Richard F. Farmer

Issues in the assessment and conceptualization of personality disorders.

This article reviews several current issues associated with the definition and assessment of personality disorders (PDs) as defined in the third and fourth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Specifically reviewed are issues associated with classification, PD conceptualizations, and the assessment of these disorders. DSM PD categories are also reviewed in terms of their psychometric properties. A review of the PD assessment literature suggests that DSM conceptualizations and definitions of PDs are problematic at both conceptual and quantitative levels. This article concludes with suggestions for possible alternative approaches to and modifications of DSM PD assessment.

Behavioral assessment of personality disorders

This article examines the definition of personality disorders (PDs) from a functional analytical framework and discusses the potential utility of such a framework to account for behavioral tendencies associated with PD pathology. Also reviewed are specific behavioral assessment methods that can be employed in the assessment of PDs, and how information derived from these assessments may be linked to specific intervention strategies.

Disordered eating behaviors and reward sensitivity

This research evaluated the extent to which reward sensitivity demonstrated associations with binge and purge behavior frequency. A verbal operant conditioning task designed to assess conditionability to reward cues was administered to a sample of 34 women who exhibited disordered eating patterns for at least I month prior to study participation. Reward sensitivity significantly correlated with the average weekly frequency of purge (r = 0.44) but not binge behaviors. These findings suggest that reward sensitivity has some associations with aspects of disordered eating and therefore may have relevance for theories on the maintenance of some forms of eating disorder-related behavior.

Depressive symptoms as a function of trait anxiety and impulsivity

This research examined differences in depressive symptomatology as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in a large sample (n = 267) of young adults who scored in the upper ranges on trait anxiety and/or impulsivity measures. Given previous research which has identified anxiety and impulsivity as important organizing dimensions for personality, personality pathology, and behavior, a goal of this present research was to identify specific depressive symptoms that were uniquely associated with either anxiety or impulsivity. Results indicated that the presence of impulsivity without coexisting anxiety was associated with the endorsement of fewer depressive symptoms and lower BDI scores. An examination of specific depressive symptoms as a function of anxiety and impulsivity revealed three general response patterns across 20 of the 21 BDI items.

Passive avoidance learning among females as a function of Cloninger's temperament typology

Abstract Responsiveness to punishment cues has been historically associated with the socialization process, whereby individuals who are relatively unresponsive to the effects of punishment have been viewed as especially vulnerable to the development of antisocial behavior patterns. To date, much of the research on responsiveness to punishment has been conducted on male inmates or males identified as disinhibited. Almost no comparable research has been performed on females. The purpose of this study was to examine in a non-pathological female sample the extent to which constructs associated with Cloningers temperament typology predict passive avoidance errors (PAEs; or failures to inhibit previously punished responses) and omission errors (OEs; or failures to respond to stimuli associated with reward) produced during an interactive computer task. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated no main or interactive effects in the prediction of OEs. However, in the prediction of PAEs, the interaction of novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA) was significant, whereby the combination of high NS and low HA was most strongly associated with PAE frequency. Subsequent analyses indicated that response speed in combination with reflection following punishment mediated the relationship between temperament dimensions and passive avoidance learning.

Passive avoidance learning as a function of Cloninger's temperament typology: an extension to male undergraduates

Abstract Although research on the association between temperament and passive avoidance learning has produced somewhat consistent findings, there has been very little research on whether the observed relations differ as a function of sex. In a previous study with females, Farmer et al. (in press) reported that Cloningers novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA) dimensions interacted to predict passive avoidance errors (PAEs; or failures to inhibit previously punished responses), and that reflection on contingent feedback during the passive avoidance task mediated the association between temperament and PAEs. The purpose of this study was to extend these findings to a male undergraduate population. Eighty-six male undergraduates completed Cloningers Temperament and Character Inventory and underwent a computerized passive avoidance learning task. In contrast with findings reported in Farmer et al., hierarchical regression analyses indicated no main or interactive effects of temperament in the prediction of PAEs; however, reflection on punishment feedback was negatively associated with the frequency of PAEs after controlling for response speed. Analyses also suggested that the males in this sample scored higher on NS, made fewer PAEs, and scored lower on HA and RD than the females in the Farmer et al. study.

Functional analysis and response covariation in the assessment of personality disorders: a reply to Staats and to Bissett and Hayes

In this reply to Bissett and Hayes (this issue) and Staats (this issue) we address critical comments in response to our initial proposal and highlight points of agreement. The overall thesis of our reply is that classification schemes based on nomothetic response covariation, such as DSM, complement, but do not substitute for, an idiographically-based functional analysis and behavioral assessment. In the context of our reply, we address the following primary concerns raised by Bissett, Hayes, and Staats: (a) we are essentially proposing the melding of two theoretically incongruent approaches, and that such a melding is inherently not viable or useful; (b) the behavior analytic approach cannot account for personality or psychological constructs; and (c) that categories based on topography do not have demonstrated treatment utility. We also discuss points of agreement with our respondents: (d) a theoretically-based descriptive classification system is required to ultimately advance clinical science, (e) the DSM personality disorder classification system, to remain viable, needs a stronger empirical base; and (f) that alternatives to DSM classification that more strongly emphasize behavioral principles are in need of development.

Construct Validity of Repression: A Dimensional Analysis

This study explored the construct validity of repression through an examination of the interrelations among indicators identified in previous research as being associated with the construct. Three behavioral tasks, i.e., dichotic listening task, recall of past events task, and Stroop task, modified in accordance with previous research to tap into repressive tendencies, and one questionnaire (Byrne Repression-Sensitization Scale) were administered to a sample of 62 university undergraduates. A series of correlational analyses provided weak to moderate support for the construct validity of repression.