This study investigated if scores on tests of personal qualities are affected by whether they will determine selection decisions ("high stakes") or not; and whether they are stable for individuals and groups across a four-year medical course. Two tests, one assessing values and one assessing components of personality, were administered either at the same time as a medical university entrance exam (first cohort; N = 216), or after entry was confirmed (second cohort; N = 142). Both cohorts took the tests again after four years of medical school. Analysis of variance was used to compare group mean scores and interactions, and correlation coefficients to measure temporal reliability. The high stakes cohort initially presented themselves in a significantly more positive light on the personality test. After four years of medical school scores on both tests changed significantly, towards more communitarian values and less empathic attitudes. Thus, personality scores were affected by both the conditions under which the initial tests were conducted and by the passage of time, but values only by the passage of time. Before and after scores were significantly correlated.
Background: Tehran University of Medical Sciences has two streams of medical student admission: an established high school entry (HSE) route and an experimental graduate entry (GE) route.
An investigation into personality factors possibly underlying ethical behaviour in medical students and doctors indicated the importance of two primary dimensions, empathy and narcissism. Experimental questionnaires based on these dimensions were constructed and administered to large samples of medical school applicants. Factor analyses suggested the presence of four factors, labelled Narcissism, Aloofness, Empathy and Confidence. These were combined in a 100-item instrument intended for screening purposes. This paper reports on two construct validation studies for the intrument, with New Zealand medical students (n = 237) and Scottish medical school applicants (n = 510), using overlapping batteries of personality scales. The validity coefficients for the samples indicate similar constructs for narcissism (related to disagreeableness, aggressiveness, aloofness from others, sensitivity to rewards, and anxiety), and empathy (related positively to emotional intelligence, extraversion, open-mindedness, compliance with others and negatively to aloofness). Factor analysis supports the hypothesis of separate dimensions for narcissistic aggression and empathic relationships.
Previous research has found university students report higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general population. Our aim was to investigate the degree to which personality and contextual factors predict psychological distress and well-being in students over the course of a semester. We also examined whether resilience-building skills, such as positive self-talk, mindfulness meditation and self-management, included in a first-year psychology subject, might reduce distress and improve well-being. Undergraduate first-year students (n = 150) completed a battery of questionnaires in week three (Time 1; n = 150) and week 10 (Time 2; n = 53) of semester. At both times students reported high levels of psychological distress, as measured by the K10, the General Health Questionnaire and the Brief Symptom Inventory, and low levels of psychological well-being, as measured by the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Students exposed to resilience-building skills embedded in a subject (n = 24) were no less distressed at Time 2 than those not enrolled in that subject (n = 29). The personality traits of emotional resilience (vs. reactivity) and bounce-back resilience measured at Time 1 were the only significant predictors of psychological distress and well-being measured at Time 2. Students with high emotional and bounce-back resilience had lower psychological distress and higher well-being scores. Future research could consider development and trial of a full semester university subject designed to improve students' resilience knowledge and skills.
Most studies of moral reasoning are based on the Kohlberg cognitive developmental model. Using an alternative scoring procedure for the Sociomoral Reflective Objective Measure Short-Form (Basinger & Gibbs, 1987) revealed a dimension unrelated to moral reasoning. This was identified as a Libertarian – Communitarian dimension of moral orientation and the development of a new scale to measure this, involving 6650 applicants to medical schools, is described. The moral orientation scores of 166 medical school applicants and undergraduate psychology students were correlated with the Schwartz Values Survey (SVS). Conceptually coherent significant relationships were observed. Factor analysis indicated that a bipolar value dimension of Freedom of the Individual versus Duty to the Group could be added to Schwartz's two-dimensional values structure. The relationships observed between responses to the moral dilemmas of the Mojac scale and the values and value types of the SVS suggest that the Libertarian – Communitarian dimension might be a major psychological variable in linking the values we hold to the moral decisions we make.
Abstract The social work profession has long struggled to find fair and effective ways of selecting students into their education programs. A psychometric test battery, gathered together under the title "Personal Qualities Assessment" (PQA) has been developed at the University of Newcastle to identify a range of qualities in aspiring health professionals. Two of its components were used to determine whether there was a relationship between scores obtained by social work students in these tests and scores achieved in an empathic listening and critical review hurdle assessment prior to the first field placement. The results showed that social work students who were moderately empathic, not narcissistic, and moderately libertarian in their moral orientation performed better on the assessment than students who were less empathic, more narcissistic, or extreme in their moral orientation. These results suggest that measurement of these qualities could be useful in selecting the most suitable individuals for social work programs.
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