IQ's Corner

Saturday, March 25, 2023

The cross-cultural generalizability of cognitive ability measures: A systematic literature review. - ScienceDirect

Cross-cultural invariance of CHC theories

The cross-cultural generalizability of cognitive ability measures: A systematic literature review. - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289623000326?via%3Dihub

Abstract
Examining factorial invariance provides the strongest test of the generalizability of psychological constructs across populations and should be investigated prior to cross-cultural interpretation of cognitive assessments. The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the current evidence regarding the factorial invariance and the generalizability of cognition models across cultures. The review was structured using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature search identified 57 original studies examining the factorial invariance of cognitive ability assessments across cultures. The results were strongly supportive of the cross-cultural generalizability of the underlying cognitive model. Ten studies found configural invariance, 20 studies found weak or partial weak factorial invariance, 12 found strong or partial strong factorial invariance, and 13 found strict factorial invariance. However, the quality of the factorial invariance analyses varied between studies, with some analyses not adopting the hierarchical approach to factorial invariance analysis, leading to ambiguous results. No study that provided interpretable results in terms of the hierarchical approach to factorial invariance found a lack of factorial invariance. Overall, the results of this review suggest that i) the factor analytic models of cognitive abilities generalize across cultures, ii) the use of the hierarchical approach to factorial invariance is likely to find strong or strict factorial invariance, iii) the results are compatible with well-established Cattell-Horn-Carroll constructs being invariant across cultures. Future research into factorial invariance should follow the hierarchical analytic approach so as not to misestimate factorial invariance. Studies should also use the Cattell-Horn-Carroll taxonomy to systematize intelligence research.

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Kevin S. McGrew, PhD
Educational & School Psychologist
Director
Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP)
https://www.themindhub.com
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Saturday, March 11, 2023

Color-Evasive Cognition: The Unavoidable Impact of Scientific Racism in the Founding of a Field - Ayanna K. Thomas, Maxine McKinney de Royston, Shameka Powell, 2023

Color-Evasive Cognition: The Unavoidable Impact of Scientific Racism in the Founding of a Field - Ayanna K. Thomas, Maxine McKinney de Royston, Shameka Powell, 2023
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09637214221141713

Cognitive psychology has traditionally focused on investigating principles of cognition that are universal across the human species. The motivation to identify "cognitive universals" stems from the close relationship between biology and human cognition and from the theoretical architecture presupposed by the information-processing model. In this article, we argue that the underlying theoretical assumption of universality also stems from epistemological and methodological assumptions that laws of cognition can be effectively developed only by controlling for variables deemed to be outside the scope of internal cognition. These assumptions have resulted in the development of a science of human cognition based on the performance and behavior of a White, English-speaking, normatively invisible, racially color-evasive, socially dominant (WEIRD) class. In this article, we identify how scientific racism has influenced the study of cognition and offer perspective on how researchers may reconsider many of the premises that undergird our approach.

Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Detecting Unusual Score Patterns in the Context of Relevant Predictors-Joel Schneider on a neuropsych assessment issue

Anytime Dr. Joel Schneider drops an article that provides "smart" routines/software to help solve some of the persistent and complex problems in cognitive test interpretation, I make sure to pay attention. Progress is and can be made.

Detecting Unusual Score Patterns in the Context of Relevant Predictors | SpringerLink
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40817-022-00137-x

Abstract

Neuropsychological assessment requires integrating new information with what is already known about an examinee. In constructing a case conceptualization, it can be helpful to quantify how unusual a pattern of scores is in the context of other quantitative data. This tutorial explains how two powerful statistical and psychometric concepts, conditional distributions and the Mahalanobis distance, are especially useful when used together to identify unusual score patterns after controlling for other scores. Graphical illustrations, R code, and instructions for a free and user-friendly web app are provided.

