Detecting Feigning in Adolescents on the Personality Assessment Inventory-Adolescent Form.

Much of the research on identifying feigning in psychological assessment has focused on adults with less attention to adolescents. The purpose of the present study is to expand the limited literature on detecting feigning in adolescents using the Personality Assessment Inventory - Adolescent. The study included 114 nonclinical adolescents (ages 15 to 18) recruited from high schools in the Midwest who were randomly assigned to experimental groups: honest nonclinical, uncoached feigning, and coached feigning. 50 randomly selected individuals with depression from the PAI-A clinical standardization sample were included as the honest clinical group. Sample demographics included a mean age of 16.64 years; 51.2% young men, 48.2% young women; 85.4% Caucasian, 6.7% African American, 5.5% Hispanic, and 2.4% Asian. 80% of feigning profiles reported clinical levels of depression. MANOVA results showed strong support for the Rogers Discriminant Function (RDF; d range = 1.85-2.05). The Negative Impression Management (NIM) scale also demonstrated promise (d range = 0.77-1.08), while the smallest effects for detecting feigning were found for the Malingering Index (d range = 0.58-0.70). The negative distortion indices showed good utility in differentiating between groups. Cut-scores and pragmatic implications are presented.

Hydration and Fluid Replacement Knowledge, Attitudes, Barriers, and Behaviors of NCAA Division 1 American Football Players.

Judge, LW, Kumley, RF, Bellar, DM, Pike, KL, Pierson, EE, Weidner, T, Pearson, D, and Friesen, CA. Hydration and fluid replacement knowledge, attitudes, barriers, and behaviors of NCAA Division 1 American football players. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 2972-2978, 2016-Hydration is an important part of athletic performance, and understanding athletes' hydration knowledge, attitudes, barriers, and behaviors is critical for sport practitioners. The aim of this study was to assess National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 (D1) American football players, with regard to hydration and fluid intake before, during, and after exercise, and to apply this assessment to their overall hydration practice. The sample consisted of 100 student-athletes from 2 different NCAA D1 universities, who participated in voluntary summer football conditioning. Participants completed a survey to identify the fluid and hydration knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, demographic data, primary football position, previous nutrition education, and barriers to adequate fluid consumption. The average Hydration Knowledge Score (HKS) for the participants in the present study was 11.8 ± 1.9 (69.4% correct), with scores ranging from 42 to 100% correct. Four key misunderstandings regarding hydration, specifically related to intervals of hydration habits among the study subjects, were revealed. Only 24% of the players reported drinking enough fluids before, during, immediately after, and 2 hours after practice. Generalized linear model analysis predicted the outcome variable HKS (χ = 28.001, p = 0.045), with nutrition education (Wald χ = 8.250, p = 0.041) and position on the football team (χ = 9.361, p = 0.025) being significant predictors. "Backs" (e.g., quarterbacks, running backs, and defensive backs) demonstrated significantly higher hydration knowledge than "Linemen" (p = 0.014). Findings indicated that if changes are not made to increase hydration awareness levels among football teams, serious health consequences, including potential fatalities, could occur on the field, especially among heavier linemen.

A canonical correlation analysis of intelligence and executive functioning.

Executive functioning is one of the most researched and debated topics in neuropsychology. Although neuropsychologists routinely consider executive functioning and intelligence in their assessment process, more information is needed regarding the relationship between these constructs. This study reports the results of a canonical correlation study between the most widely used measure of adult intelligence, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 3rd edition (WAIS-III; Wechsler, 1997), and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001). The results suggest that, despite considerable shared variability, the measures of executive functioning maintain unique variance that is not encapsulated in the construct of global intelligence.

Pediatric TBI: prevalence and functional ramifications.

The current article serves as an introduction to this special issue on the assessment and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and adolescents. The article provides a brief review of the importance of this topic to neuropsychology while stressing the importance of evaluating factors related to assessment and treatment not only from an injury severity and developmental perspective but also the importance of familial and social functioning. Neuropsychologists' knowledge and professional skills involving psychological skills and neurocognitive principles make them most adept at treating children with TBI and their families for a variety of issues addressed in the special issue.

Psychosocial and behavioral functioning following pediatric TBI: presentation, assessment, and intervention.

This article reviews the current literature surrounding the emotional and behavioral consequences as a result of traumatic brain injury (TBI) for children and adolescents. The use of a treatment planning model incorporating developmental theory, recovery, and family needs is advocated. The article reviews the current literature for treatment of primary emotional and psychiatric problems associated with TBI. Additional research into the treatment and intervention of psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral problems in children with TBI remains necessary.

The path ahead: future trends in the assessment and treatment of TBI in the pediatric population.

The current article serves as the concluding remarks to this special issue on the assessment and treatment of traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents. The article provides a brief discussion of the changing landscape of clinical and research endeavors within this population and potential directions for the future.

The relationship between the WAIS-III digit symbol Coding and executive functioning.

The current study examined the performance of college students (N = 63) on the Coding subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition and examined whether differences in performance could in part be explained by performance on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System Trail-Making Test. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that performance on Coding was correlated most with Letter-Number Sequencing and to a lesser extent with Visual Scanning and with Number Sequencing approaching significance. There was no significant relationship with Letter Sequencing or Motor Speed. The three significant predictor variables were then entered into a stepwise hierarchical regression analysis. Subsequent models using Visual Scanning and Number Sequencing did not improve the predictive value of the model. These results are consistent with other recent reports suggesting that performance on Coding taps cognitive skills and abilities beyond that of simple motor speed or paired-associative learning. The findings also suggest a limited improvement in understanding test performance using a process analysis approach.

A Mixture IRT Analysis of Risky Youth Behavior.

The study reported in this manuscript used a mixture item response model with data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009 (N = 16,410) to identify subtypes of adolescents at-risk for engaging in unhealthy behaviors, and to find individual survey items that were most effective at identifying such students within each subtype. The goal of the manuscript is twofold: (1) To demonstrate the utility of the mixture item response theory model for identifying subgroups in the population and for highlighting the use of group specific item response parameters and (2) To identify typologies of adolescents based on their propensity for engaging in sexually and substance use risky behaviors. Results indicate that four classes of youth exist in the population, with differences in risky sexual behaviors and substance use. The first group had a greater propensity to engage in risky sexual behavior, while group 2 was more likely to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol. Group 3 was the most likely to use other substances, such as marijuana, methamphetamine, and other mind altering drugs, and group 4 had the lowest propensity for engaging in any of the sexual or substance use behaviors included in the survey. Finally, individual items were identified for each group that can be most effective at identifying individuals at greatest risk. Further proposed directions of research and the contribution of this analysis to the existing literature are discussed.