4-day certification workshop on the personality tool- 16PF Test from 25th-28th June, 2008: Ma Foi Management Consultants, Delhi

The Assessment division of Ma Foi Management Consultants, Delhi is organizing a 4-day certification workshop on the personality tool- 16PF Test from 25th-28th June, 2008.

16PF is one of the most comprehensively researched and widely used personality tool for Selection (assessing the job-personality fit), training and development etc. It sheds light on a person's personality profile, his leadership abilities, problem solving, decision making and other behavioral patterns.

Objectives of the Program-Self- Assessment.
Personality testing & Analyzing/interpret ing personality profiles.
Applications of personality assessment for selection & development.
Training & certifying professionals on the appropriate usage of the 16PF tool.

The program will focus on the use of 16PF and help in answering the following questions-

·"Why interviews aren't just good enough to make a selection decision?"

·"How can I scientifically arrive at a competency-based assessment process to aid my selection process or identify the right candidate for internal promotions?"

·"How do I build a second line of leaders for my Organization? "

·"How can I address performance problems and improve organizational efficiency?"

·"What are the training and developmental needs of my department?"

There is an early bird discount of 10% in case the nomination is ensured and payment made before 5th June, 2008.

If interested kindly mail at pooja.nagpal@mafoi.com or ngpl.pooja@gmail.com

Multiple Intelligences article by Scott Jaschik.

This morning's *Inside Higher Education* includes an article: "'Multiple Intelligences' at 25" by Scott Jaschik.

Here's the article:
The push toward group assignments. The rise of portfolios to document student progress. The backlash against the SAT and standardized testing, and the push to consider new ways that colleges might judge students' creativity and knowledge. The idea that IQ isn't destiny. These and many other trends are intellectual offspring of the "multiple intelligences" movement that Howard Gardner launched 25 years ago with the publication of Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner, professor of cognition and education at Harvard University, gave a talk Monday at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association to mark the anniversary.

Gardner and others noted that for all of the influence he has had, there are plenty of people who disagree, and who believe in standardized tests in ways that Gardner finds both offensive and irrelevant. But at the gathering Monday, in New York City, the overflowing crowd was entirely
supportive of Gardner's work, with people calling him their hero.

"Multiple intelligences" is the view that there is not a single measure of intelligence (like the traditional IQ), but rather a range of intelligences present in different ways in everyone. Gardner also challenged the notion that intelligence is largely inherited. While he does not discount the role of genetics and parenting in intelligences, Gardner focuses as much on the nurture part of parenting as nature and also holds that people can work to improve their intelligences.
(Detailed explanations of his work can be fond on Gardner's Web site.)

In his talk, Gardner sought to debunk some of the myths that he said have arisen about his theories and their creation. He said, for example, that he his critics have charged repeatedly that he was looking for a way to challenge IQ tests. While Gardner freely acknowledges that he criticized IQ tests after his book came out, he said he didn't go looking for this battle. "I accepted the notion of intelligence," he said. Two other research efforts led him to his theory, he said. One was a study of artistically gifted children. The other was a study of people who have suffered brain injuries. Both of those experiences got him thinking about the different ways people have intelligence.

Gardner also said his book received a lift because of his title, although he said he can't remember when or how he made the "fateful decision" to refer to "intelligences" (in the plural). "I could have used 'talents' or 'competencies,' " he said. It was "intelligences" that grabbed people's attention, and that angered the testing establishment.
"The psychometric community had believed that it owned intelligence" so by "pluralizing it," Gardner said, "I caused a commotion."

At the time he published his book, he had seven intelligences: musical, kinesthetic, logical/mathematica l, spatial, linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. He has since added an eighth, naturalist, and his is mulling a ninth. While there are rumors that he is thinking of adding a spiritual intelligence, Gardner has been calling it "existential" intelligence, which will focus on skills related to asking the "big questions." Gardner stressed that an intelligence is defined both by the skills and the way they are learned and used, not just an individual interest or passion. He also stressed that he does not view intelligences as necessary good, and that he disagrees with those who -- in a twist to his work -- talk about "emotional intelligence" as if it is only a good thing. Gardner said it can be used for good or evil.

Looking ahead, Gardner sees considerable interest in his work, and expects it to lead in new directions. Among topics that interest him right now are how intelligences change with aging. His theory is that there are changes, but that intelligences do not disappear.

