Quantitative Psychology Commons^™

Dynamics Of Energy Consumption, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

Extract:
Dynamics of Energy Consumption Pakistan has been facing severe imbalances in energy demand and supply for the last couple of decades. During early 1980s domestic supply of energy was fulfilling almost 86 percent of total domestic energy demand; a gap of 14 percent was being filled by imports. However, the demand – supply gap started increasing since then and reached to almost 47 percent by the year 2000 (see Figure S2.1).

Macro Determinants Of Total Factor Productivity In Pakistan, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

No abstract provided.

Validation Of A Serotonin Depletion Checklist In Parkinson’S Disease, Kelly Diane Darby Holder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The distinctive pathological marker of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the progressive death of neurons that produce dopamine; however, there are also major alterations in the production of quantities of other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and serotonin that contribute to the signs, symptoms, neuropsychological manifestations of the diseases. PD patients can be divided into classes based on the manifestation of motor symptoms, type A, classified as tremor dominant, and type B PD, classified as akinetic. Type B PD patients, often manifest symptoms in which serotonin deficiency plays an important role, such as frontal cognitive impairments, which often includes a history of …

Avoidant Personality Disorder And Social Phobia: Distinct Enough To Be Separate Disorders?, Elizabeth Ralevski, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Andrew E. Skodol, John G. Gunderson, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Donna S. Bender, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: Existing evidence from anxiety disorder research indicates that social phobics (SP) with avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) experience more anxiety and show more impairment than patients with SP alone. The purpose of this study was to examine whether in patients diagnosed with AVPD, the co-occurrence of SP adds to its severity. We hypothesized that the addition of SP will not add to the severity of AVPD alone.

Method: Two groups of patients (AVPD = 224; AVPD/SP = 101) were compared at baseline and 2 years later on multiple demographic and clinical variables.

Results: Patients with AVPD and an additional diagnosis …

The Effects Of Parcels And Latent Variable Scores On The Detection Of Interactions In Structural Equation Modeling, Thomas D. Fletcher

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Numerous theories in the behavioral and organizational sciences involve the regression of an outcome variable on component terms and their product to evaluate interaction effects. There are numerous statistical difficulties with this multiple regression approach. The most serious is measurement error, requiring the use of structural equation modeling. Jöreskog and Yang (1996) described a nonlinear structural equation modeling procedure that incorporates mean structures in the covariance analysis. They demonstrated that only one indicator for the product term is necessary for model identification. Unfortunately, the Jöreskog-Yang procedure leads to biased estimates of the product coefficient. In this dissertation, I propose that …

Motivated Breast Cancer Screening Behavior And Its Cultural Antecedents, Patricia M. Flynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Discrepancies in breast cancer screening behavior exist among various ethnic groups in the United States (Jacobs & Lauderdale, 2001), with Latino American women reporting particularly low screening rates in comparison to Anglo American women (ACS, 2002). Research indicates that behavior is in part influenced by aspects of culture and relevant psychological processes (Betancourt & Lopez, 1993; Betancourt & Fuentes, 2001). This study was designed to investigate the relations among cultural values, attributions regarding the causes for not screening, related emotions, expectancy that screening leads to early detection and value incentive of early detection as determinants of breast cancer screening intention …

Developmental Strategies And Styles And Their Measurement, Wenyu Bai

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Developmental styles and strategies (DSS) are preferences and repeated patterns in intentional self-development. A taxonomy of DSS based on the convergence of talent development and Sternberg's Triarchic Model of Intelligences was proposed to distinguish school learners, street learners, talent developers (specialists), and all-knowers (generalists). This study explored the reliability of the researcher-developed Educational Developmental Style and Strategy Scale, the relationships of age, gender, birth order, ethnicity, and SES to developmental DSS adoption, and the characteristics of five types of DSS adopters (i.e., street learning specialists, street learning generalists, school learning specialists, school learning generalists, the neutral group). Eighty out of …

Literature Review: Diagnostic Utility Of The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventories In Various Settings : The Detection And Effect Of Faking Good ; Research Project : The Impact Of Faking-Good On The Mcmi-Iii : Implications For Child Custody Evaluations, Paul Lenny

Theses : Honours

Research surrounding the ability of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI; Millon, 1977, 198 7, 1994) to detect faking good was reviewed; along with the effect faking has on diagnostic accuracy. Limited research indicates moderate success of the MCMI validity indices (VI) at detecting faking good. Suggested improvements include developing a fake-good profile combining the personality scales and VI and developing new base rate adjustments with populations likely to fake good. Faking good reduces the overall diagnostic accuracy of the test but determining local base rates of faking to produce optimal cut-offs for the VI would improve diagnostic utility. Future …

Economic Growth, Saving And Investment, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

Extract:
Despite an evident slowdown in major economies around the global amidst a sustained rise in international oil prices, the domestic economy surpassed its growth target by a wide margin for the third consecutive year, witnessing a growth rate of 8.4 percent in FY05, the highest during the last two decades (see Figure 2.1 & 2.2).

