Biomedical subjects

Adrian Furnham

Publications and source records attributed to Adrian Furnham.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

General health mediates the relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction and depression. A study with Malaysian medical students.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between life satisfaction, loneliness, general health and depression among 172 medical students in Malaysia. METHOD: Participants completed a questionnaire battery, which included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. RESULTS: Life satisfaction was negatively and significantly correlated with suicidal attitudes, loneliness and depression; and positively with health, which was negatively and significantly correlated with depression and loneliness. Self-concept was negatively correlated with loneliness and depression, depression was positively and significantly correlated with loneliness. Mediational analyses showed that the effects of loneliness and life dissatisfaction on depression were fully mediated by health. CONCLUSION: Even though less satisfied, and particularly lonelier, individuals are more likely to report higher levels of depression, this is only the case because both higher loneliness and life dissatisfaction are associated with poorer health. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in developing nations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The relative influence of facial neoteny and waist-to-hip ratio on judgements of female attractiveness and fecundity.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) affects perceptions of female physical attractiveness and fecundity. This study tested the assumption that facial attractiveness explained more variance in overall ratings and fecundity than WHR, when the latter is manipulated within the normal range (0.67 - 0.85). One hundred and sixty-one participants (mean age = 21.5) rated the attractiveness, youthfulness, fertility, healthiness and likelihood of being pregnant for 27 photographs of three females in which facial attractiveness in terms of neoteny (three levels) and WHR (three levels) had been systematically digitally manipulated. Facial attractiveness exerted a significant influence on judgements of attractiveness, youthfulness, fertility and healthiness, whereas WHR only affected likelihood of being pregnant. Results are interpreted in terms of neotenous facial attractiveness providing potential mates with information concerning phenotypic and genetic quality.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Incremental validity of the typical intellectual engagement scale as predictor of different academic performance measures.

The incremental validity of the Typical Intellectual Engagement (TIE) scale (Goff & Ackerman, 1992) as a predictor of academic performance (AP) was tested over and above other established determinants of AP, namely, psychometric g (as extracted from 5 cognitive ability tests) and the Big Five personality traits, assessed by the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992). One hundred four British students were tested on arrival to university, and AP measures were collected longitudinally throughout a 3-year period. TIE, g, and Conscientiousness were the highest correlates of AP. A series of multiple-hierarchical regressions showed that TIE had significant incremental validity (over and above g and the Big Five) in the prediction of AP. Implications are discussed in light of the investment theory of intellectual competence and the utility of self-report inventories as predictors of academic achievement.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Patient preferences for medical doctors.

A sample of 395 white, native English-speaking adults were asked to rate eight medical doctors (general practitioners (GPs) and consultants), representing all permutations of the following three attributes: age (<35 versus >50), training location (UK versus Asia) and gender. Approximately half the participants were allocated in a group with a condition involving an intimate type of health problem and the rest in a group with a non-intimate condition. Participants showed a preference for UK-trained doctors, although it was unclear whether this was due to the homogeneous composition of the sample. There were significant two-way interactions involving patient gender and doctor gender in the first case and doctor age and training location in the second. Additional interactions were specific to either the general practitioner or the consultant ratings. Overall, there were more significant effects in general practitioner ratings, suggesting that people de-emphasize their preferences when selecting consultants.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Gender differences in self-rated and partner-rated multiple intelligences: a Portuguese replication.

The authors examined gender differences and the influence of intelligence quotient (IQ) test experience in the self and partner estimation of H. Gardner's (1999) 10 multiple intelligences. Portuguese students (N = 190) completed a brief questionnaire developed on the basis of an instrument used in previous research (A. Furnham, 2001). Three of the 10 self-estimates yielded significant gender differences. Men believed they were more intelligent than were women on mathematical (logical), spatial, and naturalistic intelligence. Those who had previously completed an IQ test gave higher self-estimates on 2 of the 10 estimates. Factor analysis of the 10 and then 8 self-estimated scores did not confirm Gardner's 3-factor classification of multiple intelligences in this sample.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Estimating self, parental, and partner multiple intelligences: a replication in Malaysia.

