Research alert: Executive functions and psychopathology: A transdiagnostic network analysis - #networkanalysis #executivefunctions #Gwm #AC #workingmemory #attentionalcontrol #psychopathology #schoolpsychologists #schoolpsychology #AC-Gwmcomplex

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Following up on my post the other day that suggests that the AC-Gwm (attentional control-working memory) complex is key to cognitive functioning, a new article implicating the same complex in preadolescent psychopathology.  It is becoming more clear that the AC-Gwm complex is central key for understanding a variety of human behaviors.  

Open access article available here.

Abstract

Mental health research is shifting toward dimensional, transdiagnostic frameworks, yet the role of executive functions (EFs) across psychopathological domains remains unclear. In this study, we examined transdiagnostic associations and potential directional pathways linking EFs with psychopathology in a large sample of preado-lescents (N = 9,119) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We employed a Gaussian graphical model (GGM) to estimate partial correlations and a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to infer potential directional influences between EFs and psychopathology. Modest associations were observed among the EFs and psy-chopathology. Working memory emerged as a central node, showing positive asso-ciations with attention problems, social problems, and rule-breaking behavior, and negative associations with anxious/depressed and somatic complaints. These results were mirrored in the DAG, which identified working memory and attention problems as key converging hubs. Sex-stratified analyses revealed notable differences in net-work structure. Our findings reveal a core transdiagnostic role for working memory in preadolescent psychopathology.

Research alert: The network architecture of general intelligence in the human connectome - #g #intelligence #cognitive #cognitive #NNT #brainnetworks #schoolpsychology #schoolpsychologists

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“In press” article available here.  As per the old Verizon cell phone ad - “its the network.”

ABSTRACT 

Advances in network neuroscience challenge the view that general intelligence (g) emerges from a primary brain region or network. Network Neuroscience Theory (NNT) proposes that g arises from coordinated activity across the brain's global network architecture. We tested predictions from NNT in 831 healthy young adults from the Human Connectome Project. We jointly modeled the brain's structural topology and intrinsic functional covariation patterns to capture its global topological 

organization. Our investigation provided evidence that g (1) engages multiple networks, supporting the principle of distributed processing; (2) relies on weak, long-range connections, emphasizing an efficient and globally coordinated network; (3) recruits regions that orchestrate network interactions, supporting the role of modal control in driving global activity; and (4) depends on a small-world architecture for system-wide communication. These results support a shift in perspective from prevailing localist models to a theory that grounds intelligence in the global topology of the human connectome. 

Research alert-very important article: Beyond Working Memory Capacity: Attention Control as the Underlying Mechanism of Cognitive Abilities - #cognitive #intelligence #Gwm #attentionalcontrol #AC #workingmemory #WJIV #WJV #schoolpsychology #schoolpsychologists #cognition

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Very important article (open source..click here to read/download) regarding cognitive functioning and working memory capacity and attentional control. For at least 15 years I’ve been monitoring research on the attentional-control working memory complex system (AC-Gwm)…(click here for numerous posts regarding the important of AC-Gwm).  I’m convinced that the AC-Gwm complex system is one of the core cognitive efficiency systems that helps us understand general intellectual functioning.  It has been found to be important in cognitive functioning and also in various forms of psychopathology.  

Abstract

Working memory capacity (WMC) has long served as a central indicator of individual differences in complex cognition. However, growing evidence suggests that a substantial portion of its predictive power may reflect attention control (AC)—including goal maintenance, interference management, and inhibition—rather than storage capacity alone. This review synthesizes findings across six domains: (1) perception and sensory discrimination, (2) learning and problem solving, (3) cognitive control and decision making, (4) retrieval and memory performance, (5) multitasking and real-world performance, and (6) clinical applications. Across these areas, WMC-related effects frequently align with demands on AC, though the strength and nature of this alignment vary by domain. We highlight the importance of incorporating reliable AC measures and recommend latent-variable approaches to more clearly separate storage, control, and representational processes underlying complex performance.

