Results of tests done on 48 first-year students entering the Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University suggest that ambiguity may be present in Kolb's learning styles classification system and that further validity studies need to be conducted. (MLW)

Identified five types of violent criminals (N=110) using cluster analysis of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scores, and compared them on 24 sociological and behavioral variables. Results showed differences on 16 items including family history, drug and alcohol use, events preceding the crime, and relationship between offender and…

Type A behavior of freshmen medical students was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Type A behavior was also examined in relation to measures of academic achievement. It was hypothesized that Type A behavior would increase over the course of the first year. (MLW)

Examined the relationship between urinary hesitancy, body shyness, and scores from the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) of 90 male college students. Several CPI scales correlated with questionnaire measures of both hesitancy and body shyness. Results indicated that hesitancy was a common problem for these participants. (Author)

Describes a study which assessed the effects of men's working conditions on their personalities and the effects of their personalities on their working conditions. The model used takes into account placement in the organizational structure, opportunities for occupational self-direction, job pressures, and the risks and rewards built into the job.…

Studied whether good memory, attributed to the psychopathic personality, also appears in juvenile offenders and whether such memory was long- or short-term. Compared Digit Span scores against Verbal IQ scores. Found Digit Span scores surpassed Verbal IQ scores. Effect was nonsignificantly more pronounced among more violent offenders. (JAC)

Compared the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory profiles for the parents of 90 preadolescent children. Data indicated that mothers of children with conduct disorders were more introverted and depressed; mothers of learning-disabled and personality-disordered children were rather defensive. The results for fathers were unremarkable.…

Investigated construct validity of the Social Interest Index (SII) with 140 male alcoholics. Hypothesized that the SII would relate positively with measures of mental health, intelligence, education, and internal locus of control and would relate negatively with measures of MMPI "pathology" scales. The hypotheses generally were…

Compared MMPIs of 80 male and 80 female drug abusers with MMPIs of 550 male and 695 female medical patients. Male drug abusers obtained significantly higher scores than male medical patients on all clinical scales. Female drug abusers obtained significantly higher scores than female medical patients on seven scales. (Author)

Compared changes in male drug abusers treated in a therapeutic community (TC) with untreated drug abusers in prison. Results showed little change in subjects confined in prison relative to marked changes in those treated in a TC. TC treatment did not markedly affect psychopathic traits. (Author)

Assessed specific personal effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) using a role construct repertory grid and an Eysenck Personality Questionnaire completed by subjects (N=7) before and twice after starting the practice of TM. Compared to controls meditators showed a systematic pattern of significant changes over the three tests. (Author)

Examined the effect of interpersonal trust on perceptual vigilance in a tachistoscopic word-recognition study. Results indicated low trusters had lower recognition thresholds for connotatively negative words. They were more vigilant only for negative words. A manipulation intended to arouse subjects' suspicions about the experimenter was also…

Faschingbauer offered guidelines in selecting MMPI short forms as substitutes for the MMPI. This reviews empirical studies of the clinical validity of MMPI short forms and discusses MMPI-168, not considered in Faschingbauer's earlier article. Empirical evidence favors the Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI and the MMPI-168 over others. (Author)

Comments are offered on a recent article by Leonard on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) as a suicide predictor. Her appraisal of former studies and her consideration of the differences among individuals with different suicidal behaviors are critically evaluated. A response from Leonard follows. (Author/BEF)