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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1982

A differential semantic assay in order to measure aggressiveness.

The Semantic Differential test for aggressiveness consists of 45 phrases depicting situations which may provoke aggression. They are semantically grouped in two categories of covert and of overt aggressiveness. The reliability of the test was verified in a preliminary study, using one group of patients clinically diagnosed as aggressive, and one group of non-aggressive subjects. The means of the two groups' scores were significantly different, 95% of aggressive subjects having greater than 8 unit and only 21% of non-aggressive ones. After the final validation of the test it can be used to diagnose the aggressiveness in Type A behaviour pattern.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Osgood's semantic differential in psychopathology: a differential study].

The aim of this paper is to analyze the meanings differences in the temporal perspective of two clinic groups. Some of them showed dysthymic disorders and the other group were found to be paranoiac schizophrenic patients. An differential semantic was used (ACTUAL SELF, IDEAL SELF, NEGATIVE SELF) to analyze to structure of the self-concept and to determine differences in the concepts for temporal perspective (PRESENT, PAST, FUTURE). The results obtained by means of the measurement of meaning correspond to the clinic data. The authors attempt to begin the study of the differences in psychic processes in several clinical groups.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1993

Caregivers' reactions to the physical appearance of a person in the final stage of dementia as measured by semantic differentials.

The semantic differential (SeD) technique was applied to 158 caregivers from a nursing home in the northern part of Sweden. The questionnaire contained fifty-eight bipolar scales of adjective pairs and the interviewees indicated their reactions to a described picture of a severely demented person: A factor analysis revealed three dimensions; an ethical one, an esthetical one, and one about the person's own feelings. The fifty-eight scales were mostly rated toward the negative poles. The severely demented person was rated as painful, apathetic, suffering, weak, afraid, sad, cold, dark, rough, and ugly. Four years later a comparable group of caregivers (n = 93) answered a revised questionnaire containing the 26 SeD scales with factor loadings > .50 for the picture of the severely demented person. The result was nearly identical and alternative interpretations are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measure of attitude toward menopause using the semantic differential model.

A semantic differential instrument that measures adult women's attitudes toward menopause was constructed and validated. A volunteer sample of 504 women, 18 years or older, completed the pilot instrument of 45 bipolar adjective scales. A principal components factor analysis revealed 20 scales that loaded on one dominant factor; this factor accounted for 60% of the variance for the 20 scales. Cronbach alpha reliability was .96. The revised 20-scale instrument was called the Menopause Attitude Scale (MAS). A second sample of 419 women completed the MAS and one additional instrument for assessment of convergent and discriminant validity. Convergent validity was demonstrated by a correlation of r = .63 for the MAS with the Attitudes Toward Menopause Scale. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by a correlation of r = .42 for the MAS with the Attitudes Toward Old People Scale and a correlation of r = -.04 for the MAS with the Attitudes Toward Women Scale. Factor analysis of MAS scores revealed that one factor accounted for 61.5% of the variance for the 20 scales. The test-retest reliability for 39 subjects was .87. Multiple regression analysis identified age and menopausal status as significant explanatory variables for MAS scores.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

The usefulness of the semantic differential with "mild grade' mental defectives.

Although the semantic differential has been quite widely used with mental defectives, its usefulness (in its traditional form) with such a population has not been conclusively demonstrated. The semantic differential was developed and shown to be valid as an index of representational mediation processes. However, there is also evidence of a mediational deficiency among retardates which, therefore, ought to be reflected in retardates' responses to the semantic differential. Thus, the present study was designed to test two hypotheses: (a) that mild grade retardates, in comparison with subjects of average intelligence, would show less discrimination in the use of the semantic differential, and (b) that such discriminative deficiencies would in turn predispose toward a polarized response bias among the retarded. The results, which support both hypotheses, are discussed in terms of their implications for the usefulness of an unmodified semantic differential with the mentally subnormal.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

School children's responses on a semantic differential over a 10-year span.

