Faye Plummer - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Papers by Faye Plummer
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2012
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013
Recent models of the early emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose that infant intr... more Recent models of the early emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose that infant intrinsic risk susceptibilities in behaviour may be amplified by interaction within the early social environment into an increasingly atypical developmental trajectory. This study examines whether 6- and 12-month parent-infant interactions in at-risk siblings differ from those with low-risk and whether--in at-risk siblings--such interactions predict later 3-year classification of ASD or no ASD. Within the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS), 6-min videotaped episodes of parent-infant free play in infants at 6-10 months (45 at-risk siblings and 47 low-risk siblings) and 12-15 months (43 at-risk siblings and 48 low-risk siblings) in a laboratory setting were rated on the Manchester Assessment of Caregiver-Infant Interaction (MACI), blind to participant information. Standard tests were administered for concurrent behavioural signs of ASD features and developmental level. Systematic consensus diagnostic classification of ASD was made at 3 years for the at-risk siblings. Parent nondirectiveness and sensitive responsiveness differed in relation to ASD/risk status (at-risk ASD, at-risk no-ASD and low-risk) at both 6 and 12 months. At 6 months, infant liveliness was lower in the at-risk groups; at 12 months, infant attentiveness to parent and positive affect were lower in the at-risk group later diagnosed with ASD. Dyadic mutuality and intensity of engagement showed a group effect at 12 months. Dyadic mutuality, infant positive affect and infant attentiveness to parent at 12 months (but not 6 months) predicted 3-year ASD outcome, whereas infant ASD-related behavioural atypicality did not. This is the first prospective evidence that early dyadic interaction between at-risk infants and their parents is associated with later diagnostic outcome in ASD. Possible explanations for these findings and their theoretical implications are considered.
Acta Psychologica, 2012
When attempting to detect a near-threshold signal, participants often incorrectly report the pres... more When attempting to detect a near-threshold signal, participants often incorrectly report the presence of a signal, particularly when a stimulus in a different modality is presented. Here we investigated the effect of prior experience of bimodal visuotactile stimuli on the rate of falsely reported touches in the presence of a light. In Experiment 1, participants made more false alarms in light-present than light-absent trials, despite having no experience of the experimental visuotactile pairing. This suggests that light-evoked false alarms are a consequence of an existing association, rather than one learned during the experiment. In Experiment 2, we sought to manipulate the strength of the association through prior training, using supra-threshold tactile stimuli that were given a high or low association with the light. Both groups still exhibited an increased number of false alarms during light-present trials, however, the low association group made significantly fewer false alarms across conditions, and there was no corresponding group difference in the number of tactile stimuli correctly identified. Thus, while training did not affect the boosting of the tactile signal by the visual stimulus, the low association training affected perceptual decision-making more generally, leading to a lower number of illusory touch reports, independent of the light.
Objective: To systematically review the accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 questionnaires for identi... more Objective: To systematically review the accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 questionnaires for identifying anxiety disorders. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that validated the GAD-7 or GAD-2 against a recognized gold standard diagnosis. Pooled estimates of diagnostic test accuracy were produced using random-effects bivariate metaanalysis. Heterogeneity was explored using the I 2 statistic. Results: A total of 12 samples were identified involving 5223 participants; 11 samples provided data on the accuracy of the GAD-7 for identifying generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Pooled sensitivity and specificity values appeared acceptable at a cutoff point of 8 [sensitivity: 0.83 (95% CI 0.71–0.91), specificity: 0.84 (95% CI 0.70–0.92)] although cutoff scores 7–10 also had similar pooled estimates of sensitivity/specificity. Six samples provided data on the accuracy of the GAD-2 for identifying GAD. Pooled sensitivity and specificity values appeared acceptable at a cutoff of 3 [sensitivity: 0.76 (95% CI 0.55–0.89), specificity: 0.81 (95% CI 0.60–0.92)]. Four studies looked at the accuracy of the questionnaires for identifying any anxiety disorder. Conclusions: The GAD-7 had acceptable properties for identifying GAD at cutoff scores 7–10. The GAD-2 had acceptable properties for identifying GAD at a cutoff score of 3. Further validation studies are needed.
