Thursday, May 30, 2013

Journal alert: COGNITIVE PROCESSING

> Journal Name: COGNITIVE PROCESSING (ISSN: 1612-4782)
> Issue: Vol. 14 No. 2, 2013
> IDS#: 135GV
> Alert Expires: 10 JAN 2014
> Number of Articles in Issue: 15 (15 included in this e-mail)
> Organization ID: c4f3d919329a46768459d3e35b8102e6
> ========================================================================
> Note: Instructions on how to purchase the full text of an article and Thomson Reuters Science Contact information are at the end of the e-mail.
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 103-104 (Editorial Material)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500001
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Introduction to the special issue on spatial learning and reasoning processes
>
> Authors:
> Shipley, TF; Gentner, D
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):103-104; MAY 2013
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 105-115 (Review)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500002
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Understanding spatial transformations: similarities and differences between mental rotation and mental folding
>
> Authors:
> Harris, J; Hirsh-Pasek, K; Newcombe, NS
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):105-115; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mental rotation and mental folding, two widely used measures of spatial
> ability, both require the dynamic spatial transformation of objects with
> respect to their internal spatial structure. Traditionally, however,
> these two skills have been considered quite distinct, based primarily on
> factor analyses of psychometric data. This paper reviews the
> similarities and differences between mental rotation and mental folding
> from a variety of perspectives, including their definitions, component
> cognitive processes, neurological bases, developmental trajectories,
> malleability, predictive validity, and psychometric properties. We
> conclude that mental rotation and mental folding are similar in many
> respects. However, the tasks differ in whether they require rigid or
> non-rigid transformations of objects. In addition, mental rotation shows
> robust sex-related differences whereas mental folding does not. We also
> identify specific questions for which research is lacking.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 117-127 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500003
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Using a touch screen paradigm to assess the development of mental rotation between 3A1/2 and 5A1/2A years of age
>
> Authors:
> Frick, A; Ferrara, K; Newcombe, NS
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):117-127; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Mental rotation is an important spatial skill. However, there is
> controversy concerning its early development and susceptibility to
> intervention. In the present study, we assessed individual differences
> in the mental rotation abilities of children between 3A1/2 and 5A1/2A
> years of age, using a touch screen paradigm to simplify task demands. A
> figure or its mirror image was presented in 8 different orientations,
> and children indicated in which of two holes the figure would fit by
> touching one of the holes on the screen. Task instructions were varied
> in three conditions, giving the children the opportunity to gather
> manual or observational experience with rotations of different stimuli,
> or giving no additional experience. Children's error rates and response
> times increased linearly with increasing angular disparity between the
> figure and the hole by the age of 5 years, but 4-year-olds were found to
> respond at chance for all angular disparities, despite the use of a
> touch screen paradigm. Both manual and observational experience
> increased the response accuracy of 5-year-olds, especially for children
> already performing well. However, there was no effect on 4-year-olds.
> Results point to an emerging readiness to use mental rotation and profit
> from observational and manual experience at age 5.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 129-142 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500004
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> When do spatial abilities support student comprehension of STEM visualizations?
>
> Authors:
> Hinze, SR; Williamson, VM; Shultz, MJ; Williamson, KC; Deslongchamps, G;
> Rapp, DN
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):129-142; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Spatial visualization abilities are positively related to performance on
> science, technology, engineering, and math tasks, but this relationship
> is influenced by task demands and learner strategies. In two studies, we
> illustrate these interactions by demonstrating situations in which
> greater spatial ability leads to problematic performance. In Study 1,
> chemistry students observed and explained sets of simultaneously
> presented displays depicting chemical phenomena at macroscopic and
> particulate levels of representation. Prior to viewing, the students
> were asked to make predictions at the macroscopic level. Eye movement
> analyses revealed that greater spatial ability was associated with
> greater focus on the prediction-relevant macroscopic level.
> Unfortunately, that restricted focus was also associated with
> lower-quality explanations of the phenomena. In Study 2, we presented
> the same displays but manipulated whether participants were asked to
> make predictions prior to viewing. Spatial ability was again associated
> with restricted focus, but only for students who completed the
> prediction task. Eliminating the prediction task encouraged attempts to
> integrate the displays that related positively to performance,
> especially for participants with high spatial ability. Spatial abilities
> can be recruited in effective or ineffective ways depending on
> alignments between the demands of a task and the approaches individuals
> adopt for completing that task.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 143-152 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500005
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Breaking new ground in the mind: an initial study of mental brittle transformation and mental rigid rotation in science experts
>
> Authors:
> Resnick, I; Shipley, TF
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):143-152; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> The current study examines the spatial skills employed in different
> spatial reasoning tasks, by asking how science experts who are practiced
> in different types of visualizations perform on different spatial tasks.
> Specifically, the current study examines the varieties of mental
> transformations. We hypothesize that there may be two broad classes of
> mental transformations: rigid body mental transformations and non-rigid
> mental transformations. We focus on the disciplines of geology and
> organic chemistry because different types of transformations are central
> to the two disciplines: While geologists and organic chemists may both
> confront rotation in the practice of their profession, only geologists
> confront brittle transformations. A new instrument was developed to
> measure mental brittle transformation (visualizing breaking). Geologists
> and organic chemists performed similarly on a measure of mental
> rotation, while geologists outperformed organic chemists on the mental
> brittle transformation test. The differential pattern of skill on the
> two tests for the two groups of experts suggests that mental brittle
> transformation and mental rotation are different spatial skills. The