Validity Of Das Perfectionism And Need For Approval In Relation To The Five-Factor Model Of Personality, David M. Dunkley, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study examined the validity of the perfectionism and need for approval scales of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS; Weissman & Beck, 1978) by locating these measures within a comprehensive framework of personality, provided by the revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992), in a clinical sample (N ¼ 132). The results indicated that: (1) DAS perfectionism reflects the self-critical aspects of the broader perfectionism construct rather than the active achievement striving aspects; (2) DAS need for approval generally lacks an association with positive interpersonal traits and shares much in common with DAS perfectionism; and (3) with shared …

Associations In The Course Of Personality Disorders And Axis I Disorders Over Time, M. Tracie Shea, Robert L. Stout, Shirley Yen, Maria E. Pagano, Andrew E. Skodol, Leslie C. Morey, John G. Gunderson, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Donna S. Bender, Mary C. Zanarini

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

In this study, the authors examined time-varying associations between schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), or obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) personality disorders and co-occurring Axis I disorders in 544 adult participants from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study. The authors tested predictions of specific longitudinal associations derived from a model of crosscutting psychobiological dimensions (L. J. Siever & K. L. Davis, 1991) with participants with the relevant Axis I disorders. The authors assessed participants at baseline and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up evaluations. BPD showed significant longitudinal associations with major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. AVPD was significantly associated with …

Cultural Value Orientations, Attributions, And Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors, Patricia M. Flynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Discrepancies in breast cancer screening behavior exist among various ethnic groups in the United States (Jacobs & Lauderdale, 2001), with Latino American women reporting particularly low screening rates in comparison to Anglo American women (ACS, 2002). Research indicates that behavior is in part influenced by aspects of culture and relevant psychological processes (Betancourt & Lopez, 1993; Betancourt & Fuentes, 2001). This study was designed to investigate the relations among cultural values, attributional processes, and breast cancer screening behavior among Anglo and Latino women. This study also investigated the influence of acculturation among Latino women in relation to the other study …

Confirming The Factor Structure Of The Quality Of Life Rating, Charles John Drake Iii

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Quality of Life Rating (Gust, 1982) (QOLR) is a clinically developed 20-item self-report instrument that has been used in spinal cord and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation clinics as well as clinical mental health environments. This current study tested a five-factor model (Huebner et al., 1998) of the QOLR using the confirmatory factor analysis method. Huebner et al.’s (1998) five extracted factors were labeled as: self-esteem and well-being, interpersonal attachment, economics or basic needs, recreation/leisure, and spirituality. For the present study, 230 completed QOLR’s collected from adults at intake of an outpatient psychological services clinic in the Southwestern United States …

Temporal Coherence Of Criteria For Four Personality Disorders, Leslie C. Morey, Andrew E. Skodol, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Mary C. Zanarini, M. Tracie Shea, John G. Gunderson, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study sought to investigate the coherence of changes observed in diagnostic criteria for borderline, schizotypal, obsessive-compulsive, and avoidant personality disorders. Five hundred, forty-nine patients were independently evaluated 2 years apart, and correlations of observed changes in each diagnostic criterion with changes in other criteria were examined to determine if there was within-syndrome consistency in these changes. The observed changes in criteria were consistent within syndrome (median alpha = 0.72 across 4 disorders), and reasonably specific to that syndrome relative to the other disorders. The results support the validity of these criterion sets as representing coherent syndromes.

Major Depressive Disorder And Borderline Personality Disorder Revisited: Longitudinal Interactions, John G. Gunderson, Leslie C. Morey, Robert L. Stout, Andrew E. Skodol, M. Tracie Shea, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Mary C. Zanarini, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Shirley Yen, Maria T. Daversa, Donna S. Bender

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

BACKGROUND: This report investigates the longitudinal association of changes in major depressive disorder (MDD) and borderline personality disorder.

METHOD: A DSM-IV-diagnosed sample of 161 patients with borderline personality disorder who have been followed with repeated measures at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months are investigated to see whether those with co-occurring MDD differ at baseline and in their course. Proportional hazard regression and cross-lagged panel analyses are used to demonstrate whether changes in the course of either disorder have predictable effects on the course of the other.

