instruction based on a revising writing strategy did not interact with the level of planning or revising strategy. Results imply that students with strong tendencies to plan or revise profited from writing instruction based on a planning strategy, while students with a low tendency to plan or revise profited more from instruction based on a revising strategy.Conclusion. Adapting writing instruction to students' level of writing strategy, is an effective approach for learning to write.
An assessment for attitudes consistent with sexual offending for use with offenders with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Lindsay William R. , Whitefield Elaine , Carson Derek 
Published: September 2006

Background. Over the past 10 years, the focus of assessment and treatment for sex offenders has changed from the assessment of skills and deviant sexual preferences to the assessment and treatment of cognitions that might be considered to encourage or justify inappropriate sexual behaviour. There have been a few assessment measures of deviant sexual cognitions developed for adults in mainstream sex offender populations but none in less able populations. The present study describes an assessment questionnaire consisting of 7 scales for cognitions associated with rape, voyeurism, exhibitionism, dating abuse, stalking, homosexual assault and offences against children, designed to be used by sex offenders with intellectual disabilities.Method. Four groups of subjects were employed in this study – sex offenders, non‐sexual offenders, non‐offenders all with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intelligence and a further group of normal men. All subjects completed the questionnaire and 86 subjects provided reliability data.Results. Each item was subjected to 3 tests of reliability. Retained items were required to achieve an item‐to‐total correlation of at least 0.4. Of the 7 scales, 5 achieved an internal consistency coefficient of 0.8 or greater. All scales successfully discriminated between groups even when the normal controls were eliminated because their scores were so low.Conclusions. It is possible to develop scales to assess cognitions related to types of offences which discriminate between sex offenders and other groups with intellectual disabilities. The final scales have robust statistical properties and can be used for clinical and research purposes. Some caution was noted in the use of attitudinal assessments for sex offenders.
Does executive functioning predict improvement in offenders' behaviour following enhanced thinking skills training? An exploratory study with implications for rehabilitation
Authors: Mullin Stephen , Simpson Jane 
Published: September 2006

Purpose. This study focused upon whether outcome following Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) groups for incarcerated offenders could be predicted by the offenders' pre‐training levels of executive function. It also addressed whether this predictive function was above and beyond that predicted by intelligence, demographic information, conviction history, emotional distress and social compliance.Methods. Offenders due to undergo ETS were assessed using a battery of neuropsychological measures of executive functioning and other psychometric instruments. Change in behaviour following ETS was assessed using the Behaviour Rating Scale (BRS). The results of this assessment were entered into regression analyses, with the post‐ETS changes in the positive and negative scales of the BRS as the independent variables in 2 separate analyses.Results. Aspects of executive functioning related to attentional set shifting ability were found to be highly predictive of outcome, with those with relatively weaker executive functioning showing the most improvement. Participant age and number of previous convictions were found to be predictive of reductions in negative behaviour but not of improvements in positive behaviour, with older participants and those with more previous convictions showing the greatest degree of improvement.Conclusions. ETS can be of particular benefit to those offenders with relatively poor executive functioning.
The experiences of a young Gypsy‐Traveller in the transition from custody to community: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Meek Rosie 
Published: September 2006

Purpose. This paper presents a case study of a young male Gypsy‐Traveller from the south‐west of England. The study explores the participant's experiences of serving a sentence in a Young Offender Institute, and of the transition from custody back into the community.Methods. The study is idiographic and grounded in the detailed case study of a 20‐year‐old Gypsy‐Traveller. An initial semi‐structured interview was conducted while the participant was serving a 2‐year custodial sentence and subsequent contact was made after release from prison. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results. The case study reveals that issues of culture and identity are of particular relevance when seeking to understand the experience of a young Gypsy‐Traveller serving a custodial sentence. This is partially demonstrated with the tension between perceived autonomy and the role of social factors. These themes are also of importance in exploring desistance from crime after release from prison. Issues surrounding negative attitudes from within the community, the police and the prison are also explored, with findings discussed in the context of prison, policing and probation practice with young Gypsy‐Travellers.Conclusions. The study suggests that practical and social psychological issues need to be taken into account when considering the particular needs of young Gypsy‐Travellers in custody and after release from prison. Given that young Gypsy‐Traveller men are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, attention to these issues is especially relevant for those who work in the prison and probation services, with important implications for rehabilitation.
Assessing crossover in a sample of sexual offenders with multiple victims
Authors: Cann Jenny , Friendship Caroline , Gozna Lynsey 
Published: September 2006

