Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences - Theses
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ItemPersonal attributes in inter-personal contexts: statistical models for individual characteristics and social relationships( 1998-07)The thesis develops models for social phenomena based on two primitive concepts: individual and relation. The models - based on the p* class of models for social networks - are designed to examine the inter-dependence of individual characteristics together with the social relations that exist among those individuals. The goal of constructing such models is to extend the capacity to develop rich descriptions of social processes. Relations among individuals are represented by a network or networks of interpersonal ties. The first part of the thesis describes models solely for such sets of relational ties. Techniques to represent data dependencies, approaches to model interpretation, and methods for valued attribute and relational data, are developed. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemLinguistic politeness in middle childhood: its social functions, and relationships to behaviour and development( 1997-07)This research compared Brown and Levinson’s “face saving” account of linguistic politeness with the everyday or social normative account in the context of children’s requesting skills. The research also explored the relationship between children’s politeness skills and their behavioural adjustment. The subjects comprised four groups of ten-and-a-half year old children: a comparison group without behaviour problems, a hostile-aggressive group; an anxious-fearful group; and a comorbid group. All the children were selected from the Australian Temperament Project subject population based on parents’ ratings of the children on the hostile-aggressive and anxious-fearful subscales of the Rutter Child Behaviour Questionnaire. Study 1 found that all the groups of children discriminated between others on the power and distance dimensions in ways consistent with social norms, e.g. adults are judged as more powerful than children. Study 1 also showed that the hostile-aggressive and comorbid groups were significantly less likely to discriminate between others on these dimensions compared to the comparison group. Study 2 showed that for all the children studied politeness as a normative way of speaking was marked by use of please whereas face saving politeness was marked by the use of question directives and hints compared to other request forms. Further, Study 2 showed that there were no differences between children with and without behaviour problems in their use of please to mark different ways of asking.
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ItemMultiple loss: a phenomenology of attachment and its felt absence in fostered children( 1997)This thesis addresses two questions. The first concerns the shape of contemporary attachment theory and the place for a phenomenological approach to research in this field. The second applies this idea to the study of attachment disruption as experienced in childhood, specifically exploring the lived world of attachment and its absence for six multiply fostered children. Phenomenological psychology is concerned with explicating and describing the fullness of human experience, as lived in its immediacy, prior to theory or reflection. This thesis originated in the regret that while this kind of understanding once existed in John Bowlby’s early writings, it has since been “worn smooth with use” by the experimental frame in which attachment has predominantly come to be examined. Chapter 1 looks at the phenomenological insights apparent in Bowlby’s writings, before tracing the movement away from these roots by the contemporary attachment field through its ongoing adherence to the experimental paradigm and concern with typology. From this base, the review of literature shows that the foster care and adoption fields have tended to use attachment theory for its ability to explain and predict behaviour. As a consequence, the field has yielded very little knowledge about the inner world of attachment, particularly as experienced by children who have endured multiple disruptions and losses in caregiving. Chapters 2 and 3 layout the origins of the phenomenological method and its application within the present research. Findings from the analyses of interviews and drawings are presented in the form of phenomenological depth descriptions in Chapter 4. Here, the Individual and General Structures layout the psychological predicates for the experiences of “feeling attached” and of “not feeling attached”. The interface of attachment as lived by these children and attachment as theorised is then explored in the final chapter.
