Test Review: The Dominic Interactive

The Dominic Interactive is similar to a videogame. Dominic, the main character of the CD-ROM, is introduced to the child via color pictures accompanied by a multimedia audio track. Dominic is a child who is experiencing various daily life events at home, school, and with other children and is portra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of School Psychology 2002, Vol.17 (2), p.69-74
Main Authors: Hardoon, Karen, Derevensky, Jeffrey L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety Disorders
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Auditory Stimuli
Behavior Patterns
Children & youth
Computers
Depression (Psychology)
Educational psychology
Elementary School Students
Epistemology
Fear
Feedback (Response)
Health aspects
Information Processing
Mental Disorders
Mental health
Psychological assessment
Psychological Patterns
Psychological tests
Separation Anxiety
Stimuli
Test Reviews
Visual Aids
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:The Dominic Interactive is similar to a videogame. Dominic, the main character of the CD-ROM, is introduced to the child via color pictures accompanied by a multimedia audio track. Dominic is a child who is experiencing various daily life events at home, school, and with other children and is portrayed as either a boy or a girl depending on the child's gender. The scenarios depicted in the Dominic Interactive express the abstract emotional and behavioral content of DSM-IV symptomatology. Text, accompanied by a voice-over, asks the child whether they are experiencing the same things as Dominic. For example, one situation depicts Dominic with an insect on his arm, appearing very frightened. The child is asked (both text and audio voice over) whether they are afraid of bugs like Dominic and is required to respond by using the mouse to click on Yes or No boxes. The child's responses are recorded and automatically analyzed by the computer program. Results are provided immediately and can be printed if desired. The Dominic Interactive contains several unique features. The content for the items was based on the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). However, the correspondence of the instrument with the DSM-IV is somewhat restricted. Thus, the results of the Dominic Interactive are best considered tendencies towards DSM-IV based mental health problems. The Dominic Interactive studies both the child's strengths, competencies and tendencies toward the most frequent mental health problems. A mix of both positive and negative situations makes the instrument acceptable and realistic to children. The Dominic Interactive uses both visual and auditory channels. Cognitive theory suggests that a combination of visual and auditory stimuli enhances information processing and understanding of verbal concepts. The pictorial format improves comprehension and stimulates the child's interest and attention. According to the test manual, no attempt was made to incorporate frequency, duration, or age of onset measurements because the cognitive immaturity of 6 to 11 year old children limits their comprehension of abstract concepts (Valla, 2000). As such, the results provided by the Dominic Interactive are tendencies towards DSM-IV based mental health problems rather than DSM-IV diagnoses. The scenarios of the Dominic Interactive are randomly mixed (strengths and competencies in
ISSN:0829-5735
2154-3984
DOI:10.1177/082957350201700206