iPost: Special JID issue on Gv (visual-spatial abilities)

Damn. This looks excellent. Where can I find the time to read all these articles dealing with contemporary visual-spatial (Gv - especially Vz or mental rotation abilities)  processing and assessment?
So much data and enticing readings--so little time. I wish I could take a sabbatical just to do research, read and write. 
 

Journal of Individual Differences - Vol 31, Iss 2

Ecological aspects of mental rotation around the vertical and horizontal axis. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Battista, Christian; Peters, Michael Rotation of both natural and man-made objects most commonly requires rotation around the vertical rather than the horizontal axis because it is relatively rare that we need to rotate, e.g., trees, mountains, chairs or vehicles around their horizontal axis in order to match images to their canonical orientation. Waszak, Drewing, and Mausfeld (2005) demonstrated the importance of a gravitationally defined vertical axis and the visual context within which objects occur, when performing mental rotations. We extended their findings in a between-subject design by asking 406 subjects to rotate wireframe cube figures around either the vertical axis or around the horizontal axis. Both male and female subjects performed significantly better when rotating objects around the vertical axis. Males performed better than females in both conditions, and there was no interaction between axis of rotation and sex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Gender differences in the mental rotations test are partly explained by response format. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Glück, Judith; Fabrizii, Claudia Gender differences in the Mental Rotations Test (Vandenberg &; Kuse, 1978) are larger than in virtually all other spatial tests and have been highly robust over decades. Several possible explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed. This research tests the hypothesis that the gender differences are partly due to the response format of the MRT (two out of four responses correct in each item). This format, in combination with the high time pressure of the MRT, may be particularly conducive to the performance of highly confident (i.e., frequently male) participants who use "quick-and-dirty" response strategies. In study of 288 students, a new MRT version was used in which a variable number of 0 to 4 alternatives per item were correct. Gender differences were significantly smaller than in the standard MRT. In particular, the performance of highly confident male participants was markedly lower than in the standard MRT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Pairwise presentation of cube figures does not reduce gender differences in mental rotation performance. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Titze, Corinna; Heil, Martin; Jansen, Petra Gender differences still are one of the main topics in mental rotation research. Quite a number of different approaches aim to uncover the reasons for the substantial effect sizes observed. In this paper, we focus on the performance factor task complexity, which may contribute to gender differences. A pairwise paper-pencil presentation mode—using the original but rearranged items of the classic MRT by Peters et al. (1995)—was chosen to investigate mental rotation performance of adults. A total of 72 participants were asked to complete a complexity reduced version of the MRT: They had to complete simple "same-different" judgments without any time constraints instead of regular "two-out-of-four-alternatives" choices. Results revealed that the reduction of complexity did not affect the gender differences at all: Men outperformed women in both accuracy and speed. The reasons for these results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

The solution strategy as an indicator of the developmental stage of preschool children's mental-rotation ability. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Quaiser-Pohl, Claudia; Rohe, Anna M.; Amberger, Tobias The solution strategies of preschool children solving mental-rotation tasks were analyzed in two studies. In the first study n = 111 preschool children had to demonstrate their solution strategy in the Picture Rotation Test (PRT) items by thinking aloud; seven different strategies were identified. In the second study these strategies were confirmed by latent class analysis (LCA) with the PRT data of n = 565 preschool children. In addition, a close relationship was found between the solution strategy and children's age. Results point to a stage model for the development of mental-rotation ability as measured by the PRT, going from inappropriate strategies like guessing or comparing details, to semiappropriate approaches like choosing the stimulus with the smallest angle discrepancy, to a holistic or analytic strategy. A latent transition analysis (LTA) revealed that the ability to mentally rotate objects can be influenced by training in the preschool age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Does children's left hemisphere lateralization during mental rotation depend upon the stimulus material? Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Lange, Léonie F.; Heil, Martin; Jansen, Petra Recent publications suggest that there is a developmental-based change of lateralization of brain activity during mental rotation from left to bilateral. But it is an open question whether this left hemisphere activation could also be observed with stimuli other than characters. To test this, behavioral data and event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured in 28 children, 28 juveniles, and 28 adults during a mental rotation task with animal drawings. The results showed that reaction times (RTs) and error rates decreased with the increasing age of the participants. Furthermore, RTs and error rates increased with increasing angular disparity. An unlateralized ERP amplitude modulation at parietal electrodes as a function of angular disparity was present in all age groups. These results contrast former studies revealing a left lateralization in children when characters were used as stimuli for mental rotation. Left hemisphere activation is therefore not a general developmental trend; rather, it is suggested that it might be a correlate of written language acquisition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

