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Biomedical subjects

A N Wiens

Publications and source records attributed to A N Wiens.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Hostility as a health risk factor: relationships with neuroticism, Type A behavior, attentional focus, and interpersonal style.

In order to investigate further the psychological construct of hostility measured on the Cook-Medley (Ho) Scale as a health risk factor, the present study examined relationships between hostility assessed on the Ho Scale and several measures of neuroticism, Type A behavior, and attentional and interpersonal style, using bivariate and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Subjects were 204 psychologically normal, physically healthy males. Significant relationships were found between hostility, neuroticism, attentional overload, and interpersonal alienation. The present study provided normative data on several important health-related psychological dimensions in a sample of healthy normals. The findings also provided further support for the relationship between the hostility construct measured on the Ho Scale and measures of neuroticism as possible dimensions of disease-prone personality.

Adult

Organic solvent-induced encephalopathy in industrial painters.

Although organic solvents are essential components of an industrial economy, they are not used without risk. The relationship between excessive exposure to organic solvents and subsequent development of chronic encephalopathy has been recognized for nearly 100 years. Fifteen industrial painters who underwent evaluation in an occupational health clinic for symptoms that they related to their work were found to have a high prevalence of neurasthenic symptoms, most frequently, memory loss and personality change. Although neurologic and screening laboratory examinations showed no consistent abnormalities, psychological tests documented poor short-term memory and an array of neuropsychologic deficits. Personality profiles revealed depression, anxiety, and preoccupation with somatic concerns. These findings agree well with previous reports of "chronic painter's syndrome." Heightened awareness among industrial physicians and prospective studies to evaluate existing threshold limit values and personal protective equipment requirements are indicated.

Adult

WAIS and MMPI correlates of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychology Battery in normal male subjects.

Two groups, each consisting of 24 normal young men, were given the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychology Battery and additional tests of intellectual and personality functioning, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the Cornell Medical Index. The test (and subtest) scores were intercorrelated. No significant correlations were found between any of the personality tests and any of the subtests of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychology Battery. Most of the WAIS measures likewise failed to correlate with the Halstead-Reitan measures in the two samples. The exceptions were the Digit Span and Block Design subtests and the Performance Scale IG score on the WAIS which did correlate with some of the subtests from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychology Battery. The findings with normal subjects reported in this paper, in contrast with findings with psychopathological and brain-damaged groups of subjects reported by others, indicate that for Ss in the top half of the population in education and WAIS FSIQ, individual differences in scores on the WAIS, the MMPI, TMAS, and CMI do not materially influence performance on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychology Battery Measures.

Adult

Retest reliability of the Halstead Impairment Index in a normal, a schizophrenic, and two samples of organic patients.

In a 1974 study Matarazzo, et al. reported the test-retest reliability of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery for a sample of normal young men and a comparison group of older Ss with cerebrovascular disease. The present study extended this earlier one by addition of comparable test-retest findings from two additional comparison groups: a sample of chronic schizophrenic Ss and a sample of organic patients who underwent endarterectomy. Despite the lack of comparability across the four samples on many dimensions, including age and test-retest interval, the results again reveal a high degree of clinical as well as purely psychometric reliability for most of the tests in the neuropsychological battery and the additional suggestion for further research that the test-retest instability found for some of the Ss in the schizophrenic sample may, itself, hold promise of differential clinical significance in the diagnosis of a "schizophrenic" vs. "organic" process.

Auditory Perception

Electroconvulsive therapy and memory.

Recent research on the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on memory is critically reviewed. Despite some inconsistent findings, unilateral nondominant ECT appears to affect verbal memory less than bilateral ECT. Adequate research on multiple monitored ECT is lacking. With few exceptions, the research methodologies for assessing memory have been inadequate. Many studies have confounded learning with retention, and only very recently has long term memory been adequately studied. Standardized assessment procedures for short term and long term memory are needed, in addition to more sophisticated assessment of memory processes, the duration of memory loss, and qualitative aspects of memories.

Amnesia