The present study researches whether older individuals with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) who are unsuccessful using a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) score significantly differently on selected neuropsychological tests than comparable individuals with AMD who successfully use a CCTV for independent personal reading. A group of nine individuals who are unsuccessful using a CCTV were compared with a group of 15 individuals who have demonstrated the ability to use a CCTV independently for reading. The two neuropsychological tests used in the study are the Tactual Performance Test (TPT) and the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Both tests are easily administered to a person with visual impairment. Both tests also measure abilities which are necessary for a person to be able to successfully use a CCTV independently for reading. The Tactual Performance Test requires tactile form discrimination, problem solving, kinesthesis, coordination of the upper extremities, and manual dexterity. The California Verbal Learning Test measures immediate recall of verbal information as well as the amount of verbal information learned and later remembered. The unsuccessful CCTV user group was compared to the successful CCTV user group by using an independent samples t-test to compare group scores on the TPT. The successful CCTV users scored significantly lower on total time scores and significantly higher on number of correctly placed blocks. These results suggest that successful CCTV users are better able to utilize tactile memory, problem-solving skills, and to synthesize new learning than the unsuccessful CCTV users. There were no significant differences between the unsuccessful CCTV user group and the successful CCTV user group on the CVLT measures. The lack of significant difference suggests that the two groups are similar in immediate recall abilities as well as remembering similar amounts of presented verbal material. The mean age of the unsuccessful CCTV user group was 85.0 years while the mean age of the successful CCTV user group was 79.2 years. A t-test comparing age difference between the two groups indicated that the unsuccessful CCTV user group was significantly older.

This study investigated the validity of the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI) as a measure of intelligence for use with Native-American learning disabled students. Forty boys and ten girls between the ages of 7 and 16 and who are Native-American Navajo students with a learning disability in reading and/or mathematics participated in this study. Each participant was administered the CTONI, the WISC-III, and the WIAT. The results from this study indicated that the CTONI exhibited less variability among its composite IQ scores than the WISC-III. The CTONI and the WISC-III Full-scale IQ, Verbal IQ and Performance IQ correlate moderately. The CTONI and WISC-III are significantly predictive of reading achievement but account for less than 11% of the common variance. Yet, the CTONI and the WISC-III are moderately correlated with mathematics achievement. Factor Analytic Results suggest that the factorial structures of the CTONI and the WISC-III for this sample of Native-American students are consistent with the factorial structures proposed by the respective test authors. The CTONI appears to be a valid measure of intelligence for use with Native American populations. The implications of the findings of the CTONI with Native-American populations are discussed.

The effects of a school-based cognitive-behavioral intervention approach on the depression scores of sixth grade students were examined in the study. Two hundred and one sixth grade students served as participants in one of four experimental groups: treatment group, attention-placebo group, delayed treatment group, and no treatment control group. All groups, except the control group, participated in the school-based program called "learned optimism." The learned optimism program is an eight-week curriculum-based program designed to assist adolescents in developing a more optimistic self-explanatory style that contributes to resiliency and positive mental health. All participants completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) on three occasions: before the learned optimism program began (pretest), immediately after the first eight-week program was terminated (posttest 1) and eight weeks later, after the second eight-week program was terminated (posttest 2/follow-up). The results were unexpected. They showed only a significant difference on CDI total scores between the treatment group and delayed treatment group immediately following both groups' participation in the learned optimism program. No significant differences on CDI total scores were found at any other time between or within any of the four groups. Some significant differences were found on CDI subscales between the treatment and delayed treatment groups, but not in the expected direction. Results from an informal questionnaire completed by participants showed that most liked the learned optimism program and it made them feel happier. Plausible explanations for the findings were discussed along with limitations of the study and recommendations for future research in this area.

A computer simulation study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using logistic regression procedures to detect nonuniform differential item functioning (DIF) in polytomous items. A simulated test of 25 items was generated, of which the 25th item contained nonuniform DIF. The degree of nonuniform DIF in the 25th item was varied in four ways. Item scores were generated using Muraki's generalized partial credit model and the data were artificially dichotomized in three different ways for the logistic regression procedure. The results indicate that logistic regression is a viable procedure in the detection of most forms of nonuniform DIF; however, it was not sensitive to DIF that is uniform within score categories and nonuniform across score categories. Logistic regression procedures were also quite awkward in the polytomous case, because several regressions must be run per polytomous item and it was difficult to determine an omnibus result in most cases. Some logistic regression procedures, however, may be useful in the post hoc analysis of DIF in polytomous items.

