Biomedical subjects

P J Chara

Publications and source records attributed to P J Chara.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of a kamikaze attack.

26 sailors who survived a Kamikaze attack during the battle for Okinawa in World War II were given two adapted forms of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian to assess the psychological reactions they had to the sinking of their ship. Depending on the assessment criteria used, their responses indicated significant stress reactions ranging from 8.3% to 44% of the sample. The findings provide evidence that a single combat experience can have lifelong, averse psychological effects.

Accidents, Aviation↗

PubMed1995

Work hardening: evidence for success of a program.

The effectiveness of a work hardening program in facilitating gains in physical strength and return to work in 40 chronic low back-pain clients was assessed. Statistically significant gains in physical strength were found. Also, 27 of the 32 clients reached by follow-up telephone calls returned to work full time.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Diverging gender attitudes regarding causal sex: a cross-sectional study.

Students at five educational levels ranging from seventh graders to college seniors were surveyed regarding their attitudes about the acceptability of casual sex. A striking developmental contrast was found: males became increasingly accepting of casual sex; females were consistently opposed to casual sex at all educational levels.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Some concluding thoughts on the debate about the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire.

The case for the validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire is examined. It is argued that the validity of the questionnaire is not established in the literature and that paradigmatic and conceptual ambiguity militate against a clear understanding of that literature. Phenomenological problems with questionnaire reports such as the use of untrained introspectors and the preponderance of exaggerated self-reports of prowess at imagery are discussed. The conditions needed for inter-and intrapsychic validity are delineated, and a scheme for evaluating validity of the inventory is presented.

Humans↗

PubMed1989

A questionable questionnaire: a rejoinder to Marks.

In a recent article Marks argues that two previous articles in this journal in 1986 and 1988, questioning the construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, should be dismissed due to methodological flaws and overwhelming evidence to the contrary. In this response to Marks, the methodologies of the two studies in question are clarified and defended. Research and other evidence supporting the two Chara studies are presented. It is concluded that the construct validity of the imagery questionnaire has not been established and that further investigations of the questionnaire, and particularly its rating scale, are warranted.

Humans↗

PubMed1989

An inquiry into the construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire.

The construct validity of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) was investigated using a series of visual memory tasks. Subjects were shown a picture after completing the questionnaire. Their ability to recall that picture was probed through a free-recall procedure, drawing, two spatial-recall tasks, and a multiple-choice questionnaire. Scores on the VVIQ were statistically unrelated to performance on any of the memory tasks demonstrating a lack of support for construct validity as a measure of visual memory imagery.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Subjects' skill and biphasic effects of met-enkephalin upon the acquisition and retention of a perceptual motor task.

The effects of met-enkephalin on the acquisition and retention over 10 days of a perceptual motor skill were investigated. Mice were randomly assigned to either one of two experimental groups (1-mg or 3-mg injections per 1-kg of body weight of met-enkephalin) or one of two control groups (dH2O injections). During the acquisition phase of the study, they were separated into "slow" and "fast" learners on the basis of their skill in negotiating a water maze. The results indicated an inhibitory effect of met-enkephalin in the 3-mg condition in the retention phase of the experiment. Subjects' skill was not implicated as a critical factor in retention of this simple task.

Animals↗