> roles of domain general cognitive resources (attentional control,
> spatial working memory, and perceptual filling in) and strategy in
> completing mental brittle transformation are discussed. The current
> study illustrates how ecological and interdisciplinary approaches
> complement traditional cognitive science to offer a comprehensive
> approach to understanding the nature of spatial thinking.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 153-162 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500006
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Individual differences in mental rotation: what does gesture tell us?
>
> Authors:
> Goksun, T; Goldin-Meadow, S; Newcombe, N; Shipley, T
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):153-162; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Gestures are common when people convey spatial information, for example,
> when they give directions or describe motion in space. Here, we examine
> the gestures speakers produce when they explain how they solved mental
> rotation problems (Shepard and Meltzer in Science 171:701-703, 1971). We
> asked whether speakers gesture differently while describing their
> problems as a function of their spatial abilities. We found that
> low-spatial individuals (as assessed by a standard paper-and-pencil
> measure) gestured more to explain their solutions than high-spatial
> individuals. While this finding may seem surprising, finer-grained
> analyses showed that low-spatial participants used gestures more often
> than high-spatial participants to convey "static only" information but
> less often than high-spatial participants to convey dynamic information.
> Furthermore, the groups differed in the types of gestures used to convey
> static information: high-spatial individuals were more likely than
> low-spatial individuals to use gestures that captured the internal
> structure of the block forms. Our gesture findings thus suggest that
> encoding block structure may be as important as rotating the blocks in
> mental spatial transformation.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 163-173 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500007
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Twisting space: are rigid and non-rigid mental transformations separate spatial skills?
>
> Authors:
> Atit, K; Shipley, TF; Tikoff, B
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):163-173; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Cognitive science has primarily studied the mental simulation of spatial
> transformations with tests that focus on rigid transformations (e.g.,
> mental rotation). However, the events of our world are not limited to
> rigid body movements. Objects can undergo complex non-rigid
> discontinuous and continuous changes, such as bending and breaking. We
> developed a new task to assess mental visualization of non-rigid
> transformations. The Non-rigid Bending test required participants to
> visualize a continuous non-rigid transformation applied to an array of
> objects by asking simple spatial questions about the position of two
> forms on a bent transparent sheet of plastic. Participants were to judge
> the relative position of the forms when the sheet was unbent. To study
> the cognitive skills needed to visualize rigid and non-rigid events, we
> employed four tests of mental transformations-the Non-rigid Bending test
> (a test of continuous non-rigid mental transformation), the Paper
> Folding test and the Mental Brittle Transformation test (two tests of
> non-rigid mental transformation with local rigid transformations), and
> the Vandenberg and Kuse (Percept Motor Skills 47:599-604, 1978) Mental
> Rotation test (a test of rigid mental transformation). Performance on
> the Mental Brittle Transformation test and the Paper Folding test
> independently predicted performance on the Non-rigid Bending test and
> performance on the Mental Rotation test; however, mental rotation
> performance was not a unique predictor of mental bending performance.
> Results are consistent with separable skills for rigid and non-rigid
> mental simulation and illustrate the value of an ecological approach to
> the analysis of the structure of spatial thinking.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 175-187 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500008
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Finding faults: analogical comparison supports spatial concept learning in geoscience
>
> Authors:
> Jee, BD; Uttal, DH; Gentner, D; Manduca, C; Shipley, TF; Sageman, B
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):175-187; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> A central issue in education is how to support the spatial thinking
> involved in learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
> (STEM). We investigated whether and how the cognitive process of
> analogical comparison supports learning of a basic spatial concept in
> geoscience, fault. Because of the high variability in the appearance of
> faults, it may be difficult for students to learn the category-relevant
> spatial structure. There is abundant evidence that comparing analogous
> examples can help students gain insight into important category-defining
> features (Gentner in Cogn Sci 34(5):752-775, 2010). Further, comparing
> high-similarity pairs can be especially effective at revealing key
> differences (Sagi et al. 2012). Across three experiments, we tested
> whether comparison of visually similar contrasting examples would help
> students learn the fault concept. Our main findings were that
> participants performed better at identifying faults when they (1)
> compared contrasting (fault/no fault) cases versus viewing each case
> separately (Experiment 1), (2) compared similar as opposed to dissimilar
> contrasting cases early in learning (Experiment 2), and (3) viewed a
> contrasting pair of schematic block diagrams as opposed to a single
> block diagram of a fault as part of an instructional text (Experiment
> 3). These results suggest that comparison of visually similar
> contrasting cases helped distinguish category-relevant from
> category-irrelevant features for participants. When such comparisons
> occurred early in learning, participants were more likely to form an
> accurate conceptual representation. Thus, analogical comparison of
> images may provide one powerful way to enhance spatial learning in
> geoscience and other STEM disciplines.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 189-191 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500009
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> The spatial thinking of origami: evidence from think-aloud protocols
>
> Authors:
> Taylor, HA; Tenbrink, T
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):189-191; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, involves spatial
> thinking to both interpret and carry out its instructions. As such, it
> has the potential to provide spatial training (Taylor and Hutton under
> review). The present work uses cognitive discourse analysis to reveal
> the spatial thinking involved in origami and to suggest how it may be
> beneficial for spatial training. Analysis of think-aloud data while
> participants folded origami and its relation to gender, spatial ability
> measures, and thinking style suggest that one way that people profit
> from spatial training is through the possibility to verbalize concepts
> needed to solve-related spatial tasks.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 193-195 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500010
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Collaborating in spatial tasks: how partners coordinate their spatial memories and descriptions
