Schizotaxia, schizotypy, schizophrenia.

"I hypothesize that the statistical relation between schizotaxia, schizotypy, and schizophrenia is class inclusion: All schizotaxics become on all actually existing social learning regimes, schizotypic in personality organization; but most of these remain compensated. A minority, disadvantaged by other… constitutional weaknesses, and put on a bad regime by schizophrenogenic mothers… are thereby potentiated into clinical schizophrenia. What makes schizotaxia etiologically specific is its role as a necessary condition… . It is my strong personal conviction that… schizophrenia, while its content is learned, is fundamentally a neurological disease of genetic origin." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Carving nature at its joints: Paul Meehl's development of taxometrics.

This article presents a brief summary of Paul Meehl's development of taxometrics. Of special concern is the question, Why did Paul Meehl develop taxometrics? It is shown that taxometrics played an integral role in Meehl's broader research program on the genetics of schizotaxia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paul E. Meehl (1920-2003).

Presents the obituary for Paul E. Meehl (1920-2003), one of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, who helped to shape psychology in a career that spanned more than 60 years. Dr. Meehl's intellectual contributions ranged over many areas, including clinical versus actuarial judgment, research on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, learning theory, psychoanalysis, and the genetic basis of schizophrenia. Dr. Meehl received considerable recognition for his contributions to academic and applied psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paul Meehl: Past and future lessons for the field.

Paul Everett Meehl (1920-2003) was an intellectual giant who made important contributions to several fields of thought. The present special section focuses on his contributions to psychopathology, personality, and methods of psychological inquiry. The editors identified six specific topic areas within these broad domains and invited a specialist on each topic to write a discussion. These authors were invited to review Meehl's contributions and clarify their historical significance and current relevance. In addition, two authors contributed personal perspectives on Meehl, revealing that Meehl profoundly affected psychological science by routes other than his publications and formal talks. Rather, his voluminous correspondence and his personal relationships allowed him to engage numerous colleagues in his passionate pursuit of ideas and insights. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paul E. Meehl as Scientist and Colleague.

The author summarizes some of his memories and thoughts concerning Paul E. Meehl as a scientist and colleague. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for distinguished professional contributions to knowledge: Paul E. Meehl.

Recognizing the diversity of roles and activities in which many professional psychologists are engaged, beginning in 1979, Professional Awards have been presented to individual members of the Association whose distinguished contributions have served to advance psychology as a profession in the areas of knowledge, professional practice, and public service. In 1993, the recipient of the Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge was Paul E. Meehl. Meehl's citation, biography, and selected bibliography are presented here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tranquilizers and experimental psychopathology: A comment.

A bibliography is presented in discussing that "Thorazine can be used in conjunction with the experimental method to control certain secondary manifestations of emotional and mental disturbance so that basic psychopathology is more clearly revealed in psychological test scores." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smooth pursuit eye movement and schizotypy in the community.

Deficits in smooth pursuit eye movements are well documented in schizophrenia and schizotypic psychopathology. The status of eye tracking dysfunction (ETD) as an endophenotype for schizophrenia liability is relatively robust. However, the relation of ETD to schizophrenia-related deviance in the general population has not been confirmed. This study examined smooth pursuit eye tracking and schizotypal personality features in the general population. Smooth pursuit eye movement and schizotypal features were measured in 300 adult community subjects. The sample included both sexes, subjects with a wide age and educational range, and subjects with no prior history of psychosis. Primary outcome measures were peak gain (eye velocity/target velocity), catch-up saccade rate, and schizotypal feature scores. Total schizotypal features were significantly associated with decreased peak gain and were associated at the trend level with increased catch-up saccade rate. These associations were essentially unchanged after controlling for age, sex, and intellectual level effects. These data confirm a hypothesized association between schizotypal features and poorer eye tracking performance (principally, peak gain) in the general population as well as support the conceptualization of ETD as an endophenotype for schizophrenia liability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gold medal award for life achievement in the applications of psychology: Paul Everett Meehl.

Presents the citation and biography for Paul Everett Meehl, recipient of the American Psychological Association's Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Applications of Psychology. Meehl received this award for seminal contribution to the understanding and measurement of personality and the prediction of human behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mass screening and reliable individual measurement in the experimental behavior genetics of lower organisms.

"Fast breeding, prolific, small organisms are pre-eminently suited for studies in the field of behavior genetics. Their value as experimental Ss is further enhanced by the method of mass screening that succeeds in combining the objective of reliable individual measurement with that of mass observation. Hence, it is now possible to achieve the experimental desiderata of efficiency, reliability, and brevity in the field of behavior genetics. The method is illustrated by experiments on the geotropic responses of Drosophila." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rethinking environmental contributions to child and adolescent psychopathology: A meta-analysis of shared environmental influences.