Gardner said that the fields of neurology and genetics have seen huge advances in scholarship since he wrote the book. He said that he largely believes that these findings have confirmed his views in that they have shown that many things are determined by multiple genes interacting in
multiple ways, and the way the individual is raised and acts. But he said that as more advances take place, it will be time to review all of them and their relationship to his theories.

Abroad, he said he has been struck by growing interest in "multiple intelligences." In Denmark, the Danfoss Universe is an entire theme park -- built without his playing any role -- in which participants go through different exercises designed to expose them to different intelligences.

In terms of education, Gardner said he saw influence all over the place, from a few schools that have formally embraced his ideals to many teachers and professors who are inspired to change their modes of instruction. (Based on his own work, Gardner said, his courses no longer feature lectures.)

While he applauded the way many groups have criticized colleges that rely too much on the SAT, Gardner said he wasn't encouraging the development of a "multiple intelligence" based replacement. Gardner said that the problem isn't just the SAT, but the belief that measurement of that sort is valuable. "I don't believe one should go around and assess people's intelligences," he said. The only reason he said that he finds compelling to measure intelligence is to help someone who is having difficulty learning by identifying his or her problems.

As for the SAT, he said it might be useful - because of the way it is set up - in identifying people who have the skills to become law professors, but not much else.

In fact, Gardner said that one of his criticisms of the AERA is that so many researchers are on the quest for "the perfect test," without thinking that they might be on "a fool's errand." Although Gardner could no doubt benefit from developing a test of educational ideas following
his ideas, he said he would not do so. He said that it was antithetical to his ideas to have a "seal of approval" from him, so he is content to watch many efforts based on his ideas, even if some go in directions he might suggest.

Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor of education at Stanford University, called Gardner her "personal hero," said that it's easy from today's vantage point to underestimate the influence of his book. Many teachers have of course for years felt that there was not a single "entry point" for student learning, and they had talked about ideas that are consistent with Gardner's theories. But Darling Hammond said that he "validated" these views and gave them a research framework.

In terms of his "big conceptual breakthroughs," she said that the idea that "intelligence is not fixed and not a single measure" has changed the way most teachers are trained. Likewise, the idea that education isn't about memorizing information to spit it back at the teacher, but is about "problems solving and performing tasks" is largely accepted today because of Gardner's work.

As to standardized testing, she said that among the many contributions Gardner made was to challenge the assumption that test producers know what society needs. "We don't want a nation of law professors," she said.

XVIII Annual Conference of National Academy of Psychology (NAOP)

XVIII Annual Conference of National Academy of Psychology (NAOP)

December 14-17, 2008

Organized by

Department of Humanities & Social Sciences

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

The National Academy of Psychology (NAOP), India is a professional organization founded in 1987 that includes scientists, practitioners, and researchers in the field of psychology. It is a member of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS).

It is both our pleasure and privilege to invite you to participate in the XVIII Conference of NAOP to be held in IIT Guwahati. This annual event offers an opportunity for professionals, scholars and students to disseminate and learn about current and emerging areas of research in psychology. It is expected that the NAOP 2008 will have the benefit of active support and participation of many eminent personalities.

The Conference Venue - IIT Guwahati was established in 1994, about 30 years after the fifth IIT was established. It is located in a campus of 700 acres on the north bank of the mighty river Brahmaputra, in Guwahati. With hills and lakes inside the campus and with the Brahmaputra next door, the campus is one of the most beautiful educational campuses in the country. The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Guwahati was established in 1998. Psychology is one of the disciplines in this department. It has been able to create substantial niche for itself with the initial focus on the study of Social Psychology and Organizational Behavior through teaching and research.

How to Reach the Institute - Guwahati is well connected by air, train and road with the rest of the country. There are direct air services from/ to New Delhi and Kolkata with connectivity to all major cities in the country and direct train services from /to all the metropolitan cities and other major cities. The institute is around 20 kms from the downtown of Guwahati and is 45 minutes from the airport.

Accommodation - On request, accommodation for delegates can be arranged in the hostels and guest house subject to availability. A large number of standard hotels are also available in the city.

Conference Highlights -
Ø Keynote lectures on contemporary issues
Ø Symposia
Ø Thematic paper presentations
Ø Pre and/or post training programmes

For thematic paper presentations, original work and critical reviews are invited for presentation in the following areas, which are the formal Divisions of NAOP.

