Newly developed short behavior scale for use in stroke outcome research

This study was designed to examine the scale quality of our newly developed short behavior scale and to identify its role in predicting the functional outcome of stroke patients. The short behavior scale consists of six items that assess cognitive function related to the daily behavioral status of a patient in activities of daily living and exercise. It can be scored quickly through observation of a patient's behavior. We assessed 190 stroke inpatients, who had a mean age of 61 years. The mean days and length of stay from onset were 47.3 and 138.2, respectively. We examined internal consistency with the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Interrater reliability was tested by having two examiners evaluate 30 patients independently. We studied how the short behavior scale correlated with the admission Functional Independence Measure, Mini-Mental State Examination scores, and speech and visuospatial functions. We also studied how the short behavior scale contributed to the prediction of discharge Functional Independence Measure raw scores with stepwise multiple regression analysis. In another group of 116 patients, we cross-validated our predictive equation. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.88. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.84 for total score. The short behavior scale correlated significantly with cognitive Functional Independence Measure scores and Mini-Mental State Examination scores. We could explain 70.8% of the variance of discharge Functional Independence Measure scores from the Short Behavior Scale, days from onset to admission, age, speech scores, and admission Functional Independence Measure scores. Stability of the predictive equation was shown in cross-validation to a second sample of 116 patients. In conclusion, our newly developed short behavior scale proved reasonable and would be useful to enhance the precision of outcome prediction in stroke rehabilitation.     

Interpersonal complementarity and individual differences.

Interpersonal circumplex theory has predicted complementarity in interpersonal interactions to be expressed in the form of correspondence along the affiliation dimension (e.g., friendly behavior evokes friendliness) and reciprocity along the control dimension (e.g., dominance evokes submission). Prior research has supported the first prediction but not the second. It was hypothesized in this study that the inconsistent findings were due in part to the neglect of the importance of individual differences (personality) variables. Interpersonal process and individual differences variables were assessed jointly in this study, and it was found that affiliative behavior was due largely to situational (complementarity) effects and control behavior was due largely to individual differences. The results are discussed with respect to an integration of group–interpersonal process and individual differences research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preferred interpersonal distance as a function of locus of control orientation in chronic schizophrenics, nonschizophrenic patients, and normals.

Used a new instrument, the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance scale, to reassess the relationship between psychopathology and interpersonal distance. It was predicted that, since schizophrenics are more external than normals and since externality has been shown to be related to greater preferred distance from others, 20 female schizophrenics theoretically should prefer greater distance, in general, from interpersonal stimuli. 20 female nonschizophrenic patients were included as controls for the "externalizing" effects of hospitalization. Results show that schizophrenics were more external than nonschizophrenics, who were more external than 20 normals. Preferred distance from interpersonal stimuli as measured by the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance scale was greatest for schizophrenics and least for normals. Implications for future research and treatment of schizophrenic patients are discussed. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factor analytic study of Eysenck's and Schutz's personality dimensions among psychiatric groups.

As a test of the applicability of Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO) theory to psychiatric groups a battery of personality inventories, including the Maudsley Personality Inventory and Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B), was administered to 3 schizophrenic (N = 20), 3 neurotic (N = 10 - 12), and 1 normal group (N = 20) of male VA patients. All Ss were rated for 1 week on a check list of behaviors paralleling the FIRO-B scales. Factor analysis of the correlations among 25 variables resulted in 6 orthogonal factors. The FIRO behavior check list variables loaded on the same factors as the FIRO-B scales, Schutz's "inclusion" dimension combined with Eysenck's "extraversion" factor, but "control" and "affection" appeared as separate factors. Additional factors of "emotionality," "social status," and "deteriorated paranoia" appeared in the factor loading matrix. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of interpersonal group composition on the problem-solving behavior of middle managers.

