An examination of the applicability of the Substance Abuse Proclivity Scale to young adult males.

The substance abuse proclivity (SAP) scale, which was derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) for use with young (16–21 yr old) males, was applied to samples of 69 young adult male substance abusers, 51 college students, 26 psychiatric outpatients, and 1,298 medical outpatients (all Ss aged 20–29 yrs). Analyses demonstrated that the validity shrinkage was very modest when the scale was applied to Ss of this older age range. The correlation between age and SAP scale score was both significant and negative for 363 independently identified substance abusers (aged 13–26 yrs), which suggests that the scale taps something more basic than the accumulated consequences of the chronic use of substances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory for pictures: Does an age-related decline exist?

Examined the effects of varying detail on memory. In Exp I, pictorial embellishment was varied by presenting 27 Ss aged 60+ yrs and 30 undergraduates with normal photographs, high-contrast photographs, or line drawings, and testing their memory immediately and 4 wks later. All of the Ss did best with the most elaborate pictures (normal photographs), and old Ss remembered as well as young at the immediate but not at the delayed interval. In Exp II, with 21 old Ss and 21 18–36 yr olds, detail was varied by adding background to line drawings of a central object. Ss of both ages profited from enhanced background detail, and there were no differences in memory as a function of age. Exp III replicated Exp II, except that Ss (10 elderly and 17 college students) studied the pictures under divided attention conditions. Again, Ss of both ages recognized elaborate pictures best, and no significant age differences emerged. Results suggest that old and young adults profit from visual embellishment and that memory for meaningful pictures remains relatively intact with age. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WAIS and WISC-R "VP" scores: Sampling characteristics from three psychiatric populations.

Calculated Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ (VP) scores, from the WAIS and WISC—R, for 2 adult populations (84 forensic and 429 14–68 yr old psychiatric inpatients) and 1 child population (72 psychiatric outpatients [mean age 12.34 yrs]). Sampling characteristics of the VP score distributions and other related statistics are reported. The data, which should be useful to clinicians, provide normative information concerning the Verbal and Performance IQ parameters, as well as concerning schizophrenic patients specifically. (French abstract) (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recall of pleasant and unpleasant words in depressed subjects.

In Exp I, 20 clinically depressed inpatients (mean age 39.9 yrs), 20 nondepressed inpatients (mean age 42.65 yrs), and 20 nonpatients (mean age 44 yrs) were shown a word list containing pleasant and unpleasant words. One-half of Ss in each group were given free-recall instructions, the other half were asked to rate each word on a pleasantness scale prior to recall. Results show that only depressed Ss given free-recall instructions recalled more unpleasant words than pleasant words. In Exp II, 30 clinically depressed inpatients (mean age 39.33 yrs) were shown a word list consisting of either (1) pleasant and unpleasant words, (2) unpleasant words, or (3) pleasant words. Results show that only Ss receiving the mixed list recalled more unpleasant than pleasant words. Findings support the hypothesis that depressed Ss selectively process unpleasant words and that this processing is at the expense of attention to pleasant words. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processing deficits in Turner's syndrome.

Exp I compared 31 female 11–28 yr old Turner syndrome (TS) Ss and 31 matched controls on a mental rotation task. Although both groups utilized the some rotation strategy, TS Ss were less accurate and slower than controls in the rotational component of the task. Exp II compared 23 TS Ss and 23 matched controls (mean age 15.4 yrs) on a sentence verification task. No differences were observed between the groups in accuracy, strategy, or processing rates, although RTs of the TS group were significantly longer. Exp III studied a set of 12.5-yr-old dizygotic twins, one of whom had TS. Results replicate the findings of Exps I and II. Also discussed are the specific processing deficits in TS and the role of biological factors that may contribute to them. (67 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age and the selectivity of visual information processing.