The neural network of spatial cognition and its modulation by biological and environmental factors. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Jordan, Kirsten; Wüstenberg, Torsten Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated the question, if the neural spatial cognition network is modulated by biological (Sex) and environmental factors (Experience, Spatial Component). Sex and Experience modulate response selection and motor imagery. Both Spatial Component and Experience are strongly related to brain activity in visual areas. The interaction between Spatial Component and Experience revealed that high spatial experience and significant better performance in the mental rotation task are related to task-specific neural changes. We conclude that brain areas involved in perceptual and motor processes are associated with the investigated factors Sex, Spatial Component, and Experience. The neural activity in core regions of the spatial cognition network seems to be associated with specific performance changes. Further studies should examine whether these results are specific to our spatial tasks or can be generalized to other cognitive tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Effects of age and sex in mental rotation and spatial learning from virtual environments. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Schoenfeld, Robby; Lehmann, Wolfgang; Leplow, Bernd The study examined the age and sex effects in spatial learning and mental rotation in 58 adults. We developed two new spatial learning tasks using virtual reality (VR): a navigation task and a pointing task. The results show that younger adults outperformed older adults in both virtual tasks but not in mental rotation. Males outperformed females in the navigation task and mental rotation. We conclude that age generally drives differences in spatial learning, and that sex drives differences in spatial abilities, which were especially related to ability in navigating through virtual environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Use of strategy in a 3-dimensional spatial ability test. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Strasser, Irene; Koller, Ingrid; Strauß, Sabine; Csisinko, Mathis; Kaufmann, Hannes; Glück, Judith Use of strategy was investigated using a new spatial test in which items are presented in three-dimensional space and solutions are actively constructed rather than selected from alternatives. As the final test also comprises a training module, the focus of a first evaluation study was on the strategies participants use and their relationship to performance. Participants were interviewed after completing the test. The number of strategies reported and two specific strategies were significantly correlated to the test score. Implications of the findings for strategy assessment and test design are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

On the robustness of solution strategy classifications: Testing the stability of dynamic spatial tasks on a one-year test-retest basis. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Contreras, María José; Rubio, Víctor J.; Peña, Daniel; Santacreu, José Individual differences in performance when solving spatial tasks can be partly explained by differences in the strategies used. Two main difficulties arise when studying such strategies: the identification of the strategy itself and the stability of the strategy over time. In the present study strategies were separated into three categories: segmented (analytic), holistic-feedback dependent, and holistic-planned, according to the procedure described by Peña, Contreras, Shih, and Santacreu (2008). A group of individuals were evaluated twice on a 1-year test-retest basis. During the 1-year interval between tests, the participants were not able to prepare for the specific test used in this study or similar ones. It was found that 60% of the individuals kept the same strategy throughout the tests. When strategy changes did occur, they were usually due to a better strategy. These results prove the robustness of using strategy-based procedures for studying individual differences in spatial tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Map understanding as a developmental marker in childhood. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Peter, Michael; Glück, Judith; Beiglböck, Wolfgang A new test on map understanding for preschool and elementary-school children was constructed based on a Piagetian framework of the development of spatial ability and representational understanding. Results from a study with 95 3- to 6-year-old children are reported. The developmental trajectories for the performance components confirmed the construction rules and were explainable by Piagetian developmental stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

Spatial tests, familiarity with the surroundings, and spatial activity experience: How do they contribute to children's spatial orientation in macro environments? Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Neidhardt, Eva; Popp, Michael Spatial orientation as the ability to know the bearing to the origin of a walked path was investigated in two studies with ca. 140 preschool and primary school children who walked paths of about 1 km beginning at the familiar kindergarten or in a completely unknown territory. Path difficulty and familiarity with the surroundings influenced correctness of pointing. Spatial ability measured by test performance and spatial activity experience, i.e., children's reports about unsupervised walks, effected pointing accuracy as well. The data emphasize that spatial activity experience may be an important factor for spatial orientation beyond kindergarten age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Pin:  Mark Read:

New approaches to studying individual differences in spatial abilities. Sun, May 30 2010 5:00 PM  by Glück, Judith; Quaiser-Pohl, Claudia; Neubauer, Aljoscha C. Over the last 10 to 15 years, interest in spatial ability research in psychology has not been particularly high, and the field was progressing slowly:Empirical findings were largely correlational and rarely exceeded the ".30 barrier" so characteristic of many methodologically neglected fields in empirical psychology. Recently, however, interest seems to be increasing again, one reason being the growing availability of virtual-reality methods that enable researchers to study spatial cognition in the laboratory in completely new ways. Other methodological advances concern the measurement of brain activity while solving spatial tasks and the study of spatial abilities in very young children. Thus, the ".30 barrier" may be overcome through the development of innovative data-collection as well as statistical methods that offer researchers new possibilities to study both inter- and intraindividual differences. By featuring some of these new developments, we hope that this special issue will stimulate new research efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

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Research bytes 7-26-1-: Lots of good intelligence, cognitive, neuro, Big 5, genetic, working memory research stuff

Usual offer -- would you like to read the actual article...in exchange for a brief guest blog post at IQ's Corner?  Contact blogmaster (iap@earthlink.net) if interested.

