John W. Jacobs

Associative and categorical processes in children's memory: The role of automaticity in the development of organization in free recall ☆

Free recall performance was assessed in children in Grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 (Experiment 1) and adults (Experiment 2) on a list of categorically related words constructed so that some items within a category were highly associated with one another and interitem associations were low among other items (e.g., dog, cat, cow, lion, tiger). Associative relations were used frequently in recall by subjects of all ages, with analyses of interitem latencies and correlations between recall and clustering indicating that organization in recall was based only on associative relations for the third and fifth graders but based on both associative and nonassociative categorical relations for older subjects. Examination of the placement of high associates in recall indicated that seventh- and ninth-grade children were more apt to use associative relations to begin category clusters than were younger children or adults. These children were hypothesized to use the relatively automatic activation of associative relations to instigate categorical organization and to represent a stage in development between nonstrategic younger children and strategic adults. The results were discussed in terms of the role that the automatic activation of semantic memory relations may play in the development of strategic memory organization.

Detection of cognitive deficits by a brief mental status examination: the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination, a reappraisal and a review.

Results of a brief mental status questionnaire, the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination (CCSE), were compared with the clinical evaluations of 59 patients on a neurology service. In 71% of the cases, the CCSE scores correctly indicated a cognitive deficit (true-positive) or the absence of one (true-negative); false-negative results were observed in 15% and questionable negative results were found in 10%. Abnormal neurologic physical signs were present in 90% of all patients with cognitive deficits. In this population, although positive CCSE scores were reliable, negative scores were often misleading. Mild diffuse intellectual dysfunction (dementia) and some discrete intellectual deficits (aphasia and anosognosia) went undetected. Cognitive deficits associated with major cerebral disease were unappreciated in nine patients. Caution is recommended in interpreting negative CCSE scores. Abbreviated screening devices are only a preliminary approach to mental status evaluation; this test requires further refinement.

Treatment of divorcing fathers: social and psychotherapeutic considerations.

The author summarizes the psychotherapeutic issues most frequently encountered in his crisis treatment of 16 divorcing fathers for whom divorce was fundamentally a child-centered crisis. Fear and guilt over separation from children and wife, outrage and disappointment with the legal system, anxiety about the social and sexual readjustment to single life, and the need to develop strategies for continued child contact were most prevalent. The authors suggestions for the management of these issues include the therapists familiarization with divorce as it affects and is influenced by intrapsychic, interpersonal, familial, and legal systems.

Is there a need for admission and discharge cognitive screening for the medically ill

The Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination, developed to detect cognitive deficits as possible manifestations of diffuse organic mental syndromes, was administered on admission and at discharge to 106 patients on a medical ward of a general hospital (mean age, 56 years). Thirty-three percent of the patients showed diminished cognitive capacity at admission, of which 16% were undetected by the house staff. Restudy at discharge revealed that 28% of the sample continued to have diminished cognitive capacity. This study documents the incidence of cognitive deficits, highlights the need for early detection, and offers practical considerations for discharge procedures.

A developmental examination of ratings of associative strength

Ratings of associative strength between members of pairs of categorically related words were obtained for children from Grades 3,4,6, and 8 and for college adults. Correlations of ratings were high among the five grade levels, indicating that associative relations are an early form of semantic representation that change minimally in development.

Identifying Organic Mental Syndromes

Excerpt To the editor: In the January 1977 issue, two of us (John Jacobs and James Strain) (1) reported the development and testing of the Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination designed to quick...

The effect of divorce on fathers: An overview of the literature

Divorce is becoming a major mental health problem in the United States. With rare exceptions psychological attention has usually focused on the effect of divorce on children and mothers. The author suggests that as some fathers become more involved in family nurturing they will be more intensely affected by marital disruption, particularly as it involves changes in the relationship to their children. A review of the recent psychological literature on divorce and custody is presented as a framework for understanding the divorcing father who is requesting psychiatric help.