RESULTS: The rate of remissions of borderline personality disorder was not affected by …

Two Decades Of Research On The Problem Solving Inventory A Call For Empirical Clarity, Muninder Kaur Ahluwalia, Lisa A. Suzuki

Department of Counseling Scholarship and Creative Works

Heppner, Witty, and Dixon's review of 2 decades of research on the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) provides highlights of more than 120 studies relating problem-solving appraisal to psychological adjustment, physical health, coping, and educational and vocational issues. Although clearly an impressive body of literature, the level of data reported is uneven with attention to effect sizes (e.g., correlations) and sample descriptors (e.g., race/ethnicity, n size, gender). Acknowledging the importance of the PSI and this major review, we provide commentary on the need for a meta-analysis and the continual expansion of research on the PSI with respect to diversity issues (i.e., …

The Longitudinal Relationship Of Personality Traits And Disorders, Megan B. Warner, Leslie C. Morey, John F. Finch, John G. Gunderson, Andrew E. Skodol, Charles A. Sanislow, M. Tracie Shea, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Carlos M. Grilo

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Personality disorders are presumed to be stable because of underlying stable and maladaptive personality traits, but while previous research has demonstrated a link between personality traits and personality disorders cross-sectionally, personality disorders and personality traits have not been linked longitudinally. This study explores the extent to which relevant personality traits are stable in individuals diagnosed with 4 personality disorders (schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders) and examines the assumption that these personality disorders are stable by virtue of stable personality traits. This assumption was tested via the estimation of a series of latent longitudinal models that evaluated whether changes …

Warfighter-Peacekeeper Psychological Aptitude: Assessing The Soldier's Psychological Aptitude For Effective Performance In Combat Or Traditional Peacekeeping Operations, Matthew Charles Densmore

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Macroeconomic And Financial Sector Comparison With Saarc And Asean Countries, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

Extract:
Two distinct regional associations, SAARC and ASEAN, comprise over seventeen different economies of Asia. These economies differ from each other in terms of their age, size and economic performance. However, some comparisons can be drawn between these intra-regional economies on the basis of economic and financial performance for a uniform period of observation, spanning from 1990 to 2003.1 This chapter discusses the financial sector indicators of the SAARC and ASEAN countries under the framework of macroeconomic performance, with the objective of assessing the level of Pakistan’s performance in comparison with these countries.

The Representation Of Four Personality Disorders By The Schedule For Nonadaptive And Adaptive Personality Dimensional Model Of Personality, Leslie C. Morey, Megan B. Warner, M. Tracie Shea, John G. Gunderson, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Andrew E. Skodol, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study examined the relationships of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP) model of personality to 4 targeted personality disorders (PDs) in a large multisite sample of patients. Data were examined from 529 patients, who were assigned 1 of 5 primary diagnoses: borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive–compulsive PDs and major depression without PD. Patients were administered the SNAP questionnaire and results were compared among diagnostic groups and between patient groups and nonclinical norms. Results indicated that the dimensions of the model appear to have considerable promise in differentiating normal from abnormal personality, particularly in the propensity of individuals …

The Relationship Of Mmpi-A Item Effectiveness To Item Content, Diagnostic Category, And Classification Accuracy, Kathleen D. Lynch

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Archer, Handel, and Lynch (2001) recently compared the item endorsement frequencies for the MMPI-A normative sample against two adolescent clinical samples. Results showed that the MMPI-A contains a substantial number of items that do not show a significant difference in item endorsement frequency between normative and clinical samples. The current study extends Archer et al.'s (2001) research in three ways: (1) it examines the item endorsement frequencies of the Supplementary scales, Harris Lingoes subscales, and subtle-obvious items; (2) it examines the Basic, Content, and Supplementary scales, and Harris Lingoes subscales with two homogeneous diagnostic criterion groups (as suggested by Archer, …

Gender Differences In Borderline Personality Disorder: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Dawn M. Johnson, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Cynthia L. Battle, Caron Zlotnick, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Andrew E. Skodol, Donna S. Bender, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John G. Gunderson, Mary C. Zanarini

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

A majority of the literature on borderline personality disorder (BPD) focuses on its occurrence in women or does not specifically assess for gender differences in clinical presentations. Some studies report that men with BPD may be more likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorders, as well as paranoid, passive-aggressive, narcissistic, sadistic, and antisocial personality disorders (PDs). Additionally, women with BPD appear to be more likely to report histories of adult physical and sexual abuse and to meet diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders. The purpose of the present study was to further examine gender differences …

Examining The Equivalence Of Rater Groups In 360-Degree Feedback For Use In Leadership Development, Amy Fitzgibbons

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study assessed the seldom-considered aspect of measurement equivalence across the three most common rater groups in 360-degree feedback systems. The graded response model for polytomous items was used to assess differential functioning of items and tests and applied to an archival data set of 664 ratees to determine the equivalence of peer, subordinate, and supervisor ratings of four leadership competencies. The results indicate that the leadership competencies were invariant across the three rater groups. The results and conclusions produced are discussed with practical implications in mind.

Financial Sector Deepening And Economic Growth In Pakistan, Safdar Khan

Safdar Khan

No abstract provided.

