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A S Tamkin

Publications and source records attributed to A S Tamkin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Some correlates of the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test in alcoholics.

The correlates of the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test in a group of 48 alcoholic inpatients were explored. It was predicted that Weigl performance would be related to conceptual flexibility (Trails B), verbal conceptual ability (Similarities), and symbol substitution (Digit Symbol). It was predicted further that the Weigl would be unrelated to Vocabulary and Trails A. Significant correlation coefficients for the Weigl were obtained with education, Vocabulary, Digit Symbol, and Trails B. However, a stepwise regression analysis disclosed that only Trails B was a significant predictor of Weigl performance.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cognitive impairment in alcoholics.

The research literature shows that, as a result of chronic alcohol abuse, there occur impairments in abstract reasoning, problem-solving, and perceptual-motor functioning. In an earlier study, Tamkin (1983) obtained significant differences between alcoholics and paired neurotic inpatient controls only on abstract reasoning measured on the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test. Verbal functions and recall of designs showed no group differences. This study sought to replicate the Weigl test results and to examine other types of cognitive impairments in alcoholics relative to published norms. The study subjects were 104 male alcoholics in an alcohol rehabilitation unit. The tests used were the Weigl, Trails A and B, and three subtests of the WAIS. The proportion of impaired Weigl performances was similar to that obtained in 1983, and all the other test scores were significantly poorer than their published norms.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Converting Shipley Institute of Living Scale scores to IQ: a comparison of methods.

A sample of 486 male veteran psychiatric patients at a Veterans Administration medical center were used to compare five different methods of estimating IQs from Shipley Scale scores. The methods were: (1) Grayson VA norms; (2) Paulson and Lin Table 5; (3) age-corrected Paulson and Lin Table 4; (4) Zachary et al. continuous age norms; and (5) Tamkin and Jacobsen method applying age-correction to Paulson and Lin's Table 5. An intercorrelation matrix, mean, standard deviation, and range were computed for all five IQ estimates. The same analyses were computed separately by age decade. The results suggest the advisability of using age-corrected norms for estimating IQ from the Shipley Scale. Norms uncorrected for age result in underestimates for older subjects. The Zachary et al. and Tamkin and Jacobsen methods yielded highly similar results.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Age-corrected norms for Shipley Institute of Living Scale scores derived from psychiatric inpatients.

Age has been identified as a particularly powerful factor that affects neuropsychological test scores. The Shipley Institute of Living Scale especially requires age-corrected norms because the Abstraction subtest has been shown to decline with advancing age. This study attempts to improve upon the methodology employed in a previous study by the same authors (Tamkin & Jacobsen, 1986) by correcting only the Abstraction score, increasing the number of subjects to 486, and increasing the number of age groupings to 11. An empirically derived correction for each age group is added to the Abstraction score, and the total Shipley score then is entered in Table 5 of Paulson and Lin (1970) to determine the corresponding WAIS IQ. These norms are ecologically valid for adult, male inpatients with various psychiatric diagnoses, a population for whom the Shipley frequently is used.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

MMPI personality type and cognitive flexibility as determined by the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test in psychiatric patients.

The relationship of cognitive flexibility with MMPI personality type, age, education, and IQ was investigated for a sample of 41 psychiatric inpatients. Cognitive flexibility was measured by the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test. An index for measuring divergent thinking behavior was obtained from determining the similarity of their admission MMPI profiles to a MMPI prototype profile for divergent (psychotic) ideation using the formula: Divergent thinking = PA + PT + SC - L - K. Results showed that in this sample, cognitive flexibility was related significantly and inversely to the level of divergent thinking (p = .02), but was unrelated to IQ test scores. Supplemental analyses indicated that the level of divergent thinking may mask the established relationship of cognitive flexibility with age and education.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

A comparison among some measures of depression in male alcoholics.

The efficacy of three depression scales--the Dysthymic scale of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)--in assessing depressive symptoms in 67 male alcoholic patients was compared. The criterion of depression was the patient's score on the Depression scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. In addition, the effects of age on the test results were explored as it was believed that the GDS would be less affected by age than the other two scales. The findings disclosed that all three depression scales are comparable in assessing depressive symptoms and that age is not a factor in any of the scales.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A comparison of three neuropsychological tests: the Weigl, Hooper, and Benton.