Ferrer, E., &  McArdle, J. J. (2010). Longitudinal Modeling of Developmental Changes in Psychological Research. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(3), 149-154.

In this article we provide a review of recent advances in longitudinal models for multivariate change. We first claim the need for dynamic modeling approaches as a way to evaluate psychological theories. We then describe one such approach, latent change score (LCS) models, and illustrate their utility with a summary of research findings in various areas of psychological science. We then highlight the most prominent features of LCS models. We conclude the article with suggestions for future research on multivariate models of change that can enhance our understanding of psychological science.

Johnson, W. (2010). Understanding the Genetics of Intelligence: Can Height Help? Can Corn Oil? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(3), 177-182.

Although the subject is controversial, identifying the specific genes that contribute to general cognitive ability (GCA) has seemed to have good prospects, at least among psychological traits. GCA is reliably and validly measured and strongly heritable, and it shows genetically mediated physiological associations and developmental stability. To date, however, results have been disappointing. Human height shows these measurement characteristics even more strongly than GCA, yet data have indicated that no individual gene has more than trivial effects and this is also true for corn oil. The potential for environmental trigger of genetic expression, long recognized in evolutionary and developmental genetics, as applied to these seemingly disparate traits, can help us to understand the apparent contradiction between the heritability of intelligence and other psychological traits and the difficulty of identifying specific genetic effects.

Lavie, N. (2010). Attention, Distraction, and Cognitive Control Under Load. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(3), 143-148.

The extent to which people can focus attention in the face of irrelevant distractions has been shown to critically depend on the level and type of information load involved in their current task. The ability to focus attention improves under task conditions of high perceptual load but deteriorates under conditions of high load on cognitive control processes such as working memory. I review recent research on the effects of load on visual awareness and brain activity, including changing effects over the life span, and I outline the consequences for distraction and inattention in daily life and in clinical populations.

DeYoung, C. G., Hirsh, J. B., Shane, M. S., Papademetris, X., Rajeevan, N., & Gray, J. R. (2010). Testing Predictions From Personality Neuroscience: Brain Structure and the Big Five. Psychological Science, 21(6), 820-828.

We used a new theory of the biological basis of the Big Five personality traits to generate hypotheses about the association of each trait with the volume of different brain regions. Controlling for age, sex, and whole-brain volume, results from structural magnetic resonance imaging of 116 healthy adults supported our hypotheses for four of the five traits: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Extraversion covaried with volume of medial orbitofrontal cortex, a brain region involved in processing reward information. Neuroticism covaried with volume of brain regions associated with threat, punishment, and negative affect. Agreeableness covaried with volume in regions that process information about the intentions and mental states of other individuals. Conscientiousness covaried with volume in lateral prefrontal cortex, a region involved in planning and the voluntary control of behavior. These findings support our biologically based, explanatory model of the Big Five and demonstrate the potential of personality neuroscience (i.e., the systematic study of individual differences in personality using neuroscience methods) as a discipline

Goldstein, M. H., Waterfall, H. R., Lotem, A., Halpern, J. Y., Schwade, J. A., Onnis, L., & Edelman, S. (2010). General cognitive principles for learning structure in time and space. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(6), 249-258.

An understanding of how the human brain produces cognition ultimately depends on knowledge of large-scale brain organization. Although it has long been assumed that cognitive functions are attributable to the isolated operations of single brain areas, we demonstrate that the weight of evidence has now shifted in support of the view that cognition results from the dynamic interactions of distributed brain areas operating in large-scale networks. We review current research on structural and functional brain organization, and argue that the emerging science of large-scale brain networks provides a coherent framework for understanding of cognition. Critically, this framework allows a principled exploration of how cognitive functions emerge from, and are constrained by, core structural and functional networks of the brain.

