Using the MMPI-2-RF, IOP-29, IOP-M, and FIT in the In-Person and Remote Administration Formats: A Simulation Study on Feigned mTBI.

Our study compared the impact of administering Symptom Validity Tests (SVTs) and Performance Validity Tests (PVTs) in in-person versus remote formats and assessed different approaches to combining validity test results. Using the MMPI-2-RF, IOP-29, IOP-M, and FIT, we assessed 164 adults, with half instructed to feign mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and half to respond honestly. Within each subgroup, half completed the tests in person, and the other half completed them online via videoconferencing. Results from 2 ×2 analyses of variance showed no significant effects of administration format on SVT and PVT scores. When comparing feigners to controls, the MMPI-2-RF RBS exhibited the largest effect size (d = 3.05) among all examined measures. Accordingly, we conducted a series of two-step hierarchical logistic regression models by entering the MMPI-2-RF RBS first, followed by each other SVT and PVT individually. We found that the IOP-29 and IOP-M were the only measures that yielded incremental validity beyond the effects of the MMPI-2-RF RBS in predicting group membership. Taken together, these findings suggest that administering these SVTs and PVTs in-person or remotely yields similar results, and the combination of MMPI and IOP indexes might be particularly effective in identifying feigned mTBI.

Rorschach Human Movement and Psychotherapy: Relationship with the Therapist's Emotional Responses.

The emotional responses of psychotherapists to their patients, known as countertransference, can yield valuable insights into the patient's psychological functioning. Albeit from a different perspective, the Rorschach test also provides information about the patient's psychological processes. In particular, the Rorschach human movement response (M) has been shown to be a useful measure of higher-level psychological functioning. In an attempt to bridge these two largely different perspectives, the aim of this study was to explore the association between M responses in the Rorschach protocols of psychotherapy patients and emotional responses exhibited by their therapists. To this end, a convenience sample of 149 outpatients were administered the Rorschach according to the Comprehensive System, and their therapists completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire. Through a series of regression models, controlling for response style, response complexity, and degree of psychopathology, M demonstrated a significant association with the therapists' emotional responses. A lower number of M responses was associated with the therapists' feelings of disengagement, and a higher number of M responses was associated with the therapists' feelings of being more involved with the patient. Taken together, these results suggest a potential relationship between the number of M responses the respondent gives in the Rorschach and the subsequent development of the therapeutic alliance between the respondent and their therapist.

A close look at sociality in DSM criteria.

PURPOSE: The importance of sociality in psychology and psychotherapy is quite undisputed; however, this construct risks being underestimated in psychiatric nosography. The aim of the review was to assess the relevance of sociality in DSM 5 criteria. METHOD: Sociality-laden criteria of 192 selected DSM categories have been identified through a textual grid. Second, the criteria have been classified into 6 categories, i.e., (1) Affiliation and Attachment (AA), (2) Social Communication (SC), (3) Perception and Understanding of Others (PUO), (4) Culture, (5) Clinical Significance Criterion (CSC) (6), and No Specific Construct (NSC). RESULTS: 13% of all mental disorders mention AA in their criteria. 8.8% of all mental disorders mention SC; 8.8% of all mental disorders mention PUO in their criteria. 15% of all mental disorders mention culture in their criteria (exclusively ex negativo though). 40% of mental disorders mention non-specific sociality (NSC) in their criteria. CSC is mentioned in 85% of mental disorders. Personality disorders have the highest "concentration" of sociality mentions throughout the DSM categories. CONCLUSIONS: The overall results suggest that DSM criteria offer a confused account of sociality. We believe that the descriptive approach is the underlying reason. We suggest that in the long run a theory-laden approach to sociality, informed by evolutionary insights about motivations, could be of help.

Can static Rorschach stimuli perceived as in motion affect corticospinal excitability?

