Ricardo Primi

Complexity of geometric inductive reasoning tasks: Contribution to the understanding of fluid intelligence

Studies of the complexity of geometric inductive matrix items used to measure fluid intelligence (Gf) indicate that such complexity may be related to (a) an increase in the number of figures, (b) an increase in the number of rules relating these figures, (c) the complexity of these rules, and (d) the perceptual complexity of the stimulus. One limitation of these studies is that complex items present all of these characteristics simultaneously. Thus, no information regarding their relative importance is available, nor is it clear whether all these factors have a significant effect on complexity. In the present study, two matrix tests were created by orthogonally manipulating these four sources of complexity, and the results show that perceptual organization has the strongest effect, followed by the increase in the amount of information (figures and rules). These results suggest that Gf is most strongly associated with that part of the central executive component of working memory that is related to the controlled attention processing and selective encoding.

Testing whether posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder are similar or unique constructs

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) co-occur frequently, are highly correlated, and share three symptoms in common. In the present paper, the authors tested whether PTSD and MDD are similar or unique constructs by examining their symptoms using Rasch modeling. Data were used from the 766 trauma-exposed subjects in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (conducted in the early 2000s) with PTSD and MDD symptom ratings. Results demonstrate that MDD symptoms were less frequently endorsed than PTSD symptoms-even for the three symptoms shared between the disorders. PTSD and MDD items represented a single, underlying dimension, although modest support was found for a secondary sub-factor. Removing their shared symptoms, and additional depression-related dysphoria symptoms, continued to result in a single underlying PTSD-MDD symptom dimension. Results raise further questions about PTSDs distinctiveness from MDD, and the causes of their comorbidity.

O teste de Cloze na avaliação da compreensão em leitura

This research studied the psychometric properties of a reading comprehension test using the Cloze’s technique. The participants were 612 freshmen undergraduate students whose task was to discover the omitted words. It was observed a good fit to a two parameter model of Item Response Theory. The total score composed by the sum of the correct completions achieved high level of reliability (KR-20 = .84). Considering the item complexities, two groups were formed: one composed of very easy items, and the other with very complex ones. A parcel of item complexity was explained by the grammatical category of the word to be discovered (r= 0.62, p < 0.001). From the highest to the lowest difficulty level: adjectives, verbs, adverbs, nouns, pronouns, prepositions, articles were observed. The cognitive processes that could explain the differences in the difficulties correlated with grammatical categories were analized. Trough this analysis and trough Item Response Theory (IRT) the advances of item referenced interpretation in describing reading comprehension proficiency were discussed.

Estudo de validação da bateria de provas de raciocínio (BPR-5)

This research investigates reliability and validity of the Reasoning Battery Tests (BPR-5), a reduced version of the Battery of Differential Reasoning Tests (BPRD; Almeida, 1988). It is comprised by five subtests: Abstract Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Spatial Reasoning and Mechanical Reasoning. The participants were 1243 sixth grade to high school students from Brazil (N=771) and Portugal (N=472). The internal consistency coefficients varied from 0,62 to 0,84 and split-half coefficients 0,65 to 0,87. The factor analysis indicated an unidimensional solution accounting for approximately 55% of the total variance representing a composite score based on fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, visual processing ability, quantitative ability and practical-mechanical knowledge. The criterion validity coefficients based on the correlation with school success were around 0,54 (p < 0,01). It was concluded that the BPR-5 constitutes an efficient and fast way to assess general and specific abilities and could be a valuable instrument for professionals in their assessment needs.

Avaliação psicológica no Brasil: fundamentos, situação atual e direções para o futuro

RESUMO - Este artigo apresenta um panorama de questoes importantes da area de avaliacao psicologica nos ultimos 25 anos no Brasil. Buscou-se discutir fundamentos epistemologicos da area, bem como suas relacoes com a ciencia e a integracao do pensamento nomotetico e idiografico da pesquisa com a pratica profissional. Faz-se um apanhado historico de eventos importantes e uma analise geral da producao de artigos. Descreve-se tambem a producao de instrumentos e o Sistema de Avaliacao de Testes Psicologicos do Conselho Federal de Psicologia. Posteriormente, sao apontadas perspectivas para o futuro em quatro areas: avancos metodologicos e tecnologicos, integracao de abordagens e avanco dos seus metodos, validade consequencial e relevância social, e incentivo a formacao e a criacao da especialidade em avaliacao psicologica. Palavras-chave: avaliacao psicologica; metodos quantitativos; testes psicologicos; SATEPSI ABSTRACT - This article presents an overview of important issues in the area of psychological assessment for the last 25 years in Brazil. It discusses the area’s epistemological elements as well as their relations to science, and the integration of nomothetic and idiographic thinking in research with professional practice. It is presented a historical overview of major events and a general analysis of the publication in the area. The production of instruments and the Psychological Test Evaluation System of the Federal Council of Psychology are also described. Later, future perspectives are highlighted in four areas: methodological and technological advances, integration of approaches and advancement of their methods, consequential validity and social relevance, and the need to encourage training and the creation of expertise in psychological assessment. Keywords: psychological assessment; quantitative methods; psychological tests; SATEPSI

