Alan R. King

Relationships between CATI personality disorder variables and measures of academic performance.

The present report offers predictive and construct validation data concerning the use of the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI) personality disorder scales in predicting academic difficulties. The CATI has been found to exhibit sound psychometric properties with promise for extending personality disorder research into broader nonclinical populations. Predictive validation of the various CATI personality disorder scales with specific behavioral, cognitive or emotional correlates of maladaptive functioning, other than diagnostic probabilities, remains to be established and represents a central challenge to the continued vitality of this new assessment inventory. Four academic performance variables (high school GPA, cumulative college GPA, classroom attendance, standardized course grade) were selected as important indices of adaptive functioning, particularly in the cognitive and behavioral realms. A total of 313 valid CATI profiles were provided by a sample of college students enrolled in various undergraduate psychology courses. T-scores in excess of 59 for the antisocial scale provided a simple predictor of high school and college academic performance deficits. The compulsive, dependent and avoidant personality disorder scales provided favorable indicators, depending upon the outcome measure examined. These results were generally consistent with the previous MCMI-II findings of King, and the practical and theoretical implications of the present results were discussed within the context of a broader literature involving the use of personality disorder inventories.

The Effects of Parental Conflict on Later Child Development

Abstract The present study evaluated the relationship between the level of family conflict and the level of depression for female adult children of divorced parents. This study utilized an ex-post facto design using archival data. The predictor variables consisted of age at time of parental divorce and level of conflict as measured by the Family Environment Scale(Moose & Moose, 1981). The criterion variable consisted of level of depression as measured by the MMPI-IIscale 2 scores (Hathaway & McKinley, 1989). Results from this study indicated that for adult female children of divorced parents, there was a statistically significant relationship between parental conflict in the family of origin and adult depressive symptomology. Depressive symptomology increased as the level of reported family conflict increased. No relationship was found between age at the time of parental divorce and symptoms of depression.

Relationships between personality disorder attributes and friendship qualities among college students

Personality disorder trait predictors of the quality and durability of close personal friendships have rarely been examined in the literature. Links between Acquaintance Description Form (ADF-F2) friendship qualities and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-II) personality disorder attributes were explored in this study of 363 college students. Passive-Aggressive, Avoidant, Schizotypal, Sadistic-Aggressive, Antisocial, Borderline, and Self-Defeating features were most closely associated with friendship insecurity. Participants exhibiting Passive-Aggressive, Self-Defeating and Borderline features tended to view their closest friendship as being more strongly influenced by external social forces. Passive-Aggressive scores and Personal Maintenance Difficulty were positively related. Histrionic traits were associated with descriptions of the closest friend as affirming and useful in utilitarian value. Sex differences were minimal in the prediction of relationship qualities using the MCMI-II personality disorder dimensions.

Family Environment Scale Predictors of Academic Performance

Relationships between high school and college academic performance and Family Environment Scale scores were examined within a sample of 346 college students. Low high-school grade point averages (GPA<2.5) were two to four times as common among students with high Conflict, or low Expressiveness, Cohesion, or Recreation scores. Moral–Religious subscale scores were also associated with favorable high school academic performance as well as increased college classroom attendance. Control variables included the Beck Depression Inventory, Shipley Institute of Living Scale, and reports of parental divorce or bereavement histories. A primary objective was achieved in providing simple guidelines for the identification of students at high risk for psychosocial problems using the Family Environment Scale.

Family Environment as a Predictor of the Quality of College Students' Friendships:

Family environment appears to be an important determinant of friendship quality. Despite this apparent link, few studies have explored how family environment relates to friendship, especially among college students. The present study examined the relationship between family environment and best friendships, by administering the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Acquaintance Description Form—Revised (ADF-F2) to 408 college students. Family environment was a better predictor of friendship quality for female college students than for male college students. For the women, a total of 13% of the FES and ADF-F2 correlations were significant at the p < .01 level. The best predictors of friendship quality for the women were the FES active recreational and intellectual—cultural dimensions. Gender differences were also evident in students perceptions of their families environments and their views of the quality of their best friendships. Implications of the present study for college adjustment and retention are discussed.

