Volume 4 Issue 2
Authors: C. Thomas Gualtieri; Aaron S. Hervey
Abstract: Background: There exists a prevailing assumption that a neurocognitive test administered by a computer is equivalent to the same test administered conventionally by a human being. There is reason to question this assumption. Method & subjects: A computerized neurocognitive test (the CNT) was subjected to critical analysis. Study 1 addressed the appropriate standardization method and was conducted in 3420 normal subjects between the ages of 4 and 94. Study 2 examined the factor structure of the CNT in the same group. Study 3 examined the discriminant powers of the CNT in comparison with 3295 normal subjects compared to 4084 subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 694 patients with severe traumatic brain injuries and 90 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early dementia. Study 4 was a comparison of the CNT with The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) in a clinical sample of 179 patients. Analysis & results: Study 1: Regression analysis indicated that age and years of education contributed significantly to a subject’s performance on the CNT but race and gender did not. Study 2: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the seven tests of the CNT generated three factors: memory, processing speed and attention. Processing speed was the latent variable underlying performance on the test battery. Study 3: Neither stepwise discriminant function analysis nor logistic regression indicated a specific pattern to performance for the three clinical groups relative to each other. Study 4: Performance on the CNT was most highly correlated with the most highly g-loaded WAIS subtests. Two tests of the CNT - visual memory and shifting attention - were predictive of Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ). Conclusion: These four studies raise questions about the continued use of computerized tests in clinical practice and research. The latent variable underlying test performance is processing speed. On the CNT, tests of executive function, memory and attention are, in the main, measuring the processing speed component of those functions. A critical examination of one CNT suggests that it may be doing less than it was designed to do.
Keywords: Computerized Test; Test Standardization; Processing Speed; General Mental Ability
Authors: Katja Petrowski; Susan Schurig; Gabriele Schmutzer; Elmar Br?hler
Abstract: Cohabitation is becoming more prevalent in western society so that up to 7.5 million cohabiting couples were reported in the USA for the year 2010. The present study investigated whether the cohabitants’ attachment style might be one of the reasons for cohabitation gaining such popularity. Attachment styles as well as socio-demographic variables were compared in regard to the partnership status. A sample of 1,002 participants aged 18 to 60 were used as a representative sample (M = 43.5, SD = 10.9), of which 54% were female and 82% were married. The cohabitants were younger, more highly educated, and less frequently affiliated with a church. The cohabitants were more anxious-attached, especially those of a younger age. A one-point increase in value on the AAS anxiety scale almost doubled the possibility of cohabitation. Most of the variance can be explained by socio-demographic variables. However, based on these representative data, and after controlling for socio-demographic variables, attachment anxiety is still connected to cohabitation. The diverse results in the literature may be explained by differences in the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample.
Keywords: Adult Attachment Scale (AAS); Attachment; Cohabitation; Marriage; Representative Sample
Authors: Chun-mei HU; Hua-min HE
Abstract: Objective: To explore the relationship between the mental stress, coping style, and the heavy-taste culture, and to give advice on the creation of mental health services and campus culture assistance. Methods: 900 college students completed the adolescent self-rating life event checklist, simple coping style scale, and undergraduate heavy-taste culture scale. Results: 1) Heavy-taste culture was popular among college students, and there were significant differences between genders, only-child or not, education major, and grade. 2) The score of the heavy-taste culture scale showed a positive correlation between the total score and each dimension’s score of the ASLEC (p < 0.01). 3) The score of the heavy-taste culture scale had a positive correlation with the score of positive and negative coping styles. 4) Negative coping style and negative life events accurately predicted the prevalence of participation in the heavy-taste culture (R2 = 0.12, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results indicated that the reason college students appreciated heavy-taste culture was their negative coping style and the presence of mental stress from negative life events. Colleges and universities would benefit greatly from urging students to enjoy the heavy-taste culture in more constructive ways.
Keywords: College Student; Mental Stress; Coping Style; Heavy-taste Culture; Relationship