Tuesday, March 07, 2023

From MDPI: "It Runs in the Family: Testing for Longitudinal Family Flynn Effects"

https://www.mdpi.com/2177634:

It Runs in the Family: Testing for Longitudinal Family Flynn Effects

The Flynn effect refers to increases over time in measured (particularly fluid) intelligence of approximately 3 IQ points per decade. We define the Flynn effect at the family level, using longitudinal data and two new family-level cohort definitions. Multilevel growth curve analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data showed that children in families with later-born mothers had higher average PIAT math scores, and lower average reading comprehension scores and growth, in young and middle childhood. Children in families where the first child was born later had higher average PIAT math, reading recognition, and reading comprehension scores, as well as larger developmental growth. The latter family-level Flynn effects were of higher magnitudes than the usual individual-level Flynn effect found in previous studies. Our results, showing family level-intercept and slope Flynn effects for both maternal birthyear and first child birthyear, have implications for research aiming to explain the Flynn effect.

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Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
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Friday, March 03, 2023

Looking for Flynn effects in a recent online U.S. adult sample: Examining shifts within the SAPA Project - ScienceDirect

Looking for Flynn effects in a recent online U.S. adult sample: Examining shifts within the SAPA Project - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289623000156?via%3Dihub

Compared to European countries, research is limited regarding if the Flynn effect, or its reversal, is a current phenomenon in the United States. Though recent research on the United States suggests that a Flynn effect could still be present, or partially present, among child and adolescent samples, few studies have explored differences of cognitive ability scores among US adults. Thirteen years of cross-sectional data from a subsample of adults (n

= 394,378) were obtained from the Synthetic Aperture Personality Assessment Project (SAPA Project) to examine if cognitive ability scores changed within the United States from 2006 to 2018. Responses to an overlapping set of 35 (collected 2006–2018) and 60 (collected 2011–2018) items from the open-source multiple choice intelligence assessment International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR) were used to examine the trends in standardized average composite cognitive ability scores and domain scores of matrix reasoning, letter and number series, verbal reasoning, and three-dimensional rotation. Composite ability scores from 35 items and domain scores (matrix reasoning; letter and number series) showed a pattern consistent with a reversed Flynn effect from 2006 to 2018 when stratified across age, education, or gender. Slopes for verbal reasoning scores, however, failed to meet or exceed an annual threshold of |0.02| SD. A reversed Flynn effect was also present from 2011 to 2018 for composite ability scores from 60 items across age, education, and gender. Despite declining scores across age and demographics in other domains of cognitive ability, three-dimensional rotation scores showed evidence of a Flynn effect with the largest slopes occurring across age stratified regressions.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Reframing the clouded scientific spectacles of the Flynn effect: A view through two lenses - ScienceDirect

Reframing the clouded scientific spectacles of the Flynn effect: A view through two lenses - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289623000168?via%3Dihub

Flynn argued that the Flynn effect was due to an increasing use of "scientific spectacles" among the general population (Flynn, 2010), yet the Flynn effect itself has been viewed through clouded scientific spectacles. Most research has focused on Flynn's main finding: IQ scores have increased over time. Flynn (1987) presumed the effect was a cohort (generational) effect, yet a variety of within- and between-person processes could give rise to the observed secular changes. Many theories have been put forth as to the fundamental cause of the Flynn effect. Frequently ignored is what a specific cause implies the Flynn effect would look like at different levels of analysis and in the context of different research designs. In this paper we present two 'lenses' with which to view a potential causal model of the Flynn effect, in the hopes of closing some of the current gaps emerging from past research. First, we propose an examination of within- versus between-person processes. Relatedly, we propose that the exclusive focus on normed measures of intelligence has hampered understanding of what functional form the Flynn effect might take, particularly during development. Consideration of "raw" intelligence is likely to be fruitful. For our second lens, we consider the framework of age-period-cohort modeling to categorize what kind of effect a given model implies. We examine several causal theories of the Flynn effect through these lenses. Viewed through our lenses, we find that certain causal theories are, perhaps, somewhat incomplete in their specification of all the relevant processes.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Detecting Unusual Score Patterns in the Context of Relevant Predictors | SpringerLink

From the brilliance of Dr. Joel Schneider. Although statistically complicated, these procedures (and other similar beauties by Dr. Schneider) could easily be implemented in test "smart" scoring software.

