No description available.

Although the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – Second Version (MAYSI-2) has been widely accepted as a short mental health screener in the juvenile justice system, its utility in predicting juvenile recidivism has not yet been explored. This study comprised of 424 subjects who have been detained at Allen County Juvenile Justice Center (ACJC) for criminal charges. Participant's MAYSI-2 total scores without the Alcohol/Drug Use subscale and Alcohol/Drug Use subscale scores were used to assess their utility in predicting juvenile recidivism. A correlational analysis using urinalysis results and Alcohol/Drug Use subscale scores suggested Alcohol/Drug Use subscale is an efficacious measure for assessing substance use among juvenile offenders. A multiple hierarchical regression and ROC analyses were conducted. Findings indicated that the MAYSI-2 total score and Alcohol/Drug Use subscale scores were not adequate predictors of recidivism. However, in exploratory analysis the Anger-Irritability subscale was found to be a significant predictor of juvenile recidivism. / Department of Psychological Science

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Psychology / Master / Master of Philosophy

This study tested whether an American Sign Language (ASL) MMPI short form, the Brauer-Gallaudet MMPI-168 (B-G MMPI-168), could discriminate between groups of deaf adults with and without psychopathology. B-G MMPI-168 and MMPI-168 profiles were also compared in deaf adults without a history of psychopathology. Independent variables were history of mental health treatment, language of administration and reading ability. Dependent variables were MMPI-168 and B-G MMPI-168 validity and clinical scale evaluations. Fifty-nine deaf adults from the community and outpatient counseling services completed demographic information on a questionnaire developed especially for this study. Subjects were divided into Clinic and Control groups based on history (Clinic) or no history (Control) of mental health treatment. Reading Comprehension scores (Advanced Stanford Achievement Test) of Control subjects determined placement in Control (I), (11th grade and above) and Control (II), (6-11 grade) groups. All subjects took the B-G MMPI-168. Control subjects took the MMPI-168 at home within two weeks. Ten dollars was earned for participation. Results indicated that Clinic and Control (II) groups were not accurately discriminated by B-G MMPI-168 profiles. The "hit rate" for the Clinic group was 96.5 percent, but only 40.0% of the Control subjects were correctly classified as Not Disturbed. This version of the B-G MMPI-168 was judged unacceptable for clinical use until items are revised. Level of reading ability was not a significant factor in the clinical validity of the MMPI-168. The "hit rates" of correct classification of Control (I) and Control (II) subjects as Not Disturbed, 58.8 and 46.2, respectively, were unacceptable. Language of administration was not a significant factor in the clinical validity of Control group "168" profiles. B-G MMPI-168 profiles showed more psychopathology than MMPI-168 profiles, but both tests had unacceptably high percentages of Control subjects classified as Disturbed. Revision of B-G MMPI-168 items was recommended so that profiles can accurately discriminate between Clinic and Control groups. The MMPI-168 was recommended for use as part of a personality assessment battery for deaf adults having 12th grade equivalent or higher reading level.

No description available.

Decision-making, accepted to be an important part of executive function, is inherent in all complex human experiences requiring intact brain functioning. Three different types of decision making have been identified: actor-centred, emotion-based and veridical decisionmaking. All require goal-setting, planning and execution, which are often impaired after sustaining an acquired brain injury (ABI). The Cognitive Reserve Hypothesis (CRH) holds that a larger brain belonging to an individual with a higher IQ and better education will be more resilient to injury. The principal aim of this study was to investigate performance differences in neuropsychological tests of decision-making between individuals with ABI from different socioeconomic status (SES). It was hypothesised that ABI would exacerbate differences in decisionmaking performance between individuals from a higher SES and those from low SES in terms of the CRH. Participants (n=25) had all sustained an ABI. Actor-centred, emotion-based and veridical decision-making were investigated using the Tinker Toy Test (TTT), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Berg Card Sorting Task (BCST) respectively. Participants were asked to complete an SES Questionnaire. The independent variables were markers of SES: Race, Level of Education, Quality of Education, and Quality of Medical Care at time of injury. Differences in quality of education were significant for the BCST, suggesting that a poor quality of education has a negative impact on veridical decision-making after ABI. Poor education (a marker of low SES) does not provide the same buffering effect for insults to the brain in the event of an ABI as does superior education (a marker of high SES).