Keywords: attention control; working memory capacity; executive attention; fluid intelligence; interference control; individual differences; latent-variable modeling; cognitive measurement

From conclusions:

Across six domains, the evidence reviewed here suggests that the broad predictive power traditionally associated with WMC often reflects the AC operations embedded within complex-span tasks—particularly goal maintenance, interference suppression, and disengagement. This does not diminish the importance of WMC as a measurable construct; rather, it clarifies that many WMC tasks draw on AC mechanisms, which are more directly tied to performance in interference-heavy contexts.

McGrew et al. (2023) identified a similar AC-Gwm complex system in a recent WJ V psychometric network analysis study.  See the relevant research and comments  from that article below (click here to access and download the paper).  Again, a reminder—click on image to enlarge for easy reading.

Research alert: Toward Complementary Intelligence: Integrating Cognitive and Machine AI - #AI #machineAI #cognitiveAI #cognition #intelligence #schoolpsychologiy

In Current Directions in Psychological Science 

Unfortunately not open access.

Abstract

This article calls for complementary human-AI intelligence. Rather than redefining intelligence to fit machine capabilities, we argue for designing AI that complements and extends human cognition. We distinguish between cognitive AI, which is grounded in cognitive science to model human perception, learning, and decision-making, and machine AI, which achieves large-scale performance through data-driven optimization. Building on advances in machine learning alignment and human-AI complementarity, we propose an integrative framework that connects cognitive and machine AI across four routes: embedding integration, aligning human and machine representations; instruction encoding, using machine AI to translate goals into cognitive AI; training agents, using cognitive AI to guide and train machine AI through human-like data; and coevolving agents, enabling cognitive and machine AI to coadapt and improve together over time. These integration routes provide a foundation for complementary intelligence: systems that combine human interpretability with machine scalability and precision to enhance trust, adaptability, and human agency in complex sociotechnical environments.

AI-based educational interventions for enhancing cognitive learning processes in students with disabilities: A meta-analysis

Email-based quick mobile FYI post

 

AI-based educational interventions for enhancing cognitive learning processes in students with disabilities: A meta-analysis - ScienceDirect 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1041608026000105

Pardon typos and spelling errors-Message may be sent from iPhone and I've always had spelling problems :)

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

Mobile iPhone based post-Digital Competency of Psychologists: A Scoping Review

APA PsycNet FullTextHTML page 
https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2027-14042-001.html

Pardon typos and spelling errors-Message may be sent from iPhone and I've always had spelling problems :)

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

The McGrew (2022) Cognitive-Affective-Motivation Model of Learning (CAMML) article update - “something is happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear” - #cognitive #intelligence #affective #motivation #intelligence #CHC #CAMMl #schoolpsychology #schoolpsychologists

In 2022 I published an invited big-picture “thought piece” on a proposed CAMML (cognitive-affective-motivation model of learning) in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology   The title wasThe Cognitive-Affective-Motivation Model of Learning (CAMML): Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.

I had hoped that by challenging existing narrow assessment practices in school psychology (SP), and proposing a more whole-child assessment model approach (where cognitive testing would be more limited and selective…not the knee jerk practice of most all referred kids for learning problems being administered a complete intelligence test battery), it would gain traction in some SP circles. From the informal and formal professional media sources I monitor, it has not..at least not yet.

The article was deliberately provocative and challenged the field of SP (especially trainers and leaders) to consider new assessment ideas and paradigms.  I fully recognized that the inertia of tradition and the constraints imposed by vested interest groups makes drastic paradigm changes in education difficult.  But as an invited tought piece one has more degree’s of freedom 😉. 