Behavioral genetic research has concluded that the more important environmental influences result in differences between siblings (referred to as nonshared; e2), whereas environmental influences that create similarities between siblings (referred to as shared; c2) are indistinguishable from zero. However, there is mounting evidence that during childhood and adolescence, c2 may make important contributions to most forms of psychopathology. The aim of the meta-analysis was to empirically confirm this hypothesis. The author examined twin and adoption studies (n = 490) of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology prior to adulthood. Analyses revealed that c2 accounted for 10%–19% of the variance within conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, anxiety, depression, and broad internalizing and externalizing disorders, regardless of their operationalization. When age, informant, and sex effects were considered, c2 generally ranged from 10%–30% of the variance. Importantly, c2 estimates did not vary across twin and adoption studies, suggesting that these estimates reflect actual environmental influences common to siblings. The only exception was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which appeared to be largely genetic (and particularly nonadditive genetic) in origin. Conceptual, methodological, and clinical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maltreated children's memory: Accuracy, suggestibility, and psychopathology.

Memory, suggestibility, stress arousal, and trauma-related psychopathology were examined in 328 3- to 16-year-olds involved in forensic investigations of abuse and neglect. Children's memory and suggestibility were assessed for a medical examination and venipuncture. Being older and scoring higher in cognitive functioning were related to fewer inaccuracies. In addition, cortisol level and trauma symptoms in children who reported more dissociative tendencies were associated with increased memory error, whereas cortisol level and trauma symptoms were not associated with increased error for children who reported fewer dissociative tendencies. Sexual and/or physical abuse predicted greater accuracy. The study contributes important new information to scientific understanding of maltreatment, psychopathology, and eyewitness memory in children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trauma, repetition, and affect regulation: The work of Paul Russell: Book review.

Review of book, Judith Guss Teicholz and Daniel Kriegman (Eds.), Trauma, Repetition, and Affect Regulation: The Work of Paul Russell. New York: Other Press, 1998, 154 pp., $22.00. Reviewed by Rafael Art. Javier. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodology for identifying specific psychological deficits: Introduction to the Special Section.

A long-standing problem in psychopathology research is establishing that patterns of differences between groups reflects differences of underlying constructs and not artifacts of research design, measurement, or analysis. This introduction provides a context for 4 articles that consider several controversial issues regarding this problem and presents a précis. Although these articles focus on schizophrenia, it is noted how the issues are of more general relevance to psychopathology researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paul B. Pedersen: Award for distinguished contributions to the international advancement of psychology.

The American Psychological Association 2010 Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology was awarded to Paul B. Pedersen, for his distinguished career as a counselor educator specializing in intercultural and multicultural issues and his significant influence on the growth and direction of multicultural counseling. Paul B. Pedersen is a pioneering researcher in cross-cultural psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Polarities of experience: Relatedness and self-definition in personality development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process.

Reviews the book, Polarities of experience: Relatedness and self-definition in personality development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process by Sidney J. Blatt (see record 2008-01813-000). In this book, Blatt sets forth a model of personality and psychopathology that is unique in its systematic, multifaceted attempt to understand a person’s dynamic experiences. The model, which is framed by psychoanalytic theory and practice, also includes forays into cognitive–emotional development, social theory, and culture. The qualitative and quantitative examination of the model relies on observations and methods used in personality assessment, as well as in treatment process–outcome research. The combination of a complex and nuanced model, with a seemingly endless field of data to support it, contributes to this successful work. The book is centered on the idea that self-definition and interpersonal relatedness are essential interacting dimensions of a person’s experience. It offers a sweeping and systematic model of dynamic interactions between self and other, as they appear in personality development and organization, in psychopathology, and in treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissociations of the night: Individual differences in sleep-related experiences and their relation to dissociation and schizotypy.

The author examined the associations among sleep-related experiences (e.g., hypnagogic hallucinations, nightmares, waking dreams, and lucid-dreams), dissociation, schizotypy, and the Big Five personality traits in 2 large student samples. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that (a) dissociation and schizotypy are strongly correlated—yet distinguishable—constructs, and (b) the differentiation between them can be enhanced by eliminating detachment/depersonalization items from the dissociation scales. A general measure of sleep experiences was substantially correlated with both schizotypy and dissociation (especially the latter) and more weakly related to the Big Five. In contrast, an index of lucid dreaming was weakly related to all of these other scales. These results suggest that measures of dissociation, schizotypy, and sleep-related experiences all define a common domain characterized by unusual cognitions and perceptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)