>
> Authors:
> Galati, A; Avraamides, MN
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):193-195; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> We summarize findings from a study examining whether the availability of
> the conversational partner's spatial viewpoint influences the speaker's
> spatial memories, description strategies, their joint efficiency and
> accuracy on the task, as well as the partner's resulting spatial
> memories. In 18 pairs, Directors described to a misaligned Matcher
> arrays that they learned while either knowing their Matcher's viewpoint
> or not. Memory tests preceding descriptions revealed that Directors
> represented their Matcher's viewpoint when known in advance. Moreover,
> Directors adapted the perspective of their descriptions according to
> each other's cognitive demands, given their misalignment. The number of
> conversational turns pairs took to coordinate suggested that pairs'
> strategies were effective at minimizing their collective effort.
> Nonetheless, in terms of accuracy on the task, pairs reconstructed more
> distorted arrays the more partner-centered descriptions Directors used.
> The Directors' descriptions also predicted Matchers' facilitation for
> their own perspective in memory tests following the description.
> Together, these findings demonstrate that partners in collaborative
> spatial tasks adapt their respective memory representations and
> descriptions contingently with the aim of optimizing coordination.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 197-199 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500011
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Elimination of sex difference in direction giving
>
> Authors:
> Wan, XA; Newcombe, NS; Fitzhugh, S
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):197-199; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Past studies have shown that men provide more cardinal information and
> mileage estimates than women when describing routes learned from maps.
> In the current study, we examined whether this sex difference would
> persist if more legends were added to the maps. The participants looked
> at maps for 3 min and then wrote down directions from memory. Their
> usage of cardinal directions, mileage estimates, landmarks, and
> left-right directions was coded and analyzed. The results showed that
> men and women used cardinal directions equally for the 4-legend maps,
> whereas men used more cardinal directions than women for 1-legend maps
> as shown previously. Our results suggested that subtly drawing attention
> to cardinal directions successfully eliminated the sex difference in
> usage, although a different pattern was seen for mileage estimates. The
> underlying mechanisms are discussed.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 201-204 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500012
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Explaining sex differences in mental rotation: role of spatial activity experience
>
> Authors:
> Nazareth, A; Herrera, A; Pruden, SM
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):201-204; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Males consistently outperform females on mental rotation tasks, such as
> the Vandenberg and Kuse (1978) Perceptual and Motor Skills, 47(2),
> 599-604, mental rotation test (MRT; e.g. Voyer et al. 1995) in
> Psychological Bulletin, 117, 250-265. The present study investigates
> whether these sex differences in MRT scores can be explained in part by
> early spatial activity experience, particularly those spatial activities
> that have been sex-typed as masculine/male-oriented. Utilizing an online
> survey, 571 ethnically diverse adult university students completed a
> brief demographic survey, an 81-item spatial activity survey, and the
> MRT. Results suggest that the significant relation between sex of the
> participant and MRT score is partially mediated by the number of
> masculine spatial activities participants had engaged in as youth.
> Closing the gap between males and females in spatial ability, a skill
> linked to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics success, may
> be accomplished in part by encouraging female youth to engage in more
> particular kinds of spatial activities.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 205-208 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500013
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Spatial language and the psychological reality of schematization
>
> Authors:
> Holmes, KJ; Wolff, P
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):205-208; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Although the representations underlying spatial language are often
> assumed to be schematic in nature, empirical evidence for a schematic
> format of representation is lacking. In this research, we investigate
> the psychological reality of such a format, using simulated motion
> during scene processing-previously linked to schematization-as a
> diagnostic. One group of participants wrote a verbal description of a
> scene and then completed a change detection task assessing simulated
> motion, while another group completed only the latter task. We expected
> that effects of simulated motion would be stronger following language
> use than not, and specifically following the use of spatial, relative to
> non-spatial, language. Both predictions were supported. Further, the
> effect of language was scene independent, suggesting that language may
> encourage a general mode of schematic construal. The study and its
> findings illustrate a novel approach to examining the perceptual
> properties of mental representations.
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 209-211 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500014
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Variable stability of preferences in spatial reasoning
>
> Authors:
> Schultheis, H; Barkowsky, T
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):209-211; MAY 2013
>
> ========================================================================
>
>
> *Pages: 213-215 (Article)
> *View Full Record: http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=Alerting&SrcApp=Alerting&DestApp=CCC&DestLinkType=FullRecord;KeyUT=CCC:000318277500015
> *Order Full Text [ ]
>
> Title:
> Effects of learning from interaction with physical or mediated devices
>
> Authors:
> Flanagan, R
>
> Source:
> *COGNITIVE PROCESSING*, 14 (2):213-215; MAY 2013
>
> Abstract:
> Online learning tools and course materials have not only taken root:
> they are fully established and thriving. However, some wonder whether
> the missing interaction with physical, rather than virtual, tools may be
> undermining the foundation of more abstract spatial and cognitive
> skills. Sixty third-grade (28 male and 32 female) children with a mean
> age of 8.95 years (SD = .56 years) were randomly assigned to practice
> new math skills on a physical wooden Chinese abacus or a virtual Chinese
> abacus, programmed using Hypercard. Later; the children did equally well
> on a paper and pencil recognition test, but the children who had
> practiced with the virtual Chinese abacus were significantly worse at
> building on their knowledge to figure out how to use the abacus for more
> advanced computation than those who had practiced with the wooden
> Chinese abacus. This could have important implications for the early
> development of the foundation of mathematical, spatial, and cognitive
> skills.
>
>
>
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BrainBeat Launches Innovative "Brain Training" for Kids - Press Release - Digital Journal

