Patients' anxiety as a function of expectation and degree of initial interview ambiguity.

Each of 9 psychiatric residents administered 5 structured and 5 unstructured initial interviews to patients of an adult outpatient clinic. Patients' expectations about psychotherapy were obtained before the interviews. As predicted, when patients experienced interviews compatible with their expectations, they tended to rate their anxiety significantly lower than did patients experiencing interviews incompatible with their expectations. The kind of interview alone did not make a significant difference. Residents rated those interviews incompatible with the patients' expectations as most difficult. The implications for psychotherapy of these and related findings are discussed. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ability to judge personality assessed with a stress interview and sound-film technique.

"Three hundred and sixteen judges were presented with sound movies of stress interviews with four interviewees. These judges made predictions about the real-life verbal and social behavior of the interviewees seen in the films. These predictions were scored against objective criteria and a total judging ability index was derived for each judge. A subsample of 109 college undergraduates took a variety of personality and intellectual tests which were correlated with their judging ability scores. Comparisons in judging ability were made between men and women, professional groups, and clinically trained personnel of greater and less experience." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motor manifestation of conflict in interview: a case study.

Electromyographic recordings were made of a 33 year old divorcee, diagnosed anxiety hysteria, while being interviewed on the themes of sex and hostility. Specific forearm tensions were related to the topic of hostility while specific leg tensions were related to the topic of sex. These results, and similar results reported by Shagrass and Malmo, were analyzed in terms of a hypothesis of central neural interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Responses to a personality questionnaire by volunteers and nonvolunteers to a Kinsey interview.

Volunteers and non-volunteers for a Kinsey study showed nonsignificant differences in anxiety, rigidity, and defensiveness; however, showed significant differences in answers to a question concerning their attitude toward sexual behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability and behavior domain validity: Reformulation and historical critique.

Determination of the reliability of psychological scales has remained a problem over the last 50 years because of a rigid adherence to unobjective and unrealistic postulates about the nature of measurement. From the general form of the reliability of an unstratified composite several computational formulae are derived. These derivations make no assumptions about underlying factors or of statistically equivalent test-samples but rather are derived on the basis of the objective principles of domain sampling. 27 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reliability of psychiatric diagnosis: a new look.

"Each of 426 state hospital patients was diagnosed independently by pairs of psychiatrists using official psychiatric nomenclature. Reliability of the schizophrenic diagnosis was indicated by values of γ between .73 and .95, depending on the range of discrimination required. Classification of the diagnosis into 3 major categories—organic, psychotic, and characterological—showed that about four-fifths of such classifications of one psychiatrist were confirmed by another. Agreement with respect to diagnoses of the specific subtype occurred in about only half the cases and was almost absent in cases involving personality pattern-and-trait disorders and the psychoneuroses." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring perceptions of stigmatization by others for seeking psychological help: Reliability and validity of a new stigma scale with college students.

Fear of being stigmatized is the most cited reason why individuals avoid psychotherapy. Conceptually, this fear should be strongest when individuals consider the reactions of those they interact with. Across 5 samples, the authors developed the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH) scale. In Sample 1 (N = 985), the 5 items of the PSOSH were selected (α = .91). In Sample 2 (N = 842), the unidimensional factor structure of the scale was examined across a diverse sample. In Sample 3 (N = 506), concurrent validity was supported through moderate associations with 3 different stigma measures (i.e., public stigma toward counseling, r = .31; public stigma toward mental illness, r = .20; and self-stigma, r = .37). In Sample 4 (N = 144), test–retest reliability across a 3-week period was calculated (.82). Finally, in Sample 5 (N = 130), reliability (α = .78) and validity were explored with a sample experiencing symptoms of psychological distress. Relationships between variables (i.e., public stigma toward counseling, r = .31, and self-stigma, r = .40) were similar to those in previous samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring faking in the employment interview: Development and validation of an interview faking behavior scale.

