Development and criterion validity of a computerized text analysis measure of reflective functioning |
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| Authors: | Eric A. Fertuck Erhard Mergenthaler Mary Target Kenneth N. Levy John F. Clarkin |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Psychology , City University of New York of CUNY , New York;2. Department of Psychiatry , Columbia University Medical College , New York , USA efertuck@ccny.cuny.edu;4. Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy , University of Ulm , Germany;5. Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology , University College London , UK;6. Department of Psychology , Penn State University , PA;7. Weill Cornell Medical College , New York , USA;8. Psychiatry , Weill Cornell Medical College , NY , USA |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
Abstract The Reflective Functioning scale (RF) is a narrative-based assessment of the capacity to coherently conceptualize one's own and others' subjective motivations, emotions, beliefs, and desires. We report the preliminary results of an effort to develop a computerized text analysis version (CRF) of the RF assessment system. A sample of 113 clinical and non-clinical Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI) were utilized to develop the CRF measure. Using the Marker Approach (Mergenthaler & Bucci, 1999), 54 linguistic markers of high RF language were identified. The associations between CRF and RF were significant in both a clinical sample of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (Spearman rho=.57, p<.0001) and a non-clinical sample of adults (Spearman rho=.57, p=.002). These results suggest that a CRF rating scale is feasible, has preliminary criterion validity, and, therefore, has potential to facilitate the efficient assessment of RF. |
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| Keywords: | attachment personality disorders process research psychoanalytic/psychodynamic therapy test development technology in psychotherapy research and training language and psychotherapy computer text analysis |
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