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R B Kline

Publications and source records attributed to R B Kline.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Eight-month predictive validity and covariance structure of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire for Adolescents (AEQ-A) for junior high school students.

OBJECTIVE: Research about the role of alcohol-related expectancies in the drinking behavior of young people has two crucial limitations: a paucity of longitudinal studies and questions about the construct validities of extant expectancy questionnaires. This study concerned the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire for Adolescents (AEQ-A) and its relation to drinking among grades 6.7 and 8 students. Objectives were (1) the evaluation of the concurrent and predictive validities of scales of the AEQ-A; and (2) study of the joint covariance structure of the AEQ-A with measures of alcohol use. METHOD: The AEQ-A and measures of drinking and related problems were administered twice within an 8-month period to 408 grades 6.7 and 8 public school students (mean age = 12.1 years; 50% boys; 98% white). All measures were administered in the schools as part of health classes. RESULTS: In regression analyses only one AEQ-A scale-expectation of social enhancement- had clear concurrent and predictive validity. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that the entire AEQ-A seems to measure relatively distinct belief areas, but, again, only the social enhancement domain was related to drinking quantity-frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Expectations of social benefit may be a risk factor for higher levels of drinking among junior high school students, but the relative importance of this belief over other possible factors remains to be studied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Can educational programs affect teenage drinking? A multivariate perspective.

Of various means to prevent alcohol-related problems among adolescents, school-based educational approaches are very prevalent. The potential effectiveness of such programs will be limited, however, if teenage drinking is determined by factors beyond the influence of school-based interventions, such as demographic characteristics or quality of family environment. On the other hand, educational programs would have greater potential efficacy if teenage drinking is influenced mainly by factors more amenable to change, such as characteristics of individual adolescents like their alcohol expectancies or social reasoning. We evaluated in this study whether drinking among high school students was related more to factors "unchangeable" versus "changeable" by school-based intervention. We found that drinking varied with different types of "unchangeable" and "changeable" factors for male and female students. Implications for alcohol education programs are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

External validity of the profile variability index for the K-ABC, Stanford-Binet, and WISC-R: another cul de-sac.

Clinicians often attach interpretive significance to high variability among subtest scores in IQ profiles of adults and children. In this study we evaluated the external validity of a relatively new measure of IQ subtest variability, the profile variability index (PVI). Within a sample of referred children, we administered the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, the Fourth Edition Stanford-Binet, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. We calculated PVIs for each child from each test and correlated these values with achievement scores and indexes of discrepancy between actual and predicted scholastic achievement. Against these external criteria, PVI information from all three cognitive-ability batteries had essentially nil validity. We discuss implications of these findings for future research in this area.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Clinical validity of a Personality Inventory for Children (PIC) profile typology.

We evaluated the validity of a profile typology for the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC), a parent-informant measure of child psychiatric status. For referred children, we studied (a) the convergence of PIC profile types with diagnoses according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., American Psychiatric Association, 1980) and (b) the incremental validity of the PIC over diagnoses in the prediction of symptom ratings completed by teachers and clinicians. We found a high diagnosis-PIC correspondence only for developmentally disordered children; the overlap for children with emotional-conduct problems was poor. For the latter group, however, the correlation of diagnoses with symptom ratings was low, but the incremental validity of the PIC over diagnoses was high. We discuss the use of this profile typology in the clinical evaluation of children and present a case example.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Latent variable path analysis in clinical research: a beginner's tour guide.

Latent variable path analysis (LVPA) is undoubtedly one of "the" new statistical techniques being used increasingly often by clinical researchers. Although well suited for some types of clinical research, LVPA can be a somewhat intimidating technique for novices. This work is intended to provide a non-mathematical introduction to the advantages and problems of LVPA for clinical researchers who are not yet familiar with this powerful procedure. The conceptual bases of LVPA, its relation to other statistical techniques, and possible uses and misuses in clinical research are considered. Many practical recommendations for the appropriate use of LVPA also are offered, as is a suggested reading list for researchers who wish to learn more about LVPA and related approaches.

Factor Analysis, Statistical↗
PubMed1990

The relation of alcohol expectancies to drinking patterns among alcoholics: generalization across gender and race.

Results of laboratory and psychometric research indicate that beliefs about the behavioral effects of alcohol are related to patterns of alcohol use and abuse. These findings also suggest that expectancy-drinking behavior associations are moderated by several variables, such as gender. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the correspondence of alcohol-related expectancies and drinking patterns was different for black and white men and women undergoing residential treatment for alcoholism using a hierarchical multiple regression algorithm. Relatively few gender- or race-specific expectancy-drinking behavior relations were found, and most of these were identified for beliefs that alcohol enhances sexuality and induces relaxation. Expectations that alcohol improves sociability and elevates mood were the best predictors of multiple, negative drinking-related consequences of drinking for all subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Understanding the accuracy of tests with cutting scores: the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value model.

While researchers usually are concerned about psychometric properties of psychological tests estimated using large samples, most clinical decision-makers must evaluate the accuracy of test results for individuals. This is particularly true as regards tests that have cutting scores to determine, for example, whether to assign a particular diagnosis or accept an applicant into a training program. This paper reviews a conceptual model that may foster improved understanding of test outcomes for individuals. The terms "sensitivity," "specificity," and "predictive value" are defined, and the relations of positive and negative predictive values to population base rates are emphasized. Examples from the psychological literature are presented to illustrate the utility of these concepts in clinical decision-making with psychological tests. Implications for test users, test developers, and instructors are discussed.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1988

Methodological considerations in the evaluation of the convergence of psychiatric diagnoses and parent-informant checklists.

Psychiatric diagnoses and objective parent checklists are alternative ways to describe child adjustment problems. There has recently been interest in evaluating the degree of agreement or convergence between these sources of information. This paper addresses three issues neglected by researchers in this area. The appropriateness of the use of indices of sensitivity and specificity to describe the correspondence of diagnoses and checklist scores is questioned. Implications of failure to consider the reliability of diagnoses in interpreting diagnosis-checklist agreement are discussed. Also, possible parameters of diagnosis-checklist agreement that should be identified by researchers are reviewed. Suggestions for improving research in this area are offered.

Child↗
PubMed1987

Respondent psychopathology and interpretive accuracy of the Personality Inventory for Children: the evaluation of a "most reasonable" assumption.

This study investigates the relationship between maternal psychopathology and the validity of the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that psychopathology in the parent informant limits the ability of the resulting scale scores to predict actuarially derived descriptions of child emotional and behavior disorders. Mothers of 223 children and adolescents who had been referred for an evaluation to a child psychiatry service completed the PIC. These mothers also completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). The sample of mothers and their children was divided into two subsamples according to the mother's MMPI profile: within normal limits and clinically elevated. Nineteen factor dimensions scores derived from these separate behavior rating forms served as external criteria. Analyses indicated that maternal psychopathology, as represented by MMPI scale elevations, did not moderate or limit the predictive accuracy of PIC scales.

Adolescent↗