Ria Pita

The location of trait emotional intelligence in personality factor space

The construct of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI or trait emotional self-efficacy) provides a comprehensive operationalization of emotion-related self-perceptions and dispositions. In the first part of the present study (N=274, 92 males), we performed two joint factor analyses to determine the location of trait EI in Eysenckian and Big Five factor space. The results showed that trait EI is a compound personality construct located at the lower levels of the two taxonomies. In the second part of the study, we performed six two-step hierarchical regressions to investigate the incremental validity of trait EI in predicting, over and above the Giant Three and Big Five personality dimensions, six distinct criteria (life satisfaction, rumination, two adaptive and two maladaptive coping styles). Trait EI incrementally predicted four criteria over the Giant Three and five criteria over the Big Five. The discussion addresses common questions about the operationalization of emotional intelligence as a personality trait.

Can 'football-team color-code' compensate for anomia? : The case study of FN, a patient with color anomia

A case study is reported on large ischemic infracts involving cortical and subcortical areas of the parietal lobes bilaterally, especially left temporo-parietal and right parietal. On examination, the diagnosis of vascular dementia with color anomia, optic aphasia for colors, was established. The patient (FN) showed great difficulty in understanding a scene as a whole and in describing complex scenes. FN’s oral comprehension skills at word and sentence level were satisfactory and he exhibited communicative effectiveness during conversation. He could read letter by letter, but could not make simple judgments of shapes. FN exhibited a marked inability to name colors presented to him visually and to indicate or point to the color requested from the examiner. The most interesting of all the patient’s characteristics was the strategy – a football-team color-code – he had developed for compensating for his inability to name colors.

Ability of picture naming in chronic schizophrenics

Background The purpose of this research was the study of the abilities of picture perception and naming in two different groups of schizophrenics, according to their place of living. Subjects: Forty-two chronic schizophrenics participated in this study (21 male, 21 female). Twenty-two of them were living in alternative residences, while the other twenty were institutionalized. The two groups did not differ in the years of schooling and the years of their commitment in institution. Their age ranged between 30 and 81 years and all the patients fulfilled the criteria a) of schizophrenia, according to ICD-10 and b) those of chronicity.

The ability of residual schizophrenics to perceive and recognize objects from a different viewpoint

Results Spearman rank correlation was conducted. Significant association was found between sex and education [r = 0.282; n = 63; p < 0.05], age and negative scale of PANSS [r = 0.402; n = 60; p < 0.01], education and correct answers in BORB [r = 0.594; n = 63; p < 0.01], education and wrong answers in BORB [r = -0.594; n = 63; p < 0.01], education and MMSE [r = 0.749; n = 63; p < 0.01], education and GAF [r = 0.337; n = 63; p < 0.01], education and negative scale of PANNS [r = -0.298; n = 63; p < 0.05], education and TLC [r = -0.441 ; n = 60; p < 0.01], correct answers in BORB and MMSE [r = 0.688; n = 63; p < 0.01], correct answers in BORB and GAF [r = -0.572; n = 63; p < 0.01], correct answers in BORB and negative scale of PANSS [r = -0.419; n = 60; p < 0.01], correct answers in BORB and TLC [r = -0.422; n = 60; p < 0.01], total wrongs in BORB and MMSE [r = -0.688; n = 63; p < 0.01], total errors in BORB and GAF [r = -0.572; n = 63; p < 0.01], total errors in BORB and negative scale of PANSS [r = 0.419 ; n = 60; p < 0.01], total errors in BORB and TLC [r = 0.422 ; n = 60; p < 0.01], MMSE and GAF [r = 0.441 ; n = 63; p < 0.01], MMSE and negative PANSS [r = -0.304; n = 60; p < 0.05], MMSE and TLC scale [r = -0.503; n = 60; p < 0.01], GAF and negative PANSS [r = -0.398; n = 60; p < 0.01], GAF and general psychopathology of PANSS [r = -0.308; n = 60; p < 0.05], and finally, significant correlation was found between GAF scale and TLC [r = -0.609 ; n = 60; p < 0.01].

Correlations of memory performance with clinical profile in patients with Parkinson's disease

Results Pearsons correlation analysis between total score of MMSE and clinical symptoms indicated correlations between MMSE and age [r = -0.479, n = 26, p < 0.05], MMSE and education [r = 0.531, n = 26, p < 0.01], and also between EMQ and illness duration [r = 0.391, n = 26, p < 0.05]. In addition, significant correlations were found between WMS and clinical profile, and more specifically between digit span and age [r = -0.422, n = 26, p < 0.05], digit span and education [r = 0.591, n = 26, p < 0.01], visual reconstruction and age [r = -0.477, n = 25, p < 0.05], visual reconstruction and education [r = 0.566, n = 25, p < 0.01], new learning and age [r = -0.620, n = 26, p < 0.01], new learning and education [r = 0.806, n = 26, p < 0.01]. Finally, Pearsons correlation analysis between total score of MMSE and WMS indicated correlations between MMSE and orientation [r = 0.473, n = 26, p < 0.05], MMSE and mental control [r = 0.535, n = 26, p < 0.01], MMSE and digit span [r = 0.424, n = 26, p < 0.05], MMSE and visual reconstruction [r = 0.421, n = 25, p < 0.05] and MMSE and new learning [r = 0.503, n = 26, p < 0.01].

Autobiographical memory in multiple sclerosis

Materials and methods Eighteen patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (6 males and 12 females, with a mean of 41 years of age and 11.3 years of education) were compared to sixteen healthy, age and education matched, controls (6 males and 10 females, with a mean of 36.1 years of age and 13.2 years of education). Autobiographical memory was assessed by the Autobiographical Memory Interview, which measures personal semantic and episodic memories from different time periods – childhood, early adulthood and the recent past – permitting examination of the possible differential effects of brain damage on these two types of autobiographical memory. All statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS.

The paced auditory serial addition test in multiple sclerosis patients: the effect of brain atrophy and T1 lesion load

Background The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is being increasingly used as a psychometric tool particularly as a part of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite Measure. Previous studies reported the relationship between T2 lesion load on brain MRI and PASAT scores. The effect, however, of T1 hypointense lesions, which are thought to reflect destructive aspects of the disease process, and brain atrophy remains unexplored.

Place of residence-lexical ambiguity: is there any relation between them in schizophrenia?

first group performed better in all the above tasks; there was also statistic significance in the quality of wrong answers. The first group scored fewer semantic [(F = 1.36) = 0.023, p < 0.05) and phonological total wrong answers [(F = 0.040), p < 0.05]. The two groups showed statistical difference in the total semantic wrong answers for adjectives [(F = 1.36) = 0.023, p < 0.05] b) The scale of positive syndrome correlated in a positive way with the total score of semantically wrong answers in adjectives (r = 0.334, p < 0.05). The negative scale correlated in a negative way with the total correct answers for nouns (r = -0.362, p < 0.05), total correct answers for verbs (r = -0.407, p < 0.05) and total correct answers for words (r = -0.441, p < 0.001). The general psychopathology correlated in a negative way with the total correct answers for verbs, (r = -0.327, p < 0.05) and the total correct answers for words (r = -0.400, p < 0.05), while it correlated positively with the total score of phonologically wrong answers in nouns (r = 0.441, p < 0.001).