Examined the effects of compatible and incompatible group composition on the problem-solving behavior of middle managers who had spent time together in work-management conferences. 22 groups (n = 10-12 per group) were administered the Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation-Behavior at the start of their conference. The Lego Man, a problem-solving exercise, was administered the 2nd day. Groups that were more compatible on the interpersonal dimensions of control and affection completed the task more rapidly than more incompatible groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Packaged impact: A structured communication skills workshop.

Assessed the impact of a structured communications skills workshop of self-referred clients who expressed problems in feeling uncomfortable in their relationships with others. 16 male and 14 female undergraduates were assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups or a waiting list control group. During a 7-wk treatment period, the 2 experimental groups received the structured workshop. The control group received no treatment. Pre- and posttest results indicated a significant difference between scores on the criterion measures (Concept Specific Anxiety Scale, Interpersonal Relationship Rating Scale, and the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior scale) and favor the workshop group in terms of (a) reduced anxiety in interpersonal situations and (b) reported increase in establishing interpersonal relationships. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Problem-solving skills in suicidal psychiatric patients.

We examined a diathesis-stress-hopelessness model of suicidal behavior, the diathesis in question being a cognitive deficit in problem solving. We further expanded an analysis of the problem-solving skills and deficits of suicidal persons. This we accomplished by comparing a sample of 50 hospitalized patients on suicidal precautions with a control sample of 50 nonsuicidal hospitalized patients. The suicidal group differed from the control group on a number of dependent measures in accordance with the hypothesis that suicidal individuals are deficient in impersonal and interpersonal problem solving, experience more stress, and are more hopeless. Interpersonal problem-solving deficits were confined to tasks requiring subjects to generate alternative solutions to problems, as well as to anticipate negative consequences for proposed solutions. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of weekend encounter group experience upon interpersonal orientations.

20 college students and 20 21-55 yr. old working adults completed the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientations-Behavior (FIRO-B) scale before, after, and 2 mo. following participation in a weekend encounter group. 20 control college students also completed the test 3 times but did not attend a group. Predictions were generally upheld in comparisons of experimental and control college students, but working adults did not show their predicted convergence of high and low scores. Analysis of change scores revealed that low-scoring Ss increased significantly on 3 of 4 inclusion and affection scales, but high-scoring Ss in each group did not change relative to controls. It is concluded that Ss preferring low rates of social interchange show greater change following a weekend encounter group than initially high participators, possibly because the behavior of the former is more discrepant from encounter group norms and thus is confronted more. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Client-therapist complementarity: An analysis of the Gloria films.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 35(4) of Journal of Counseling Psychology (see record 2008-10690-001). The date of receipt for this article was incorrect. The correct date of receipt is provided in the erratum.] In this investigation of Shostrom's (1966) psychotherapy demonstration films, we used a checklist inventory measure derived from the 1982 Interpersonal Circle to examine the interpersonal behavior of Gloria, her three therapists, and their respective transaction patterns. Groups of undergraduate raters observed the three films, after which they rated the interpersonal behavior of either Gloria or the therapist. Analyses of Interpersonal Circle axes and segment scores revealed significant differences in the interpersonal behaviors of the three therapists with Gloria and of Gloria with the three therapists. Analyses of transactional patterns showed departures of Gloria's behaviors from the perfect complementary fit predicted from each of the therapist's interpersonal profiles, especially for behaviors categorized on the hostile half of the Interpersonal Circle. Discussion emphasized the complex of dyadic mix and other contextual factors that need to be addressed in future interpersonal studies of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the Lifestress Inventory for people with a mild intellectual disability

The Subjective Stress Scale (SSS; Bramston & Bostock, 1994) was developed to measure stress in people with a mild intellectual disability. In previous research, the SSS was found to measure two broad dimensions of stress (a) a General Worry factor and (b) a factor that tapped concerns about Negative Interpersonal Relations (Bramston & Fogarty, 1995). The present study sought to continue this line of research by introducing a slightly modified form of the SSS, to be known as the Lifestress Inventory (LI) and examining the psychometric properties of the scale when administered to a new sample of 221 people with mild intellectual disabilities. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that three underlying factors corresponding to General Worry, Negative Interpersonal Relations, and Coping were sufficient to account for the correlations among the items in the LI. Rasch analysis indicated some improvements to the scoring format for the LI and also showed that the most easily experienced stressors were associated with the Negative Interpersonal Relations dimension. The refinements introduced by the LI and the further demonstration that some of the broad stress dimensions identified in the general population can also be found in people with an intellectual disability represent important milestones for researchers interested in exploring reactions to stress among this population.     