An Exploratory Examination of Student Dismissals and Prompted Resignations From Clinical Psychology PhD Training Programs: Does Clinical Competency Matter?

How do clinical psychology PhD training programs decide whether a student should be dismissed? Are these decisions related to the students clinical competency or suitability? Accredited, scientist-practitioner clinical psychology PhD training programs were surveyed about their experiences with dismissal decisions and clinical competency evaluations. Average rates of student dismissal and prompted resignations were low (less than 3% and 6%, respectively) but highly variable across programs. The most common basis for dismissals and resignations pertained to clinical competency concerns and academic standards. However, for 29% of programs, documented dismissal criteria did not include expectations for achievement of a prescribed level of clinical skills proficiency. Implications and suggested courses of action are discussed.

Individual differences in judgmental tendencies derived from first impressions

Abstract This report introduces the First Impression Interaction Procedure (FIIP) as a new method of assessing participant initial reactions to unfamiliar partners encountered during 25-min uncontrolled interaction sessions. The 14-item FIIP rating form quantifies first impression central tendency (Judgment Index), variability (Judgment Variability Index), and the degree to which participants judged others more harshly than self (Judgment Ratio). Selected participants can also be distinguished by their tendency to form and express unusually harsh first impressions of others. College students ( n =252) completed two FIIP interaction sessions with six partners. Internal consistency and temporal stability coefficients for the three FIIP measures ranged from 0.85 to 0.94. Judgment Index scores in excess of 1 S.D. from the mean were shown to reflect a generalized tendency for participants to form and express first impressions that were typically 1.5–2 S.D.s harsher than 80% of their interaction partners.

General Versus Gender-Specific Attributes of the Psychology Major

In the present study, the authors extended the search for general and gender-specific factors associated with the selection of psychology as a college major by using the Family Environment Scale (FES; R. H. Moos & B. S. Moos, 1994) and Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI; F. L. Coolidge & M. M. Merwin, 1992). The findings were restricted to one general (Schizoid) and one gender-specific (Self-Defeating) set of personality traits that seemed to be associated with the selection of a college major. The intuitive role of many presumed gender-specific factors (e.g., women are more open to discussing personal problems with others) may prove difficult to establish empirically.

Violent Experiences Questionnaire Predictors of Low Base-Rate Aggressive Acts

This study found elevations in low base-rate aggressive acts among college students (n = 171) who reported (via the Violent Experiences Questionnaire–Revised) exposure to extreme forms of maltreatment (i.e., parental physical abuse, domestic violence, sibling abuse, peer bullying, relational aggression) or corporal punishment during their upbringing. Low base-rate aggressive acts were identified through a separate customized questionnaire. Parental physical abuse was associated with an increased risk (three- to nine-fold) of past physical fighting, violence-related trouble, inflicting violent injury, and making a threat to kill someone. Corporal punishment was associated with elevated risk (two- to four-fold) of physical fighting or inflicting violent injury to another. Past threat(s) to kill were linked to histories of corporal punishment, sibling abuse, or domestic violence. These results illustrate that the adverse effects of childhood maltreatment extend broadly to both clinical and nonclinical samples.

MCMI-II predictors of judgmental tendencies as measured by the first impression interaction procedure

Abstract The present study investigates the validity of the MCMI-II personality disorder scales to predict judgmental tendencies as measured by ( King & Pate, 2002) . A total of 137 women and 48 men completed two separate 25-min uncontrolled interaction sessions as specified by the FIIP. Scores on the 14-item FIIP rating form were then combined to quantify first impression central tendency (Judgment Index), variability (Judgment Variability Index), and the degree to which participants judged others more harshly than self (Judgment Ratio). Judgmental tendencies as measured by the FIIP were associated with DSM-IV cluster B (“dramatic, emotional, or erratic”) features among women and cluster A (“odd or eccentric”) qualities among men. These gender by personality interactions were particularly evident for the histrionic and narcissistic scales. Personality features such as social alienation and insecurity provided the best predictors of judgmental tendencies among men, while harsh FIIP judgment ratings were more common among self-confident women who sought attention and affirmation from others. It was speculated that initial social appraisals might be differentially coarsened by personality traits of insecurity in men and grandiosity in women.