AIM:To investigate the validity of Rorschach inkblot method (RIM) in personality research by calculating the correlation of RIM with 16 personality factor questionnaire (16 PF).METHODS: Totally 70 undergraduates participated in the examination with RIM and 16 PF, then the correlations of all the variables of two measuring techniques were calculated. Standard score of comprehensive system was used in RIM.RESULTS: Some important Rorschach variables were correlated significantly with 16PF factors, and the correlations are consistent with their meaning. Some variables correlated with 16PF factors but were irrelevant in meaning.CONCLUSION: The results support the validity of RIM in personality study, and they also demonstrate that comprehensive system cannot well annotate RIM, but the meaning of some variables should be further researched.

BACKGROUND: Item response theory (IRT) is widely used in the westem world, but its use for non-cognitive measurement has been very limited in China. It is necessary to explore whether IRT is applicable in non-cognitive settings and find the optimal model.OBJECTIVE: To find the optimal IRT model for self-report questionnaire analysis with the instance of emotional competence scale (ECS) and compare the effectiveness of different models in light of model data fitting and the volume of information provision.DESIGN: A comparative study of different psychometric models tested with the same data set.SETTING: Shandong Laiwu Vocational and Technical College; Department of Psychology, Liaoning Normal University.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 617 college students of Shandong Normal University (311 males and 306 females)and 564 senior high school students of the 17 Laiwu High School (283 males and 281females) participated in the study during May 2004.METHODS: Emotional competence scale (ECS) was adopted for psychometric measurement for 5-point Likert-type items. The scale was divided into 9 subscales, namely impulse control, empathy, persistency, interpersonal intimacy, social skills, emotional regulation, emotional stability, sense of responsibility, and self-confidence. One-parameter, two-parameter and three-parameter logistic model and grade response model were used for analysis of the 9 subscales, followed by goodness of fit test (analogous to Chi-square test) and comparison of the measurement precision (reliability)of the three models.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Log-likelihood ratio, average χ2 statistics and average volume of information when one-parameter, two-parameter and three-parameter Logistic model.RESULTS: Totally 1 220 questionnaires were handed out and 1 181 with valid answers were obtained. Comparison of the 3 logistic model showed that the two-parameter logistic model had the least log-likelihood with the least items whose mean square residual error were greater than 2, and the volume of test information was greater than that provided by one-parameter model and no less than the three-parameter model. Therefore, the two-parameter logistic model was the best for 2-point scoring model. But the measurement precision of two-parameter Logistic model was lower than that of multi-grade response model.CONCLUSION: When 2-point items are adopted in self-report questionnaire, 2-parameter logistic model can be applied but not 1- or 3-parameter Logistic models. But when the questionnaire uses items that have more than 2 response grades, the measurement precision can be better than that of 2-point data. Merge of the options for the items may result in lowered measurement precision.

Objective To explore the characteristics of conceptual priming and perceptual priming in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods The implicit memory (conceptual repetition priming and perceptual repetition priming) and Neuropsychological (DS, VFT, CTT interference time) tests were conducted on 30 aMCI patients, 30 AD patients and 30 normal elderly people. Results Compared with the normal elderly group and the aMCI group, DS, VFT, CTT interference time and conceptual repetition priming of AD patients were lower than those in the normal elderly group (P<0.01). However, perceptual repetition priming was no statistically significant among the groups (P>0.05). Conclusion AD patients have impairments on the conceptual repetition priming , DS, VFT, CTT interference time and implicit memory and the decrease in the frontal lobe function may be an important neurological basis for AD.