Two experiments assessed age differences in the selectivity of visual information processing. Selectivity was measured by the amount of interference caused by nontarget letters when Ss detected a target letter in a visual display. In both experiments, young and elderly groups participated in search and nonsearch conditions; in the search condition, targets appeared anywhere in the display, whereas in the nonsearch condition targets were confined to the center position of the display. In Exp I, 20 19–27 yr olds and 20 65–90 yr olds were assigned to either condition for 2 sessions of testing. In Exp II, 16 young (mean age 19.8 yrs) and 16 elderly (mean age 71.8 yrs) Ss participated in both conditions. In both experiments, nontargets produced larger interference effects for old compared to young Ss in the search condition but not in the nonsearch condition. The obtained pattern of age effects could not be explained by age-related reductions in parafoveal acuity. Findings indicate that the magnitude of divided-attention deficit increases with age, whereas focused-attention deficits are unaffected by aging. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contextual cues and release from proactive inhibition in young and old people.

Three experiments examined whether elderly people perform similarly to Korsakoff amnesics on tests of release from proactive inhibition (PI). In Exp I, with 20 18–36 yr old undergraduates, 20 64–77 yr old university alumni, 20 employed 21–43 yr olds, and 21 institutionalized but healthy 71–92 yr olds, only the latter Ss failed to release from PI, like Korsakoff amnesics, whereas all the other groups of Ss showed the normal release from PI. Exp II, with 12 institutionalized 64–90 yr olds and 12 25–47 yr old controls, showed that release from PI could be induced in institutionalized elderly, as in Korsakoff amnesics, by salient environmental cues that coincided with the category shift. Exp III, with 13 67–89 yr old institutionalized Ss and 12 22–42 yr old controls, demonstrated that even in the absence of a category shift, salient environmental cues could lead to smaller, but noticeable, release from PI in institutionalized elderly, but not in young controls. The similarity in performance between the institutionalized elderly and Korsakoff amnesics suggested that it results from a common neurological deficit. (French abstract) (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult age differences in forgetting sentences.

Carried out age comparisons of performance-based measures of forgetting. In Exp 1, 18–21 yr olds and 55–64 yr olds (n?=?24) forgot at an equal rate when compared at 30 sec and 3, 6, and 24 hrs after acquisition. In Exp 2, 17–21 yr olds and 65–74 yr olds (n?=?24) were compared at the same 4 retention intervals. Initial learning was equated for the 2 groups. There was evidence for an age difference in forgetting rate in cued recall when a minimal learning level was required. In Exp 3, 440 men and women (aged 17–74 yrs) were assigned to a retention interval from 10 min to 7 hrs. Age was related to 4 performance-based measures of forgetting rate. Although the age differences were small, they imply 2 decremental processes: one before 10 min, possibly a result of incomplete consolidation, and a later one that is continuously and cumulatively operative thereafter. Evidence relating initial level to forgetting rate is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult age differences in the ability to cope with situations of high arousal in a precision sport.

Conducted 3 field experiments in which skilled miniature golf players were studied in 3 types of activities (training, minor competitions, and large competitions). Ss for Exp I were 5 22–32 yr olds and 5 47–58 yr olds; 14 Ss in Exp II were aged 7–24 yrs, 15–28 yrs, or 19–45 yrs; Ss for Exp III were 5 48–59 yr olds and 6 23–35 yr olds. Performance (i.e., number of shots) and arousal (heart rate and subjective ratings of anxiety) measures were registered in all types of activities. Findings show that the level of performance of older adult players deteriorated in the large competitions, whereas groups of younger adult players, junior players, and youth players performed at the same level in all 3 events, although all of the groups exhibited a similar increase in arousal from training and minor competitions to large competitions. It is suggested that older players may have a deficit in the ability to compensate for the negative effects of nonoptimal levels of arousal because of impairments in a variety of cognitive abilities that are critical to successful performance. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Responses of normal and disturbed adults and children to mixed messages.

Showed mixed messages containing contradictory communication components to 10 male 22–38 yr old students, 10 male 23–43 yr old schizophrenic inpatients, 10 male 7–9 yr old normal children, and 10 male 7–9 yr old disturbed children. The overall results reveal that normal adults' evaluations of mixed messages were significantly different from those of disturbed adults and from those of normal and disturbed children. Normal adults appeared to be influenced by all communication components (verbal statement, facial expression, vocal tone, and physical gesture) in mixed messages, whereas the other 3 S-groups were primarily influenced by the words. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and patterns of adherence and nonadherence to the social clock.

