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Biomedical subjects

W E Dixon

Publications and source records attributed to W E Dixon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Heredity and environment in phoneme articulation: hereditary and environmental contributions to articulation proficiency.

Large twin samples and recent applications of multiple regression techniques to behavioral genetics methodology makes possible evaluation of genetic and environmental contributions to the articulation proficiency of individual phonemes. Factor analysis of the articulation scores from 256 MZ and DZ twins and 124 of their non-twin siblings (all children ranged from 2; 11 to 9; 8 years) were conducted to reduce a 50-item articulation test to a more manageable set of five articulation factors. The twins' factor scores were then analyzed using multiple regression procedures to determine the extent to which the individual factors resulted from genetic and/or environmental influences. The /r/ and /[symbol: see text], t[symbol: see text], d[symbol: see text]/ factors were found to have strong genetic components, while the /l, j, w/ factor was found to be strongly influenced by environmental sources of variation.

Child↗

The factor structure of the Rorschach for adolescent inpatients.

The factor structure of the Rorschach inkblot test was examined using a sample of 268 adolescent inpatients (including 105 with conduct disorders and 105 with depressive disorders). An initial analysis found a four-factor solution for both the conduct-disordered and depressive-disordered groups. However, examination of the factor patterns suggested that these groups did not yield significantly different factor structures. Thus, for the final analysis all inpatients were combined, and a single three-factor solution was found. These factors were substantively similar to the initial analysis and were interpreted as consisting of (a) struggles with affective expression, (b) general psychological health, and (c) perceptual organization.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Measuring symbolic play style in infancy: a methodological approach.

Researchers have examined symbolic play style as a qualitative variable distinguishing two groups of children: patterners and dramatists. We have conceptualized style not as a typology of children but as reflecting dimensions of difference between children which are amenable to quantitative analysis. For the construct of style to be invoked, it must be measurable by many variables, it must be observable over time, and it ought to be demonstrably independent of general developmental level. Fifteen boys and 15 girls were each seen twice, once at 21 months of age and again 6 weeks later. The Session 2 pattern of correlations among hypothesized dramatist measures was not entirely consistent with that observed at Session 1; however, three measures, narrative vocalizations, spontaneous play, and elicited-appropriate play were primary dramatist measures at both sessions.

Female↗