Investigating Developmental Profiles of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Early Indicators and Directions for Intervention

The study describes the relationships between autistic symptomatology severity, developmental heterogeneity, and chronological age for a group of 62 Brazilian children with ASD (59 boys, 3 girls); average chronological age was 42 months and 8 days (SD = 17 months, 15 days). Assessments were carried out with the Social Cognitive Evaluation Battery (SCEB), a French psychological assessment tool currently being validated in Brazil, and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Results indicated a negative correlation between developmental levels and intensity of autistic symptoms; a negative correlation between heterogeneity indices and developmental levels; and a positive correlation between heterogeneity indices and autistic symptomatology intensity. When comparing the group of younger children (less than 33 months) to the older children in the sample, the study demonstrates that early socio-emotional heterogeneity is a developmental marker in young children with ASD, and this finding can lead to personalized intervention programs.

Nine Ways to Detect Possible Scientific Misconduct in Research with Small (N < 200) Samples

Some scientists have fabricated their data, yet have published their fake results in peer-reviewed journals. How can we detect patterns typical of fabricated research? Nine relatively less complex ways for detecting potentially fabricated data in small samples (N < 200), are presented, using data from articles published since 1999 as illustrations. Even with smaller samples, there are several ways in which scholars, as well as their undergraduate and graduate students, can detect possible fabrication of data as well as other questionable research practices (QRPs). However, with larger samples, other techniques may be needed.

Can Social Desirability Be Detected Statistically at the Macro-Sociological Level?

While a few have argued that social science has been subject to progressive biases, others have discounted such ideas. However, no one has yet performed empirical tests over a large range of studies for such possible bias, which we label macro-level social desirability (MLSD). Combining the results from fifty-nine empirical studies that assessed rates of nonheterosexuality among children of same-sex parents, we found that the higher the maximum rates reported, the less likely those reports were to have been cited in Google Scholar by counts or by annual rate, which may reflect MLSD. However, after several statistical controls, the association for counts became non-significant, while the association for rates became stronger, although the effect sizes were in a moderate (d = .28 or higher) to large range (d, up to .68) by either analysis. Generally, research quality acted as a suppressor variable for MLSD but was significantly related to both counts and rates of citations, indicating that higher quality articles were more likely to have been cited, even controlling for the number of years since first publication. Higher quality articles were slightly more likely to report higher rates of nonheterosexuality among children of same-sex parents. We discuss implications of our findings and suggest future directions of research.

Schizophrenia, Culture, and Culture-Bound Syndromes

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that affects people all around the world. It presents in many different contexts, across geographic boundaries, and in different ways. Rates of schizophrenia seem generally to be the same regardless of geographical location, though there is some evidence that those in developed nations have a higher incidence of the disorder. Also, immigrants who relocate to areas where their culture has little, or no representation are at more risk for schizophrenia. While the prevalence of schizophrenia is similar around the world, the presentation of the disorder can vary widely, depending on the cultural, religious, and supernatural beliefs native to specific areas. Examples of varying types of presentation of schizophrenia, including culture-bound disorder variants, can give insight into the ways in which people from across the world make sense of this devastating disease, and ways in which they attempt to treat it.