Development of security guidelines for existing healthcare systems

Interpersonal conflict related to sociocultural group membership was examined with a multicultural university sample. The Social Group Conflict Scale (SGCS), collective self-esteem (CSE), and Bradburn affect scale were administered to 248 university students. The current study attempted to replicate and extend the findings on social group-based conflict recently proposed by Dunbar, Sue, and Liu. Results indicated that 51% of the subjects reported encountering interpersonal conflict attributable to their social group memberships, with ethnicity being the most frequently attributed group category. Significant gender and ethnic differences were noted in coping approach employed in responding to the conflict event. The current findings are considered in regard to effectively assessing and responding to intercultural conflict for mental health practice.     

Interpersonal deviance and consequent social impact in hypothetically schizophrenia-prone men.

Interpersonal deviance is central to the theory of and research on schizotypal psychopathology. The present study investigated interpersonal deviance and its corresponding impact among hypothetically schizotypic, or schizophrenia-prone, men, defined by high scores on the Perceptual Aberration–Magical Ideation (Per-Mag) Scale. In a videotaped interview, high-scoring Ss relative to control Ss were rated as more odd and more avoidant in their interview behavior and made the interviewers feel more anxious, more angry, and less interested. Other analyses revealed that oddness was the strongest discriminating variable and that this behavior could not be accounted for by social anxiety or lack of interest. These results provide further construct validation for the Per-Mag scale and suggest that interpersonal factors may influence the eventual adjustment of high scoring individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Client-therapist complementarity: An analysis of the Gloria films": Correction.

Reports an error in "Client-therapist complementarity: An analysis of the Gloria films" by Donald J. Kiesler and Chesley S. Goldston (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1988[Apr], Vol 35[2], 127-133). The date of receipt indicated for the revision of this article was incorrect. The correct date of receipt is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1988-36446-001.) In this investigation of Shostrom's (1966) psychotherapy demonstration films, we used a checklist inventory measure derived from the 1982 Interpersonal Circle to examine the interpersonal behavior of Gloria, her three therapists, and their respective transaction patterns. Groups of undergraduate raters observed the three films, after which they rated the interpersonal behavior of either Gloria or the therapist. Analyses of Interpersonal Circle axes and segment scores revealed significant differences in the interpersonal behaviors of the three therapists with Gloria and of Gloria with the three therapists. Analyses of transactional patterns showed departures of Gloria's behaviors from the perfect complementary fit predicted from each of the therapist's interpersonal profiles, especially for behaviors categorized on the hostile half of the Interpersonal Circle. Discussion emphasized the complex of dyadic mix and other contextual factors that need to be addressed in future interpersonal studies of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On affection, group composition, and self-actualization in sensitivity training.

Studied 40 interdenominational missionaries in a 5-day, residential, human relations sensitivity training program. Ss were placed in 4 groups according to premeasured compatibility for affection on the Fundamental Interpersonal Orientation-Behavior scale. The hypothesis is that Ss in 2 incompatible affection groups would gain significantly more on dimensions of self-actualization (Personal Orientation Inventory) than Ss in 2 compatible affection groups was supported on the Inner Directed, Feeling Reactivity, Spontaneity, and Capacity for Intimate Contact scales. The implications of preselected group composition models are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the dual-level effects of transformational leadership on followers.