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1273202

Press release story at link above.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: I am a paid external Research and Science Advisor to Interactive Metronome, the parent company of Brain Beat.
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Update: A Fresh Look at How to Enhance Brain & Mental Health


SharpBrains Logo
May 2013 eNewsletter
, 
   
Time for SharpBrains' May e-newsletter. which features a variety of articles offering a more optimistic and evidence-based approach to brain and mental health than current practices.  

ScientificAmericanFirst of all, let us highlight that Scientific American just published an excellent review of our new book. The review author sums it up by saying that "...I wish I had read this awesome guide when I was much younger...I find the emerging field of neuroplasticity immensely exciting, and guides like this one are both hopeful and reasonable." As a reader points out, the word "awesome" does not appear often in science-oriented publications...so we are especially proud to see The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Optimize Brain Health and Performance at Any Age (April 2013; 284 pages) merit such treatment. 
 
New thinking: New science: New tools:
  • Great Kirkus Review: "A stim­u­lat­ing, chal­leng­ing resource, full of solid infor­ma­tion and prac­ti­cal tips for improv­ing brain health."
  • "Reading this book will change the way you think about your brain, and perhaps the way you live." (R. Goodman, 5-star amazon review)  
  • "...help you invest in your own brain and mind...This book, at the very least, will make you wiser." (Julian L. Sevillano, 5-star amazon review)  
  • SharpBrains Guide "...this book is mandatory reading for the entire staff... an inspirational and educational goldmine." (Martin J. Pazzani, 5-star amazon review)  
  • "...straightforward and easy to understand for the person who hasn't been immersed in the study of neuroscience...tells exactly what a person can do to keep the brain healthy." (May Lou Hely, 5-star amazon review)
  • "You can read the book from front to back, from back to front, in chunks or paragraphs, use it as an encyclopedia...or use it as a very sophisticated self-help book that's solid and accurate, with no fluff or filler." (Judith C. Tingley, 5-star amazon review)
  
That's it for now. Have a stimulating June!
 
 
-- The SharpBrains Team
 
 
This email was sent to iapsych@charter.net by afernandez@sharpbrains.com |  
SharpBrains | 660 4th Street, Suite 205 | San Francisco | CA | 94107
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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Article: Why investment in brain research is an intelligent investment




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Article: Storify: Test to Fill in IQ Gaps, Gauge 'Rationality' - Inside School Research - Education Week


Storify: Test to Fill in IQ Gaps, Gauge 'Rationality' - Inside School Research - Education Week
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2013/05/storify_test_to_fill_in_iq_gap.html

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Article: NYC taps four startups to close achievement gaps in its public schools


NYC taps four startups to close achievement gaps in its public schools
http://gigaom.com/2013/05/28/nyc-taps-four-startups-to-close-achievement-gaps-in-its-public-schools/

Shared from Technology on Flipboard. Download Flipboard for free here.