The accuracy of prediction of brain dysfunction for three neuropsychological tests-the Weigl, the Hooper, and the Benton-was compared. Sixty-six male, veteran, psychiatric inpatients were administered all three tests, and diagnoses of brain dysfunction or intactness were made by their ward psychiatrist, who used neurodiagnostic techniques. The results disclosed that each test alone can predict brain dysfunction significantly better than chance. All chi 2 tests were significant at the .025 level or better. When the Weigl was used as a moderator variable with the Hooper and also with the Benton, the p values for each test were somewhat reduced (p = .005 and .01), an indication of improvement in predictive power. When the percentage of predictive accuracy (hit rates) for the three tests used alone and in combination was analyzed, it was shown that the hit rate is increased by combining the Weigl with the Hooper and also with the Benton. It is increased further by combining all three tests into a predictive index.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The effectiveness of the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test in screening for brain dysfunction.

Investigated the Weigl's diagnostic significance by correlating it with several psychometric and personal variables, including degree of brain dysfunction. Forty-three male, veteran, psychiatric patients were administered the complete WAIS, Hooper, Benton, and Weigl, and their ward psychiatrist estimated presence and degree of brain dysfunction. Although uncorrelated with brain dysfunction, the Weigl did correlate significantly with 13 of the 19 study variables involved in assessment of brain function. Factor-analytic studies showed that the Weigl loaded significantly on the factor associated with neurological function. It was discovered that when a patient who is being screened can perform the conceptual requirements of the Weigl, then additional conceptual-verbal tests (e.g., Similarities) are less useful in discriminating organicity than perceptual tests (e.g., Object Assembly). When a patient cannot shift on the Weigl, then further conceptual tests will be useful.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Age-related norms for the Hooper Visual Organization Test.

Explored the effects of age, education, and IQ on Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT) scores and age-related norms for psychiatric patients. Ss were 211 male, veteran, psychiatric inpatients, grouped into six age decades, who were administered routinely the VOT and Shipley Institute of Living Scale plus other tests upon admission. Analyzing the relation between age decade and VOT, a one-way analysis of variance produced an F significant at the .001 level. An intercorrelation matrix for all the study variables disclosed that age, IQ, and education all were correlated significantly with VOT scores, as well as with each other, except for IQ and age. However, a multiple regression analysis revealed that only age and IQ accounted for significant amounts of the variance in VOT scores. Thus, these results argue for the use of age-related norms as well as norms that correct for IQ.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Construct validity of the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test.

This research, conducted on 38 male psychiatric inpatients, replicated previous findings that inability to "shift" conceptual attitude on the Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test is consistent with indices often associated with cortical dysfunction, such as Bender-Gestalt recall, WAIS Similarities subtest scores, and age. Regression analysis yielded a multiple R of .52, with ability to shift predictable from the difference between WAIS Verbal IQ and subjects' age. The relationship between the Weigl and the Hooper approached significance, but that between the Weigl and Trail Making did not. The Weigl might serve as a non-verbal instrument to assess cortical dysfunction where inability to "shift" appears to tap a dysfunction in symbolic reasoning rather than spatial reasoning.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Rorschach movement and color responses and MMPI social extraversion and thinking introversion personality types.

Results of an analysis of MMPI profiles and Rorschach protocols scored by the Exner method for 100 psychiatric patients provided partial support for Rorschach's hypotheses that perceptions of color (FC, CF, and C) and movement (M) tap separate personality dimensions. First, the proportion of M responses on a protocol correlated significantly (p < .01) to thinking introversion as defined in terms of a subject's MMPI profile similarity to a prototypic MMPI profile with peak PtSc elevations. Second, the proportion of FC responses correlated negatively (p < .01) to social extraversion defined in terms of MMPI profile similarity to a prototypic MMPI profile with peak PdMa elevations. Hence, use of FC signified a socially reserved, controlled behavior. The findings regarding CF and C were inconclusive. Third, color and movement responses did not correlate significantly with somatization defined in terms of similarity to a prototypic MMPI profile with peak Hs, D, Hy elevations. Finally, the nonsignificant correlations of FC with M and with MMPI thinking introversion plus the nonsignificant correlation of M with color responses and MMPI social extroversion further supported the hypotheses that movement and color responses tap essentially unique personality dimensions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1980

The Weigl Color-Form Sorting Test as an index of cortical function.

Evaluated the Weigl Color-Form Sorting test as an index of cortical function and dysfunction by observing the effects of several factors known to influence brain function (age and education) and to accompany dysfunction (Verbal IQ, Bender-Gestalt recall and Similarities). In Experiment 1 the Ss were 46 psychiatric patients, 20 males and 26 females. One-half the Ss could shift on the Weigl and one-half could not. No sex differences were associated with ability to shift. All t tests were significant, which shows that all the study variables either affected or accompanied ability to shift. Experiment 2 used 71 psychiatric patients, 27 males and 44 females. All the findings of Experiment 1 were replicated.

Adolescent↗