The roots of ego-control in young adulthood: links with parenting in early childhood

This study examined the early parenting correlates of ego-control, the modal threshold for the expression or containment of impulse. Fifty-three female and 50 male participants were followed between 3 and 23 years of age. Ego-control was measured in early childhood (ages 3 and 4) and, independently, in early adulthood (ages 18 and 23) using a Q-sort prototype based on observer ratings. Parenting during early childhood was indexed using a self-report inventory of child-rearing orientations at age 3 and observer ratings of parent-child interactions at age 5. Correlations between early parenting and later ego-control, after partialing out early ego-control to control for parents' reactions to their children, revealed meaningful and convergent relations between independently measured data sets. The patterns of results, which differed between male and female participants, are discussed in terms of gender differences in socialization outcomes.     

A magnetic method for testing the thickness of two-sided weakly magnetic coatings by a nonmagnetic base

The general case where the depth of the informative zone is greater than the thickness of a nonmagnetic base having a two-sided weakly magnetic coating is considered. In this case, the informative signal is determined by the thickness of the base and coating on both sides. A technique for separately measuring the coating thickness on either side taking into account the effect of both coatings on the informative signal is proposed as applied to the magnetodynamic method.     

IQ and ego-resiliency: Conceptual and empirical connections and separateness.

The constructs of intelligence and ego-resiliency are discussed. The personality implications of "pure intelligence" and "pure ego-resilience" were identified. Intelligence (IQ) was indexed by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS—R) and ego-resiliency by an inventory scale. Residual scores measuring "pure intelligence" and "pure ego-resilience" were correlated with the items of the observer based California Q-sort, used to describe participants. Persons relatively high on ego-resilience tend to be more competent and comfortable in the "fuzzier" interpersonal world; persons defined primarily by raw IQ tend to be effective in the "clearer" world of structured work but tend also to be uneasy with affect and less able to realize satisfying human connections. Gender differences exist in the relations of ego-resilience and intelligence and in their adaptive relevance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological functioning among the nonpsychotic relatives of schizophrenic patients: A diagnostic efficiency analysis.

Numerous studies suggest that the relatives of schizophrenic patients exhibit neuropsychological impairments that are milder yet similar to those seen among schizophrenic patients. The authors assessed 35 nonpsychotic relatives of schizophrenic patients and 72 normal controls using a clinical and experimental neuropsychological test battery. Three neuropsychological functions met criteria for risk indicators of the schizophrenia genotype: abstraction, verbal memory, and auditory attention. These findings could not be attributed to parental socioeconomic status, education, general visual-spatial ability, or psychopathology. Furthermore, exploratory analyses were performed to determine whether the diagnostic efficiency of the indicators could be adjusted to meet the needs of genetic linkage analyses. These analyses suggest that psychometric considerations may help to create measures for genetic linkage studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-porosity wheels based on cubic boron nitride for defect-free grinding

Boron-nitride wheels with large pores are characterized by high permeability and permit defectfree grinding.     

Genetics of verbal working memory processes: A twin study of middle-aged men.

Genetic and environmental influences on cognitive components of reading span in 345 middle-aged male twin pairs were examined. Shared variance among word recognition (reading only), digits forward (short-term memory only), and reading span (concurrent reading plus memory) was almost entirely mediated by common genetic influences. Overall heritability was .52 for word recognition, .27 for digits forward, and .51 for reading span. All of the genetic influences on word recognition and digits forward, but only about one-half of the genetic influences on reading span, came from a common latent phenotype. The genetic influences that were specific to reading span were concluded to most likely reflect an executive function component. Implications for genetic studies of aging and prefrontal brain function are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nicotine and familial vulnerability to schizophrenia: A discordant twin study.

Tobacco use is significantly associated with schizophrenia. However, it is not clear if smoking is associated with the illness itself, treatment, or underlying vulnerability to the disease. Smoking was studied in a sample of schizophrenic probands (n = 24), their unaffected co-twins (n = 24), and controls (n = 3,347). Unaffected co-twins had higher rates of daily smoking than controls. Probands and co-twins were more frequently unsuccessful in attempts to quit than controls. Probands reported shaky hands and depression following smoking cessation more often than controls, whereas unaffected co-twins reported difficulty concentrating, drowsiness, nervousness, and headache following smoking cessation more often than controls. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that nicotine use is influenced by familial vulnerability to schizophrenia, not just clinical schizophrenia per se. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)