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Biomedical subjects

R L Gorsuch

Publications and source records attributed to R L Gorsuch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Replication of the factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Third Edition with a Canadian sample.

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Third Edition (WAIS-III; D. Wechsler, 1997b) were conducted on a stratified sample of Canadian adults (n = 718). As was previously demonstrated for the children's version of this scale, the factor model of the American standardization sample was replicated across this Canadian national sample. Results of the factor analyses confirmed the presence of the 4 WAIS-III factors: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, Working Memory, and Processing Speed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Lifelong estrogen exposure and cognitive performance in elderly women.

Fluctuating endogenous and exogenous estrogens influence cognition in women. In this study, cognitive functioning in elderly women was examined by applying methodology used in understanding the effects of chronic estrogen exposure on hormone-sensitive tissue other than the brain. An index, combining menstrual, reproductive, and physical markers associated with estrogen levels, was developed for elderly, nondemented, predominantly Caucasian women (n = 87). This index related to better performance on two verbal factors, one attentional and one global in nature. Findings suggest that estrogen exposure across the life span plays a role in brain aging. Possible physiological mechanisms for this effect are discussed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

Factor analysis of four measures of prefrontal lobe functioning.

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test, Verbal Fluency (FAS), and Auditory Consonant Trigrams are commonly used measures of prefrontal lobe dysfunction. However, insufficient data are available regarding the specific functions assessed by these tests and the relationship of the tests to each other. These four tests, as well as measures of IQ, memory, attention, and processing speed, were administered to 250 subjects (138 patients and 112 controls). Factor analysis yielded three factors, and a higher order frontal lobe factor, using a dimensional factor analytic methodology. Present findings revealed modest correlations among the prefrontal tests, suggesting that the tests tap somewhat different abilities and are not redundant. Adequate assessment of prefrontal lobe abilities appears to require use of more than one test.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Exploratory factor analysis: its role in item analysis.

The special characteristics of items-low reliability, confounds by minor, unwanted covariance, and the likelihood of a general factor-and better understanding of factor analysis means that the default procedure of many statistical packages (Little Jiffy) is no longer adequate for exploratory item factor analysis. It produces too many factors and precludes a general factor even when that means the factors extracted are nonreplicable. More appropriate procedures that reduce these problems are presented, along with how to select the sample, sample size required, and how to select items for scales. Proposed scales can be evaluated by their correlations with the factors; a new procedure for doing so eliminates the biased values produced by correlating them with either total or factor scores. The role of exploratory factor analysis relative to cluster analysis and confirmatory factor analysis is noted.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Efficacy of a self-directed behavioral health change program: weight, body composition, cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure, health risk, and psychosocial mediating variables.

This study assessed the efficacy of a comprehensive behavioral health program designed to promote self-initiated change in overweight healthy middle-aged adults (M = 49 years). Three treatment groups (total n = 25) differing in type of social support provided (i.e., group plus professional versus group plus peer versus group only) received 13 treatment sessions and 6 maintenance sessions scheduled over a full year. A self-directed change intervention taught several cognitive-behavioral techniques as they applied to exercise adherence, weight reduction/maintenance, and stress management. Combined treatment groups (n = 25) improved significantly more than an assessment only control group (n = 9) in weight, percentage body fat, cardiovascular fitness, exercise adherence, health-risk appraisal, chronic tension (MBHI, scale A), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure at both post-treatment and 6-month follow-up assessments. Self-motivation, group treatment attendance, and health-risk appraisal significantly related (r's = .30-.56) to several posttreatment and follow-up measures of behavioral health change. No significant differences were found among the three treatment groups on any of the outcome measures.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1988

Information Inventory: the quicker Quick Test of intelligence.

The Information Inventory (II), a short intelligence test for screening purposes, was compared to the Quick Test via administration to 111 adults for whom WAIS-Rs were available. The II was found to be equivalent or superior to the Quick Test with regard to psychometric properties and pragmatic considerations. The II had a mean like that of the WAIS-R; the QT was biased toward low IQs.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Continuous norming: implications for the WAIS-R.