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) has long been widely used to assess the extent and severity of psychiatric symptomatology in research studies with samples diagnosed with schizophrenia, particularly in pharmacological studies. Recently it was used in a federally funded multisite study with a mixed-diagnosis sample of persons with serious mental illness. Though numerous factor analytic studies of the PANSS (both exploratory and confirmatory) have been undertaken in samples with schizophrenia, its use in mixed-diagnosis samples characteristic of those encountered in research on psychiatric rehabilitation has not been much studied. This paper reports on a series of confirmatory factor analyses undertaken to explore the fit of various models found in the schizophrenia literature to data from the more heterogeneous multisite sample. Two of the models tested attained marginal fit to the data (using the conventional fit criteria of CFI > .90 and RMSEA), however, both failed to represent a broad range of symptoms because they incorporated only a few PANSS items. An alternative model was developed using all 30 PANSS items and tested using parceling to improve item fit. This 5 factor model demonstrated adequate fit to the data. These findings are discussed in light of the need for a model that fits a mixed-diagnosis sample.

<p> Nearly one-half of doctoral students will never finish their program of study. This statistic is alarming. There is a need for an additional method to assess applicants, aside from prior academic success, in order to best identify those that will not only perform well in courses, but also have the psychosocial skills to persist to degree attainment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an intentionality rubric which was found to have evidence of initial construct validity. Intentionality is a multivariate construct comprised of five domains: motivation, beliefs, goal-setting, goal-seeking, and self-efficacy. Such domains have been found to be important for pursuit of long-term goals. Doctoral students require high intentionality as there is not only coursework to complete, but dissertation research as well. Students need both the academic potential to complete the coursework and intentionality to maintain the journey. Doctoral students and faculty from a university in the Southwest participated in this study. With the rubric evaluated, tests were done of prompts to confirm that intentionality could be elicited in writing samples. The study found evidence of initial construct validity and confirmed that intentionality could be elicited from prompts. A recommendation for incorporating intentionality writing and evaluation into curriculum was offered with suggestions that additional research be conducted on the relationship between intentionality and success. </p><p> <i> Key Words:</i> Intentionality; attrition, university admission, goal setting; goal seeking, statement of purpose, self-efficacy, purpose, projective writing, psychosocial evaluation</p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> It is imperative to assure that health care organizations provide excellent care and create value by improving quality while eliminating unnecessary costs. Lean management is a continuous improvement management plan that uses work flow design to produce improvements in quality, safety, cost and productivity; it has been used in manufacturing, service and, more recently, healthcare industries. This study developed and tested an instrument to measure frontline nurse caregivers' perception of the penetration of lean management in hospitals that report using lean strategies. </p><p> <b>Methods:</b> The study consisted of three phases. In Phase 1, using the Delphi technique, an on-line survey of experts (<i>n</i>=10) and a review of the literature identified the domains and subdomains of lean management. Ideas from each domain were formed into items on the Frontline Improvement Thinking (FIT) instrument. The experts also assessed content validity. In Phase 2, nurses assessed the instrument's format, on-line usability of the instrument and content validity. In Phase 3, the instrument was administered to frontline nurses working on units in hospitals that reported using lean methods. Their responses (<i>n</i>= 212) provided the data for assessing the instrument's psychometric properties. </p><p> <b>Results:</b> Exploratory factor analysis yielded a scale with 75 items in 12 factors. Three domains were identified: organizational, unit and individual areas of improvement. The 4-factor, 29-item,<i> FIT Unit </i>had the highest reliability (&amp;alpha;=.86-0.94; inter-item correlation range=.26-0.63). The 2-factor, 10-item <i>FIT Organization</i> was also acceptable (&amp;alpha;=.87 and 0.79, inter-item correlation range=.30-0.72. The <i>FIT Individual</i> had less than desired reliability on one factor (&amp;alpha;=.66) but had acceptable reliability on the other six factors (0.75-0.94; inter-item correlation range =.25-0.89). Test-retest reliability estimates were acceptable for the organization and unit based on Pearson's R correlations (0.53-0.77). </p><p> <b>Conclusion:</b> In the early stage of development, the FIT instrument proved helpful in describing diffusion of lean management. Sample size and quality proved to be problems, however. Nurses from hospitals with a history of lean quality improvement did not participate in the study and some of the hospitals studied were in the very early phases of lean management. Recommendations include continuing work on measure development by increasing the sample of lean-thinking nurses.</p>