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Article: Great review of The SharpBrains Guide at Scientific American’s Beautiful Minds


Great review of The SharpBrains Guide at Scientific American's Beautiful Minds
http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/05/28/great-review-of-the-sharpbrains-guide-at-scientific-americans-beautiful-minds/

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Monday, May 27, 2013

Article: Intelligence Linked To Being Able To Block Out Background Distractions


Intelligence Linked To Being Able To Block Out Background Distractions
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261034.php

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Article alert: Investigation of the link between higher order cognitive functions and handedne..., Beratis, Ion N. et. al

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13803395.2013.778231
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Article alert: A Rhythmic Musical Intervention for Poor Readers: A Comparison of Efficacy With..., Bhide, Adeetee et. al

http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mbe.12016
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Article alert: Ten Years of Research: A Systematic Review of Three Refereed LD Journals, McFarland, Laura et. al

http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/ldrp.12007
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Article alert: Cognitive predictors of rapid picture naming, Decker, Scott L.; Roberts, Alycia M.; Englund, Julia A.

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1041608013000459
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Article alert: Are Cross-National Differences in IQ Profiles Stable? A Comparison of Finnish a..., Roivainen, Eka

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15305058.2012.657315
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Alert alert :The Impact of APA and AERA Guidelines on Effect Size Reporting, Peng, Chao-Ying Joanne et. al

http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10648-013-9218-2
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The Structural Consistency of a Six-Factor Model of Academic Self-Concept Among..., Ockey, G. J. et. al

http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/doi/10.1177/0734282912462080
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"Intelligent" test interpretation - We are the instrument

A quote that has often  been attributed to me, based on some comments I made on a Listserv many years ago and on a  slide I often use when presenting at workshops is...."we are the instrument"...with re: to the art and science of "intelligent" intelligence testing and interpretation by psychologists. It reminded me of a quote that captures a good portion of the variance of my "we are the instrument" mantra. It is reproduced below. The source is also listed.

Meyer et al. (2001). Psychological testing and psychological assessment. American Psychologist, February
  • "Tests do not think for themselves, nor do they directly communicate with patients. Like a stethoscope, a blood pressure gauge, or an MRI scan, a psychological test is a dumb tool, and the worth of the tool cannot be separated from the sophistication of the clinician who draws inferences from it and then communicates with patients and professionals”
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Article: 12 Great New iPad Learning Apps for your Kids ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning


12 Great New iPad Learning Apps for your Kids ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/02/12-great-new-ipad-learning-apps-for.html?cid=dlvr.it

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Article: 10 Best Math Apps for Kids


10 Best Math Apps for Kids
http://www.parents.com/kids/education/math-and-science/best-math-apps-for-kids/

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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Article: Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. [Neuroimage. 2013] - PubMed


Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. [Neuroimage. 2013] - PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23702415?dopt=Abstract

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Article: Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined Audiobook | Scott Barry Kaufman


Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined Audiobook | Scott Barry Kaufman
http://www.audible.com/pd/?asin=B00CYNLXPC&source_code=soc_twi_nr

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Friday, May 24, 2013

Article: A new iOS game looks to kickstart neuroscience education




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A useful taxonomy for classifying Gf tests: Oliver Wilhelm chapter

This is a post made early in the history of this blog.  Still relevant and important.

In a prior post I summarized a taxonomic lens for analyzing performance on figural/spatial matrix measures of fluid intelligence (Gf). Since then I have had the opportunity to read “Measuring Reasoning Ability” by Oliver Wilhelm (see early blog post on recommended books to read – this chapter is part of the Handbook of Understanding and Measuring Intelligence by Wilhelm and Engle). Below are a few select highlights.

The need for a more systematic framework for understanding Gf measures

As noted by Wilhelm, “there is certainly no lack of reasoning measures” (p. 379). Furthermore, as I learned when classifying tests as per CHC theory with Dr. Dawn Flanagan, the classificaiton of Gf tests as measures of general sequential (deductive) reasoning (RG) inductive reasoning (I), and quantitative reasoning (QR) is very difficult. Kyllonen and Christal’s 1990 statement (presented in the Wilhelm chapter) that the “development of good tests of reasoning ability has been almost an art form, owing more to empirical trial-and-error than to systematic delineation of the requirements which such tests must satisfy” (p.446 in Kyllonen and Christal; p. 379 in Wilhelm). It thus follows that the logical classification of Gf tests is often difficult…or, as we used to say when I was in high school..”no sh____ batman!!!!”

As a result, “scientists and practitioners are left with little advice from test authors as to why a specific test has the form it has. It is easy to find two reasoning tests that are said to measure the same ability but that are vastly different in terms of their features, attributes, and requirements” (p. 379).