Following Gorsuch (1983, 1984), a method for generating continuously adjusted age norms is illustrated using the normative data for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) (Wechsler, 1981). Specific procedures for calculating age-adjusted Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores also are demonstrated, with a worked example. Compared to the original tabled norms for the WAIS-R, IQ scores based on continuous norming are more accurate because they involve an analytic smoothing procedure that eliminates the inaccuracies introduced by traditional tabled norms and because people are compared against their exact age groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Estimating WAIS IQ from the Shipley Institute of Living Scale using continuously adjusted age norms.

Linear regression techniques and continuous norming were used to develop a procedure to estimate age-adjusted WAIS IQ scores from the Shipley Institute of Living Scale. The estimation procedure was derived on a mixed sample of 86 psychiatric patients and then was replicated on an independent sample of 44 psychiatric outpatients. Estimated scores based on the cross-validation sample correlated .76 and .74, respectively, with WAIS Full Scale scaled scores and IQs and did not over- or underpredict, which indicates a high degree of concordance between these two procedures. Compared to other procedures, such as those employed by Paulson and Lin (1970b), the continuous norm estimates of age-adjusted IQ are more stable because the age norms are smoothed analytically rather than developed on separate age groups. Thus, this estimation procedure is recommended for use in clinical and research settings in which a brief but accurate IQ estimate is desired.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Interpersonal behavior and therapeutic progress: therapists and clients rate themselves and each other.

To measure the extent to which progress in psychotherapy can be predicted from the interpersonal styles of therapists and clients, 42 outpatients and their 11 therapists rated themselves and each other on Benjamin's Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) scales. In addition, therapists rated amount of client change and therapy success-failure, based on the outcome section of the Rogers and Dymond (1954) scale, and clients used the Strupp, Fox, and Lessler (1969) questionnaire to evaluate progress-to-date. Clients also completed the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) at the start of therapy and after they had completed at least 6 treatment sessions. Canonical analyses indicated that when optimally weighted, SASB scores can predict at least 65% of the reported progress variance, lending credence to claims that "reflexive social behavior" and "the relationship" are important determinants of certain aspects of therapeutic outcome. Consistent with previous literature, clients reported more satisfaction with therapy when they perceived their therapists as "warm and freeing," but such perceptions were not systematically related to reported symptom reduction. Unfavorable self-concept ratings by therapists and therapist ratings of clients as "helping or protecting," which suggest role reversal, were negatively associated with symptom amelioration.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Japanese American response to psychological disorder: referral patterns, attitudes, and subjective norms.

The underutilization of services by Japanese Americans has raised questions as to the variables that account for this phenomenon. The present study examined the referral patterns and their bases using the Fishbein-Ajzen model of attitude-behavior relationships. Vignettes describing disorders were each responded to by 106 Japanese Americans. Results indicated that self resources were the most commonly mentioned referral across disorders and generations, and that mental health resources only occasionally crossed the person's mind. Attitudes were as favorable for psychologists as preferred intentions though subjective norms were less favorable for psychologists. More severe disorders yielded more favorable attitudes and more permissible social norms than disorders of a lesser degree. These data suggest implementing mental health education programs in Japanese-American and other Asian-Pacific communities to increase service utilization by increasing awareness of mental health personnel as resources and to increase social norms in support thereof.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The relationship of children's attitudes toward alcohol to their value development.

Developmentally, attitudes toward casual alcohol use and toward the abuse of alcohol should be related to the development of value content and value structure. Two studies were conducted that found this to be generally so with upper elementary schoolchildren. A negative attitude toward the abuse of alcohol was definitely related to general measures of the internalization of those values necessary to be a part of any group as well as the rejection of acts generally considered to be deviant in our culture. Attitudes toward casual use of alcohol were also somewhat related, but not as strongly. However, alcohol attitudes were unrelated to stage of moral development or other measures of thinking processes. Some shifts across age and sex were also noted. Programs oriented toward the prevention of alcohol abuse may need to communicate the value norms of our society and can proceed without impacting attitudes toward casual alcohol use.

Alcohol Drinking↗