Parâmetros psicométricos: uma análise de testes psicológicos comercializados no Brasil

As tecnicas utilizadas na avaliacao psicologica tem provocado questionamentos nas comunidades cientificas e profissionais brasileiras, tanto no que se refere a qualidade dos instrumentos, de maneira geral, ao uso que os psicologos fazem dos instrumentos, bem como em relacao a validade geral dos resultados da avaliacao psicologica. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar as principais informacoes psicometricas a respeito dos instrumentos psicologicos presentes em seus manuais, tais como editora, data de publicacao, variavel medida, padronizacao, validade e precisao. Foram consultados 146 instrumentos de avaliacao comercializados no Brasil por onze editoras. Os resultados indicaram que somente 28,8% desses instrumentos relatam estudos de precisao, validade e padronizacao. Esses resultados sugerem que a Psicologia brasileira tem-se caracterizado por despender pouca atencao aos fundamentos cientificos de sua pratica profissional.

Desenvolvimento de uma escala de integração ao ensino superior

This research presents the development of a scale to assess student’s adaptation to academic environment. A sample of 633 students from humanities, engineering and biological colleges answered to the questionnaire. The scale included 46 items and the full-scale alpha reliability coefficient was .86. The exploratory factor analysis resulted in 12-factor solution. Using confirmatory factor analysis it was corroborated a two broader factor organization one referring to external aspects including college environment, satisfaction, and attachment, the other referring to internal aspects including coping, physical reactions, and humor.

Inteligência fluida: definição fatorial, cognitiva e neuropsicológica

This paper reviews the construct fluid intelligence (Gf) with the intent to focus on the conceptual points of convergence among them. It was discussed some relevant studies from the psychometric, cognitive and the more recent cognitive neuroscience traditions. The current trend is to link fluid intelligence to at least seven functions of central executive component of working memory: (a) the level of activation maintenance of mental representations, (b) coordination of simultaneous mental activities, (c) monitoring and supervision of mental activities (d) attention control and selective attention, (e) activation of information from long-term memory (f) rerouting or adaptive flexibility. It was also discussed how geometric inductive reasoning tasks represent the construct Gf.

Instrumentos de avaliação mais conhecidos/utilizados por psicólogos e estudantes de psicologia

The present work aims to identify the well known and also the most used psychological instruments by Brazilian psychologists from the following regions of the country: Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Mato Grosso, Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Parana, Santa Catarina, Alagoas, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio de Janeiro, Maranhao, Goias, Paraiba e Sergipe. In this study 304 subjects participated (17-58years old), 82,2% (F=250) female and 15,8%(F=48) male, students and psychologists. It was drawn up a list of 145 psychological instruments commercialized by the following publishing houses: CEPA, Vetor, Casa do Psicologo, Edites, CETEPP, Mestre Jou, Editorial Psy, Mamole, Artes Medicas, Edicon, Entreletras. The results indicated that the number of unknown/ unused instruments is bigger than known/used and the personality assessments are the well known/ most used.

Inteligencia emocional: um estudo de validade sobre a capacidade de perceber emocoes

This work investigated the validity and psychometric properties of an emotional perception scale in four types of stimuli: faces, music, designs and self-reports (stories), which is supposed to be related to emotional intelligence. These variables were correlated with personality traits (16PF), intelligence (BPR-5), and academic achievement in psychodiagnostic discipline. Participants were 76 undergraduates psychology students, aged between 21-50 years old and 8 lecturers who were supervising these students. The protocols of emotion perception were scored according to 3 methods: agreement with consensus, agreement with experts and agreement with the target. Although we have adopted the agreement with consensus to verify the correlations with other criteria some methodological problems of this scoring method for an intelligence test were discussed. Significant correlations of emotional perception with spatial reasoning and with achievement in psychodiagnosis course were obtained, but in the latter only with faces subtest.