1. Social Psychology 2. Organizational Behavior/HR 3. Cognitive Psychology 4. Health Psychology 5. Developmental Psychology

However papers in other areas, not covered above, are also encouraged. Proposals for symposia or any new idea are invited latest by April 30, 2008.

The City - Hugging the shores of the turbulent Brahmaputra, Guwahati is the gateway to the enchanting North Eastern India. The Light of the East, Pragjyotishpura, as it was known once upon a time, is said to have been a vast kingdom during the epic period of the Mahabharata. Today, Guwahati is the hub of the region and also its largest city. The climate in Guwahati during December is quite pleasant with day temperature ranging between 15 to 20 degree Celsius.

Address for Correspondence
Convenor, NAOP-2008
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati,
Guwahati - 781 039, Assam, India

www.iitg.ernet.in/naop2008

Email: naop2008@iitg.ernet.in
second Announcement by 1st July, 2008 with complete details.

Article on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

The article is by Howard H. Feldman, MD, Claudia Jacova, PhD, Alain Robillard, MD, Angeles Garcia, MD PhD, Tiffany Chow, MD, Michael Borrie, MB ChB, Hyman M. Schipper, MD PhD, Mervin Blair, BSc, Andrew Kertesz, MD, & Howard Chertkow, MD.

Here's an excerpt:

[begin excerpt]

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) 19 remains the most widely used instrument, with high sensitivity and specificity for separating moderate dementia from normal cognition. It requires little training, is administered in about 10 minutes and has vast medical acceptance. A rough rule of thumb is that patients with mild dementia usually have a score of 18-26 out of 30, those with moderate dementia a score of 10-18, and those with severe dementia a score of less than 10. Some clinical trials of Alzheimer disease have accepted only patients with a score of less than 24.16 At scores above this level, the Mini-Mental State Examination lacks sensitivity for the diagnosis of mild dementia, and other assessments are needed. The Mini-Mental State Examination focuses on memory, attention, construction and orientation domains. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination is a more expanded version that also includes assessment of delayed recall20 and has been widely used in clinical and research settings in Canada.

The clock-drawing test evaluates general executive functioning of the frontal lobe, as well as visuospatial abilities (Figure 1).22 It requires 5-10 minutes to administer and has achieved widespread clinical use. Like the Mini-Mental State Examination, however, the clock-drawing test may lack sensitivity for the diagnosis of early or mild dementia.18

A number of newer tests have been developed to provide improved sensitivity. Of these, it is worth mentioning the Montreal Cognitive Assessment,2 DemTect,3 the 7-Minute Screen,4 the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition5 and the Behavioural Neurology Assessment short form.6 All of these tests have been shown to be more accurate than the Mini-Mental State Examination in discriminating between dementia and normal cognition, particularly in cases of very mild dementia.2-6 The General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition5 requires 5-10 minutes to administer and was evaluated in family practice offices in Australia. The other tests require about 10 or more minutes to administer, were evaluated in specialty clinics or population studies and are used to evaluate multiple cognitive domains. This coverage probably makes them more accurate in detecting dementia in heterogeneous populations, but this remains to be proven. Although consideration of the details of these tests is beyond the scope of our review, intested readers may refer to the background paper by Jacova and colleagues3 on neuropsychological testing and brief cognitive testing....

[end excerpt]

Here's another excerpt: "The challenges in diagnosing dementia should not be understated. It can be difficult in some individuals with mild dementia to reliably demonstrate objective cognitive impairment as well as functional impairment. Some individuals without dementia can score low in the Mini-Mental State Examination, and only a score below 20 provides specific evidence for dementia.24 Conversely, dementia is possible even with a Mini-Mental State Examination score greater than 26.25 Furthermore, the score may vary by several points from one evaluation to the next. Language barriers, advanced age and low education can also confound the results and provide false-positive scores. A briefer test, such as the clock-drawing test, has the same challenges. No one brief cognitive test has been found to be superior over the others. No brief cognitive test has been developed to differentiate between subtypes of dementia, and none can be recommended for this purpose.26 Often the best recommendation is to repeat the testing on several occasions over several months, to provide more convincing evidence of cognitive impairment. The documentation of functional impairment can also be challenging. If the patient had limited premorbid activities, it can be difficult to document convincing functional decline for several years."