An Interview Faking Behavior (IFB) scale is developed and validated in 6 studies (N = 1,346). In Study 1, a taxonomy of faking behavior is delineated. The factor structure of a measure is evaluated and refined (Studies 2 and 3). The convergent and discriminant validity of the measure is examined (Study 4). The IFB scale consists of 4 factors (Slight Image Creation, Extensive Image Creation, Image Protection, and Ingratiation) and 11 subfactors (Embellishing, Tailoring, Fit Enhancing, Constructing, Inventing, Borrowing, Masking, Distancing, Omitting, Conforming, and Interviewer Enhancing). A study of actual interviews shows that scores on the IFB scale are related to getting a 2nd interview or a job offer (Study 5). In Study 6, an experiment is conducted to test the usefulness of the new measure for studying methods of reducing faking using structured interviews. It is found that past behavior questions are more resistant to faking than situational questions, and follow-up questioning increases faking. Finally, over 90% of undergraduate job candidates fake during employment interviews; however, fewer candidates engage in faking that is semantically closer to lying, ranging from 28% to 75%. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability and Validity of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale in a French-Canadian Sample.

The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of a French version of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). A sample of 2,666 school-age French-Canadian children completed the questionnaire. With regard to factor structure, the 5-factor model found in U.S. normative samples was confirmed. The internal consistency of the 5 scales and of the 2 global scales was good to excellent. Test-retest reliabilities after a 6-month period were also similar to those of the original version. Finally, the concurrent validity, assessed by a correlation with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, was also found to be good. Results of the present study show that the French version of the RCMAS is a good instrument to assess anxiety in children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impression management in the psychiatric interview: Quality, style, and individual differences.

Studied the ability of 24 male 20-63 yr old Veterans Administration Day Treatment Center psychiatric outpatients to vary intentionally their degree of apparent psychopathology during structured interviews (Mental Status Schedule). Patients who were defined as sick presenters prior to the interview phase of the experiment behaved in a significantly more pathological manner during an interview preceded by "fake sick" instructions than they did under "fake healthy" instructions. Patients who had been defined as healthy presenters manifested less of a behavior difference between the 2 interview conditions. There was evidence that patients primarily altered the content of their self-referent statements, not their style of interview behavior, and relied on cues provided by the interview questions when role playing mental illness and mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retranslation of expectations: An approach to the construction of unambiguous anchors for rating scales.

A procedure was tested for the construction of evaluative rating scales anchored by examples of expected behavior. Expectations, based on having observed similar behavior, were used to permit rating in a variety of situations without sacrifice of specificity. Examples, submitted by head nurses as illustrations of nurses' behavior related to a given dimension were retained only if reallocated to that dimension by other head nurses, and then scaled as to desirability. Agreement for a number of examples was high, and scale reliabilities ranged above .97. Similar content validity should be obtained in other rating situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarian personality studied by a new variation of the sentence completion technique.

After taking a sentence completion test, the Ss are asked to indicate for each item whether the item, as completed by him, is true of himself or not. It is hypothesized that authoritarians will deny the self-reference of such responses more often than the equalitarians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Multiple Attitude Test: a diagnostic device.

The formal aspects of the Multiple Attitude Test, comprising 12 different realms or objects by means of scales of five items each, are presented. The test involves the sorting of items printed on cards according to the S's attitudes. The test's reliability and validity, as well as the nature of a dynamic interpretation of the results, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: Development and validation of a short version.

This article reports on the development of a revised version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI; E. B. Foa, M. J. Kozak, P. Salkovskis, M. E. Coles, & N. Amir, 1998), a psychometrically sound, theoretically driven, self-report measure. The revised OCI (OCI-R) improves on the parent version in 3 ways: It eliminates the redundant frequency scale, simplifies the scoring of the subscales, and reduces overlap across subscales. The reliability and validity of the OCI-R were examined in 215 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 243 patients with other anxiety disorders, and 677 nonanxious individuals. The OCI-R, which contains 18 items and 6 subscales, has retained excellent psychometric properties. The OCI-R and its subscales differentiated well between individuals with and without OCD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses demonstrated the usefulness of the OCI-R as a diagnostic tool for screening patients with OCD, utilizing empirically derived cutscores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability of DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders: Implications for the classification of emotional disorders.