Klingberg, T. (2010).  Trainin and plasticity of working memory.  Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14 (7), 317-324

Working memory (WM) capacity predicts performance in a wide range of cognitive tasks. Although WM capacity has been viewed as a constant trait, recent studies suggest that it can be improved by adaptive and extended training. This training is associated with changes in brain activity in frontal and parietal cortex and basal ganglia, as well as changes in dopamine receptor density. Transfer of the training effects to non-trained WM tasks is consistent with the notion of training-induced plasticity in a common neural network for WM. The observed training effects suggest that WM training could be used as a remediating intervention for individuals for whom low WM capacity is a limiting factor for academic performance or in everyday life.

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cognition, IQ, IQ tests, Gsm, working memory, attention, cognitive load, Big 5 personality, research bytes, longitudinal research

Research brief 7-26-10: CHC theory and measures (WJ III) found invariant (no psychometric bias) across blacks and whites

Kane, H. D., & Oakland, T. D. (2010). Group Differences in Cognitive Ability: A CHC Theory Framework. Mankind Quarterly, 50(4), 318-331.

Abstract

The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of cognitive ability as represented in the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-III (WJ-III) was examined for Black and White adults matched on various demographic variables. Although Whites performed higher than Blacks (i.e., race differences were found in test scores and accompanying factor means), the results of multisample confirmatory factor analyses found that the same constructs are measured in different groups. Therefore results are directly comparable, and in this sense measured differences can be interpreted as “real” differences on the dimensions that the test is meant to measure.

Part of authors conclusions:

With respect to the primary purpose of this study, although White-Black differences in cognitive ability are affirmed in favor of Whites, these analyses reveal no source of psychometric bias (i.e., differences in loadings, test intercepts, and error variance). Constructs are represented adequately and without undo influence of error. The structural fidelity of the WJ-III factor model is psychometrically sound, making it a suitable instrument for psychologists when estimating general and broad cognitive abilities for individuals and groups. The reported indices of fit (e.g., TLI, GFI, and RMSEA) suggest that the threestratum CHC model fits the WJ-III data fairly well and provides evidence of construct validity. This finding substantiates a growing body of research literature that upholds the WJ-III as a strong representation of CHC theory (e.g., Edwards & Oakland, 2006; McGrew & Woodcock, 2001). Further, the data support Carroll’s (1993) belief that the CHC theory is essentially invariant across racial-ethnic groups. Notably, the group differences in test performance are smaller than in most other studies (e.g., Osborne & McGurk, 1982). This particular result is likely due to the samples being matched by parental education and occupational status. In the US, this kind of control is expected to remove approximately one third of the Black-White difference that may be expected in demographically representative samples (Jensen, 1998;
Lynn, 1998).

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cognition, IQ, IQ tests, Gf, Gc, Gv, Ga, Gsm, Glr, Gs, Gq, Grw, WJ-R, WJ III, Woodcock-Johnson, WJ III NU, race and IQ, racial differences, psychometric bias, CFA, structural invariance

iPost: NIH assessment toolbox project

Interesting neuro assessment battery project at NIH link below

http://www.nihtoolbox.org/default.aspx

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IQs Corner Recent Literature of Interest 07-25-10

This weeks "recent literature of interest" is now available.  Click here to access.

Information regarding this feature, its basis, and the reasons for type of references included in each weekly installment can be found in a prior post.

Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, research, recent literature, IQs Corner

iPost: Brain injury biomarkers test?

http://braininjury.blogs.com/braininjury/2010/07/new-test-to-detect-brain-injury-being-developed.html

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Gv (visual-spatial) abilities are important: STEM related research

Despite the finding that Gv tests on major individually administered IQ tests consistently fail to demonstrate strong correlations with standardized achievement tests, clinical experience and other research continues to indicate that strong Gv abilities are related to performance in complex higher-level areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  We in applied IQ test development just need to develop better measures of these specific Gv abilities or recognize that our current dependent achievement test variables fail to tap these domains of expertise.  More from Lubinski on this topic.

Lubinski, D. (2010). Spatial ability and STEM: A sleeping giant for talent identification and development.
Personality and Individual Differences, 49(4), 344-351. (click here to read more)

Spatial ability is a powerful systematic source of individual differences that has been neglected in complex learning and work settings; it has also been neglected in modeling the development of expertise and creative accomplishments. Nevertheless, over 50 years of longitudinal research documents the important role that spatial ability plays in educational and occupational settings wherein sophisticated reasoning with figures, patterns, and shapes is essential. Given the contemporary push for developing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) talent in the information age, an opportunity is available to highlight the psychological significance of spatial ability. Doing so is likely to inform research on aptitude-by-treatment interactions and Underwood’s (1975) idea to utilize individual differences as a crucible for theory construction. Incorporating spatial ability in talent identification procedures for advanced learning opportunities uncovers an under-utilized pool of talent for meeting the complex needs of an ever-growing technological world; furthermore, selecting students for advanced learning opportunities in STEM without considering spatial ability might be iatrogenic.
Article Outline

1. Spatial ability and STEM: decades of longitudinal research
2. Intellectually precocious youth
3. Discussion
4. Broader Psychological Implications

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cognition, IQ, IQ tests, Gv, visual-spatial, visual processing, STEM, science, engineering, technology, mathematics

Research Briefs 7-23-10: Psychology and academic freedom

Gottfredson, L. S. (2010). Lessons in academic freedom as lived experience. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(4), 272-280.