It has been proposed that seeing human movement or activity (M), while trying to say what the static Rorschach inkblot design look like, is accompanied by Mirror Neuron System (MNS)-like mirroring activity in the brain. The present study aimed to investigate whether the Rorschach cards eliciting M responses could affect the excitability of the motor cortex by recording motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by single-pulse TMS over the primary motor cortex (M1). We hypothesized that Rorschach inkblot stimuli triggering the viewer's experience of human movement would increase corticospinal excitability. Twenty-one healthy volunteers (15 women) participated in the preliminary experiment, while another different sample of twenty-two healthy participants (11 women) ranging in age from 21 to 41 years was enrolled in the main experiment. Our results showed that the Rorschach cards known to be associated with a high number of M responses elicited human movement both as automatic internal sensations and as verbal production of responses involving human movement. However, contrary to our hypothesis, the reported internal feeling of human movement had no corresponding physiological counterpart, as the amplitude of MEPs did not increase. Possible and innovative explanations for the involvement of bottom-up and top-down processes were provided.

Detection of Feigning of Different Symptom Presentations With the PAI and IOP-29.

This study examined the effectiveness of the negative distortion measures from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29), by investigating data from a community and a forensic sample, across three different symptom presentations (i.e., feigned depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], and schizophrenia). The final sample consisted of 513 community-based individuals and 288 inmates (total N = 801); all were administered the PAI and the IOP-29 in an honest or feigning conditions. Statistical analyses compared the average scores of each measure by symptom presentation and data source (i.e., community vs. forensic sample) and evaluated diagnostic efficiency statistics. Results suggest that the PAI Negative Impression Management scale and the IOP-29 are the most effective measures across all symptom presentations, whereas the PAI Malingering Index and Rogers Discriminant Function generated less optimal results, especially when considering feigned PTSD. Practical implications are discussed.

From the need to the knowledge. Feeding emotions and thoughts: Assessing emotion regulation strategies in food tribes.

Some people choose to follow a certain dietary habit because they are guided by strong beliefs, but also to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Food tribes are defined as social groups sharing common values and beliefs that underlie food and lifestyle choices. The current study aimed to investigate potential differences in emotion regulation between specific food tribes, and when comparing food tribes to people who conversely do not follow a dietary habit. Specifically, we examined the presence of rumination, psychological inflexibility, and emotional contagion as components of emotion dysregulation. A Google form was developed to obtain all the information needed to respond to our research questions and goals, and investigate the following food groups: Veganism, Fruitarianism, Raw Food Diet, Paleodiet, Blood Type group, Breatharianism, Macrobiotic Diet, and Other. The final sample consisted of 378 healthy subjects (117 males, 258 females, 3 other) ranging in age from 18 to 70 years. The first part of Google form consisted of general questions about the participant's dietary habits while the second part included specific questionnaires assessing the psychological constructs we investigated. Vegan people were less conditioned by others in their food choices when compared to the other food tribes. The Paleodiet group associated its food choice with health reasons as well as the Blood Type group. Differences were found in the presence of cognitive inflexibility and rumination, reflective thinking, emotional dysregulation, emotional contagion and also in the representation of their real and ideal (food) communities. Clinical implications are discussed.

Cross-cultural investigation from nine countries on the associations of antisocial traits and the WHO's containment measures for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personality traits play a role in prosocial behavior in relation to containment measures intended to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Empirical findings indicated that individuals high in socially aversive traits such as callousness are less compliant with containment measures. This study aimed to add cross-cultural data on the relationship between antisocial traits and adherence to COVID-19 containment measures. The sample consisted of 4,538 adults recruited by convenience in nine countries (Australia, Brazil, England, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States). Statistical analyses indicated two latent profiles from our sample, empathic and antisocial, and six COVID-19 containment-measure-related factors using measures covering antisocial traits (PID-5), empathy (ACME), global personality pathology (LPFS-BF), and COVID-19 behaviors and beliefs. Through MANCOVA, the antisocial profile consistently showed less compliance and concern about the COVID-19 containment measures, even when controlling for demographics and local pandemic covariables. The network analysis indicated a lack of empathy and callousness as crucial traits of the predisposition to non-compliant behavior. In elaborating on prosocial campaigns in community emergencies, our cross-cultural findings would need to consider personality traits that focus on antisociality, anticipating similar associations and potential impacts in future disease outbreaks.

Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and clinical implications: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Affective neuroscience (AN) theory assumes the existence of seven basic emotional systems (i.e., SEEKING, ANGER, FEAR, CARE, LUST, SADNESS, PLAY) that are common to all mammals and evolutionarily determined to be tools for survival and, in general, for fitness. Based on the AN approach, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) questionnaire was developed to examine individual differences in the defined basic emotional systems. The current systematic review aims to examine the use of ANPS in clinical contexts attempting to define those behavioral elements associated with underlying stable personality traits. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA statements. PubMed and PsycInfo were used for research literature from March 2003 to November 2021. RESULTS: Forty-four studies including ANPS were identified from 1763 studies reviewed. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. LIMITATIONS: The review comprised some papers with incomplete psychological assessments (e.g., lack of other measures in addition to the ANPS) and missing information (e.g., on the [sub]samples), which may affect the generalizability of findings. CONCLUSION: Specific endophenotypes and/or patterns of emotional/motivational systems were found for several mental disorders. Specifically, endophenotypes emerged for the Depressive and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Borderline and Avoidant Personality Disorders, type I and II Bipolar Disorders, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The endophenotypes can provide useful reflective elements for both psychodiagnosis and intervention. Overall, the current study may represent an attempt to contribute to the understanding of the basic emotional systems involved in the psychopathological manifestations identified by AN.

The sensitivity of the IOP-29 and IOP-M to coached feigning of depression and mTBI: An online simulation study in a community sample from the United Kingdom.

Assessing the credibility of symptoms is critical to neuropsychological assessment in both clinical and forensic settings. To this end, the Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29) and its recently added memory module (Inventory of Problems-Memory; IOP-M) appear to be particularly useful, as they provide a rapid and cost-effective measure of both symptom and performance validity. While numerous studies have already supported the effectiveness of the IOP-29, research on its newly developed module, the IOP-M, is much sparser. To address this gap, we conducted a simulation study with a community sample (N = 307) from the United Kingdom. Participants were asked to either (a) respond honestly or (b) pretend to suffer from mTBI or (c) pretend to suffer from depression. Within each feigning group, half of the participants received a description of the symptoms of the disorder to be feigned, and the other half received both a description of the symptoms of the disorder to be feigned and a warning not to over-exaggerate their responses or their presentation would not be credible. Overall, the results confirmed the effectiveness of the two IOP components, both individually and in combination.

Markers of emotion regulation processes: A neuroimaging and behavioral study of reappraising abilities.

Emotion regulation (ER) is a core element for individual well-being, and dysregulated emotional states are prominent in several mental disorders. Moreover, dispositional use of adaptive ER strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, is usually associated to better psychological outcomes and less emotional problems. Thus, identifying markers of emotion dysregulation could serve as a key point for developing treatments against risks of psychopathological outcomes. Neuroimaging techniques could represent a useful tool within these aims, focusing on neurobiological markers of psychopathological illness. Given the well known gender differences in using ER strategies, we examined behavioral and neuroimaging patterns associated with dispositional use of reappraisal among a non-clinical female sample. We found that the individual predisposition to use cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy was associated with decreased levels of dysregulation. From a neurobiological perspective, difficulties in using reappraisal were associated with decreased resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between the Middle Temporal Gyrus and occipito-parietal regions. Moreover, rs-FC between prefrontal and occipito-parietal brain regions was negatively associated with emotion dysregulation levels. Microstructural anomalies across white matter tracts connecting temporal, parietal, and occipital brain regions were associated to difficulties in using reappraisal. Our findings suggest that specific behavioral and neurobiological substrates are linked to reappraising abilities. Furthermore, the ability to implement adaptive ER strategies could serve as protective factor against developing emotion dysregulation.