Plausibility And Possible Determinants Of Sudden 'Remissions' In Borderline Patients, John G. Gunderson, Donna S. Bender, Charles A. Sanislow, Shirley Yen, Jennifer Bame Rettew, Regina Dolan-Sewell, Ingrid R. Dyck, Leslie C. Morey, Thomas H. Mcglashan, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

THIS STUDY documents dramatic improvements in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and explores their possible determinants. From a sample of the 160 carefully diagnosed borderline patients on whom prospective follow-along data was collected, a subsample of 18 was identified whose DSM-IV criteria count fell to two or fewer during the course of the first 6 months of the study and retained that improvement for the next 6 months. Follow-along data including month-by-month ratings of BPD criteria; week-by-week ratings of Axis I disorders, medication changes, and life events were then used to establish concensus ratings on four hypothesized causes: Axis …

Substance Or Style? An Investigation Of The Neo-Pi-R Validity Scales, Leslie C. Morey, Brian D. Quigley, Charles A. Sanislow, Andrew E. Skodol, Thomas H. Mcglashan, M. Tracie Shea, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, John G. Gunderson

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992b) has been criticized for the absence of validity scales designed to detect response distortion. Recently, validity scales were developed from the items of the NEO-PI-R (Schinka, Kinder, & Kremer, 1997) and several studies have used a variety of methods to test their use. However, it is controversial whether these scales are measuring something that is substantive (such as psychopathology or its absence) or stylistic (which might be effortful distortion or less conscious processes such as lack of insight). In this study, we used a multimethod-multitrait approach to examine the validity …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Dsm-Iv Criteria For Borderline Personality Disorder: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Leslie C. Morey, Donna S. Bender, Andrew E. Skodol, John G. Gunderson, M. Tracie Shea, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: This study tested the factor structure of the DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder by using confirmatory methods for the analysis of covariance structures in a large group from a multisite study.

Method: A total of 668 primarily treatment-seeking subjects were reliably assessed for personality disorders by using the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. Associations among criteria for borderline personality disorder were examined. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test diagnosis as a unitary construct and to test an earlier-reported three-factor model comprising disturbed relatedness, behavioral dysregulation, and affective dysregulation. The three-factor model was subsequently tested by …

Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Assess Reader Strategies, Joseph P. Magliano, Katja Wiemer-Hastings, Keith K. Millis, Brenton D.. Muñoz, Danielle Ncnamara

Psychology Faculty Publications

We tested a computer-based procedure for assessing reader strategies that was based on verbal protocols that utilized latent semantic analysis (LSA). Students were given self-explanation-reading training (SERT), which teaches strategies that facilitate self-explanation during reading, such as elaboration based on world knowledge and bridging between text sentences. During a computerized version of SERT practice, students read texts and typed self-explanations into a computer after each sentence. The use of SERT strategies during this practice was assessed by determining the extent to which students used the information in the current sentence versus the prior text or world knowledge in their self-explanations. …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Dsm-Iv Schizotypal, Borderline, Avoidant, And Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorders: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Study Of Personality Disorders, Charles A. Sanislow, Leslie C. Morey, Carlos M. Grilo, John G. Gunderson, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol, Robert L. Stout, Mary C. Zanarini, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: To test the diagnostic constructs implied by DSM-IV Axis-II personality disorders by examining relationships between different combinations of DSM-IV criteria.

Method: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the borderline, schizotypal, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder constructs in a large treatment-seeking sample (N=668) from a multisite study. A model based on the three DSM-IV Axis II clusters was also tested. Both models were tested against a unitary ‘generic’ model constructed from four criteria sets combined.

Results: Goodness-of-fit for both the three-cluster and four disorder models was significantly better than the unidimensional model, and the four-disorder model was significantly better …

Internal Consistency And Intercriterion Overlap Within And Between Dsm-Iv Axis Ii Personality Disorders: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Study Of Personality Disorders, Carlos M. Grilo, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Leslie C. Morey, John G. Gunderson, Andrew E. Skodol, M. Tracie Shea, Charles A. Sanislow, Mary C. Zanarini, Donna S. Bender, John M. Oldham, Ingrid Dyck, Robert L. Stout

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: To evaluate performance characteristics of DSM-IV Personality Disorders (PDs) criteria.

Method: Six hundred and sixty-eight adults recruited for the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS) were assessed with diagnostic interviews.

Results: Within-category inter-relatedness was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha and median intercriterion correlations (MIC). Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.47 to 0.87 (median=0.71); seven of the 10 PDs had alphas greater than 0.70. Between-category criterion overlap was evaluated by ‘inter-category’ intercriterion correlations between all PD pairs (ICMIC). ICMIC values (median=0.08) were lower than MIC values (median=0.23). Diagnostic efficiency statistics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power and negative predictive power were calculated for …