Es scale level and correlates of MMPI elevation: alcohol abuse vs. MMPI scores in treated alcoholics

Examined the impact of MMPI Ego Strength (Es) level on the size of Pearson correlation coefficients computed between scores for posttreatment alcohol use and MMPI scores on standard and research scales and indices in a group of 54 (45 men, 9 women, mean age 41.3 years) treated alcoholics. In line with theoretical expectations, no significant (p greater than .05) coefficients were found in the group of high Es scorers (T scores above 50; N = 30) for any of the MMPI variables. In contrast, about one-half of the coefficients in the low Es group (T scores below 50; N = 24) were significant (p less than or equal to .05): All were in the expected direction; the more intensive the alcohol use, the higher the MMPI scores. The low and high Es groups did not significantly differ in respect to age, education, gender ratio, and posttreatment alcohol use (t-tests, p greater than .05).     

Comparison of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition in economically disadvantaged African American youth

The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT; Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991) are compared in 35 economically disadvantaged African American youth presenting for treatment in a community mental health setting. Significant correlations were found between K-BIT Composite and WISC-III Full Scale IQ scores. Results revealed significant differences between K-BIT and WISC-III scores; K-BIT Composite and Matrices mean scores were found to be 6 and 11 points higher than respective WISC-III Full Scale IQ and Performance IQ mean scores. No significant differences were obtained between K-BIT Vocabulary and WISC-III Verbal IQ scores. Our findings support the authors' recommendations for use of the Matrices subtest alone with African American youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Kaufman & Kaufman, 1990).     

The problem of assessing brain damage in psychiatric samples: use of personality variables in prediction of WAIS-R scores.

Detection of IQ decrements due to brain injury in patients with preexisting psychiatric disorders was examined. Subjects included 280 male and female adult psychiatric patients who were free of identified neurological disorders. Subjects were administered the MMPI and WAIS-R. Original (Barona, Reynolds, & Chastain, 1984) and revised (Barona & Chastain, 1986) Barona formulae were used to calculate premorbid IQ based on demographic variables. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to predict Wechsler IQ scores from the predicted Barona (original and revised) IQ scores along with MMPI clinical and validity scale raw scores for the experimental group (N = 186). The Barona equations overpredicted current IQ scores. The addition of MMPI variables when predicting current IQs resulted in significant increments in R(2)(p <.01). Cross-validation on a second sample (N = 94) yielded similar results when MMPI variables were added to all the original Barona formulae and the Barona PIQ revised formula. The MMPI may provide a means of incorporating pathology and personality characteristics into the detection of brain damage in psychiatric patients.     

MMPI interpretation of psychiatric inpatients: caution in making inferences about concentration and memory.

The relation of specific MMPI scores to attention, concentration, and memory was assessed in an inpatient psychiatric sample diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria as having schizophrenia, chronic undifferentiated type (n = 22); schizophrenia, paranoid type (n = 17); and schizoaffective disorder (n = 20). MMPI indices that are used widely to infer cognitive efficiency--including Scales 2 (Depression), 8 (Schizophrenia), SC-PT, D4 (Mental Dullness), SC2A (Lack of Ego Mastery, Cognitive), PSY (Psychoticism) and ORG (Organic Symptoms)--were investigated in relation to actual performance on Digit Span and subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS, Russell's Revision). Weak correlations emerged (maximum r = .31, p less than .05), which suggests that scores on these MMPI measures may not provide a reliable basis for inferring attention and memory functioning.     

Psychological and Physiological Variables Associated With Large Magnitude Voluntary Heart Rate Changes

Forty subjects, given binary and proportional auditory and visual feedback and asked to raise and lower their heart rate on signal, were able to produce increases of up to 46 bpm and decreases of up to 14 bpm, with a mean increase over 5 experimental days of 11 bpm and a decrease of 5 bpm. Increases in both diastolic and systolic blood pressure and increases in skin potential level and number of skin potential responses accompanied voluntary increases in heart rate but not decreases. Subjects with the highest resting heart rate variability and skin potential level were best able to raise their heart rate. Subjects with the highest resting heart rate and highest resting heart rate variability were best able to decrease the heart rate. Subjects with high Ego Strength scores (or low Welsh's Factor A scores) on the MMPI were best able to control their heart rate. The Ego Strength score, resting heart rate, and resting heart rate variability were all significantly intercorrelated. Subjects showed marked individual differences in ability to control heart rate, although there was a significant correlation between ability to raise and ability to lower heart rate.     

