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The aim of this article is to assess the measurement invariance of the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) in U.S. Anglo (n = 490) and U.S. Hispanic (n = 379) samples of college students. The BVAQ items demonstrated invariance of the factor loadings, the latent item intercepts, and unique factor variances. However, Hispanics had higher verbalizing scores and lower fantasizing scores on the latent variables. As a whole, the BVAQ requires additional testing and/or refinement for use with a Hispanic sample. Until such refinements, the authors recommend that the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 be used with U.S. Hispanic samples. (Contains 2 notes and 2 tables.)

This project tested the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) and the Novaco Anger Scale-Provocation Inventory (NAS-PI) in a sample of U.S. Hispanic (n = 257) and U.S. non-Hispanic White (n = 246) undergraduate students. Internal consistency, subscale correlations, convergent validity with the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI), and predictive validity were all analyzed. Across ethnic groups, all major subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability. Correlations between the subscales were strong for both groups within each measure and with the subscales of the other measure. In predicting PI scores, there was no evidence of intercept invariance across the ethnic groups and no evidence of slope invariance when either measure was used as a predictor. Results suggest that both measures are valid for use in Hispanic samples. (Contains 1 note and 6 tables.)

In two studies, a defendant's ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and crime status were varied for effects on verdict decisions, sentencing recommendations, culpability assignments, and trait assessments. In Study 1, European Americans (N = 221) provided a low SES Mexican American defendant with more guilt verdicts, a lengthier sentence, and higher culpability ratings, compared to a high SES Mexican American or a European American defendant, regardless of crime status. Higher negative trait ratings occurred for a low SES Mexican American who committed a low status crime. In Study 2, Mexican Americans (N = 136) showed no differences for guilt verdicts, recommended sentence, or culpability assignment. These findings demonstrate that European American bias toward Mexican Americans may operate in all phases of the legal process, and future research should address specific contexts where bias applies. (Contains 4 tables and 3 notes.)

Anger has become one of the most widely studied emotions in the psychological literature. In order to accurately assess individual differences in emotions, validated and reliable measures must be incorporated to compare findings across studies. One of the most widely used anger scales is the Novaco Anger Scale-Provocation Inventory (NAS-PI; Novaco 2003 (See CR23)). This project examined a new translation of the NAS-PI into the German language (Ger - NAS-PI). To validate the new German translation of the NAS-PI in German and U.S. samples. In two samples of undergraduate students, U.S. and German, internal consistency, subscale correlations, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity were all analyzed. For both ethnic groups, all coefficient alphas exceeded .70 for the major subscales (NAS-PI), and correlations between the subscales were strong for both groups within each measure and with measures of convergent and discriminant validity. In predicting PI scores and Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry 1992 (See CR5)) scores, there was no evidence of intercept invariance for the AQ across the two national groups and limited evidence of slope invariance. Results suggest that the new translation is appropriate for use with German samples, but the concept of anger in German population may need further evaluation., Author(s): Andre Kehn[sup.1] , Scott E. Culhane[sup.2] , Larisa Kolmans[sup.3] , Stephan J. Bongard[sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Psychology, Department. 8380, University of North Dakota, 58202, Grand Forks, ND, [...]

The impact of alibi testimony on juror decision making is not yet clear because it has been examined empirically infrequently. This study was designed to determine the impact of alibi witness' testimony, the impact of an alibi witness with a relationship in comparison to one without a relationship to the defendant, and the impact of an eyewitness' confidence on juror decision making. Results indicated that mock jurors acquit a defendant more often when an alibi witness with no relationship to the defendant testified on his behalf. Participants did not believe an alibi witness who had a relationship with the defendant even though the witness was not a family member. Implications for these results are discussed.

Police departments across many countries have rapidly begun implementing the use of body cameras to document their interactions with the public. Previous research has shown that body camera footage of a police shooting was viewed positively before, but negatively immediately following, the media coverage of the Ferguson, MO shooting of Michael Brown [Culhane, S.E., Boman IV, J., and Schweitzer, K., 2016. Public perceptions of the justifiability of police shootings: the role of body cameras in a pre/post-Ferguson experiment. Police quarterly, 19, 251-274. doi:10.1177/1098611116651403]. This paper presents a partial replication of their final study. In this replication, participants watched, heard, or read about a police shooting involving a man with a weapon. The data collection was conducted one year after Brown’s death. Results indicated that judgments of the shooting’s justification returned to those seen before the Ferguson incident. When participants could see the event unfold, they were significantly more likely to judge the shooting was justified when compared to participants in the study shortly after the Ferguson incident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are multiple statistical approaches used in understanding reentry, there is little consensus on the benefits and limitations of some of the more popular techniques as they relate to each other. Here, two common methods, lagged dependent variable modeling and hierarchical generalized linear modeling, are contrasted. To examine how particular modeling strategies may lead to different understandings of recidivism within reentry, we use data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI; N = 1,697) to provide an example of the two statistical approaches and discuss the benefits and limitations of each strategy. While researchers will need to make important decisions about which strategy best addresses their research question, results of our analyses show that in dealing with reentry data across more than two waves, a hierarchical generalized linear model is often the preferred approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined three primary goals within the deception detection literature that have not been previously assessed in combination. First, we assessed if decisions about the veracity of a statement are more accurate in dyads than individuals. Second, we evaluated whether type of lie (mock transgressions versus real transgression [RT]) influenced observers' ability to distinguish a truthful statement from a lie. Third, we assessed if the presentation mode (audio versus video with audio) impacted deception detection accuracy. A sample of college students (n = 282) evaluated eight previously recorded statements for veracity. True and false statements were elicited through a cheating paradigm (i.e. RTs) or a mock transgression paradigm. Participants either viewed and listened to these statements or only listened to an audio recording. Results of an analysis of variance indicated that working in dyads did not improve deception detection accuracy. Participants were significantly more accurate in detecting deception in situations where the speaker believes a RT has occurred. The highest accuracy rates were achieved in the real transgression audio condition. Implications of these results for the practice of detecting deceit are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research reports 61 male serial homicide offenders' Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory -- 2 (MMPI-2) results. Offenders had an average MMPI-2 profile code of 4-6-8. They also scored high on the Harris-Lingoes scales of Authority Problems, Persecutory Ideas, and Emotional Alienation. Megargee classifications were fairly divided, but Delta was the largest grouping. A hierarchical cluster analysis of MMPI-2 profiles revealed two distinct profiles, one disturbed and one non-disturbed. The disturbed cluster showed numerous elevations on the clinical scales, while the non-disturbed cluster only had an elevation on Psychopathic Deviance. There were several differences in content and supplementary scales measurements for the two clusters. The MMPI-2 basic scales were limited in the prediction of offender's murderous behavior. This project shows the average serial murderer has a typical MMPI-2 pattern and one indicative of emotional disorders. However, the murderers remain diverse in their individual psychopathologies. Implications and limitations of the research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]