A computer-administered version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale.

The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was converted to an interactive computer-administered format. To examine its utility, the computer version of the Y-BOCS was administered in a design counterbalanced with the clinician-administered version to a sample of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), patients with other anxiety disorders, and nonpatient controls. The computer-administered version of the Y-BOCS correlated highly with the clinician-administered version, especially in the OCD sample, and showed equal ability to distinguish OCD patients from Ss in the other 2 groups. It was also well understood and liked by Ss, who showed no preference for the clinician interview over the computer interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On matters of knowledge and treatment acceptability: A reaction to Harrison and Soucar.

Addresses concerns raised by J. B. Harrison and E. Soucar's (see record 1990-32084-001) criticisms of L. Clark and S. N. Elliott's (see record 1989-24134-001) study testing the influence of treatment strength information on knowledgeable teachers' evaluations of 2 social skills training methods. Elliott reinforces cautionary notes about the sample, provides previously unpublished information about 2 instruments, and challenges concerns about the design of the study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the nature of self-monitoring: Matters of assessment, matters of validity.

Notes that an extensive network of empirical relations has been identified in research on the psychological construct of self-monitoring. Nevertheless, in recent years some concerns have been expressed about the instrument used for the assessment of self-monitoring propensities, the Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS) developed by the 1st author (see record 1975-03047-001). Both the extent to which the SMS taps an interpretable and meaningful causal variable and the extent to which the self-monitoring construct provides an appropriate theoretical understanding of this causal variable have been questioned. An examination of reanalyses of studies of self-monitoring, analyses of the internal structure of the SMS, and further relevant data suggests that the measure does tap a meaningful and interpretable causal variable with pervasive influences on social behavior, a variable reflected as a general self-monitoring factor. The evaluation and furthering of the interpretation of this latent causal variable are discussed, criteria for evaluating alternative measures of self-monitoring are offered, and a new 18-item SMS is presented. (88 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

论深入钻研教材在备课中的作用

备课是整个教学过程的一个重要环节.能否备好一堂课决定于很多因素.认为深钻教材是备好课的前提和关键.深钻教材、挖掘教材深度能带来课堂教学的自由和灵感.结合在高等数学教学实践中的一些问题,通过实例说明深入钻研教材在备课中的重要作用.     

A note on the measured interests of Canadian psychologists.

In 1969-70 we conducted a small project which aimed to compare the measured interests of psychologists in five countries (Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, and South Africa). The well-known Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) was mailed to random samples of 75 psychologists in each country. In this article, we wish to summarize the findings for readers of this Journal and to refer them to lengthier reports given in the references section. The results suggest this: The commonality of the measured interests of Western psychologists is so great that we may infer that the multiple occupational interest criteria used in the United States to aid students in making occupational and educational decisions may be appropriate for use in other Western countries. But the nature of the criteria used in this empirical method of measuring interests may be so culture-bound that a truly cautious approach should be used when extending the method and its supporting modes of interpretation to other countries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Swedish version of the Women's Health Questionnaire. A measure of postmenopausal complaints

We wanted to provide details on the psychometric documentation of the Swedish version of the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ), a patient based measure of postmenopausal complaints. The results of two clinical trials in Sweden in which the WHQ had been used as one out of several measurement tools were used to document the reliability, the validity and the responsiveness to change of the WHQ. More than 350 women suffering from postmenopausal complaints were included in the two trials. A factor analysis, using the baseline values of all women in each study, showed that the Swedish version of the WHQ was very close to the English original. The internal consistency reliability was excellent. The clinical validity was confirmed by a significant correlation between change in E2 levels and change in the WHQ during estrogen therapy. A high construct validity was established by the agreement between the WHQ and other quality of life scales. For use in clinical trials the WHQ was sensitive to treatment-induced changes, and added important information to the clinical effect variables.     

Frequency of depression in the freshman year as measured in a random sample by a retrospective version of the Beck Depression Inventory.

Reports a study of college sophomores in which 75% of respondents reported having experienced at least mild depression in the preceding year. To evaluate the high proportion of students reporting depression, a 2nd, greatly expanded study of relative rates of depression in undergraduates has been undertaken at 4 universities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the degree of stability of measured hypnotizability over a 25-year period.

Conducted a longitudinal study of hypnotizability, as measured by the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form A, that yielded a relatively high degree of stability in hypnotic responsiveness over repeated testings spanning a 25-year period. The 50 Ss were retested in 1985, after tests when they were students, between 1958–1962 and again in 1970. The statistically significant stability coefficients were .64 (10-year retest), .82 (15-year retest), and .71 (25-year retest). The means did not change significantly, and the median change in the scores of individuals was only 1 point on the 12-item scale. A set of score measures and their intercorrelations are insufficient to resolve the issue of why stability occurs. The stability of hypnotizability over time compares favorably with that of other measures of individual differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's differentiation between beliefs about matters of fact and matters of opinion.