Recognizing how difficult it is to change established assessment practices, and recognizing the “ivory tower” orientation of the article, I stated: 

Integrating CAMML aptitude-trait complexes, which emphasize that motivation and SRL constructs are the focal personal investment learning mechanisms, in contemporary SP practice is an aspirational goal. The constraints of regulatory frameworks and the understandable skepticism of disability-specific advocacy groups will make such a paradigm-shift difficult. However, embracing the model of CAMML aptitude complexes may be what SP and education need to better address the complex nuances of individual differences in student learning. Snow's concept of aptitude, if embraced in reborn form as the CAMML framework, could reduce the unbalanced emphasis on intelligence testing in SPs assessment practices. However, the greatest impediment to change may be the inertia of tradition in SP”

Several weeks ago I completed a Google Scholar search to ascertain how frequently this article had been cited.  I was curious as I had seen no references to the article in traditional SP or assessment-related sources.  It is clear that the CAMML model (or any parts of it) have not yet resonated in SP or closely related education fields.  Perhaps it never will. Or………

To my surprise the search revealed 28 citations, most (but not all) outside of SP or related assessment publication outlets (except for another article I authored in 2023 and, of course, the motivation special issue introduction to that specific journal volume).  Here is a link to the results of this search.  The graph below shows a slow but increasing annual rate of reference citations.  Hmmmm….

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Most references provide links to PDF articles if you want to skim the wide variety of non-SP contexts where the CAMML article has been cited.  It is a very interesting mix of professional topics and outlets. In my 45+ years of scholarship, I’ve never had a journal publication recognized almost exclusively outside of the intended professional audience.  Perhaps this is good…perhaps not.  I find it fascinating. Perhaps the diversity of professional outlet citations might foreshadow more wide-ranging (yet more gradual) future impact.  Below is the abstract and keywords from the article.  The CAMML article can be downloaded from my professional web page here. Below are colorized versions of the two figures from the article.

Abstract: The Cognitive-Affective-Motivation Model of Learning (CAMML) is a proposed framework for integrating contemporary motivation, affective (Big 5 personality) and cognitive (CHC theory) constructs in the practice of school psychologists (SPs). The central tenet of this article is that SPs need to integrate motivation alongside affective and cognitive constructs vis-à-vis an updated trilogy-of-the-mind (cognitive, conative, affective) model of intellectual functioning. CAMML builds on Richard Snow's seminal research on academic aptitudes—which are not synonymous with cognitive abilities. Learning aptitude complexes are academic domain-specific cognitive abilities and personal investment mechanisms (motivation and self-regulation) that collectively produce a student's readiness to learn in a specific domain. CAMML incorporates the “crossing the Rubicon” commitment pathway model of motivated self-regulated learning. It is recommended SPs take a fresh look at motivation theory, constructs, and research, embedded in the CAMML aptitude framework, by going back-to-the-future guided by the wisdom of giants from the field of cognition, intelligence, and educational psychology.

Keywords:  motivation, self-regulated learning, aptitudes, domain-specific, aptitude complexes, crossing the Rubicon, taxonomies, individual differences, readiness, CHC theory, Big 5, Gf-Gc theory

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Research alert: Intriguing new “adaptive habits” executive function framework differentiating EF capacity and willingness to engage EF - #cognitive #intelligence #schoolpsychologists #schoolpsychology

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This thought-provoking article, which proposes and explains the “adaptive habits” executive functioning framework, is an open access article (free download and read) 

 

Abstract

Executive functions (EFs) develop dramatically across childhood and predict important outcomes, including academic achievement. These links are often attributed to individual differences in EF capacities. However, individual difference accounts underemphasize contextual influences on EF. We propose a complementary perspective, the adaptive habits framework, which emphasizes how contextual factors support or hinder EF engagement in children. Contexts that support repeated EF engagement establish habits for engaging EF in similar contexts and in similar ways. Such habits, in turn, reduce the effort associated with engaging EF and thus increase the likelihood of deciding to en-gage EF in the future. We interpret empirical findings through the lens of adaptive habits, discuss the implications of this framework, and propose novel research approaches and interventions to support EF in children.