Detecting Unusual Score Patterns in the Context of Relevant Predictors | SpringerLink
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40817-022-00137-x

Neuropsychological assessment requires integrating new information with what is already known about an examinee. In constructing a case conceptualization, it can be helpful to quantify how unusual a pattern of scores is in the context of other quantitative data. This tutorial explains how two powerful statistical and psychometric concepts, conditional distributions and the Mahalanobis distance, are especially useful when used together to identify unusual score patterns after controlling for other scores. Graphical illustrations, R code, and instructions for a free and user-friendly web app are provided.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Cognitive Control in Adolescents and Young Adults with Media Multitasking Experience: a Three-Level Meta-analysis | SpringerLink

Cognitive Control in Adolescents and Young Adults with Media Multitasking Experience: a Three-Level Meta-analysis | SpringerLink
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-023-09746-0

Media multitasking is an ever-increasing phenomenon whereby different forms of media are used simultaneously. Numerous studies have shown that media multitasking is closely related to an individual's cognitive control abilities. However, existing evidence remains controversial, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Therefore, to increase the understanding of whether and how frequent media multitasking is associated with cognitive control, a three-level meta-analysis, which included 43 studies and 118 effect sizes, was performed to acquire overall differences between heavy and light media multitaskers and to explore potential moderators that may account for the heterogeneity. The results showed a moderate mean negative association between media multitasking and cognitive control, and this association was moderated by the type of cognitive control. Specifically, heavy media multitaskers showed worse inhibitory control and working memory than light media multitaskers, but there was no significant difference in cognitive flexibility. Moreover, the effect was moderated by the measurement type of the dependent variable. The results of this study enhance our understanding of this issue and pave the way for a more nuanced view of altering experimental designs to investigate cognitive control in educational settings.

Opinions on intelligence: An Arab perspective - ScienceDirect

Opinions on intelligence: An Arab perspective - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289623000120?via%3Dihub

The issue of cultural differences in how the concept of intelligence is understood has long been debated. But do such differences really exist and, if so, to what extent do they exist and between which cultures are they the most pronounced? To better understand this, we translated a survey from Warne and Burton (2020) on beliefs about intelligence into Arabic, distributed it among psychology and non-psychology students and lecturers at universities within the Arab world, and compared our results with those from the US given by Warne and Burton, and with the current state of research. The survey consisted of 83 items about theories regarding the meaning and testing of intelligence. From our sample of up to 327 Arabic-speaking participants, we found that replies are overall similar to those from the US (r = .59; Nitems = 63), while both samples showed hardly any congruence with the current state of research. Agreements between the Arab and US-sample are mostly to be found on questions in which abilities are seen as important components of intelligence, while Arabs question the predictive validity of IQ test scores for life success much more than do their Western counterparts. Based on our results, we conclude that there is little evidence for the existence of cultural bias in points of view about intelligence research and that the concept of cultural non-transferability – or "cultural bias" – must be examined more critically.

Thursday, February 09, 2023

Sharing "Rethinking Executive Functions in Mathematical Cognition" via BrowZine

Rethinking Executive Functions in Mathematical Cognition
Medrano, Josh; Prather, Richard W.
Journal of Cognition and Development: Articles In Press, 2023.

10.1080/15248372.2023.2172414

New perspectives on executive functions propose a greater involve- ment of context. These perspectives have implications for research in mathematical cognition. We tackle the problem that although indivi- duals clearly exercise inhibitory control in mathematical contexts, researchers find that the relations between inhibitory control and mathematics are sometimes "weaker than expected." In this review, we identify how children and adults use inhibitory control in specific foundational symbolic and non-symbolic mathematical contexts, with attention to concepts learned in primary (6 to 12) years. Then, we argue that considering context (e.g., task features, participant's state, and prior knowledge) will allow researchers to thoroughly investigate the mechanistic role of cognitive processes involved in mathematical tasks
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Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
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Sharing "Strategy and Core Cognitive Training Effects on Working Memory Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" via BrowZine

Strategy and Core Cognitive Training Effects on Working Memory Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Ben Izhak, Shachar; Lavidor, Michal
Journal of Cognition and Development: Articles In Press, 2023.

10.1080/15248372.2023.2172413

The field of cognitive training (CT) has been researched for over a century. However, there is still a debate regarding its ability to produce cognitive improvement, especially in working memory (WM) indices. This meta-analysis examined whether there is an advantage in training gains by comparing the results of two specific WM training approaches, Core Training (CRT) and Strategy Training (ST). Meta- analytic techniques were used to summarize 28 independent effect sizes from 24 studies with 1521 subjects, calculated only from studies that compared both training approaches in a single study. We found moderate effect sizes of trained tasks improvement with a clear advan- tage to ST over CRT, from which younger trainees benefitted the most. However, this advantage has almost disappeared for untrained tasks due to the limited improvement each approach produced on its own.
Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
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Sharing "A sensorimotor perspective on numerical cognition" via BrowZine

A sensorimotor perspective on numerical cognition
Sixtus, Elena; Krause, Florian; Lindemann, Oliver; Fischer, Martin H.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences: Articles In Press, 2023.