Illustrated how the concepts of "social clock project" and "pattern" may be applied by examining the results of a questionnaire administered at college graduation; scores from the California Psychological Inventory administered in college, 5 yrs after graduation, and 21–23 yrs after graduation; and questionnaires administered during the 2 follow-up periods to 104 42–45 yr old women. Results show that personality characteristics were related to life outcomes across the 1st 20 yrs of adulthood. 70 Ss who had their 1st child by age 28 were on the feminine social clockwork; 20 Ss were late adherents, having their 1st child after age 28; remaining Ss followed neither social clock pattern, or they followed a masculine occupational clock. It is suggested that, having described social clock projects and their normative time parameters, the relative goodness of fit between individuals' needs and the ecology of nested contexts in which they feel they must try to gratify them can be examined. (76 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward the objective diagnosis of psychopathology: Generalizability of modal personality profiles.

Evaluated the representativeness of 8 previously identified personality prototypes among 282 male and 129 female alcoholic inpatients (mean ages, 44.9 and 44.4 yrs, respectively), 69 male prison inmates, 79 male and female chronic psychiatric patients (mean age, 33.0 yrs), 102 male and female short-term psychiatric patients (mean age, 26.8 yrs), and 197 male and female normal undergraduates. Classification hit rates ranged from 25.0% for the college student group to 53.6% for male prison inmates, compared with 56.0% for the derivation sample of male alcoholics. These figures were substantially greater than chance, as evidenced by an average hit rate of 4.9% using randomly generated targets. Two profiles were notably pervasive across all samples. A 2nd analysis compared group average profiles using multiple discriminant analysis. Three interpreted dimensions included (a) repression vs a rebellious, antisocial syndrome; (b) general symptom severity, and (c) a dimension differentiating male from female groups. It is concluded that the present modal profiles and proposed extensions offer considerable potential for developing more effective bases for diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential memory changes with age: Exact retrieval versus plausible inference.

Conducted 2 experiments on the use of direct retrieval and plausibility memory strategies in elderly and college-age adults. In Exp I, which used an episodic memory task, data were obtained from 49 65–80 yr old college alumni and from 58 college students who had served in a previous study by the 1st author (see record 1983-02731-001). Findings indicate that older Ss effectively used the plausibility strategy but performed more poorly than younger Ss when the direct retrieval strategy was required. Results of Exp II, using 18 college alumni (8 Ss aged 20–31 yrs, 10 Ss aged 64–75 yrs) with a semantic memory task, show that older Ss' accuracy was essentially undistinguishable from that of younger Ss as long as a plausibility judgment process produced the correct response. It is argued that careful inspection is a much more costly process for older adults than it is for young adults but that plausibility judgments and feature overlap processes are equally easy for both age groups. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defective interhemispheric transfer in schizophrenia.

Groups of schizophrenics, nurses, and psychiatric controls were trained to perform a manual shape discrimination task. The 20 schizophrenics included 17 outpatients and 3 short-term inpatients: 10 males (mean age 36 yrs) and 10 females (mean age 37.6 yrs). Nurse control Ss were 10 male (mean age 26.3 yrs) and 10 female (mean age 22 yrs) psychiatric nurses or student nurses. Psychiatric control Ss were 8 males (mean age 36.1 yrs) and 10 females (mean age 32.6 yrs). On both of the tasks included in the experiment, the schizophrenic group, but not the control groups, displayed defective intermanual transfer. The performances of the schizophrenics resembled those previously obtained with split-brain monkeys on similar tasks; therefore, it is concluded that the schizophrenics tested suffered from incomplete transfer of stereognostic shape information from 1 cerebral hemisphere to the other. Experiments suggesting poor interhemispheric transfer on auditory tasks in schizophrenics are discussed along with the possibility that certain schizophrenic symptoms are related to defective interhemispheric communication. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Notational adaptation in children.