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2012
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013
Recent models of the early emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose that infant intr... more Recent models of the early emergence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose that infant intrinsic risk susceptibilities in behaviour may be amplified by interaction within the early social environment into an increasingly atypical developmental trajectory. This study examines whether 6- and 12-month parent-infant interactions in at-risk siblings differ from those with low-risk and whether--in at-risk siblings--such interactions predict later 3-year classification of ASD or no ASD. Within the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings (BASIS), 6-min videotaped episodes of parent-infant free play in infants at 6-10 months (45 at-risk siblings and 47 low-risk siblings) and 12-15 months (43 at-risk siblings and 48 low-risk siblings) in a laboratory setting were rated on the Manchester Assessment of Caregiver-Infant Interaction (MACI), blind to participant information. Standard tests were administered for concurrent behavioural signs of ASD features and developmental level. Systematic consensus diagnostic classification of ASD was made at 3 years for the at-risk siblings. Parent nondirectiveness and sensitive responsiveness differed in relation to ASD/risk status (at-risk ASD, at-risk no-ASD and low-risk) at both 6 and 12 months. At 6 months, infant liveliness was lower in the at-risk groups; at 12 months, infant attentiveness to parent and positive affect were lower in the at-risk group later diagnosed with ASD. Dyadic mutuality and intensity of engagement showed a group effect at 12 months. Dyadic mutuality, infant positive affect and infant attentiveness to parent at 12 months (but not 6 months) predicted 3-year ASD outcome, whereas infant ASD-related behavioural atypicality did not. This is the first prospective evidence that early dyadic interaction between at-risk infants and their parents is associated with later diagnostic outcome in ASD. Possible explanations for these findings and their theoretical implications are considered.
Acta Psychologica, 2012
When attempting to detect a near-threshold signal, participants often incorrectly report the pres... more When attempting to detect a near-threshold signal, participants often incorrectly report the presence of a signal, particularly when a stimulus in a different modality is presented. Here we investigated the effect of prior experience of bimodal visuotactile stimuli on the rate of falsely reported touches in the presence of a light. In Experiment 1, participants made more false alarms in light-present than light-absent trials, despite having no experience of the experimental visuotactile pairing. This suggests that light-evoked false alarms are a consequence of an existing association, rather than one learned during the experiment. In Experiment 2, we sought to manipulate the strength of the association through prior training, using supra-threshold tactile stimuli that were given a high or low association with the light. Both groups still exhibited an increased number of false alarms during light-present trials, however, the low association group made significantly fewer false alarms across conditions, and there was no corresponding group difference in the number of tactile stimuli correctly identified. Thus, while training did not affect the boosting of the tactile signal by the visual stimulus, the low association training affected perceptual decision-making more generally, leading to a lower number of illusory touch reports, independent of the light.
Objective: To systematically review the accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 questionnaires for identi... more Objective: To systematically review the accuracy of the GAD-7 and GAD-2 questionnaires for identifying anxiety disorders. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that validated the GAD-7 or GAD-2 against a recognized gold standard diagnosis. Pooled estimates of diagnostic test accuracy were produced using random-effects bivariate metaanalysis. Heterogeneity was explored using the I 2 statistic. Results: A total of 12 samples were identified involving 5223 participants; 11 samples provided data on the accuracy of the GAD-7 for identifying generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Pooled sensitivity and specificity values appeared acceptable at a cutoff point of 8 [sensitivity: 0.83 (95% CI 0.71–0.91), specificity: 0.84 (95% CI 0.70–0.92)] although cutoff scores 7–10 also had similar pooled estimates of sensitivity/specificity. Six samples provided data on the accuracy of the GAD-2 for identifying GAD. Pooled sensitivity and specificity values appeared acceptable at a cutoff of 3 [sensitivity: 0.76 (95% CI 0.55–0.89), specificity: 0.81 (95% CI 0.60–0.92)]. Four studies looked at the accuracy of the questionnaires for identifying any anxiety disorder. Conclusions: The GAD-7 had acceptable properties for identifying GAD at cutoff scores 7–10. The GAD-2 had acceptable properties for identifying GAD at a cutoff score of 3. Further validation studies are needed.