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ItemParaphilias: a developmental approach to psychopathology( 1998)It is proposed that developmental psychopathology provides a theoretical framework for advancing our understanding of paraphilias. This study involved a group of 63 community-based sex offenders, and 33 non-violent, non-sex, non-drug related offenders; the 63 sex offenders were further classified into the four subgroups of pedophilia, exhibitionism, rape, and multiple paraphilia. These groups overlapped in membership because of co-occurring paraphilic diagnoses. The present investigation set out to identify: a) the general, common, and specific developmental risk factors for paraphilias; b) the general, common and specific psychopathological features of paraphilias; and c) the relationships between the developmental risk factors and psychopathological features. The current results showed that: a) Childhood Emotional Abuse and Family Dysfunction, Childhood Sexual Abuse, and Childhood Behaviour Problems were general developmental risk factors for paraphilias; and b) Anger and Hostility, and Sexual Maladjustment and Heterosocial Skills Deficit were general psychopathological features of paraphilias. In order to overcome the methodological problem associated with analyses of co-occurring paraphilic diagnoses, a special analytic procedure was put in place, and this procedure involved systematic comparisons of the results of logistic regression analyses. The outcome of this procedure indicated that: a} Childhood Emotional Abuse and Family Dysfunction was a common developmental risk factor for the various types of paraphilias; b) Childhood Sexual Abuse was a specific developmental risk factor for pedophilia; c) Anger and Hostility was a common psychopathological feature for the various types of paraphilias; d) Sexual Maladjustment and Heterosocial Skills Deficit was a specific psychopathological feature of pedophilia; and e) Anger and Hostility was also a specific psychopathological feature of multiple paraphilia (suggesting a high level of Anger and Hostility for multiple paraphilia). No specific developmental risk factors were identified for exhibitionism, rape, or multiple paraphilia; nor was any specific psychopathological feature found for exhibitionism, or rape. Analyses at the variable level also demonstrated some interesting findings for the various types of paraphilias in terms of anger, anger expression, insecure attachment styles, heterosocial and sexual adjustment. The results of this study are discussed in relation to a developmental psychopathology perspective for paraphilias and other models of sexual offending.
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ItemSelf-discrepancy and emotion in the workplace: ban exploration of the place of the other in self-discrepancy theory( 1997)According to Self-Discrepancy Theory (SDT; Higgins, 1987), self-perceptions measured in a specified manner are associated with specific kinds of emotional vulnerability. The theory predicts that discrepancies between the self-concept (actual self) and two kinds of personally-relevant standards (ideal and ought self-guides) are associated, respectively, with dejection-related and agitation-related emotions. This thesis places SDT in a workplace context, attempting to integrate aspects of the theory with models of emotion proposed by Russell (1980) and Dahl (1979). According to SDT, the type of emotional experience associated with individuals’ beliefs about themselves depends in part on whether the individual takes her or his own standpoint or that of a significant other. The major focus of this thesis is on self-discrepancies involving the Other standpoint, or interpersonal self-discrepancies. It is argued that, while SDT provides a conceptually balanced set of predictions regarding self-discrepancies from the Own standpoint, predictions regarding the link between interpersonal self-discrepancies and emotions are less theoretically coherent. The goal of this thesis is to formulate a model of interpersonal self-discrepancies and emotions. A major argument is that such a model may require that interpersonal emotions be assessed. To this end, a new measure of emotions is developed, based on Dahl's (1979) distinction between me (intrapsychic) and it (object-directed) emotions. It is further argued that a model of interpersonal self-discrepancies may require an expansion of the Other standpoint, to represent the variety of others which influence the self. A multifaceted Other standpoint is explored in three ways: contrasting personal with institutional significance; examining sex effects; and contrasting the relational modes of Fiske's (1991) social relations theory. Using data from three Australian samples, organized in terms of six studies, links between emotions and self-discrepancies involving different types of Other standpoints are examined with respect to actual:ideal (AI), actual:ought (AO), and actual-own:actual-other (AA) discrepancies. The predictions of SDT include the idea that AI self-discrepancies, involving the perceived failure to meet aspirations, are associated with the low-arousal negative emotion, dejection, and that AO self-discrepancies, involving the perceived failure to meet one's obligations, are associated with the high-arousal negative emotion, agitation. Through exploration of AA discrepancies, the self-discrepancy model is expanded to include the notion of self-verification (Swann, 1983). In particular, it is suggested that routine and crisis self-verification strategies are connected, respectively, with low-arousal and high-arousal emotions. The empirical studies focus on workplace-specific self-discrepancies and emotions. They show that actual:self-guide discrepancies involving the Other standpoint are associated with emotion when the other is the work supervisor. In addition, type of other moderates the link between AA self-discrepancies and emotion. Only when a relationship is close (communal) or hierarchical (authority-based) is the link between AA discrepancies and emotion evident. These findings are used to construct a model of interpersonal self-discrepancies as they relate to the workplace. The applicability of SDT to the workplace is then explored by testing a mediational hypothesis, that self-discrepancies influence job satisfaction through experienced emotion. Support for this hypothesis across a range of self-discrepancy types demonstrates the importance of SDT in accounting for job satisfaction. It is concluded that an interpersonal perspective on self-discrepancy and emotion is pertinent in the workplace.
