Yossef S. Ben-Porath

Decision making under stress: Scanning of alternatives under physical threat

Abstract Investigators in the field of stress concur that exposure to intense stressors impairs individuals decision making. A considerable ambiguity exists, however, with respect to the factors and processes that mediate this effect. The present study tested the proposition that deficient decision making under stress is due, to a significant extent, to individuals failure to adequately fulfill a most elementary requirement of the decision-making process, i.e., the systematic consideration of all relevant decision alternatives. Participants in this experiment were required to solve decision problems while under stress. Their performance was compared to that of an unstressed control group. Stress was found to induce a tendency to offer solutions before all decision alternatives had been considered and to scan such alternatives in a nonsystematic fashion. In addition, patterns of alternatives-scanning were found to be correlated with the quality of solutions to decision problems.

Personality characteristics, mood, and coping patterns in a successful north pole expedition team

Abstract The personality and coping pattern characteristics of a successful North Pole Expedition team consisting of seven men and one woman were studied through psychometric inventories, mood scale ratings completed while on the trek to the North Pole, and for some a post-expedition personal interview. Good psychological adjustment was demonstrated by low stress reactivity, anxiety, and depression, and relatively high scores on scales measuring achievement orientation, selfcontrol, and feelings of well-being. There was little evidence of sensation-seeking or risk-taking tendencies. Planful problem solving and positive reappraisal were the major coping patterns engaged in on the expedition. Effective social support in this highly task oriented group did not seem to involve a great deal of sharing of personal feelings. The adaptive nature of the groups personality and coping characteristics for completing a successful expedition was discussed.

The comparability of MMPI and MMPI-2 scales and profiles.

The revised form of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) incorporates a number of changes that necessitate an investigation into the comparability of its scale scores and clinical profile to those of the original MMPI

Mood changes during the menstrual cycle and their relation to the use of oral contraceptive

The relation between the use of oral contraceptives and changes in positive and negative affect over the course of the menstrual cycle was studied in 50 women who completed a mood questionnaire daily during their menstrual cycle. Results indicated that users of oral contraceptives experience a higher level of positive affect during the cycle than do non-users. Positive affect scores were significantly higher than negative affect scores in the menstruation, follicular and luteal phases of the cycle. There were no significant differences between the groups and no discernible phasic changes on negative affect. Discussion of these findings centers on their implications concerning the relation between positive affect and oral contraceptives, the support they provide for the independence of positive and negative affect, and future directions for research in this area.

Computers in personality assessment: a brief past, an ebullient present, and an expanding future

Abstract For the past 25 years computers have been playing an ever-expanding role in personality assessment. Computers are now involved in both the collection and interpretation of personality test data. With computer technologies becoming more and more accessible it is likely that they will have an even greater effect on future developments in personality appraisal. This review outlines the brief past of computerized personality assessment, presents and discusses empirical findings and theoretical arguments concerning its active present, and attempts to foresee future developments in this field.

Refinement of the MMPI-2 F(p) Scale is Not Necessary A Response to Gass and Luis

Gass and Luis (2001) reported that four MMPI-2 Lie scale items contained on the F(p) scale do not measure symptom exaggeration but measure defensiveness. They hold that elimination of the four Lie scale items improves the utility of the F(p) scale in the identification of exaggeration in VA samples. To directly address the assertion that removal of the L scale items from the F(p) scale enhances the predictive validity of F(p), data derived from a previously published study where 74 psychiatric inpatients were asked to retake the MMPI-2 and either feign psychopathology or respond in an honest manner were reanalyzed. The intact F(p) scale demonstrated a stronger correlation with group membership, increased incremental validity, and superior classification rates compared with the F(p) scale without the 4 Lie scale items. Consequently, the F(p) refinement recommended by Gass and Luis is unnecessary.