Three experiments examined whether and how children adapt their notations (use of external symbol systems) to the communicative needs of addresses of different ages. In Exp 1, 26 8–9 yr olds, 28 10–11 yr olds, and 11 adults made 2 notations about a solution to a simple board puzzle, one for a peer and the other for a 6-yr-old. Exp 2, with 28 8–9 yr olds, 23 10–11 yr olds, and 30 adults, focused on oral adaptations in the same context. In Exp 3, 28 8–9 yr-olds, 21 10–11 yr olds, and 30 adults were asked to choose ready-made notations for different addresses. Children's notations at both age groups were overall informative and adequate and improved with age. Children's notation's however, were not as sophisticated as verbal instructions, possible due to the Ss' more extensive experience with oral communication. Children's notational adaptation also developed with age. Some 8–9 yr olds and many 10–11 yr olds made systematic changes in their notations and verbal instructions for addresses of different ages. Most Ss of both age groups were aware of the difference in communicative competence between the younger addressee and the peer. They also shared with adults certain assumptions regarding the needs of the younger addresses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age and management team performance.

180 male managers participated as age-homogeneous 4-person teams in a validated all-day decision-making simulation. 15 teams consisted of 28–35 yr old participants (young), 15 teams were in the 45–55 yrs age range (middle-aged), and 15 teams consisted of 65–75 yr old (older) persons. More than 40 objective performance measures (loading on 12–25 factors) were calculated on the basis of team decision making, planning, and other indicators. Performance by young and middle-aged teams was generally similar. Older teams made fewer decisions and were less strategic and less responsive to incoming information. Their overview of the task was less broad; action diversity and information search was reduced. However, older teams used opportunities and handled a simulated emergency as effectively as their younger and middle-aged counterparts. Alternative explanations for the obtained differences are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perception of expiratory flow by asthmatics and non-asthmatics during rest and exercise.

The perception of normal and asthmatic individuals was assessed using a magnitude production procedure in a series of 3 studies, testing 10 male and 10 female 20–30 yr old Ss during rest, then 9 female 20–35 yr old Ss during submaximal exercise (both groups with no history of respiratory disease), and 10 12–18 yr old male asthmatics using no steroid medication and 10 nonasthmatic age- and sex-matched controls during rest and submaximal exercise. Findings do not support an abnormality in perception occurring during exercise in asthma patients. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Symptom Checklist-90 with acute psychiatric inpatients.

451 acute psychiatric inpatients (mean age 37 yrs) in a state hospital were given the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) as part of the routine admission procedures. Previous factor analytic research with the SCL-90 had focused primarily on outpatients. Principal component factor analysis resulted in 9 factors that differ somewhat from factors found in previous research with psychiatric outpatients. The 9 factors are Depression, Somatization, Paranoia, Tension, Hostility, Phobic Reaction, Concentration Difficulties, Compulsion, and Insomnia. Eight of the 9 factors were found to be reliable using coefficient alpha. Explanations for differences in factor structure between outpatients and inpatients had to do with differing degrees and kinds of symptoms. One implication is that making judgments about symptom patterns of psychiatric inpatients based on outpatient data is questionable. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observational conditioning of snake fear in rhesus monkeys.

Hypothesized that observational conditioning is involved in the origins of many human and nonhuman primates' fears and phobias. In Exp I, a new index of snake fear in 7 19–28 yr old wild-reared rhesus monkeys and 9 laboratory-reared offspring (aged 8 mo to 6 yrs) was tested. Results show the measure was useful and demonstrated that young Ss raised by parents who had a fear of snakes did not acquire the fear in the absence of any specific experience with snakes. In Exp II, using 5 of the wild-reared Ss and 6 of the laboratory-reared Ss from Exp I, 5 of 6 offspring acquired an intense and persistent fear of snakes as a result of observing their wild-reared parents behave fearfully in the presence of real, toy, or model snakes for a short period of time. The fear was not context specific and showed no significant signs of diminution at 3-mo follow-up. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)