Intellectual deterioration and personality decompensation in schizophrenia

The Army General Classification Test (AGCT) and the MMPI were administered to schizophrenic inpatients (N = 50) with initially high (mean standard score = 115) and low (77) intelligence at two timepoints separated by an average of 14 years. The Arithmetic scores of the more intelligent group declined significantly with time, but significant changes did not appear on the Vocabulary or Spatial Aptitude scores of that group. No significant mean changes appeared in the low-IQ sample. The high-IQ group's Arithmetic section deterioration resulted from an increased error rate, not a drop in speed. No changes beyond those attributable to chance appeared on the MMPI scales. The results suggest that an intellectual decline limited to certain skills and to a subset of subjects occurs in schizophrenia and that the deterioration is not attributable to personality decompensation as defined by the MMPI. Because these findings appear to contrast with most previous research in this area, they should be considered tentative until confirmed by independent studies.     

The Barron ego strength scale: A study of personality correlates among normals

Although the Barron Ego Strength Scale (BESS) often has been shown to differentiate between the presence or absence of psychopathology, the exact construct measured as Ego Strength is little understood. This study related the BESS to the 15 personality needs of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the Tolerance Scale of the California Psychological Inventory, and the Practical Outlook Scale of the Omnibus Personality Inventory. Ss were 80 normal adult women, recruited individually from the community. Results showed significant correlations (p <.05) only between Ego Strength and Abasement (-.44), Dominance (.19), Tolerance (.69), and Practical Outlook (-.32). This suggests that rather than distinguishing among specific personality profiles, the BESS relates to an underlying belief in self-adequacy, along with tolerant, balanced attitudes.     

MMPI personality type and cognitive flexibility as determined by the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test in psychiatric patients

The relationship of cognitive flexibility with MMPI personality type, age, education, and IQ was investigated for a sample of 41 psychiatric inpatients. Cognitive flexibility was measured by the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test. An index for measuring divergent thinking behavior was obtained from determining the similarity of their admission MMPI profiles to a MMPI prototype profile for divergent (psychotic) ideation using the formula: Divergent thinking = PA + PT + SC - L - K. Results showed that in this sample, cognitive flexibility was related significantly and inversely to the level of divergent thinking (p = .02), but was unrelated to IQ test scores. Supplemental analyses indicated that the level of divergent thinking may mask the established relationship of cognitive flexibility with age and education.     

A procedure for the rapid computation of WISC-R factor scores

Presents a table that provides a simplified procedure for obtaining WISC-R factor scores expressed as IQ equivalents. Three factors, based on Kaufman's recent analysis of the 1974 Revised WISC, were included: (1) Verbal Comprehension (Information, Similarities, Vocabulary, and Comprehension); (2) Perceptual Analytic (Picture Completion, Picture Arrangement, Block Design, Object Assembly, and the optional subtest, Mazes); and (3) Attention Concentration (Arithmetic, Digit Span, and Coding). The techniques for deriving the factor score equivalents and the use of the table, both procedurally and clinically, are discussed.     