A semantic differential scale was administered to 208 school children when they were in the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. Their perceptions towards two concepts were measured, Education (going to school) and Work (having a job). Each semantic differential scale had 15 adjective pairs and reflected the three underlying factors of Evaluative, Potency, and Activity. Because the study was conducted for 10 years (ages seven to 18), the changing cognitive developmental stages of the children were expected to influence factor analytic and reliability results. Confirmatory factor analysis, which forced the data into three factors, did not clearly identify the expected three factors, although more items loaded on the three factors with age. An exploratory factor analysis identified a trend across grades from six to four factors over time. Reliability also improved across age groups. Caution should be exercised when using the semantic differential with young children in investigations of abstract concepts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Assessing the validity of the semantic differential portion of the Apperceptive Personality Test.

This study investigated the validity of the semantic differential portion of the Apperceptive Personality Test with 225 undergraduates who completed the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale, actual-self and ideal-self semantic differential scales (e.g., Actual-self and ideal-self), and either the Apperceptive Personality Test or a modified version. A projected-self score was calculated using the semantic differential ratings of the hero(ine) character on the test, e.g., Projected self. A strong negative correlation indicated that, as the difference between the Ideal-self and Actual-self dereased, the difference between the Actual-self and Projected-self increased. Discriminant analyses indicated that highly guarded participants, e.g., high Social Desirability scores, showed more congruency between Ideal-self and Actual-self and less congruency between Actual-self ratings and Projected-self on the APT than did less guarded participants. When the difference scores incorporated only those semantic differential items that loaded on an Ealuative factor, the same result of discriminant analysis was found when participants who comleted the modified version were included. These findings support the validity of the test's semantic differential items and suggest that guardedness tends to promote more similarity between Actual-self and Ideal-self and less similarity between Actual-self and Projected-self.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Evaluation of psychotherapies and Osgood's Semantic Differential. A tentative approach.

Setting up a semantic differential according to Osgood for evaluating analytical psychotherapies: a selection of scales and inducive words plus a factor analysis based on answers obtained from two test groups--the one composed of ambulatory psychiatric patients, the other composed of normal individuals. Preliminary validity tests of the results for applicability in clinical situations: examples of individual semantic configurations reflecting in a plausible manner certain clinical characteristics; comparison of the configurations of a group of neurotics with those of a group of schizophrenics; example of the evolution of one configuration during the period of psychoanalytical treatment. These first tests led us to believe that the semantic differential could contribute effectively to the evaluation of psychotherapies.

Humans↗
PubMed1983

Perceptual dimensions of infant cry signals: a semantic differential analysis.

In the present study the Semantic Differential technique was used to examine perceived characteristics of infant cry sounds. 24 cries (6 each of pain, hunger, birth, and "pleasure") were rated by 39 mothers on 50 scales. A factor analysis of the scale ratings uncovered three main factors, labelled Affect, Potency, and Evaluation, respectively. 5 "factorially-pure" scales were selected to represent each factor. A hierarchical cluster analysis of the mean factor-scale ratings uncovered 3 major cry clusters which essentially represented 3 cry-type groups, hunger, pleasure, and pain/birth. A close correspondence was found between this set of clusters and another set generated independently from cry-recognition data, indicating that the semantic differential factor-scales effectively discriminated perceptually distinct cries. This procedure adequately separates the physical (acoustic) properties of signals from their listener-perceived (auditory) ones. This distinction is not possible with studies which depend upon multivariate techniques and casts doubt on their findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Changes occurring in psychotherapy measured by the Osgood semantic differential--methodologic elaboration].

General recall on Osgood's semantic differential. Motive and way of integrating it in research on the effects of psychotherapies. Report of some preliminary results from a transversal study of normal, neurotic and schizophrenic subjects and from a longitudinal study of normal and neurotic subjects. These first results strengthen the assumption that the semantic differential provides an appreciably adequate picture of mental state, for both its stable and evolutive components.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Semantic differentials and the process of developing one to measure maternal role competence.

The semantic differential (SD) technique is seen increasingly in studies by nurse investigators. A better understanding of this technique will assist in the appraisal of findings based on SD data. In taking a semantic differential the respondent describes the meaning of a given concept or stimulus by marking a series of bipolar adjective pair scales. Scoring and analysis can proceed in various ways but should not violate the semantic differential's multidimensional nature. The evaluative, potency, and activity dimensions commonly seen in the technique are described. How to construct an SD is explained. The ease with which an SD can be completed makes this technique suitable for clinical populations. The process of developing an SD to measure maternal role competence provides an example of using the technique in a new area of investigation. Factor analysis of the SD to measure the concept myself as a mother revealed that the adjective pairs did not cluster according to the typical SD dimensions. Alternative dimensions are described. These new dimensions gain support from their correlation with other measures of maternal role. The SD provides a promising technique for the measurement of maternal role competence.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

The California Psychological Inventory and the Semantic Differential dimensions.