Wilhelm’s system for formally classifying reasoning measures

Wilhelm articulates four aspects to consider in the classification of reasoning measures. These are:
  • Formal operation task requirements – this is what most CHC assessment professionals have been encouraged to examine via the CHC lens. Is a test a measure of RG, I, RQ, or a mixture of more than one narrow ability?
  • Content of tasks – this is where Wilhelm’s research group has made one of its many significant contributations during the past decade. Wilhelm et al. have reminded us that just because the Rubik’s cube model of intelligence (Guilford’s SOI model) was found seriously wanting, the analyses of intelligence tests by operation (see above) and content facets is theoretically and empirically sound. I fear that many psychologists, having been burned by the unfulfilled promise of the SOI interpretative framework, have often thrown out the content facet with the SOI bath water. There is clear evidence (see my prior post that presents evidence for content facets based on the analysis of 50 CHC designed measures via a Carroll analyses of the data) that most psychometric tests can be meaningfully classified as per stimulus content – figural, verbal, and quantitative.
  • The instantiation of the reasoning tasks/problems – what is the formal underlying structure of the reasoning tasks? Space does not allow a detailed treatment here, but Wilhelm provides a flavor of this feature when he suggests that one must go through a “decision tree” to ascertain if the problems are concrete vs. abstract. Following the abstract branch, further differentiation might occur vis-à-vis the distinction of “nonsense” vs. “variable” instantiation. Following the concrete branch decision tree, reasoning problem instantiation can be differentiated as to whether they require prior knowledge or not. And so on.
    • As noted by Wilhelm, “it is well established that the form of the instantiation has substantial effects on the difficulty of structurally identical reasoning tasks” (p. 380).
  • Vulnerability of task to reasoning ‘strategies” – all good clinicians know, and have seen, that certain examinees often change the underlying nature of a psychometric task via the deployment of unique metacognitive/learning strategies. I often call this the “expansion of a tests specificity by the examinee.” According to Wilhelm, “if a subgroup of participants chooses a different approach to work on a given test, the consequence is that the test is measuring different abilities for different subgroups…depending on which strategy is chosen, different items are easy and hard, respectively” (p, 381). Unfortunately, research-based protocols for ascertaining which strategies are used during reasoning task performance are more-or-less non-existent.

Ok…that’s enough for this blog post. Readers are encouraged to chew on this taxonomic framework. I do plan (but don’t hold me to the promise…it is a benefit of being the benevolent blog dictator) to summarize additional information from this excellent chapter. Whilhelm’s taxonomy has obvious implications for those who engage in test development. Wilhelm’s framework suggests a structure from which to systematically design/specify Gf tests as per the four dimensions.

On the flip side (applied practice), Whilhelm’s work suggests that our understanding of the abilities measured by existing Gf tests might be facilitated via the classification of different Gf tests as per these dimensions. Work on the “operation” characteristic has been going strong since the mid 1990’s as per the CHC narrow ability classification of tests.

Might not a better understanding of Gf measures emerge if those leading the pack on how to best interpret intelligence tests add (to the CHC operation classifications of Gf tests) the analysis of tests as per the content and instantiation dimensions, as well as identifying the different types of cognitive strategies that might be elicited by different Gf tests by different individuals?

I smell a number of nicely focused and potentially important doctoral dissertations based on the administration of a large collection of available practical Gf measures (e.g., Gf tests from WJ III, KAIT, Wechslers, DAS, CAS, SB5, Ravens, and other prominent “nonverbal” Gf measures) to a decent sample, followed by exploratory and/or confirmatory factor analyses and multidimensional scaling (MDS). Heck….doesn’t someone out there have access to that ubiquitous pool of psychology experiment subjects --- viz., undergraduates in introductory psychology classes? This would be a good place to start.


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On Serendipity in Science: Recommended book


A number of years ago I  read Merton ("On the shoulders of giants") and Barber's (2004) The travels and adventures of serendipity. Not an easy read, but a very insightful book that deals with the origins of the word "serendipity"......something that is often present in significant scientific discovers. Below is my favorite quote from the book.

I recommend this book to blogsters who have a historical interest in the development of ideas, words, and "happy accidents" in scientific discovers.