A clinical study of the automated assessment of intelligence by the Mill Hill Vocabulary test and the Standard Progressive Matrices test

As part of the Leicester/DHSS project on microcomputer-aided assessment, 274 patients at five clinical sites were assessed with either a computerized version or the standard version of the Mill Hill Vocabulary (Synonyms) test. Of this group, 178 were retested on the alternative version of the test. Similarly, 184 patients were tested with either a computerized version or the standard version of the Standard Progressive Matrices test, of whom 129 were retested on the alternative test form. High correlations were found between the standard and computerized versions for both tests. For the Mill Hill Vocabulary test, no significant difference was found between test versions for first administration, and the vast majority of retested subjects had very similar scores on each version. On the Standard Progressive Matrices, however, subjects obtained significantly lower scores on the computerized test. It is concluded that whereas the computerized Mill Hill Vocabulary test could be used in place of the standard version of clinical settings, the computerized Standard Progressive Matrices test could not be used.     

Comparison of MMPI scores of pregnant women and female medical patients

The MMPIs of 94 women who were in the first trimester of pregnancy were compared with the MMPIs of 1,690 female medical patients who were between 20 and 29 years old. Pregnant women obtained significantly lower scores on indices of subjective distress, somatic complaints, and general maladjustment. They obtained significantly higher scores on the Ego Strength scale, which reflects good psychological adjustment. The interpretation of Hooke and Marks (1962) that pregnancy is a period of good psychological adjustment and emotional health is supported.     

Predicting WAIS-R scores from the shipley institute of living scale in a homogeneous sample

Forty-one young normal adults were administered the Shipley Institute of Living Scale (SILS) and the WAIS-R as part of a validation study of previously published procedures for estimating WAIS-R Full-Scale IQ scores from SILS Vocabulary and Abstraction Scores. Correlations between SILS scores and WAIS-R scores were lower than expected from the literature. Prediction of WAIS-R FSIQ from SILS Vocabulary and Abstraction scores was poor (r = .46, p < .01). Partial support for the use of new procedures for estimating WAIS-R IQ from SILS was obtained. Implications for interpreting SILS scores obtained from subjects similar to those studied were discussed.     

Comparison of nonpsychiatric blacks and whites on the MMPI

The literature indicates inconsistent results when MMPI differences between black Ss and white Ss were investigated. In general, most studies found that blacks responded in a more pathological direction. However, previous studies can be criticized because they have used students, prisoners, and hospital patients as Ss with variables that were controlled inconsistently and varied widely. In this study a comparison was made of MMPI scales for 56 black and 56 white males who were full-time employees of a large chemical company. Ss were matched for age, education, occupation, seniority, mental ability level, and socioeconomic level. The 10 standard clinical and 3 validity MMPI scales were recorded for each S as well as six experimental scales: Control (C), Dependency (DPD), Dominance (DOM), Ego Strength (Es), Anxiety Index (AI), and Internalization Ratio (IR). Using K corrected T-scores for the MMPI scales, a repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that subtests and group × subtests were significant. More specifically, blacks scored significantly higher than white Ss on the MA scale, and white Ss scored significantly higher than blacks on the PA, C, DOM, and Es scales. While the present study did find significant differences between black and white Ss on the MMPI, the scores were all well within the normal range (T < 70), and all scales but two were less than 60.     

成人词汇测验的初步编制

目的：编制成人词汇测验，用于成人言语性学业成就和智能的简易评估。方法：用编制的测验测试450名16-65周岁、按年龄和文化程度分层抽取的成人，进行条目分析、信度和效度检验。结果：大多数条目的难度分布于0.25-0.75、点二例相关和鉴别指数大于0.30、条目偏差绝对值在0.10之内，信度指数多在0.90以上，测验量表分与受教育年限相关0.683，与中国修订韦氏成人智力量表（WAIS-RC）言语智商、操作智商和全量表智商相关系数分别为0.605、0.495、0.591.结论：成人词汇测验条目基本符合要求，分数可靠，有一定的效度。     

Response consistency among high F scale scorers on the MMPI

Classified male psychiatric inpatients (N = 200) with high (T greater than 90) scores on the MMPI F scale as either consistent or inconsistent responders using the Test-Retest (TR) Index. As predicted, consistent MMPI responders appeared to exaggerate pathology, while inconsistent responders' profiles were indicative of random responding on the MMPI. Results supported use of the TR Index in enhancing interpretation of MMPI profiles with very high F scale scores.     