Participants were 230 adult Malaysians who estimated their own, their parents', and their partners' overall IQs and 10 multiple intelligences. In accordance with both the previous literature and the authors' hypotheses, men rated themselves higher than did women on overall, verbal, logical-mathematical, and spatial intelligences. There were fewer gender differences in ratings of parents and in those of partners. Participants believed that they were more intelligent than both parents (but not their partners) and that their fathers were more intelligent than their mothers. Regressions indicated that participants believed that verbal intelligence and--to a lesser extent--logical-mathematical intelligence were the main predictors of overall intelligence. The authors discussed results in terms of the extant cross-cultural literature in the field.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Estimating one's own and one's relatives' multiple intelligence: a study from Argentina.

Participants from Argentina (N = 217) estimated their own, their partner's, their parents' and their grandparents' overall and multiple intelligences. The Argentinean data showed that men gave higher overall estimates than women (M = 110.4 vs. 105.1) as well as higher estimates on mathematical and spatial intelligence. Participants thought themselves slightly less bright than their fathers (2 IQ points) but brighter than their mothers (6 points), their grandfathers (8 points), but especially their grandmothers (11 points). Regressions showed that participants thought verbal and mathematical IQ to be the best predictors of overall IQ. Results were broadly in agreement with other studies in the area. A comparison was also made with British data using the same questionnaire. British participants tended to give significantly higher self-estimates than for relatives, though the pattern was generally similar. Results are discussed in terms of the studies in the field.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

British Gujarati Indian immigrants' and British Caucasians' beliefs about health and illness.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: This study examined cultural differences in beliefs about health and illness to explore differences in younger and older British Caucasians' and British Gujarati Indian immigrants' beliefs about health and illness. METHODS: This study required a matched group consisting of first- and second-generation Gujarati Indian immigrants and native British Caucasians to complete a questionnaire assessing their beliefs concerning health and illness. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the health beliefs questionnaire identified six clear factors accounting for 36.04% of the variance. Subsequent ANCOVAs conducted on the factor scores, partialling out the demographic differences between the participants, revealed that Gujarati Indian immigrants agreed with items reflecting supernatural explanations of ill health more than indigenous British Caucasian participants. Older Indian immigrants also rated chance-related factors as more important than older Caucasian immigrants. There were no significant differences between the Gujarati Indian immigrants and British Caucasians in terms of attributions made to psychological factors and self-responsibility, social factors and life circumstances, medical treatment and physical vulnerability and the external environment. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are discussed in relation to the model proposed by Helman (2001) and the impact of migration on health beliefs systems; practical implications of the findings are also highlighted.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Explaining individual differences in scholastic behaviour and achievement.

BACKGROUND: This paper presents results from the first wave of a longitudinal study examining the effects of various psychosocial variables on scholastic achievement and behaviour at school. AIMS: The main aim is to investigate the nature and strength of the effects of major individual difference dimensions on important outcome variables at school level, including academic performance, truancy, and antisocial behaviour. SAMPLES: Data were collected from a sample of 901 pupils on verbal ability (as a proxy for cognitive ability), personality traits, and a number of behavioural indices, including academic performance at 14 and 16 years, number of authorized and unauthorized absences, and exclusions from school due to antisocial conduct. METHODS: During the first stage of the study, seven schools participated in all three phases. Teachers administered a questionnaire battery in class according to a detailed protocol. Additional data were collected from school archives. RESULTS: Analysis of the data through multi-group (male and female pupils) structural equation modelling indicated a very strong effect of verbal ability on academic performance. Extraversion and psychoticism were negatively related to academic performance, although their effects were weak and moderated by gender. Verbal ability, extraversion, and psychoticism predicted absenteeism, truancy, and exclusions from school due to disruptive conduct. The latter three were negatively associated with academic performance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that major individual difference dimensions like verbal ability and personality traits, have a strong influence on important outcome variables at school level, including academic performance, truancy, and antisocial behaviour. Without fully acknowledging the crucial role of individual differences in shaping behaviour and achievement at school, the timely identification of pupils at risk, and the development of effective intervention schemes will be difficult.

Achievement↗

PubMed2005

A cross-cultural investigation into the relationships between personality traits and work values.