Can the Rorschach be Administered Remotely? A Review of Options and a Pilot Study Using a Newly Developed R-PAS App.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has required psychologists to adopt measures like physical distancing and mask wearing, though other safety procedures such as travel restrictions or prohibitions on in-person practice and research have fostered the use of tele-health tools. In this article, we review options for using the Rorschach task via videoconference and provide preliminary data from using a new electronic app for remote R-PAS administration to determine whether the remote administration in an electronic form yields different information than in-person administration with the cards in hand. As a pilot study, our focus is on the "first factor" of all Rorschach scores, i.e., complexity. Data were collected from 60 adult Italian community volunteers, and statistical analyses evaluated the extent to which the average complexity score significantly departed from R-PAS normative expectations (SS = 100), accompanied by Bayesian likelihoods for supporting the null hypothesis. Results suggest that the general level of complexity shown by the test-takers when administered the Rorschach remotely with the new R-PAS app closely resembles that previously observed using "standard" in-person procedures. Tentative analyses of other R-PAS scores suggested normative departures that could be due to the effects of the app, testing at home, or responses to the pandemic. We offer recommendations for future research and discuss practical implications.

A clinical comparison simulation study using the Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29) with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in Lithuania.

This article contributes to the growing research on the validity of the recently developed, Inventory of Problems - 29 (IOP-29) in the discrimination of feigned from bona fide mental or cognitive disorders. Specifically, we first developed a Lithuanian version of the IOP-29 and tested its validity on a sample of 50 depressed patients and 50 healthy volunteers instructed to feign depression. Next, we reviewed all previously published IOP-29 studies reporting on depression-related presentations (k = 5), and compared our results against previously reported findings. Statistical analyses showed that the Lithuanian IOP-29 discriminated almost perfectly between genuine and experimentally feigned major depression, with Area Under the Curve (AUC) = .98 (SE = .01) and Cohen's d = 3.31. When compared to previously published IOP-29 literature on this same topic, these findings may be characterized as similar or perhaps slightly more encouraging. Indeed, across all international, empirical studies considered in this article, Cohen's d ranged from 1.80 to 4.30, and AUC ranged from .89 to .99. Taken together, these findings contribute to supporting the strong validity and cross-cultural applicability of the IOP-29. They also provide additional support for its use in forensic evaluations.

Comparability and Validity of the Online and In-Person Administrations of the Inventory of Problems-29.

While the psychometric equivalence of computerized versus paper-and-pencil administration formats has been documented for some tests, so far very few studies have focused on the comparability and validity of test scores obtained via in-person versus remote administrations, and none of them have researched a symptom validity test (SVT). To contribute to fill this gap in the literature, we investigated the scores of the Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29) generated by various administration formats. More specifically, Study 1 evaluated the equivalence of scores from nonclinical individuals administered the IOP-29 remotely (n = 146) versus in-person via computer (n = 140) versus in-person via paper-and-pencil format (n = 140). Study 2 reviewed published IOP-29 studies conducted using remote/online versus in-person, paper-and-pencil test administrations to determine if remote testing could adversely influence the validity of IOP-29 test results. Taken together, our findings suggest that the effectiveness of the IOP-29 is preserved when alternating between face-to-face and online/remote formats.

Toward a Cultural Evolutionary Psychology: Why the Evolutionary Approach does not Imply Reductionism or Determinism.