Another excerpt: "Depression and its contributing role in creating a "pseudodementia" has received considerable emphasis in the past.31 It is now appreciated that some degree of depressive symptoms, anxiety and apathy are quite common in the prodrome and course of Alzheimer disease. 32,33 Asking the patient, or a family member or caregiver, about vegetative symptoms, including disorders of sleep, appetite and weight, can further address this diagnostic possibility of depression and the need for its treatment. Important symptoms to review include the presence of feelings of guilt, loss of enjoyment of pleasurable activities, current outlook and suicidal ideation."

A final excerpt: "Editor's Note: The background papers with supporting evidence for the recommendations from the Third Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia were published in the October 2007 issue of Alzheimer's and Dementia and are available at www.alzheimersanddementia.org. These articles are also freely available at www.cccdtd.ca (through agreement with Elsevier)."

The author note states that correspondence about the article may be sent to Dr. Howard H. Feldman, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia Hospital, S192-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 2B5; fax 604 822-7703 .

Senior Research Officer Job Offer from Population Services International

Senior Research Officer Position from Population Services International

Location: CONNECT Core Office, Bangalore
Reports to: Director-Knowledge Management
Works with: CONNECT Core Office staff and field managers; and CONNECT sub partners

Context

Population Services International (PSI) is a non-profit, Indian Society which began operations in 1988. It is affiliated with PSI in Washington, DC which has similar connection to organizations in 60 different countries. PSI is dedicated to the improvement of public health through promotion of products, services and information which empowers people to protect them from preventable diseases. PSI currently operates in 10 states with a full-time and contract staff of 1700 persons.

Since October 2006, PSI is implementing a program entitled Connect to build value added models of public-private partnerships to mitigate HIV/AIDS and TB in India. The Connect team led by Population Services International (PSI) includes the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Y. R. Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Education (YRGCARE) and the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT). The International Labour Organization is a technical support partner on this project. The project is primarily focused on the high prevalence states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and selected vulnerable port towns (Mumbai, Vashi, Chennai and Tuticorin) in two other USG priority states, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Successful implementation of the project requires engagement with industry and corporate sector to encourage uptake of good workplace policies and practices in support of HIV/AIDS and TB prevention, care and support. A hallmark of the program will be the contribution of additional resources by commercial firms, either in cash or in-kind, for support of community-level responses targeting those most at-risk and vulnerable populations

Position Overview
An experienced researcher is needed immediately to manage an annual monitoring and evaluation plan for the entire project in line with internal programmatic requirements and external donor reporting needs. This position is a unique opportunity for an applied researcher rather than an academician. We place a premium on the immediate applicability of information to project decision-making.

Therefore, the other key purpose of this position is to simplify, document and present research findings in such a way that program mangers & other stake holders can understand and take evidence based decisions.

Duties and Responsibilities
1. Manage an annual monitoring and evaluation plan in line with internal programmatic requirements and external donor reporting needs.
2. Design, implement, analyze and report KABP (Knowledge, attitude, behavior and practice) study among the formal & informal workers from work place interventions
3. Document surveys for establishing baseline, also measure change over time and understand the triggers & barriers of safe behaviors among most at risk workforce
4. Monitor the program management information system (MIS)
5. Pre-test the communication materials to aid in the design and development of communication initiatives.
6. Assist program managers through analysis and review of secondary data on relevant research outputs in NACO, NSSO, ILO, Census, and CMIE; and from national & international partner organizations.
7. Document best practices, successes & challenges in different CONNECT demonstration and learning models and lessons learned.

Qualifications - Masters in Social Science or Public Health/Demography or MBA
At least two-three years of experience in handling Quantitative and Qualitative research studies
Well versed in statistical analysis software such as SPSS and/or STATA
Experience in HIV/AIDS program management preferred
Prior experience in donor reporting preferred.
Written and spoken fluency in Kannada is must.
Essential Values, Behaviors and Skills - Commitment to improving the health and welfare of the poor;
Ability to contribute in a collegial, team environment;
Ability to lead research studies, either in-house or with external assistance
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing, and to make effective public presentations;
Strong analytical skills, with the ability to conceptualize, analyze, and document results in publications

TO APPLY:
Following documents are required:
Letter of application describing your interest in the position and why you feel you are suitable for the position
Full name, address, and all contact information (phone, email)
Curriculum vitae detailing your educational qualifications and research/job experience (bio-data/resume)
One writing sample of a research paper/ reports/ case study etc you have written

Apply with required documents and full contact details to

Pinki Maji
Population Services International
Email: pinki@psi.org.in