Healthcare professionals measure functional disabilities in daily living tasks in order to monitor disease progress and implement intervention strategies. Few measurement tools assessing these problems in the community-dwelling elderly with Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type (DAT) currently exist. Recently, the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD) was developed to assess disabilities in activities of daily living experienced by this population. / The Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD) is a proxy-respondent scale measuring disability in daily living tasks in terms of executive functions. The objectives of this study were to measure the criterion-related (concurrent) validity and the construct validity of this scale. Total score correlational analyses between the Rapid Disability Rating Scale-2 and the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale were used to estimate criterion-related (concurrent) validity. In addition, the known-groups procedure was used to estimate criterion-related (concurrent) validity. Stage of dementia served as the known-group variable against which total DAD Scale scores were compared. Construct validity was estimated using total score correlational analyses between the Burden of Care Scale and the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale (DAD). Likewise, construct validity was estimated using total score correlational analyses between the standardized Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and the DAD Scale. Correlations proved highly significant for criterion-related (concurrent) validity measures r = $-$0.84, and for known-groups procedure estimates r = $-$0.73. Results for construct validity measures were r = $-$0.29 for Burden of Care scores and r = 0.55 for MMSE scores. Interpretations for these findings were offered in the discussion of this project. Findings indicated that the Disability Assessment for Dementia Scale is a valid disability measurement for community-dwelling Alzheimer's subjects, and support its use in this type of DAT population.

Parent and teacher ratings of hyperactivity are compared with an objective measure of activity level (actigraphy) for 19 ADHD children and 18 control subjects. All subjects wore the actigraph during a full day diagnostic assessment. Mean actigraph scores were calculated for the structured (including time during the Continuous Performance Test (CPT)) and unstructured element of the assessment. The structured, unstructured and CPT settings were significantly differentiated for the sample as whole by actigraphic measures. However no significant difference in activity level was found when we compared the subgroups (Controls, medicated ADHD, non-medicated ADHD). Parent ratings were not correlated with actigraphic measures in any setting. Teacher ratings on the Hyperactivity Index were significantly correlated with activity during the structured and unstructured setting for the whole sample and the ADHD subjects. These data indicate that teacher ratings of hyperactivity are more reliable than parent ratings on identical items when one is interested in gross motor activity. Issues concerning the situational relevance of rating scales and applications of actigraphic technology are discussed.

<p>Schools are increasingly held accountable for student academic and behavioral performance, and showing efficacy of these treatment efforts. The primary metric for reporting academic progress, state endorsed standardized tests, does not take into account or effectively measure discrete skills or behavioral improvement. This necessitates the development of tools efficient in quantifying students&rsquo; school-based behaviors. Mental health practitioners achieve this metric utilizing the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). The Global Assessment of School Functioning (GASF) is being developed to be an efficient scale used by teachers for similar means. The aim of the present study is to examine the utility of the GASF in capturing overall school functioning. This study was broken into two phases. Teacher consultants assessed content validity and validated vignettes that would be used to assess inter-rater reliability. School personnel then rated five vignettes using the GASF and responded to questions regarding their perceptions of the instrument. Correlational statistics suggested that school personnel were able to rate vignettes with substantial reliability (.877). Responses to questions relating to the raters competency and training and the raters overall impressions of the technical quality of the GASF were positive. The culminating analysis from the data presented in this study suggest that the GASF warrants further study to determine its technical properties and utility as a rating scale that school personnel can use to benchmark and progress monitor student behavior. </p>