What is academic freedom, what guarantees it, and what would you do if your university violated yours? Few of us academics entertain these questions or ponder possible answers. This leaves us individually and collectively vulnerable to encroachments on our right to free and open inquiry. I use a case study from 1989–1994 to illustrate how violations of academic freedom develop, the typical pretexts used to justify them, and what is required to halt and reverse them. My aim is to help scholars recognize when academic freedom is at risk and how better to safeguard it in daily academic life. To this end, I describe the general social mechanisms that operate both inside and outside academe to selectively burden and suppress unpopular research. The case study provides concrete examples to illustrate six specific lessons. Like free speech in general, academic freedom (1) has maintenance costs, (2) is not self-enforcing, (3) is invoked today to stifle unwelcome speech, (4) is often violated by academic institutions, (5) is not often defended by academics themselves, and (6) yet, requires no heroic efforts for collective enjoyment if scholars consistently contribute small acts of support to prevent incursions.

Article Outline

1. Introduction
2. Preview of the six lessons and five sets of violations
3. Lesson 1. Academic freedom, like constitutionally-protected free speech, has maintenance costs
4. Lesson 2. Academic freedom is not self-enforcing
5. Lesson 3. Opposite to its intent, academic freedom is often invoked to restrict inquiry to “safe” ideas
6. Lesson 4. Academic freedom is often violated by academic institutions
7. Lesson 5. Academic freedom is often not defended by academic professionals themselves
8. Lesson 6. It does not take heroic efforts, just consistent ones, to sustain academic freedom


Hunt, E. (2010). The rights and responsibilities implied by academic freedom. Personality and Individual
Differences, 49(4), 264-271.

Academics enjoy freedom from retaliation for their statements that goes beyond the freedom accorded to other members of society. Academics are also often called upon to act as advisors, either to society as a whole or to public and private sector clients. This sets up a tension between freedom to speak and an obligation to speak responsibly. The problem can be acute in the field of individual differences, for findings related to individual differences touch upon the relations among different racial/ethnic groups, between genders, and have implications for educational and personnel policies. Examples are given of situations in which, in the author’s opinion, academics have abused their roles as expert advisors by speaking irresponsibly. At issue is not whether or not the person speaking reached a correct conclusion, but whether or not the evidence and reasoning about the evidence met reasonable standards for careful inquiry and analysis. Formal actions by governments or by university administration are seldom the answer. Standards enforced by professional societies are less problematical, but are far from complete solutions. The best way to handle the problem is to encourage open discussion of the issues involved, both between established academics and between faculty and students.

Article Outline

1. Introduction
2. The case of research on intelligence
3. Free speech protections and restrictions
4. The source of restrictions on free speech
5. The protection afforded by academic freedom
6. Illustrations
7. What to do about it

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cognition, IQ, IQ tests, academic freedom

iPost: Predictive ability of WISCIV GAI in gifted

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/spq/25/2/119/

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On the road again--blogging lite July 18-21

I will be on the road (working) again from July 18-21. 

I don't expect much time to blog...except for possible "push" type FYI posts re: content posted at other blogs.....or...mobile blogging (iPosts:  check out the link.....it is very cool...but, of course, I tend to be a tech nerd)......

I shall return.

Technorati Tags: psychology, IQs Corner, Intelligence, travel

iPost: Grw humor from the animal kingdom

IQs Corner Recent Literature of Interest 07-16-10

This weeks "recent literature of interest" is now available.  Click here to access.

Information regarding this feature, its basis, and the reasons for type of references included in each weekly installment can be found in a prior post.

Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, research, recent literature, IQs Corner

New SLD identification model: Wayne County uses CHC theory for cognitive component

Many school districts are working to implement the new IDEA law and regulations regarding SLD identification in the context of a Tier-based Response to Intervention (RTI) model.  Today I learned of on school system (Wayne County) that uses, for the cognitive strenghts and weaknesses component, the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model.  Information regarding their system can be found at their web page. 