From Conclusion

Why do children (such as the two in our opening example) differ in their academic and EF task performance? The reviewed evidence demonstrates that such differences should be viewed as a product of distinct learning histories, sociocultural influences, and environmental contexts in-stead of solely as differences in EF capacities. The adaptive habits framework emphasizes how contextual factors influence children's decisions to engage EF and how such engagement (or its absence) supports the development of habits that make it easier (or harder) to engage EF in similar contexts or for similar rewards in the future. Thus, two children may have the same EF capacities; however, one child may perform better on standard measures of EF because these measures better align with how the child has practiced engaging EF in the real world and how their behaviors have been rewarded and reinforced, which in turn reduces the mental effort needed for engaging EF. The adaptive habits framework thus identifies these contextual factors as promising targets for future research on EF as well as for interventions to support the EF and academic achievement of children.

Interesting, reasonably accurate recent video on IQ/intelligence testing

I just stumbled across a relatively new video covering the history and several major issues regarding intelligence testing and IQ scores.  Two scholars that I respect (Dr. Cecil Reynolds; Dr. Stuart Ritchie) are featured in the video.  I did see some spelling errors in the subtitles (Dr. Ian Dearie instead of Dr. Ian Deary; Benet instead of Binet; using capital G when referencing Spearman's concept of general intelligence, which is always noted with an italic font small g; etc) and heard several statements that made me cringe slightly.  

Also, it left the impression that fluid and crystallized intelligence (and a lessor extent quantitative ability) are the primary recognized broad cognitive abilities measured by intelligence tests.  It did not acknowledge contemporary CHC theory as the consensus taxonomy of human cognitive abilities.  Also, it left the impression that IQ tests are "bubble in" multiple choice tests.  This may be true for group tests, but it is not the case with individually administered intelligence tests.

Overall, it is a reasonable video to share with others as an introduction, possibly in college courses where the concept of intelligence and IQ testing is being introduced.  It did a good job of covering the historical bad uses of IQ tests (e.g., discrimination; cultural bias, eugenics movement, etc.) 

The complete video is approximately 35 minutes.  It did freeze up for me at the 17 minute mark when it was going to display an ad....but I simply restarted the video and quickly moved to that point and then it continued.

 

 

 

Research Alert: Cognitive ability retest/practice effects by type of cognitive operation - #practiceeffect #retest #BIS #schoolpsychology #schoolpsychologist #forensicpsychology #CHC

 

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This is an open access article that can be read/downloaded here.

Abstract

The term “retest effects” refers to score gains on cognitive ability as well as educational achievement tests upon repeated administration of the same or a similar test. Previous research on this phenomenon has focused mainly on general cognitive ability scores—often using manifest difference scores—and has neglected differences in retest effects across different types of cognitive operations underlying general cognitive abilities. Additionally, these studies have focused primarily on average group-level test scores, neglecting interindividual differences in retest effects. To address these gaps, we used latent growth curve modeling to examine retest effects in N = 203 participants across three test sessions, considering both general cognitive ability and its four underlying operations according to the Berlin intelligence structure model, namely, processing capacity, processing speed, creativity, and memory. Results show a linear improvement in overall performance of 53.60 points (about 10.45 IQ points) with each assessment, corresponding to two thirds of a standard deviation. Participants' slopes—that is, their rates of improvement across test sessions—did not vary significantly, and thus did not correlate with their initial cognitive ability levels. Statistically significant operation-specific differences in the magnitude of retest effects were found, with memory showing the largest retest effect and creativity the smallest. Although participants did not vary in their rates of improvement on the processing-capacity and memory operation, there was significant interindividual variation in the slopes of the other two operations. These findings highlight the importance of considering operation-specific scores in research on retest effects. Implications for cognitive ability retesting practices are discussed.

Hamm v Smith intellectual disability SCOTUS Atkins death penalty oral arguments (12-10-25) re multiple IQ scores: #ID #atkins #deathpenalty #IQ #intelligence

See prior post regarding Hamm v Smith Atkins ID death penalty case where central issue is how to handle multiple IQ scores.  All briefs are at that prior blog post page.

Oral arguments before the SCOTUS justices occurred this past Wednesday, 12-10-25.  One can download audio file (arguments lasted 2 hours) or transcript of arguments at this link.