Does evolutionary psychology (EP) properly account for the sociocultural context? Does it underestimate both the developmental and the relational aspects of the human psyche? Is it instantiated in a mechanistic epistemology? Does it imply determinism or reductionism? The commentaries on our previous target article raised similar questions and we try to tackle them in the current response. Our "epistemological assessment" of Psychology and our consequent unification claim under the banner of the evolutionary approach (Zagaria et al., Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 54(3), 521-562, 2020 ) was deeply examined and discussed. The objections to our target article can be grouped into four main categories. We sum them up and argue why: 1) the pre-paradigmatic status of psychology is a problem rather than a richness of perspectives; 2) EP's criticisms stem from common misconceptions-furthermore, developmental and relational aspects of human psyche might find their natural explanation in EP; 3) EP does not wipe out the emergence of the sociocultural context as something qualitatively different; 4) evolutionary meta-theory is not incompatible with subjectivity. Evolutionary psychology might be approached with caution and curiosity, rather than with prejudicial concepts. Incorporating some legitimate cultural criticisms, it may aspire to become a "cultural evolutionary psychology", hence an integrative psychological meta-theory that tries to connect the biological "plane of existence" (Henriques, Review of General Psychology, 7(2), 150-182, 2003) to the cultural "plane of existence". However, a basic philosophical concern has yet to be answered, i.e. what ultimately constitutes mind and thus the "psycho-logical" science. We argue that when trying to find the answer we know where to look at.

Modulation of OMV Production by the Lysis Module of the DLP12 Defective Prophage of Escherichia coli K12.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are nanostructures mostly produced by blebbing of the outer membrane in Gram negative bacteria. They contain biologically active proteins and perform a variety of processes. OMV production is also a typical response to events inducing stress in the bacterial envelope. In these cases, hypervesiculation is regarded as a strategy to avoid the dangerous accumulation of undesired products within the periplasm. Several housekeeping genes influence the biogenesis of OMVs, including those correlated with peptidoglycan and cell wall dynamics. In this work, we have investigated the relationship between OMV production and the lysis module of the E. coli DLP12 cryptic prophage. This module is an operon encoding a holin, an endolysin and two spannins, and is known to be involved in cell wall maintenance. We find that deleting the lysis module increases OMV production, suggesting that during evolution this operon has been domesticated to regulate vesiculation, likely through the elimination of non-recyclable peptidoglycan fragments. We also show that the expression of the lysis module is negatively regulated by environmental stress stimuli as high osmolarity, low pH and low temperature. Our data further highlight how defective prophages finely contribute to bacterial host fitness.

Complexity and Cognitive Engagement in the Rorschach Task: An fMRI Study.

Recently, an eye-tracking study found that Complexity and other R-PAS variables located in the Engagement and Cognitive Processing domain correlated with a proxy marker for cognitive effort and engagement. The goal of the current study was to test the robustness and validity of those eye-tracking findings by inspecting fMRI data. We hypothesized that the greater the level of engagement and cognitive effort put in place by a Rorschach test-taker, the greater the engagement of his/her cortical areas reflecting ongoing top-down attentional processes should be. We re-analyzed archival fMRI data from 26 healthy participants exposed to the Rorschach inkblots with the instruction to think of what they might be. The association of various Engagement and Cognitive Processing R-PAS scores to increased BOLD signals in the Dorsal Attention Network of the brain was examined. As expected, Complexity showed the strongest effect size across all R-PAS variables under investigation (d = 0.43), followed by Synthesis (d = 0.32) and Human Movement (d = 0.21). Noteworthy, the correlation between the effect sizes found in the current fMRI study and those found in the previously published eye-tracking study consists of an impressive r = .80.

A multimethod assessment to study the relationship between rumination and gender differences.