I would be interested in hearing of other school systems that have organized the cognitive pattern of strengths and weaknesses SLD component around the CHC model.  Contact me at iap@earthlink.net if you would have something to share and that I could share with IQs Corner readers.

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cognition, IQ, IQ tests, Gf, Gc, Gv, Ga, Gsm, Glr, Gs, Gq, Grw, WJ-R, WJ III, Woodcock-Johnson, WJ III NU, SLD, RTI, response to intervention

Current research in Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) based intelligence testing: Special PITS isue is out

I'm excited to announce that the special issue of Psychology in the Schools, Current Research in Cattell-Horn-Carroll-Based Assessment (guest editors where Jocelyn Newton and myself), is now published.  Yippeee.  To be honest, Dr. Newton deserves the major credit....she did all the heavy lifting and I road her coat tails.  Also thanks to Dr. David McIntosh for suggesting and overseeing the special issue

A review of the TOC can be found by clicking here.  A copy of the article (Cattell-Horn-Carroll cognitive achievement relations:  What we have learned from the past 20 years of research) I co-authored with Barb Wendling can be found by clicking here and the introduction to this issue I co-authored with Dr. Newton is available here.

If you do not have access to this journal and would like to read 1 or more of the articles, I'd be willing to privately share PDF copies in exchange for a guest blog post review here at IQ's Corner.  Now how can folks resist such an offer?....to learn more and to become a guest blogger.  It doesn't get any better.

Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cognition, IQ, IQ tests, school achievement, general intelligence, Gf, Gc, Gv, Ga, Gsm, Glr, Gs, Gq, Grw, Psychology in the Schools, learning disabilities, RTI

Quantoids corner: Intro to hierarchical linear modeling (HLM)

I LOVE it when more applied journals publish articles where complex statistical methods are presented to a less statistically oriented audience, as I often find these "quanatoid explanations for dummies" an excellent introduction to complex statistical methods.  Today I discovered that Gifted Child Quarterly has published a brief two-part series of articles that provide a nice introduction to HLM.  I've never run HLM models, so I found the introduction very helpful.  So much so that I might run some HLM on some appropriate datasets I have just to see it work.

Below are the two articles.  Enjoy.  Kudos to GCQ and Dr. McCoach.

McCoach, D. B. & Adelson, J. L.  Dealing with dependence (Part 1):  Understanding the effects of clustered data.  Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(2), 152-155.

This article provides a conceptual introduction to the issues surrounding the analysis of clustered (nested) data. We define the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the design effect, and we explain their effect on the standard error. When the ICC is greater than 0, then the design effect is greater than 1. In such a scenario, the standard error produced under the assumption of independence is underestimated. This increases the Type I error rate. We provide a short illustration of the effect of non-independence on the standard error. We show that after accounting for the design effect, our decision about the statistical significance of the test statistic changes. When we fail to account for the clustered nature of the data, we conclude that the difference between the two groups is statistically significant. However, once we adjust the standard error for the design effect, the difference is no longer statistically significant.

McCoach, D. B. (2010). Dealing With Dependence (Part II): A Gentle Introduction to Hierarchical Linear
Modeling. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(3), 252-256.

In education, most naturally occurring data are clustered within contexts. Students are clustered within classrooms, classrooms are clustered within schools, and schools are clustered within districts. When people are clustered within naturally occurring organizational units such as schools, classrooms, or districts, the responses of people from the same cluster are likely to exhibit some degree of relatedness with each other. The use of hierarchical linear modeling allows researchers to adjust for and model this non-independence. Furthermore, it may be of great substantive interest to try to understand the degree to which people from the same cluster are similar to each other and then to try to identify variables that help us to understand differences both within and across clusters. In HLM, we endeavor to understand and explain between- and within-cluster variability of an outcome variable of interest. We can also use predictors at both the individual level (level 1), and the contextual level (level 2) to explain the variance in the dependent variable. This article presents a simple example using a real data set and walk through the interpretation of a simple hierarchical linear model to illustrate the utility of the technique.

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, statistics, HLM, hierarchical linear modeling, gifted, Gifted Child Quarterly, quatoids corner

Research bytes 7-14-10: Early detection and prediction of academic problems-special issue of JLD

Thomson, J. M., & Hogan, T. P. (2010). Introduction: Advances in Early Detection of Reading Risk. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 291-293.

Adlof, S. M., Catts, H. W., & Lee, J. (2010). Kindergarten Predictors of Second Versus Eighth Grade Reading Comprehension Impairments. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 332-345.