The feasibility of describing first order factors and scales of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) by using the factors of the semantic differential and rated adjustment and introversion-extraversion was investigated in samples of 150 male and 80 female college students. Results indicated that both the semantic differential and the ratings significantly overlapped with the CPI, but that the degree of the relationship was not large enough to support the contention that the semantic differential factors are sufficient to describe completely what is being measured by the CPI. The relationships did prove useful, however, in further clarifying the nature of the CPI.

Dependency, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

A semantic differential mood scale.

A set of bipolar semantic differential type adjective scales were constructed to assess five mood states. The response format chosen serves to control for response bias, reduces the number of items by half, and measures both positive and negative affect. Each of the six bipolar mood states hypothesized was defined by seven five-point items. Two studies were conducted on samples of high school boys (N = 210); both confirmed the presence of five mood factors: Cheerful-Depressed, Energetic-Tired, Good natured-Grouchy, Confident-Unsure, and Relaxed-Anxious. The mood state factors isolated were compared with the scales in the Eight State Questionnaire and Bipolar POMS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Simplified use of the semantic differential to measure psychotherapy outcome.

To initially establish the validity and utility of a simplified use of the Semantic Differential to measure psychotherapy outcome, 14 clients were administered, before and after 15 sessions of individual psychotherapy, the Semantic Differential and a symptom checklist. As predicted, results indicated that change of clients' self-constructs in a positive direction was associated with symptom reduction. Implications for psychotherapy research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Multichannel NIRS analysis of brain activity during semantic differential rating of drawing stimuli containing different affective polarities.

We used 24-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure activity in the temporal, parietal, and frontal regions of the brain in eight Japanese women while the participants rated line drawings using semantic differential scales. Participants rated the seven line drawings on 15 bipolar semantic scales, each of which belonged to one of three semantic classes: Evaluation, Activity, or Potency. Suzuki et al. [M. Suzuki, J. Gyoba, Y. Sakuta, Multichannel near-infrared spectroscopy analysis of brain activities during semantic differential rating of drawings, Tohoku Psychologica Folia 62 (2003) 86-98.] had reported previously that the right superior temporal gyrus and the right inferior parietal lobule are associated with Activity rating, while the brain regions around the central fissure were related to Potency rating. Based on these suggestions, we investigated the brain activity in these regions during rating of stimuli containing different affective polarities. When drawings were reported as 'static' or 'calm', oxyhemoglobin concentration was higher around the right superior temporal gyrus as compared to when they were considered 'noisy' or 'excitable'. Oxyhemoglobin concentrations around the central fissure were also higher when drawings were rated as 'soft', 'smooth', or 'blunt' compared to 'hard', 'rough', or 'sharp'. Any characteristic oxyhemoglobin changes were not found during the ratings on the evaluation scales. Our results suggest that activation patterns of the temporal and parietal regions are significantly modified by semantic polarities of Activity and Potency.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Application of Osgood's Semantic Differential to the study of psychotherapeutic treatments.

Osgood's Semantic Differential was applied to a group of 35 neurotic patients at initial and final stage of individual psychoanalytical psychotherapy. When compared to 'normal' subjects who had not undergone treatment but were examined under the same conditions, neurotic subjects showed, between test and retest, more conspicuous semantic changes, several of which--although not all--brought them closer to normal subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Psychotherapeutic treatments evaluated with two instruments: clinical questionnaire and semantic differential.

We evaluated about 100 psychotherapeutic treatments on the Freudian model with two independent instruments: a clinical questionnaire (assessed globally and intuitively) and a semantic differential (processed through various mathematic analyses). The results obtained with the two instruments were compared, and we also compared the semantic evolution of patients with that of normal subjects. Both instruments show an undeniable average improvement among patients. The semantic differential also shows that the various 'zones' tested by the inducive words are neither equally affected by neurosis nor equally modified by treatment.

Adult↗