10.1016/j.tics.2023.01.002

Numbers are present in every part of modern society and the human capacity to use numbers is unparalleled in other species. Understanding the mental and neural representations supporting this capacity is of central interest to cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and education. Embodied numerical cognition theory suggests that beyond the seemingly abstract symbols used to refer to numbers, their underlying meaning is deeply grounded in sensorimotor experiences, and that our specific understanding of numerical information is shaped by actions related to our fingers, egocentric space, and experiences with magnitudes in everyday life. We propose a sensorimotor perspective on numerical cognition in which number comprehension and numerical proficiency emerge from grounding three distinct numerical core concepts: magnitude, ordinality, and cardinality
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Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
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Sharing "Stability of mental abilities and physical growth from 6 months to 65 years: Findings from the Zurich Longitudinal Studies" via BrowZine

Stability of mental abilities and physical growth from 6 months to 65 years: Findings from the Zurich Longitudinal Studies
Eichelberger, Dominique A.; Sticca, Fabio; Kübler, Dinah R.; Kakebeeke, Tanja H.; Caflisch, Jon A.; Jenni, Oskar G.; Wehrle, Flavia M.
Intelligence: Vol. 97, p. 101730, 2023.

10.1016/j.intell.2023.101730

Mental abilities and physical growth are important determinants of health across the lifespan. Here, the stability of these traits was assessed from 6 months to 65 years of age to investigate periods of stability and malleability. Mental abilities, height, and weight were assessed at 11 time-points in participants of the Zurich Longitudinal Studies. Individuals with more than three missing data points per trait across the 11 assessment time-points (i.e., more than approx. 25% missing data) were excluded from further analyses (final N = 281). Bivariate cross-time correlations showed that the stability of mental abilities was low in infancy and gradually increased. The stability of growth measures was uniform across development, with height being highly stable and weight moderately so. When a latent model was used, the overall stability of mental abilities approached that of weight. The findings indicate that stability and malleability across development differ between mental abilities and growth measures. This requires consideration in interventions targeting these traits as facilitators for improving health outcomes.
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Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
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Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Sharing "What Is the Source of the Correlation Between Reading and Mathematics Achievement? Two Meta-analytic Studies" via BrowZine

What Is the Source of the Correlation Between Reading and Mathematics Achievement? Two Meta-analytic Studies
Ünal, Zehra E.; Greene, Nathaniel R.; Lin, Xin; Geary, David C.
Educational Psychology Review: Vol. 35 Issue 1, p. 4, 2023.

Abstract Two meta-analyses assessed whether the relations between reading and mathematics outcomes could be explained through overlapping skills (e.g., systems for word and fact retrieval) or domain-general influences (e.g., top-down attentional control). The first (378 studies, 1,282,796 participants) included weighted random-effects meta-regression models to explore and contrast the magnitudes of the links between dif-ferent reading and mathematical competencies. The second (138 studies, 39,836 par-ticipants) used meta-analytic structural equation modeling to determine the influence of a domain-general factor, defined by intelligence, executive functioning, working and short-term memory, and processing speed measures, on the link between read-ing and mathematics skills. The overall relation was significant (r=0.52), as were all associations between specific reading and mathematics measures (rs = 0.23 to 0.61, ps<.05). Most of the correlations were similar across different types of reading and mathematics competencies, although generally smaller than within-domain correla-tions. The domain-general model explained most of the covariance between reading and mathematics outcomes, with a few modest moderating effects (e.g., age). The results imply correlations between reading and mathematics measures are largely due to domain-general processes, although within-domain correlations confirm the importance of overlapping competencies especially for reading.

Keywords Reading · Mathematics · Domain-general ability · Meta-analyses

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Kevin McGrew, PhD
Educational Psychologist
Director, Institute for Applied Psychometrics
IAP
www.themindhub.com
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