Validity studies of the scale of positive and negative perceptions about alcohol effects.

OBJECTIVE To describe the process of elaboration and validation of the Scale of Perceptions about Alcohol Consumption in Higher Education Students in a Portuguese sample, considering the relationship between alcohol use rates and students' perceptions about the effects of this consumption. METHODS The validation study included 531 Portuguese college freshmen who answered the instrument, which is composed of five items that express positive perceptions and five items that express negative perceptions about the effects of alcohol consumption. RESULTS Evidence of content validity, internal structure and external variables were obtained. The results of the factor analysis confirm the distribution of positive and negative perceptions by two different factors according to the theoretical model. Adequate internal consistency indexes were obtained for each dimension. The data obtained showed expected correlations between the perceptions and consumption behaviors of the students, indicating evidence of criterion validity of the scale. Moreover, the study showed that different consumption patterns between men and women, with higher alcohol consumption in the students' households and restaurants or cafés by male students, in addition to the similarity in the consumption pattern between the two genders in parties and bars or nightclubs. CONCLUSION The data obtained show the validity of the instrument. In the discussion, the article presents considerations about the responsibility of higher education institutions in the prevention and reduction in consumption rates among their students.

Validity studies of the scale of positive and negative perceptions about alcohol effects / Estudos de validade da escala de percepções positivas e negativas sobre efeitos do álcool

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the process of elaboration and validation of the Scale of Perceptions about Alcohol Consumption in Higher Education Students in a Portuguese sample, considering the relationship between alcohol use rates and students' perceptions about the effects of this consumption. METHODS The validation study included 531 Portuguese college freshmen who answered the instrument, which is composed of five items that express positive perceptions and five items that express negative perceptions about the effects of alcohol consumption. RESULTS Evidence of content validity, internal structure and external variables were obtained. The results of the factor analysis confirm the distribution of positive and negative perceptions by two different factors according to the theoretical model. Adequate internal consistency indexes were obtained for each dimension. The data obtained showed expected correlations between the perceptions and consumption behaviors of the students, indicating evidence of criterion validity of the scale. Moreover, the study showed that different consumption patterns between men and women, with higher alcohol consumption in the students' households and restaurants or cafés by male students, in addition to the similarity in the consumption pattern between the two genders in parties and bars or nightclubs. CONCLUSION The data obtained show the validity of the instrument. In the discussion, the article presents considerations about the responsibility of higher education institutions in the prevention and reduction in consumption rates among their students.

RESUMO OBJETIVO Considerando a relação entre as taxas de uso de álcool e as percepções dos estudantes sobre os efeitos desse consumo, descrever o processo de elaboração e validação da Escala de Percepções sobre o Consumo de Álcool em Estudantes do Ensino Superior em uma amostra portuguesa. MÉTODOS Participaram do estudo de validade 531 estudantes portugueses do primeiro ano do ensino superior que responderam ao instrumento, composto por cinco itens que expressam percepções positivas e cinco itens que expressam percepções negativas sobre os efeitos do consumo de álcool. RESULTADOS Evidências de validade de conteúdo, de estrutura interna e baseadas em variáveis externas foram obtidas. Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmam a distribuição das percepções positivas e negativas por dois fatores diferenciados em acordo com o modelo teórico de partida. Índices adequados de consistência interna foram obtidos para cada dimensão. Os dados obtidos mostraram correlações esperadas entre as percepções e os comportamentos de consumo dos estudantes, indicando evidências de validade de critério da escala. Em acréscimo, o estudo indicou haver padrões de consumo diferenciados entre os sexos, registando-se maior consumo de álcool nas residências e nos restaurantes ou cafés por parte dos homens, além de similaridade entre os dois sexos no padrão de consumo em festas e bares ou discotecas. CONCLUSÃO Os dados obtidos evidenciam a validade do instrumento. Na discussão dos dados, o artigo apresenta considerações sobre a responsabilidade das instituições de ensino superior na prevenção e redução das taxas de consumo entre a sua população estudantil.

Processing speed, inhibitory control, and working memory: three important factors to account for age-related cognitive decline.

Processing speed, inhibitory control and working memory have been identified as the main possible culprits of age-related cognitive decline. This article describes a study of their interrelationships and dependence on age, including exploration of whether any of them mediates between age and the others. We carried out a LISREL analysis of the performance of 79 participants of low educational level aged 40-91 years in six cognitive tasks. In the best mediational model the effects of age on inhibitory control and working memory are largely mediated by its effect on processing speed. However, in the best-fitting model age has only direct effects on processing speed, working memory, and inhibitory control.