The reliability of current and lifetime Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) anxiety and mood disorders was examined in 362 outpatients who underwent 2 independent administrations of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Lifetime version (ADIS-IV–L). Good to excellent reliability was obtained for the majority of DSM-IV categories. For many disorders, a common source of unreliability was disagreements on whether constituent symptoms were sufficient in number, severity, or duration to meet DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. These analyses also highlighted potential boundary problems for some disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder). Analyses of ADIS-IV–L clinical ratings (0–8 scales) indicated favorable interrater agreement for the dimensional features of DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for the classification of emotional disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Similes Preference Inventory: Development of a structured measure of the tendency toward variety.

The aim was to develop a structured measure of the active, interoceptive form of tendency toward variety that would be more reliable and simpler than novelty of productions, which is the thematic apperception measure currently in use. A highly reliable set of 54 items was devised and called the Similes Preference Inventory (SPI). Each of the items presented the beginning of a common simile, with 5 alternative endings, 1 of which was to be endorsed on the basis of preference. The 5 endings differed in degree of novelty. As expected, the relationship between SPI and novelty of productions is substantial, and both measures show very similar patterns of external correlates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Convergence of scores on the interview and questionnaire versions of the Eating Disorder Examination: A meta-analytic review.

Significant discrepancies have been found between interview- and questionnaire-based assessments of psychopathology; however, these studies have typically compared instruments with unmatched item content. The Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), a structured interview, and the questionnaire version of the EDE (EDE–Q) are considered the preeminent assessments of eating disorder symptoms and provide a unique opportunity to examine the concordance of interview- and questionnaire-based instruments with matched item content. The convergence of EDE and EDE–Q scores has been examined previously; however, past studies have been limited by small sample sizes and have not compared the convergence of scores across diagnostic groups. A meta-analysis of 16 studies was conducted to compare the convergence of EDE and EDE–Q scores across studies and diagnostic groups. With regard to the EDE and EDE–Q subscale scores, the overall correlation coefficient effect sizes ranged from .68 to .76. The overall Cohen's d effect sizes ranged from .31 to .62, with participants consistently scoring higher on the questionnaire. For the items measuring behavior frequency, the overall correlation coefficient effect sizes ranged from .37 to .55 for binge eating and .90 to .92 for compensatory behaviors. The overall Cohen's d effect sizes ranged from ?0.16 to ?0.22, with participants reporting more binge eating on the interview than in the questionnaire in 70% of the studies. These results suggest the interview and questionnaire assess similar constructs but should not be used interchangeably. Additional research is needed to examine the inconsistencies between binge frequency scores on the 2 instruments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a shortened center for epidemiological studies depression scale for assessment of depression in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: The purpose was to develop a short-form version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for the identification of persons with major depressive disorder (MDD) within a population with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study Design: Data were analyzed from 337 persons with RA. Forty-six participants met the diagnostic criteria for MDD; 291 participants were classified in the non-MDD category (including 21 participants with dysthymia and 18 participants with minor depressive disorder). A short-form version of the CES-D was developed, and multiple cutoff scores were examined. Results: A cutoff score of ≥5 from a 9-item, short-form CES-D was found to be generally as efficient as the more commonly used full-scale cutoff score of ≥16 for classifying participants with MDD within an RA population. Although the shortened CES-D scale (cutoff score ≥5) was slightly more sensitive, it also exhibited slightly less specificity than the full-scale cutoff score of ≥16. Conclusion: The results suggest that a short-form CES-D can be used to screen for MDD within an RA sample with a degree of efficiency that is generally comparable to that of the full-scale instrument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)