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ItemPsychometric properties of the Myers-Briggs type indicator( 1999)The Myers-Briggs type indicator is an extremely popular psychological instrument. Despite years of development, and much research, the psychometric properties of the instrument have not been definitely agreed upon. Two issues attract attention; that of categorisation associated with the concept of type, and the issue of what exactly the instrument measures. Previous factor analytical studies produced various results. Data from 309 psychology students from the University of Melbourne were used to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis, and a latent trait analysis. The confirmatory factor analysis was a good fit to the data, and confirmed that with the exception of two items, the 56 items tested fitted the expected four factor structure of the Myers-Briggs type indicator. A latent trait/latent class analysis showed that at least three (the extraversion-introversion, thinking-feeling and judgement-perception) of the four subscales were best conceptualised as a normally distributed latent trait. This finding is in agreement with some previous studies. These have suggested that the scoring and categorical interpretation of the Myers-Briggs type indicator may not be the optimal method for utilisation of the instrument.
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ItemMeasuring attention in sport( 1997)Concentration, or attentional functioning, is an integral aspect of successful sporting performance yet there is not commensurate research into attention in sport. To assist in promoting research and to provide an instrument for applied purposes, a self-report questionnaire measuring attentional tendencies in sport was developed. To lay the ground work, a comprehensive review of the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS - Nideffer, 1976; the major instrument used to assess attentional style in sport) was conducted. The clear conclusion was that the TAIS generally lacks external validity. A study examining the internal validity of the TAIS using two samples of21 0 psychology students in a cross-validation design failed to support the TAIS measurement model. A number of items failed to load satisfactorily (<0.30) in a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The most damaging outcome was that 44% of items correlated better with a non-target subscale, indicating poor discriminant validity. Using the same samples, the TAIS was restructured in a cross-validation design producing a three factor model measuring broad attention, narrow attention, and poor focus, which proved to be the 'best' model. The possibility of measuring at least three aspects of attention provided the stimulus for the new test. The new test (Attention and Concentration Tendencies Survey - ACTS) was designed to measure nine dimensions: broad and narrow attention, alertness, flexibility, task-relevant attention, internal and external attention, distractibility, and flow concentration. Two hundred and eighty-six items designed specifically for sport were written to assess these dimensions. The new test went through successive stages of refinement involving content, structural, and external validation. To provide content validation, seven experts in Sport Psychology independently made item-scale ratings that were converted to factor scores indicating each item's relationship with each dimension. These factor scores were then used to develop "core" scales (i.e., the best 15 items on each scale). Empirical validation was then conducted to develop the scales based on these nine' core' scales. Data from an initial sample of university athletes (n= 100) was used to add items to the "core" scales where there was a sufficient relationship with the target 'core' scale, and demonstrated discriminant validity. These provisional scales (1=210) were cross-validated on a second sample of university athletes (n=50), resulting in an insufficient number of items representing the narrow attention and flow concentration scales. The narrow attention scale items were combined with task-relevant attention items and the flow concentration items were re-distributed to other scales. This reassignment was conducted on the initial sample of 100 and cross-validated in the second sample. After this reiteration, 110 items remained representing seven scales. Further refinement, based on the combined samples (n=150) reduced the test to 90 items. A study using two samples of university athletes (n1=72 & 112=74) indicated no problems with social desirability. The final stage of test development cross-validated the measurement model using a large sample of333 athletes of which approximately 50% were 'high' or 'elite' - standard athletes. The test was refined to 73 items representing seven scales (broad attention, narrow attention, flexibility, alertness, internal distraction, external distraction, and distractibility). The CFA overall goodness of fit statistics were only moderate (e.g., CFI=O.66). However, this fit was superior to one and two-factor models. Parameter fit was very good and reliabilities were excellent (0.87-0.94). Despite the high discriminant validity of the parameters, some high latent interscale correlations (0.60-0.72) were evident. It was argued that the test represented a good fit given the size of the model (i=73) and other supporting evidence. Higher-order models were examined and although they were not the 'best' fitting models, they did suggest some dimensions may be higher-order aspects of attentional functioning, namely, alertness and flexible attention. Preliminary external validation of the test with competitive trait anxiety, attentional style, sporting standard, and social desirability revealed some evidence for convergent and discriminant validity.