  • "Many a scientific adventurer sails the uncharted seas and sets his course for a certain objectives only to find unknown land and unsuspected ports in strange parts. To reach such harbors, he must ship and sail, do and dare; he must quest and question. These chance discoveries are called “accidental” but there is nothing fortuitous about them, for laggards drift by a haven that may be a heaven. They pass by ports of opportunity. Only the determined sailor, who is not afraid to seek, to work, to try, who is inquisitive and alert to find, will come back to his home port with discovery in his cargo" (p.177)
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Quote to note: Measurement


"Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so"
  • Gottlob Frege (1848 - 1925) Quoted in H. Wey, "Mathematics and the Laws of Nature" in Gordon and S. Sorkin (eds.) The Armchair Science Reader, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1959
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Happy Memorial Day Weekend. Be safe

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Article Alert: Classification Discrepancies in Two Intelligence Tests: Forensic Implications for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Classification Discrepancies in Two Intelligence Tests: Forensic Implications for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Authors:
Cavagnaro, AT; Shuster, S; Colwell, K

Source:
*JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE*, 13 (1):49-67; JAN 1 2013

Abstract:
Accurate measurement of intellectual abilities of adults with
developmental disabilities impacts key legal issues, including
adjudicative competence, civil commitment, and death penalty litigation.
This research compared standardized measures of intelligence in a
multicultural sample of adults with developmental disabilities. Within
subjects ANOVA revealed significantly higher Wechsler Adult Intelligence
Scale-Third Edition IQs compared to Wide Range Intelligence Test (WRIT)
IQs, with a median difference of 13.0 points. Underestimates provided by
the WRIT could lead to adverse legal decisions, including exacerbation
of malingered cognitive dysfunction cases and permitting individuals
guilty of criminal acts to escape sentences. Policy implications exist
for the methodology of intellectual assessment given that instruments
yield discrepancies. We suggest utilizing standardized measures with
strong psychometric integrity in Atkins hearings and incorporating
relevant collateral information when generating clinical case
formulations. This will give clinicians additional relevant data and
afford greater precision in forming clinical judgments regarding
diagnosis and cognitive level in forensic cases.
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Journal Alert: Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment Table of Contents for 1 June 2013; Vol. 31, No. 3


Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment Online Table of Contents Alert

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment Online Table of Contents Alert

A new issue of Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment is available online:
June 2013; Vol. 31, No. 3

The below Table of Contents is available online at: http://jpa.sagepub.com/content/vol31/issue3/?etoc

Articles
The Development of a School-Based Measure of Child Mental Health
Jessica Deighton, Peter Tymms, Panos Vostanis, Jay Belsky, Peter Fonagy, Anna Brown, Amelia Martin, Praveetha Patalay, and Miranda Wolpert
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 247-257
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/247

Concurrent Validity of the Classroom Strategies Scale for Elementary School—Observer Form
Linda A. Reddy, Gregory A. Fabiano, and Christopher M. Dudek
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 258-270
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/258

The Structural Consistency of a Six-Factor Model of Academic Self-Concept Among Culturally Diverse Preadolescents in the United States
Gary J. Ockey and Sara Abercrombie
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 271-283
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/271

Achievement Goal Validation Among African American High School Students: CFA and Rasch Results
Caroline O. Hart, Christian E. Mueller, Kenneth D. Royal, and Martin H. Jones
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 284-299
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/284

A Psychometric Evaluation of the STAI-Y, BDI-II, and PAI Using Single and Multifactorial Models in Young Adults Seeking Psychoeducational Evaluation
Benjamin D. Hill, Mandi Musso, Glenn N. Jones, Russell D. Pella, and Wm. Drew Gouvier
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 300-312
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/300

A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Supreme Court's Forest Grove Decision?
Perry A. Zirkel
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 313-317
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/313

Forest Grove v. T.A. Rejoinder to Zirkel: An Attempt to Profit From Malfeasance?
Peter W. D. Wright, James B. Hale, Erica M. Backenson, Eleazar C. Eusebio, and Shauna G. Dixon
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 318-325
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/318

Effects of Extended Time Allotments on Reading Comprehension Performance of College Students With and Without Learning Disabilities
Lawrence Lewandowski, Justin Cohen, and Benjamin J. Lovett
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 326-336
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/326

Test Review
Review of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Second Edition (WASI-II)
Adam W. McCrimmon and Amanda D. Smith
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 337-341
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/31/3/337

Book Review
Book Review: LINKing Authentic Assessment & Early Childhood Intervention: Best Measures for Best Practices
Suzanne M. Winter
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 2013;31 342-345
http://jpa.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/31/3/342

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Article alert: Numerical Architecture

PT J
AU Mandelbaum, E
AF Mandelbaum, Eric
TI Numerical Architecture
SO TOPICS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE
AB The idea that there is a Number Sense (Dehaene, 1997) or Core Knowledge
of number ensconced in a modular processing system (Carey, 2009) has
gained popularity as the study of numerical cognition has matured.
However, these claims are generally made with little, if any, detailed
examination of which modular properties are instantiated in numerical
processing. In this article, I aim to rectify this situation by
detailing the modular properties on display in numerical cognitive
processing. In the process, I review literature from across the
cognitive sciences and describe how the evidence reported in these works
supports the hypothesis that numerical cognitive processing is modular.
I outline the properties that would suffice for deeming a certain
processing system a modular processing system. Subsequently, I use
behavioral, neuropsychological, philosophical, and anthropological
evidence to show that the number module is domain specific,
informationally encapsulated, neurally localizable, subject to specific
pathological breakdowns, mandatory, fast, and inaccessible at the person
level; in other words, I use the evidence to demonstrate that some of
our numerical capacity is housed in modular casing.
PD APR
PY 2013
VL 5
IS 2
BP 367
EP 386
ER
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Article alert: Distinguishing How From Why the Mind Wanders: A Process-Occurrence Framework for Self-Generated Mental Activity

More on mind wandering.

