Abstract Although Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is well established as a diagnosis in childhood, the diagnosis in adults remains controversial. The present study compared the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) performance of 60 clinic-referred adults with current ADHD symptomatology to normal subjects. Adults with current ADHD symptoms were found to make more errors of omission and commission than did normal adults. The signal detection theory variable, d', indicated that patients with ADHD were less sensitive to stimulus features than were normals. Using several CPT measures to predict group status, the CPT appeared to be of moderate clinical utility. These CPT results lend convergent validity to similar results in child populations and help to establish ADHD as a valid disorder of adulthood.
The psychometric characteristics of the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI) are examined with a sample of 1,709 U.S. military personnel. Reliability analyses indicate that the HPSI scales are internally consistent. Item factor analytic procedures support the tridimensional nature of the HPSI and confirm the appropriateness of the instrument’s scoring key. Because significant differences emerge between HPSI scale scores and the norms available in the HPSI test manual, new military norms and cutoff scores are reported. Overall, findings extend previous nonmilitary research on the HPSI and support its use with a military population.
Two studies are reported which compare more and less successful account officers (debt collectors) in terms of their emotional intelligence, measured using the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory. The findings support the view that higher levels of emotional intelligence lead to enhanced job performance. Implications for selection are considered in the conclusion.
The authors have claimed that emotional intelligence (EI) meets traditional standards for an intelligence (J. D. Mayer, D. R. Caruso, & P. Salovey, 1999). R. D. Roberts, M. Zeidner, and G. Matthews (2001) questioned whether that claim was warranted. The central issue raised by Roberts et al. concerning Mayer et al. (1999) is whether there are correct answers to questions on tests purporting to measure EI as a set of abilities. To address this issue (and others), the present authors briefly restate their view of intelligence, emotion, and EI. They then present arguments for the reasonableness of measuring EI as an ability, indicate that correct answers exist, and summarize recent data suggesting that such measures are, indeed, reliable.