Multiple studies have shown that kindergarten measures of phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge are good predictors of reading achievement in the primary grades. However, less attention has been given to the early predictors of later reading achievement. This study used a modified best-subsets variable-selection technique to examine kindergarten predictors of early versus later reading comprehension impairments. Participants included 433 children involved in a longitudinal study of language and reading development. The kindergarten test battery assessed various language skills in addition to phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, naming speed, and nonverbal cognitive ability. Reading comprehension was assessed in second and eighth grades. Results indicated that different combinations of variables were required to optimally predict second versus eighth grade reading impairments. Although some variables effectively predicted reading impairments in both grades, their relative contributions shifted over time. These results are discussed in light of the changing nature of reading comprehension over time. Further research will help to improve the early identification of later reading disabilities.

Corriveau, K. H., Goswami, U., & Thomson, J. M. (2010). Auditory Processing and Early Literacy Skills in a Preschool and Kindergarten Population. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 369-382.

Although the relationship between auditory processing and reading-related skills has been investigated in school-age populations and in prospective studies of infants, understanding of the relationship between these variables in the period immediately preceding formal reading instruction is sparse. In this cross-sectional study, auditory processing, phonological awareness, early literacy skills, and general ability were assessed in a mixed sample of 88 three- to six-year-old children both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results from both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses suggest the importance of early auditory rise time sensitivity in developing phonological awareness skills, especially in the development of rhyme awareness.

Hogan, T. P. (2010).  A short report:  Word-level phonological and lexical characteristics interact to influence phoneme awareness

In this study, we examined the influence of word-level phonological and lexical characteristics on early phoneme awareness. Typically developing children, ages 61 to 78 months, completed a phoneme-based, odd-one-out task that included consonant—vowel—consonant word sets (e.g., “chair—chain—ship”) that varied orthogonally by a phonological characteristic, sound contrast similarity (similar vs. dissimilar), and a lexical characteristic, neighborhood density (dense vs. sparse). In a subsample of the participants—those with the highest vocabularies—results were in line with a predicted interactive effect of phonological and lexical characteristics on phoneme awareness performance: word sets contrasting similar sounds were less likely to yield correct responses in words from sparse neighborhoods than words from dense neighborhoods. Word sets contrasting dissimilar sounds were most likely to yield correct responses regardless of the words’ neighborhood density. Based on these findings, theories of early phoneme awareness should consider both word-level and child-level influences on performance. Attention to these influences is predicted to result in more sensitive and specific measures of reading risk.

Liu, P. D., McBrideChang, C., Wong, A. M. Y., Tardif, T., Stokes, S. F., Fletcher, P., & Shu, H. (2010). Early Oral Language Markers of Poor Reading Performance in Hong Kong Chinese Children. Journal of Learning
Disabilities, 43(4), 322-331.

This study investigated the extent to which language skills at ages 2 to 4 years could discriminate Hong Kong Chinese poor from adequate readers at age 7. Selected were 41 poor readers (age M = 87.6 months) and 41 adequate readers (age M = 88.3 months). The two groups were matched on age, parents’ education levels, and nonverbal intelligence. The following language tasks were tested at different ages: vocabulary checklist and Cantonese articulation test at age 2; nonword repetition, Cantonese articulation, and receptive grammar at age 3; and nonword repetition, receptive grammar, sentence imitation, and story comprehension at age 4. Significant differences between the poor and adequate readers were found in the age 2 vocabulary knowledge, age 3 Cantonese articulation, and age 4 receptive grammar skill, sentence imitation, and story comprehension. Among these measures, sentence imitation showed the greatest power in discriminating poor and adequate readers.

Smith, S. L., Roberts, J. A., Locke, J. L., & Tozer, R. (2010). An Exploratory Study of the Development of Early Syllable Structure in Reading-Impaired Children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 294-307.

Babbling between the ages of 8 and 19 months was examined in 19 children, 13 of whom were at high risk for reading disorder (RD) and 6 normally reading children at low familial risk for RD. Development of syllable complexity was examined at five periods across this 11-month window. Results indicated that children who later evidenced RD produced a lower proportion of canonical utterances and less complex syllable structures than children without RD. As syllable complexity is an early indicator of phonological sophistication, differences at this level may offer a window into how the phonological system of children with RD is structured. Future directions for this line of research are discussed

Torppa, M., Lyytinen, P., Erskine, J., Eklund, K., & Lyytinen, H. (2010). Language Development, Literacy Skills,
and Predictive Connections to Reading in Finnish Children With and Without Familial Risk for Dyslexia.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 308-321.