Two experiments investigated children's implicit and explicit differentiation between beliefs about matters of fact and matters of opinion. In Experiment 1, 8- to 9-year-olds' (n = 88) explicit understanding of the subjectivity of opinions was found to be limited, but their conformity to others' judgments on a matter of opinion was considerably lower than their conformity to others' views regarding an ambiguous fact. In Experiment 2, children aged 6, 8, or 10 years (n = 81) were asked to make judgments either about ambiguous matters of fact or about matters of opinion and then heard an opposing judgment from an expert. All age groups conformed to the opposing judgments on factual matters more than they did to the experts' views on matters of opinion. However, only the oldest children explicitly recognized that opinions are subjective and cannot be "wrong." Implications of these results for models of children's reasoning about epistemic states are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A dimensional approach to the interests measured by the SVIB.

Attempted to identify the 1st-order dimensions of interest measured by the SVIB and the more inclusive dimensions that account for correlations among the 1st-order factor scores. A further aim was to construct a set of content scales potentially useful in typological analysis and other research. Factor analyses of item correlation for 2 samples of 488 men-in-general indicated the presence of 14 dimensions of interest. An analysis of the correlations among the factor scores revealed 4 higher level factors: people-related, mechanical and symbol manipulation, personal expression and the arts, and outdoor activities. The 14 content scales developed (based on 198 SVIB items) were used to derive tentative interest profiles for 8 occupational groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What matters? What does not? Five perspectives on the association between marital transitions and children's adjustment.

This article presents an analysis of 5 views of factors that contribute to the adjustment of children in divorced families or stepfamilies. These perspectives are those that emphasize (a) individual vulnerability and risk; (b) family composition; (c) stress, including socioeconomic disadvantage; (d) parental distress; and (e) disrupted family process. It is concluded that all of these factors contribute to children's adjustment in divorced and remarried families and that a transactional model examining multiple trajectories of interacting risk and protective factors is the most fruitful in predicting the well-being of children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On not so replicated experiments and not so null results.

Research by T. X. Barber, et al. (see 43:8) has been interpreted as a failure to replicate an experiment by R. Rosenthal and K. Fode (see 38:3) showing significant effects on Ss' responses of Es' expectancies. This paper attempts to show that (1) the above research cannot be regarded as a serious effort to replicate, (2) the integrity of the null hypothesis cannot be staunchly defended by an overall low F (N = 51 Es) in the face of an overall CHI2 (N = 501 Ss) with an associate p value of .007, and (3) science is not often served best by using the null-hypothesis decision procedure in such a way as to avoid looking closely at data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nobel Lecture. The identification of the sodium pump

The identification of the sodium potassium pump as a Na+, K+ -ATPase is described.     

Measurement properties of the RM-18. A modified version of the Roland-Morris Disability Scale

STUDY DESIGN: This investigation had two components: one was an item analysis that examined data obtained at the initial patient assessment, and the second was a validation study that used a pretest-posttest design. OBJECTIVES: The authors' goal, in this study, was to determine whether a shorter version of the Roland-Morris Questionnaire could be developed with measurement properties equal to or better than the original 24-item questionnaire. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The measurement properties of the Roland-Morris Questionnaire have been shown to be better than or equal to competing measures. A number of studies have reported modified versions of the Roland-Morris without providing the measurement properties of the modified tool. METHODS: The item analysis investigated endorsement frequency, interitem correlations, item-corrected item total correlations, and coefficient alpha with various combinations of items deleted. The validation study examined reliability, concurrent validity, and longitudinal validity (sensitivity to change). The analyses included comparisons with the Oswestry and Jan van Breeman Pain Questionnaires. RESULTS: The item analysis suggested than six items could be detected from the Roland-Morris Questionnaire. The validation study demonstrated that the shorter version, named the RM-18, has measurement properties that are equal to those of the longer version. CONCLUSIONS: The RM-18 can be used as an outcome measure in clinical trials or as a tool to aid in decision making concerning individual patients. In either case, its measurement properties are equal to those of the 24-item Roland-Morris Questionnaire.     

Family matters: A social systems perspective on physician-assisted suicide and the older adult.

Physician-assisted suicide is one of the most controversial issues facing health care providers today, provoking contentious debate that spans medical, psychological, legal, religious, and moral realms. Despite the wealth of theories and opinions proffered, most of this work focuses on concepts of individual competence and autonomy, with little or no attention paid to the dynamics of family or other psychosocial systems likely to affect an individual's decision to ask for assistance in ending his or her life. Moreover, concepts such as "autonomy" typically are examined from a legal perspective without consideration of the late-life developmental themes confronting older adults and their families, that is, the stage of life cycle transition and the predictable family stresses that typically accompany serious illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)