Purpose. This study examined the proportion of sexual offenders in England and Wales who exhibited ‘crossover’ in their choice of victim, as defined by age, gender and relationship to the offender. It subsequently aimed to identify criminal and demographic variables predictive of crossover.Method. The sample comprised 1,345 adult male sexual offenders. All had offended against multiple victims and had been discharged from custody in England and Wales between 1992 and 1996. Offence summaries within police records were used to collect victim details for each sexual conviction for each offender, and criminal conviction histories were obtained from the Offenders Index for the sample.Results. A quarter of the sample (24.5%, n = 330) demonstrated crossover behaviour in regard to at least one of the victim dimensions examined (i.e. age, gender or relationship). Using the risk predictor Static‐99, these offenders were found to be significantly riskier than those who did not display crossover behaviour. Multinomial regression failed to identify reliable variables predictive of crossover.Conclusions. The findings from this study are likely to represent an underestimate of the prevalence of crossover within sexual offenders in England and Wales. Reasons for this are discussed, and the implications of crossover for offender risk assessment, treatment, community supervision and policing practices are explored.
Believed cues to deception: Judgments in self‐generated trivial and serious situations
Authors: Taylor Rachel , Hick Rachel F. 
Published: September 2006

Purpose. To investigate the beliefs that people hold about the cues to deception in serious and trivial lies.Method. A questionnaire study considered the beliefs which people have about the cues to deception in themselves and other people in both trivial and serious lies. Participants were asked to consider how likely it was that a number of verbal and non‐verbal behaviours would give themselves or someone else away during deception. Half the participants considered cues to deception in themselves and the remainder considered cues in other people. All participants were asked to make a judgment on cues to deception in both trivial and serious situations.Results. It was predicted that making the consequences of the lie both salient and meaningful to participants would make participants less stereotypical in their beliefs. Results partially supported these hypotheses – serious lies were associated with more nervous behaviours than trivial ones and a total of six behaviours were regarded as occurring significantly less often in trivial lies than in truthful situations.Conclusions. While similar results were found for serious self‐generated lies to those found in previous research using vignettes, there was some suggestion that the use of a more individually salient lying situation did reduce the reliance on stereotyped behaviour. The believed decrease in certain behaviours during trivial lies is a promising result, and these results are discussed with reference to the roles that stereotypes and heuristics play in ineffective lie detection.
How well does the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale for Children, version 2 predict the recall of false details among children with and without intellectual disabilities?
Authors: Miles Katie L. , Powell Martine B. , Gignac Gilles E. , Thomson Donald M. 
Published: September 2006

Purpose. This study explored the effectiveness of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale for Children, version 2 in predicting the tendency of older school‐aged children (with and without intellectual disabilities) to generate errors in an independent suggestibility paradigm.Method. Sixty‐nine children with an intellectual disability (aged 9–14 years) and 50 mainstream children matched for chronological age participated in a 30‐minute magic show that was staged at their school. Three days later, the children participated in a separate biasing interview that provided seven true and seven false details about the magic show. The following day, the children participated in a second interview where they were required to recall the magic show in their own words and answer a series of cued‐recall questions. Between 1 and 2 weeks later, the children were administered the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale‐2 (GSS‐2).Results. While there was no significant association between performance on the GSS‐2 and the independent suggestibility paradigm for the children with an intellectual disability, the chronological age‐matched children's yield scores predicted their reporting of both false‐new details and false‐interviewer suggestions for the independent event.Conclusion. When predicting children's recall of false details, the GSS‐2 appears to be more useful with mainstream school‐aged children compared with children who have an intellectual disability.