We developed a dual-level transformational leadership scale to measure individual-focused behavior at the individual level and group-focused behavior at the group level, and we validated the scale using a sample of 203 members from 60 work groups in a Canadian company. Results show that individual-focused leadership behavior, at the individual level, was positively related to task performance and personal initiative; group-focused leadership behavior, at the group level, was positively associated with team performance and helping behavior. Implications for leadership theory and practice are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of training, stimulus context, and mode of stimulus presentation on empathy ratings.

Investigated how empathy ratings made by raters trained to use the Empathic Understanding in Interpersonal Processes (EU) Scale were affected by the conditions under which the ratings were made. 54 female undergraduates served as raters. The 3 factors studied were (a) training condition, (b) context of the counselor statement rated, and (c) mode of presentation of stimuli to the raters. Results indicate that training condition was the only significant factor. The significance of this factor is discussed in terms of the possible danger in comparing studies that used different training procedures. The nonsignificance of the context and mode factors is discussed in terms of the construct validity of the EU scale. It is argued that empathy ratings should logically be sensitive to the rater's knowledge of to whom and to what the counselor is responding. As this was not the case in the present study, the construct validity of the scale was held in question. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Blirtatiousness: Cognitive, behavioral, and physiological consequences of rapid responding.

The Brief Loquaciousness and Interpersonal Responsiveness Test (BLIRT) measures the extent to which people respond to others quickly and effusively. The BLIRT displays desirable psychometric properties and distinguishes people who should theoretically score high (e.g., car salespersons) from those who should score low (e.g., librarians). Scores on the scale predict (a) the amount and rapidity of people's verbal responses in an unstructured interaction, (b) how likable and competent people's classmates perceive them to be early in the semester, (c) how quickly people respond to an obnoxious cell-phone user and how physiologically aroused they become, and (d) how quickly and emphatically people respond to a series of personal insults as well as their degree of physiological arousal. Converging evidence indicates that blirtatiousness is unique in its ability to amplify people's qualities, making these qualities more readily observable to perceivers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The 1982 Interpersonal Circle: A taxonomy for complementarity in human transactions.

Integrates previous theory and research addressing interpersonal complementarity, a construct that is central to refined and extended research and clinical applications of interpersonal theory. The 1982 Interpersonal Circle is presented, which the present author constructed as a comprehensive taxonomy of the domain of 2-dimensional interpersonal behavior. The 1982 Circle integrates and expands the content of 4 major adult interpersonal measures (the Interpersonal Check List, the Interpersonal Adjective Scales, the Interpersonal Behavioral Inventory, and the Impact Message Inventory) to provide a circle taxonomy consisting of 16 segments 128 subclasses, 2 levels, and 350 bipolar items. Previous conceptions of interpersonal complementarity are reviewed and, using the 1982 Circle as a theoretical and operational guide, 11 propositions of complementarity as they apply in personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy are derived. (108 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual abuse prevention with high-risk males: the roles of victim empathy and rape myths

The outcome of two sexual abuse prevention programs, one emphasizing victim empathy and the other stressing modifying rape myths, was evaluated with high-risk males. Sixty-eight high-risk males, as determined by self-reported likelihood of committing sexual abuse, were randomly assigned to an empathy-treatment, a facts-treatment, or a no-treatment control group. Treatment effects were assessed using subjects' pre- and post-treatment scores on the Likelihood of Sexually Abusing scale, the Rape Empathy Scale, the Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence scale, the Adversarial Sexual Beliefs Scale, and a test of self-reported sexual arousal to forced versus consenting sex. In addition, posttest scores on an Asch-type conformity measure were obtained. Results of validity checks indicated that high-risk subjects differed from low-risk subjects on a number of rape-related variables, that the victim-empathy condition increased subjects' empathy, and that subjects found both treatments to be credible and helpful. Comparisons between the empathy-, facts-, and no-treatment group contraindicated the practice of dispelling rape myths as a method of preventing rape among high-risk males.