Over 500 working individuals from 2 European countries (Great Britain and Greece) participated in a 2-study investigation into the relationships between the Big Five personality factors and individuals' work values. In Study 1 (N = 314), British employees completed the 60-item NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1989) and the Work Values Questionnaire (WVQ; Mantech, 1983), which comprises 37 items measuring intrinsic (e.g., autonomy) and extrinsic (e.g., pay) work values. In Study 2 (N = 216), Greek employees completed a Greek language measure of the Big Five and a translated version of the WVQ. The authors observed a similar factor structure for the WVQ items in both studies. Personality traits, age, and gender explained between 5% and 13% of the variance in the WVQ subscales. As a result of the 2 studies, the authors concluded that there are robust associations between certain personality traits and work values, although they do not clearly follow the intrinsic vs. extrinsic distinction.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Lay theories of schizophrenia. A cross-cultural comparison of British and Hong Kong Chinese attitudes, attributions and beliefs.

BACKGROUND: This study set out to compare British and Chinese young people's beliefs about the manifestations, causes and cures of schizophrenia. METHOD: A total of 339 participants completed a 60-item questionnaire to compare lay theories of schizophrenia between British (in England) and Chinese (in Hong Kong) participants. The participants completed the three-part questionnaire in their mother tongue looking at beliefs about schizophrenia in general, causal explanation for the aetiology of schizophrenia and optimal cures for the condition. It was hypothesized that the Chinese would possess more negative attitudes and beliefs about schizophrenia than the British. It was also predicted that the Chinese would tend to use primarily a sociological model to explain the aetiology of schizophrenia. RESULTS: These two hypotheses were confirmed after factor-analysing the internal structure of the three sections of the questionnaire. However, the Chinese, compared to the British, did not use more superstitious beliefs to explain the behaviour of people with schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: Concern with mental health literacy has led to more studies on lay theories about major mental illnesses (specifically schizophrenia) because these theories reflect societal attitudes to patients and behaviour toward them. This study suggests that even well-educated young people remain ignorant about one of the most challenging mental illnesses. Implications for help-seeking behaviour and the course of the illness in individuals are considered.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Estimating one's own personality and intelligence scores.

One hundred and eighty-seven university students completed the full NEO-PI-R assessing the five super-traits and 30 primary traits, and the Wonderlic Personnel Test of general intelligence. Two months later (before receiving feedback on their psychometric scores), they estimated their own scores on these variables. Results at the super-factor level indicated that participants could significantly predict/estimate their own Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness scores. The correlation between estimated and psychometrically measured IQ was r=.30, showing that participants could, to some extent, accurately estimate their intelligence. In addition, there were a number of significant correlations between estimated intelligence and psychometrically assessed personality (particularly Neuroticism, Agreeableness and Extraversion). Disagreeable people tended to award themselves higher self-estimated intelligence scores. Similarly, stable people tended to award themselves higher estimates of intelligence (even when other variables were controlled). Regressing both estimated and psychometric IQ scores onto estimated and psychometric personality scores indicated that the strongest significant effect was the relationship between trait scores and self-estimated intelligence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

A possible model for understanding the personality--intelligence interface.

Despite the recent increase in the number of studies examining empirical links between personality and intelligence (see Hofstee, 2001; Zeidner & Matthews, 2000), a theoretical integration of ability and nonability traits remains largely unaddressed. This paper presents a possible conceptual framework for understanding the personality-intelligence interface. In doing so, it conceptualizes three different levels of intelligence, namely, intellectual ability (which comprises both Gf and Gc), IQ test performance and subjectively assessed intelligence (a mediator between personality, intellectual ability and IQ test performance). Although the model draws heavily upon correlation evidence, each of its paths may be tested independently. The presented model may, therefore, be used to explore causation and further develop theoretical approaches to understanding the relation between ability and nonability traits underlying human performance.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

Self-estimates of intelligence: a study in two African countries.