Comparison of the WISC-R and PPVT-R with Navajo children

Explored the relationship between the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) for a sample of Native American children who reside on the Navajo Reservation. The sample consisted of 37 children aged 6 to 12−4 (M = 8−9, SD = 1−10). The PPVT-R standard scores correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with the WISC-R Verbal IQ (0.87). Performance IQ (0.52), and Full Scale IQ (0.82). The mean PPVT-R standard score was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than all of the mean WISC-R IQ scores. Implications of these findings for the use of the PPVT-R are discussed.     

The New Adult Reading Test-Revised: accuracy in estimating WAIS-R IQ scores obtained 3.5 years earlier from normal older persons.

Scores on the New Adult Reading Test-Revised (NART-R) were used to estimate WA1S-R IQ scores obtained approximately 3.5 years earlier from 54 normal older persons (M = 68 y; SD = 8.6). NART-R estimated IQ scores correlated reliably with earlier obtained IQ scores: FS1Q r = 0.70; VIQ r = 0.68; PIQ r = 0.61 (all p's < 0.05). NART-R estimated FSIQs underpredicted obtained FSIQs by an average of 3.8 points (SD = 9.3). The correlation between estimated and obtained FSIQ is fairly high and estimated FSIQ is reasonably close to obtained IQ, despite the considerable length of time passing between WAIS-R and NART-R administration. These results represent the first confirmation of the retrospective accuracy of the NART-R in estimating WAIS-R scores across time, a previously untested but critical assumption for clinical application of this approach. These results also apparently represent the first cross-validation of the NART-R in a sample of older Americans. These results suggest that further research on the clinical utility of the NART-R is warranted.     

Comparison of the PPVT-R and WAIS-R in state hospital psychiatric patients

This study examined the relationship between the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) in 40 adult psychiatric inpatients. The tests were administered to the patients in counterbalanced order as part of their overall psychological evaluation. Mean scaled scores were obtained for both tests. There were no significant differences between PPVT-R scores and WAIS-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores. Significant correlations between the PPVT-R and all three WAIS-R scores also were obtained. However, further analysis indicated a great deal of variability between individual PPVT-R and WAIS-R Full Scale scores. In addition, the PPVT-R was found to underestimate significantly the WAIS-R IQ scores of a subgroup (N = 13) of mildly mentally retarded subjects. A tendency for the PPVT-R to overestimate the WAIS-R as IQ improved also was noted.     

Personality characteristics of the mothers of children with disruptive behavior disorders

The biological mothers of 100 outpatient children aged 6-13 years completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Mothers of children given DSM-III diagnoses of conduct disorder (CD; n = 13) had significantly higher scores on MMPI scales associated with antisocial behavior (Pd and Ma), histrionic behavior (Hs and Hy), and disturbed adjustment (Sc). In contrast, the children's diagnosis of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H; n = 22) was not significantly associated with any maternal MMPI elevations, and the CD x ADD/H interactions were not significant for any MMPI scale. These results indicate that CD is linked to maternal personality disorder, but ADD/H is not.     

A profile of male and female applicants for a special college program for learning-disabled students

Intellectual, achievement, and personality profiles were developed for a sample of 245 applicants to a special college program for learning-disabled students. Only 15% of the applicants had WAIS IQs above 115; the most depressed subtests were Arithmetic, Digit Span, Information, Vocabulary, and Digit Symbol. For both sexes, mean WRAT reading levels were higher than spelling and arithmetic (roughly seventh- vs. sixth-grade competence). Although the male applicants (N = 174) had significantly higher WAIS Verbal IQs than the female applicants (N = 71), their WRAT spelling achievement levels were significantly lower. A higher percentage of the females than males exhibited specific arithmetic disability. For both sexes, but more robustly for females, specific arithmetic disability was associated with more elevated MMPI profiles. Dyslexic students, by contrast, admitted to fewer problem areas on the MMPI. Relatively few applicants had MMPI scaled scores greater than or equal to 70.