Abstract
Introduction
Paradoxical insomnia, otherwise known as “misperceptive insomnia”, is definitively the most intriguing yet challenging subtype of insomnia. However, the boundaries of this ...insomnia subtype remain blurred. A Mispeception Index (MI) was validated by our group as the difference between objective and subjective Total Sleep Time (o-TST and s-TST) divided by the o-TST. The statistical analysis of the distribution of MI in insomnia patients disclosed the presence of two subgroups of insomnia patients (High Misperceptive (HM) and Moderate Misperceptive (MM), discriminated by an MI cut-off of 0.9 (Manconi et al., 2010). We herein want to investigate whether the two populations identified by MI differed in terms of psychopathology and estimation abilities.
Methods
CET (Cognitive Estimation Task) and MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2nd version)were available for a database of 245 chronic primary insomnia collected at the Centre of Sleep Medicine, San Raffaele Scientific Institute of Milan. Data analysis was performed in SPSS using parametric testing after controlling for normality of data distribution. Level of significance was set to 0.05.
Results
HM patients committed more estimation errors as measured by CET scores than MM patients, t(230) = -2.632, p = 0.009, two-tailed independent samples t-test. No statistically significant difference between HM and MM emerged on the on the combined dependent variables, represented by the clinical sub-items of MMPI-2, using a one-way between-groups MANOVA. When the results for the dependent variables were considered separately, only depression reached statistical significance, F(1,173) = 3897, p = 0.05 (HM>MM).
Conclusion
Our results support the hypothesis that the MI is a reliable objective measurement able to distinguish a more homogenous subgroup of insomnia patients characterized by high misperception levels. In this subgroup, misperception seems to extend to wakefulness. On the basis of CET literature, we can speculate that HM patients share a different neurophysiological profile, with greater frontal lobe dysfunction. Although only significant at a single-item level, these patients seem also to show more depressive symptoms. Further research is needed to confirm these results and their reciprocal relationship.
Support (If Any):
La evaluación de las capacidades parentales para el ejercicio de la guarda y custodia de los hijos incluye el ajuste psicológico y la psicopatología. En esta evaluación, además, se ha de sospechar ...disimulación. El instrumento psicométrico de referencia para dicha evaluación es el MMPI. Para conocer de lo informado por los progenitores en disputa por la custodia nos planteamos una revisión meta-analítica de las escalas clínica y las escalas clínicas reestructuradas. Encontramos 21 estudios primarios con progenitores (se descartaron los diseños de simulación de progenitores en disputa) de los que obtuvieron 291 tamaños del efecto para las escalas clínicas y 1 para las reestructuradas. Los resultados mostraron un tamaño del efecto promedio positivo, significativo, y generalizable en las escalas Hy, Pd y Pa; negativo, significativo y generalizable en las escalas Ma y Si y no generalizable en las escalas Pt y Sc; y un tamaño del efecto promedio insignificante en las escalas Hs y D. Se estudió el género como moderador, no hallándose diferencias entre padres y madres. Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados para la práctica forense.
El modelo dimensional alternativo para los trastornos de personalidad incluye 25 facetas (rasgos patológicos) organizadas en cinco dominios de orden superior (Desapego, Afectividad Negativa, ...Psicoticismo, Antagonismo y Desinhibición). Para evaluar este modelo, se desarrolló el Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), que posee dos versiones: una extensa (220 ítems) que evalúa dominios y facetas, y una breve (25 ítems) que evalúa solo los dominios. En un trabajo anterior, se brindó evidencia favorable para una versión breve (31 ítems) adaptada para ser utilizada en población argentina. En el presente trabajo se estudian las propiedades psicométricas de una versión reducida y modificada del PID-5 que permite evaluar ambos componentes por medio de una cantidad de ítems (108). La validez convergente se evaluó a través de la relación con una medida de rasgos de personalidad normal del Modelo de los Cinco Grandes Factores. Se trabajó con una muestra de tipo no probabilística de n = 525 sujetos de población general, que respondieron la versión adaptada del PID-5 y el Listado de Adjetivos para Evaluar la Personalidad. Los resultados brindaron evidencia de validez y confiabilidad para el instrumento. El Análisis Factorial Exploratorio y Confirmatorio sugirió un buen ajuste de la estructura pentafactorial. La consistencia interna resultó adecuada y los ítems presentaron buenos índices de discriminación. Se observaron diferencias de género y edad, y correlaciones con los factores correspondientes de los cinco grandes. Esta versión puede ser utilizada para evaluar el modelo, con fines tanto clínicos como de investigación, y con ventajas respecto al tiempo de administración respecto a la versión extensa original.
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is arguably one of the most important research tools of the past decade. The ability to rapidly collect large amounts of high-quality human subjects data has advanced ...multiple fields, including personality and social psychology. Beginning in summer 2018, concerns arose regarding MTurk data quality leading to questions about the utility of MTurk for psychological research. We present empirical evidence of a substantial decrease in data quality using a four-wave naturalistic experimental design: pre-, during, and post-summer 2018. During and to some extent post-summer 2018, we find significant increases in participants failing response validity indicators, decreases in reliability and validity of a widely used personality measure, and failures to replicate well-established findings. However, these detrimental effects can be mitigated by using response validity indicators and screening the data. We discuss implications and offer suggestions to ensure data quality.
Mõttus and colleagues (2017) reported evidence that the unique variance in specific personality characteristics captured by single descriptive items often displayed trait-like properties of ...cross-rater agreement, rank-order stability, and heritability. They suggested that the personality hierarchy should be extended below facets to incorporate these specific characteristics, called personality nuances. The present study attempted to replicate these findings, employing data from 6,287 individuals from 6 countries (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Japan, and United States). The same personality measure-240-item Revised NEO Personality Inventory-and statistical procedures were used. The present findings closely replicated the original results. When the original and current results were meta-analyzed, the unique variance of nearly all items (i.e., items' scores residualized for all broader personality traits) showed statistically significant cross-rater agreement (median = .12) and rank-order stability over an average of 12 years (median = .24), and the unique variance of the majority of items had a significant heritable component (median = .14). These 3 item properties were intercorrelated, suggesting that items systematically differed in the degree of reflecting valid unique variance. Also, associations of items' unique variance with age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) replicated across samples and tracked with the original findings. Moreover, associations between item residuals and BMI obtained from one group of people allowed for a significant incremental prediction of BMI in an independent sample. Overall, these findings reinforce the hypotheses that nuances constitute the building blocks of the personality trait hierarchy, their properties are robust and they can be useful.
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