Black and White South Africans (n = 181) and Nigerians (n = 135) completed a questionnaire concerning the estimations of their own and their relatives' (father, mother, sister, brother) multiple intelligences as well as beliefs about the IQ concept. In contrast to previous results (A. Furnham, 2001), there were few gender differences in self-estimates. In a comparison of Black and White South Africans, it was clear the Whites gave higher estimates for self, parents, and brothers. However, overall IQ estimates for self and all relatives hovered around the mean of 100. When Black South Africans and Nigerians were compared, there were both gender and nationality differences on the self-estimates with men giving higher self-estimates than women and Nigerians higher self-estimates than South Africans. There were also gender and nationality differences in the answers to questions about IQ. The authors discuss possible reasons for the relatively few gender differences in this study compared with other studies as well as possible reasons for the cross-cultural difference.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Estimates of emotional and psychometric intelligence: evidence for gender-based stereotypes.

The authors examined participants' estimates of own and parental psychometric intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EI). The authors asked 224 participants (82 men, 138 women, 4 people who did not report their gender) to estimate their own and their parents' IQ and EI scores on a normal distribution ranging from 55 to 145 points. The authors hypothesized that men would give higher IQ but lower EI self-estimates than women and that participants, regardless of gender, would rate their fathers as higher on IQ but lower on EI than their mothers. The results confirmed the hypotheses, supporting the view that people perceive psychometric intelligence as a primarily masculine attribute in contrast with emotional intelligence, which they perceive as a primarily feminine attribute. The results also showed that the intensity of the stereotypical perception of EI as a feminine attribute diminished when the authors asked participants to estimate their scores on a range of specific EI facets instead of providing a direct overall self-estimate.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Phobic anxiety in 11 nations. Part I: Dimensional constancy of the five-factor model.

The Fear Survey Schedule-III (FSS-III) was administered to a total of 5491 students in Australia, East Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and Venezuela, and submitted to the multiple group method of confirmatory analysis (MGM) in order to determine the cross-national dimensional constancy of the five-factor model of self-assessed fears originally established in Dutch, British, and Canadian samples. The model comprises fears of bodily injury-illness-death, agoraphobic fears, social fears, fears of sexual and aggressive scenes, and harmless animals fears. Close correspondence between the factors was demonstrated across national samples. In each country, the corresponding scales were internally consistent, were intercorrelated at magnitudes comparable to those yielded in the original samples, and yielded (in 93% of the total number of 55 comparisons) sex differences in line with the usual finding (higher scores for females). In each country, the relatively largest sex differences were obtained on harmless animals fears. The organization of self-assessed fears is sufficiently similar across nations to warrant the use of the same weight matrix (scoring key) for the FSS-III in the different countries and to make cross-national comparisons feasible. This opens the way to further studies that attempt to predict (on an a priori basis) cross-national variations in fear levels with dimensions of national cultures.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Gender, anxiety-depressivity and self-image among adolescents.

Two groups of non- and "quasi-depressives"-the latter corresponding to high depression scorers-German adolescents were examined to determine the effect of gender and depression in predicting physical ailments, self-image and attitudes towards parents. Quasi-depressive adolescents displayed higher frequencies of physical complaints across all five subscales of the Giessen physical complaints inventory compared to the non-depressive counterparts. Females generally reported more ailments (exhaustion, gastrointestinal, circulatory, and colds) than males. In contrast to males who showed scarce difference between depressives and non-depressives, female depressives exhibited substantially higher gastrointestinal ailments than non-depressive females. Depressives emerged as displaying inferior self-images, lower paternal acceptance, and somewhat higher maternal rejection, compared to non-depressives. Female adolescents displayed lower self-image, lower paternal acceptance (but not maternal rejection/acceptance), lower mathematical competency, and higher linguistic competency, when compared to male adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Zulu mothers' beliefs about their own and their children's intelligence.

Zulu women (N = 133) were given a structural interview concerning their own and their children's multiple intelligences. The best predictor of their own self-estimated overall intelligence rating was mathematical and spatial intelligence. Mothers showed few significant differences in their estimates of their sons and daughters' overall or multiple intelligences. However, they rated their daughters' interpersonal intelligence higher than those of their sons, and their sons' bodily-kinesthetic intelligence higher than those of their daughters. The mothers believed that overall their children were about 6 IQ points more intelligent than themselves. Although mothers estimated their own spatial, inter-, and intrapersonal intelligence to be higher than those of their children, they also believed that their children had higher mathematical intelligence.

Adolescent↗