The long-term objectives of the proposed project are to evaluate and implement a new procedure for test score validation, the process priming method. The process priming method uses experimental primes to alter respondents'psychological processes during testing and assess the impact of these primes on test scores, allowing researchers to draw more definitive conclusions regarding whether a test is actually measuring what it purports to assess information that correlational validity evidence cannot provide. Most important from the perspective of clinical assessment, the process priming method can be applied at the test item level to evaluate potential items for inclusion in newly developed scales or refine existing measures.
The specific aims of the proposed studies are to use the process priming method to refine measures of pathological narcissism and dependency by implementing the process priming method at the test item level in psychiatric inpatients. These studies establish the feasibility of the process priming method in clinical settings and provide evidence regarding the utility of this procedure in enhancing researchers'ability to quantify two clinically relevant traits with different antecedents and behavioral manifestations, but which have demonstrated utility in predicting risk for psychopathology, self-destructive behavior, and aggression toward others. The health relatedness of the project involves improving researchers'ability to measure the fundamental components and dimensions of mental illness: As mental health research increasingly emphasizes the role of impaired regulatory systems and aberrant neural circuits in various forms of psychopathology, progress in this area requires that we not only develop sophisticated strategies for quantifying the neurophysiological antecedents and correlates of different syndromes, but also that we develop valid and reliable indices of the behavioral and psychological manifestations of mental disorders (i.e., measures of cognitive function, emotion regulation, and other salient variables). The proposed studies support the mission of the agency in that Strategy 1.4 of the National Institute of Mental Health's 2008 Strategic Plan emphasizes the development of new methods for classifying mental disorders based on dimensions of observable behavior and neurobiological function;improved methods for assessing test score validity will enable researchers to develop better measures of fundamental components of mental disorders for use in basic studies and clinical settings. Experimental methods are used to achieve the goals of the proposed studies, with lexical primes used to activate narcissism- and dependency-related schemas so the impact of these primes on scores derived from measures of narcissism and dependency can be assessed. Studies 1 and 2 apply process priming methods at the test item level to refine an existing measure of pathological dependency by distinguishing prime sensitive from prime insensitive items, resulting in an improved (more valid and precise) scale;Studies 3 and 4 use the process priming method to improve the predictive validity of a widely used measure of pathological narcissism.

Public Health Relevance

The traditional method of test score validation-assessing correlations between test scores and scores on various external criteria-represents a critical barrier to progress in classification, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. The process priming method of test score validation uses experimental primes to alter respondents'psychological processes during testing and assess the impact of these primes on test scores, allowing researchers to draw more definitive conclusions regarding whether a test is actually measuring what it purports to assess, and to evaluate potential items for inclusion in newly developed scales or refine existing measures. The process priming method represents a substantive addition to the current research paradigm which will lead to improved classification systems and diagnostic frameworks, and support Strategy 1.4 of the National Institute of Mental Health's 2008 strategic plan, which emphasizes the development of new methods for classifying mental disorders based on dimensions of observable behavior and neurobiological function.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21MH097781-01A1
Application #
8512324
Study Section
Social Psychology, Personality and Interpersonal Processes Study Section (SPIP)
Program Officer
Shoham, Varda
Project Start
2013-07-03
Project End
2015-06-30
Budget Start
2013-07-03
Budget End
2014-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$171,716
Indirect Cost
$21,716
Name
Adelphi University
Department
Psychology
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
065972838
City
Garden City
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
11530
Denckla, Christy A; Consedine, Nathan S; Bornstein, Robert F (2017) Self-compassion mediates the link between dependency and depressive symptomatology in college students. Self Identity 16:373-383
Haggerty, Greg; Zodan, Jennifer; Mehra, Ashwin et al. (2016) Reliability and Validity of Prototype Diagnosis for Adolescent Psychopathology. J Nerv Ment Dis 204:287-90
Haggerty, Greg; Bornstein, Robert F; Khalid, Mohammad et al. (2016) Construct Validity of the Relationship Profile Test: Links With Measures of Psychopathology and Adult Attachment. J Pers Assess 98:82-7
Kane, Fallon A; Bornstein, Robert F (2016) Beyond passivity: Dependency as a risk factor for intimate partner violence. Personal Ment Health 10:12-21
Bornstein, Robert F (2015) Personality Assessment in the Diagnostic Manuals: On Mindfulness, Multiple Methods, and Test Score Discontinuities. J Pers Assess 97:446-55
Porcerelli, John H; Bornstein, Robert F; Porcerelli, Daniel et al. (2015) The complex role of personality in cancer treatment: impact of dependency-detachment on health status, distress, and physician-patient relationship. J Nerv Ment Dis 203:264-8
Haggerty, Greg; Siefert, Caleb J; Sinclair, Samuel J et al. (2015) Validation of a measure of alliance for an adolescent inpatient setting. Clin Psychol Psychother 22:357-63
Haggerty, Greg; Blanchard, Mark; Baity, Matthew R et al. (2015) Clinical validity of a dimensional assessment of self- and interpersonal functioning in adolescent inpatients. J Pers Assess 97:3-12
Haggerty, Greg; Siefert, Caleb J; Bornstein, Robert F et al. (2015) Correlates of interpersonal dependency and detachment in an adolescent inpatient sample. Bull Menninger Clin 79:281-304
Haggerty, Greg; Forlenza, Nicholas; Poland, Charlotte et al. (2014) Assessing overall functioning with adolescent inpatients. J Nerv Ment Dis 202:822-8

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