Many groups, such as rescue and service-dog programs, are interested in assessing dogs’ personalities. These groups often need to assess large numbers of dogs with limited resources (e.g., in terms of facilities, trained assessors, time, money). To meet these groups’ requirements, an assessment tool that measures canine personality rapidly and is demonstrably reliable and valid is needed. The Dog Personality Questionnaire (DPQ) was developed to fill this gap. This dissertation describes a series of six studies designed to develop and evaluate the DPQ. To ensure that the final instrument built on previous research and was based on a comprehensive item pool, 1,200 descriptions were culled from the dog-personality assessment literature, shelter assessments, and dog experts’ input (e.g., researchers, trainers, veterinarians). Three expert judges narrowed this list to 360 items. In Study 1, these items were administered to 152 participants who gave feedback on the items’ applicability and ease of use. In Study 2, exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the number of factors underlying the 360-item questionnaire, based on 3,737 participants’ ratings of their dogs. Convergent criteria favored five factors, labeled as Fearfulness, Aggression towards People, Aggression towards Animals, Activity/Excitability, and Responsiveness to Training. Narrower facets within each factor were also identified. On the basis of item analyses, the questionnaire was shortened to 102 items. In Study 3, the 102-item questionnaire was administered to 2,556 new participants and further exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the robustness of the five-factor solution. Items were then evaluated in terms of factor- and facet-loadings, content validity, internal consistency, and other criteria in order to shorten the questionnaire to a more manageable, 75-item form, and an even briefer 45-item form. In Studies 4-6, the psychometric properties of the 75-item and 45-item DPQ were further evaluated. The DPQ was shown to have acceptable levels of inter-rater reliability (Study 4), test-retest reliability (Study 5), and predictive validity (Study 6). Discussion focuses on evaluating how well the DPQ meets the criteria that guided its development. / text

No description available.

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a computer-based psychological test that measures implicit attitudes, stereotypes and beliefs. In an effort to better understand the applicability and limitations of the IAT researchers have investigated the effects of manipulating a variety of procedural variables that comprise the IAT, not least the IAT categories and the exemplars that are instances of those categories. This study investigated the effects of manipulating the IAT's target categories that define the attitudinal domain that the IAT measures. Experiments were devised to determine the IAT's sensitivity to minor and major semantic manipulations to its target categories while keeping exemplars and attribute categories constant. It was found that the IAT was sensitive to major semantic differences in its target categories, but was apparently insensitive to minor semantic category differences, implying that it is unable to discriminate between subtle distinctions in attitude. It was hypothesised that this latter finding could have been partly due to a temporary cognitive re-definition of the categories in accordance with the salient characteristics of the exemplars. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

In light of the continued need to help students who are having academic troubles in higher education, the primary purpose of this research study was to examine the differences in study skills between those college students enrolled in EDPSY 100 and those not enrolled in EDPSY 100. The overall goal of the "Study Skills for College Students" course is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to take more responsibility for their own learning.In addition, this research study assessed which study strategies the EDPSY 100 students learned during a 15-week study skills course.The study skills' scores came from a self-reported measure, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), which was developed by Weinstein, Palmer, and Schulte (1987).For this study, 105 EDPSY 100 students (49 females, 56 males) and 114 non-EDPSY 100 students (94 females, 20 males) were asked to complete the following: a consent form, pre-LASSI, post-LASSI, and demographic questionnaire.A multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine significant gains in learning strategies for EDPSY 100 students following a 15-week course in study skills training. The initial findings of the analysis revealed that the EDPSY 100 and non-EDPSY 100 students significantly differed. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in their use of study strategies after the EDPSY 100 students completed a one-semester study skills course. / Department of Educational Psychology