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ItemExperiences of racism by Aboriginal Australians and Vietnamese immigrants: a comparative study( 1998)In their analysis of racism and related theorizing, social scientists have largely ignored the victims' experiences and responses. Because of this, knowledge of racism as a social process is incomplete. There are several reasons for this, among which are an apparent lack of interest by majority group social scientists in the experiences of minority groups, difficulties in using the methods of the positivist scientific paradigm to investigate these experiences and responses to them, and a lack of trust in other means of conducting such investigations. In order to begin to re-dress this situation, this study was based on the naturalistic paradigm, and used qualitative methods with checks for the trustworthiness of the data and findings. Fifty Vietnamese and thirty-four Aborigines participated in in-depth interviews about their experiences of racism and their responses to those experiences. In accepting these narratives as having both veracity and worth, the study provides an understanding of the range of racist experiences, the impact of those experiences, and the coping responses invoked. Although both groups reported a similar range of racism across the verbal and behavioural domains, in discriminatory experiences and in racism at the general community level, there were quantitative and qualitative difference between them. The data suggest that while Vietnamese are generally accepted into the mainstream, conditional upon their assimilation and occupation of lower status positions, Aborigines are expected to stay in their place in a lower echelon outside the mainstream. The emotional and coping responses identified within the groups were also similar, although again there was some variation in the way the groups responded to their experiences. In general though, coping can be considered to be defensive, controlled or confronting. In reporting the findings, a series of assertions are made. Firstly, theories about racism need to recognize that there may be variability in the way it is perpetrated against, and is experienced by different groups. It may also serve varying purposes. Secondly, to argue that contemporary racism is predominantly subtle, symbolic and modern racism may be misleading. It ignores the fact that blatant overt racism is still a major problem for minority group members. Thirdly, the role of emotion in the experience and response to racism needs to be explored further and incorporated into theorizing about the processes of racism. Fourthly, the conceptualization of response to racism according to the dimensions identified in these data may contribute to a more cohesive and inclusive theory of coping with racism. Fifthly, social scientists should be self-reflective in relation to their work on racism, or face the risk that their theorizing may bolster racist political arrangements within society. Finally, qualitative methods are recommended for similar studies of the phenomena under investigation. Just as the victim's perspective complements the perpetrator's perspective, qualitative methods may complement the use of quantitative methods in the search for a more complete understanding of the phenomenon of racism.
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ItemNeuropsychological evidence for cognitive impairment in obsessive-compulsive disorder: relationship with clinical symptomatology( 1999)Neuropsychological studies of obsessive-compulsive (OCD) disorder yield diverging results. Purcell, Maruff, Kyrios & Pantelis (1998a; 1998b) examined cognitive function in a group of patients with OCD, and found specific deficits in spatial working memory, spatial recognition memory, and motor execution. However, no relationships were identified between cognitive impairment and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. The present study investigated the nature of cognitive impairments in a large sample of patients with OCD and explored the relationship between cognitive impairments, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and treatment outcome. Study 1 showed that patients with OCD exhibit specific impairments in spatial working memory, spatial span, spatial recognition, attentional set shifting, and motor slowing. This study replicated earlier findings by Purcell et al. (1998a; 1998b) and is consistent with a neurobiological model of OCD which implicates dysfunction in frontal and subcortical brain regions. Study 2 found that levels of OC symptoms in the entire group were not correlated with cognitive impairments. However, when patients were classified according to their predominant symptom subtype, cognitive impairments were greatest in those classified as ‘checkers’. This suggests that cognitive impairment is related to type of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. To determine whether cognitive impairment was secondary to OC symptoms, neuropsychological assessment was repeated in a subgroup of patients with OCD who had significantly reduced symptom levels following cognitive-behavioural group treatment. Despite the symptom reduction, no improvement in cognitive function was found, apart from on one measure of spatial working memory. Results suggest that cognitive impairment in OCD may be more basic to the disorder, rather than arising as a consequence of the obsessive-compulsive symptoms per se. These results expand the body of research exploring neuropsychological function in OCD, and provide the first exploration of the relationship between cognitive impairment, OCD subgroups, OC symptoms, and treatment outcome.