Rumination is described as the propensity of responding to distress by repetitively and passively focusing on one's negative emotions, and failures, and their consequences (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991, 1998). Therefore, given that rumination is characterized especially by difficulties in managing and controlling negative emotional states, it is considered as the most common (impaired) emotional regulation strategy, and can be defined as an emotional process related to a repetitive, undesired, and past-oriented negatively inclined thought (Compare, Zarbo, Shonin, Van Gordon, & Marconi, 2014; Smith & Alloy, 2009). Recent evidence suggested that because of problems related to monitoring of negative states, rumination may be associated with exaggerated physiological reactivity relative to demands from the environment, and to some difficulties in attentional control abilities. The current study aimed at deepening our understanding of the role that a maladaptive emotional regulation strategy - such as rumination - might play in physiological response changes and in engaging dysfunctional attentional strategies. We used a multimethod assessment including self-reports (i.e., Rumination and Reflection Questionnaire, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), physiological measures, (i.e., Heart Rate Variability recording), and attention tasks (i.e., Stroop Task) in order to examine the multiple aspects of rumination across genders. Sixty-eight individuals (30 males and 38 females) were administered DERS -16, RRQ and, soon after them, the Stroop task. Immediately after completing the Stroop task (T1), participants were exposed to a three-phase, baseline-stress-recovery experimental paradigm while their heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded. After completing the experimental paradigm, Stroop stimuli were presented for the second time (T2), in order to examine possible intra-individual differences between the two performances in the Stroop task. Our findings showed that rumination was higher in females than in males, but in men it appeared to be strongly associated with an overall impaired emotional regulation. However, no gender differences in rumination and emotion dysregulation were found when inspecting physiological data. The current study aims to contribute towards a better understanding which emotion regulation strategies and which physiological mechanisms are associated with rumination.

Psychology: a Giant with Feet of Clay.

The aim of the current study has been to highlight the theoretical precariousness of Psychology. The theoretical precariousness has been evidenced through a review of psychological "core-constructs" whose definitions were thoroughly searched in 11 popular introductory textbooks of psychology edited between 2012 and 2019 and in an APA dictionary of Psychology (VandeBos 2015). This analysis has shown unsatisfactory or discordant definitions of psychological "core-constructs". A further epistemological comparison between psychology and three "harder" sciences (i.e., physics, chemistry and biology) seemed to support the "soft" nature of psychology: a minor consensus in its "core" and a minor capacity to accumulate knowledge when compared to the former "harder" sciences (Fanelli in PLoS One, 5, e10068, 2010; Fanelli and Glänzel in PLoS One, 8, e66938, 2013). This comparison also seemed to support the "pre-paradigmatic" condition of psychology, in which conflicts between rival schools of thought hamper the development of a real unified paradigm (Kuhn 1970). To enter a paradigmatic stage, we propose here evolutionary psychology as the most compelling approach, thanks to its empirical support and theoretical consistency. However, since the skepticism about "grand unifying theories" is well disposed (Badcock in Review of General Psychology, 16, 10-23, 2012), we suggest that evolutionary psychology must be intended as a pluralistic approach rather than a monolithic one, and that its main strength is its capacity to resolve the nature-nurture dialectics.

An Inventory of Problems-29 Sensitivity Study Investigating Feigning of Four Different Symptom Presentations Via Malingering Experimental Paradigm.

The Inventory of Problems-29 (IOP-29) is a newly developed, self-administered test designed to assist practitioners evaluating the credibility of various symptom presentations. In a recent simulation study comparing real patients against experimental feigners, its classification accuracy compared favorably with that of the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology and generalized better to different types of symptom reports (i.e., mood- or trauma-related vs. psychosis-related). Extending on these findings, this sensitivity study tested whether the IOP-29 would be similarly accurate in detecting feigning of conditions related to depression, mild traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and schizophrenia. Additionally, it also evaluated the susceptibility of the IOP-29 to uncooperative or random-like responding. Examination of 1,200 IOP-29 records from 400 nonclinical Italian volunteers who took the Italian version of the IOP-29 3 times, in 3 different conditions (i.e., standard instructions, feigned disorder, and random-like responding), confirmed that the IOP-29 might be similarly valid across a wide variety of mental health and cognitive complaints. Indeed, using the standard a priori cutoff of the IOP-29 (i.e., ≥ .50), sensitivity estimates ranged from .86 (for feigned PTSD) to .95 (for feigned depression) and did not significantly differ from one symptom presentation to another. These findings were obtained despite the fact that participants were coached to respond in a believable manner. Interestingly, the random-like responding generated extremely variable IOP-29 scores.