Discriminative language markers and predictive links between early language and literacy skills were investigated retrospectively in the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia in which children at familial risk for dyslexia have been followed from birth. Three groups were formed on the basis of 198 children’s reading and spelling status. One group of children with reading disability (RD; n = 46) and two groups of typical readers from nondyslexic control (TRC; n = 84) and dyslexic families (TRD; n = 68) were examined from age 1.5 years to school age. The RD group was outperformed by typical readers on numerous language and literacy measures (expressive and receptive language, morphology, phonological sensitivity, RAN, and letter knowledge) from 2 years of age onward. The strongest predictive links emerged from receptive and expressive language to reading via measures of letter naming, rapid naming, morphology, and phonological awareness.

vanderLely, H. K. J., & Marshall, C. R. (2010). Assessing Component Language Deficits in the Early Detection of Reading Difficulty Risk. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 357-368.

This article focuses on some of the linguistic components that underlie letter-sound decoding skills and reading comprehension: specifically phonology, morphology, and syntax. Many children who have reading difficulties had language deficits that were detectable before they began reading. Early identification of language difficulties will therefore help identify children at risk of reading failure. Using a developmental psycholinguistic framework, the authors provide a model of how syntax, morphology, and phonology break down in children with language impairments. The article reports on a screening test of these language abilities for preschool or young school-aged children that identifies those at risk for literacy problems and in need of further assessment.

Hogan, T. P., & Thomson, J. M. (2010). Epilogue to Journal of Learning Disabilities Special Edition ''Advances in the Early Detection of Reading Risk'': Future Advances in the Early Detection of Reading Risk: Subgroups,
Dynamic Relations, and Advanced Methods. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 43(4), 383-386.

Six studies and one synthesis focused on early identification of reading impairment in this special edition. A familiar theme emerged: reading involves multiple subsystems that dynamically interact across development, making early identification a “moving target” (cf. Speece, 2005). Based on the cumulative findings presented in this edition, we pose five key considerations for future advances in the early detection of reading risk: (a) attention to the definition of reading and the heterogeneity of poor readers; (b) longitudinal dynamic relations; (c) application of advanced, theory-driven methods and statistical models; (d) early identification that leads to prescriptive early intervention; and (e) early identification in a multilingual, multicultural population.

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Example of task analysis of math problem-solving

The following article, although quite technical and quantoid in nature, includes an interesting task-analysis flow chart of mathematical problem solving that might serve as a conceptual model for analyzing cognitive and achievement tasks....the figure caught my attention.

[Double click image to enlarge]

Daniel, R. C., & Embretson, S. E. (2010). Designing Cognitive Complexity in Mathematical Problem-Solving Items. Applied Psychological Measurement, 34(5), 348-364.

Cognitive complexity level is important for measuring both aptitude  and achievement in large-scale testing. Tests for standards-based  assessment of mathematics, for example, often include cognitive  complexity level in the test blueprint. However, little research  exists on how mathematics items can be designed to vary in cognitive complexity level. In fact, determining the cognitive complexity level of items is usually based on correspondence to definitions rather than on empirically and theoretically justifiable variables that can predict item difficulty. In the current study, mathematical problem-solving items were designed for varying cognitive complexity levels based on a cognitive model of item processing. Structural variants of item models were designed to vary on two aspects of the cognitive model, the equation source and the number of subgoals. Participants were randomly assigned to test forms that contained different structural variants of the item models. Results from the linear logistic test model, the two-parameter-logistic—constrained model, and a corresponding linear mixed modeling procedure indicated that the item design variables affected both item difficulty and response time. Implications of the results for using structural variants in item generation and for the plausibility of the hypothesized cognitive model are discussed.

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, factor analysis, IQs Corner, IQ, IQ tests, IQ scores, math achievement, dyscalculia, math problem solving

New book on intelligence by Earl Hunt: Available November 2010

I just learned of an exciting new book on intelligence by a giant in the field, Earl Hunt.  The book Human Intelligence will be available this November from Cambridge University Press.

I look forward to reviewing the contents when I can secure a copy.  I have added the book to IQs Corner Book Store

Technorati Tags: Psychology, school psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, special education, intelligence, cognitive abilities, cognition, intelligence theories, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, factor analysis, IQs Corner, IQ, IQ tests, IQ scores, Earl Hunt, human intelligence

iPost: PEBS neuroethics roundup

Good stuff at link below

http://kolber.typepad.com/ethics_law_blog/2010/07/pebs-neuroethics-roundup-from-jhu-guest-blogger-1.html

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iPost: Bilingualism enhances executive functions?

Story at SHARP BRAINS link below.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2010/07/08/being-bilingual-enhances-executive-functions-and-brain/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=being-bilingual-enhances-executive-functions-and-brain

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