PT J
AU Smallwood, J
AF Smallwood, Jonathan
TI Distinguishing How From Why the Mind Wanders: A Process-Occurrence
Framework for Self-Generated Mental Activity
SO PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN
AB Cognition can unfold with little regard to the events taking place in
the environment, and such self-generated mental activity poses a
specific set of challenges for its scientific analysis in both cognitive
science and neuroscience. One problem is that the spontaneous onset of
self-generated mental activity makes it hard to distinguish the events
that control the occurrence of the experience from those processes that
ensure the continuity of an internal train of thought once initiated.
This review demonstrates that a distinction between process and
occurrence (a) provides theoretical clarity that has been absent from
current discussions of self-generated mental activity, (b) affords
conceptual leverage on seemingly disparate results associating the state
with both domain-general processes and task error, and (c) draws
attention to important questions for understanding unconstrained thought
in contexts such as psychopathology and education. It is suggested that
identifying the moment that self-generated mental events begin is a
necessary next step in moving toward a testable account of why the mind
has evolved to neglect the present in favor of ruminations on the past
or imaginary musings of what may yet come to pass.
PD MAY
PY 2013
VL 139
IS 3
BP 519
EP 535
ER
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Article alert: Neuropsychological test performance of Spanish speakers: Is performance different across different Spanish-speaking subgroups?

PT J
AU Bure-Reyes, A
Hidalgo-Ruzzante, N
Vilar-Lopez, R
Gontier, J
Sanchez, L
Perez-Garcia, M
Puente, AE
AF Bure-Reyes, Annelly
Hidalgo-Ruzzante, Natalia
Vilar-Lopez, Raquel
Gontier, Javier
Sanchez, Laura
Perez-Garcia, Miguel
Puente, Antonio E.
TI Neuropsychological test performance of Spanish speakers: Is performance
different across different Spanish-speaking subgroups?
SO JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
AB Even though theories and research have pointed out the importance of
variables such as age, gender, or education on neuropsychological
assessment, much less emphasis has been placed on language and culture.
With the increasing population of Spanish speakers in North America and
the limited amount of clinical and scholarly information currently
available, neuropsychological assessment of this group has similarly
become of increasing importance. Though several studies have been
published over the last two decades, an assumption exists that all
Spanish speakers, holding education and age constant, would perform
similarly regardless of their origin. To address this assumption, a
sample of 126 participants was tested from four different countries
(Chile, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Spain). Participants were
compared on the following commonly used neuropsychological tests: Verbal
Serial Learning Curve, Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Verbal
Phonemic Fluency Test, the Stroop Color and Word Test, and the Trail
Making Test. Analyses revealed significant differences across the groups
in two of the five tests administered. Significant differences were
observed in the delayed recall of the Serial Learning Test and in the
Verbal Fluency Test. The findings highlight the importance of
within-group differences between Spanish speakers.
PD APR
PY 2013
VL 35
IS 4
BP 404
EP 412
ER
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Article alert : On an Approach to Testing and Modeling Competence

PT J
AU Shavelson, RJ
AF Shavelson, Richard J.
TI On an Approach to Testing and Modeling Competence
SO EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST
AB E. L. Thorndike contributed significantly to the field of educational
and psychological testing as well as more broadly to psychological
studies in education. This article follows in his testing legacy. I
address the escalating demand, across societal sectors, to measure
individual and group competencies. In formulating an approach to
measuring competence, I draw on measurement research I have done over my
career; the Thorndike lecture is to be as much autobiographical as
substantive and/or methodological. I present an approach to defining,
measuring, and statistically modeling competency measurements. The
article unpacks Hartig etal.'s (2008) definition of competence as a
complex ability construct closely related to real-life-situated
performance. The intent is to make the construct, competence, amenable
to measurement. Once unpacked, criteria for building competence
measurements are set forth and exemplified by research from business,
military, and education sectors. Generalizability theory, a statistical
theory for modeling and evaluating the dependability of competence
scores, is applied to several of these examples. The article then pulls
together the threads into a general competency measurement model and
concludes by noting its limitations.
PD APR
PY 2013
VL 48
IS 2
BP 73
EP 86
ER
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Article alert: Predicting individual differences in low-income children's executive control from early to middle childhood

PT J
AU Raver, CC
Mccoy, DC
Lowenstein, AE
Pess, R
AF Raver, C. Cybele
McCoy, Dana Charles
Lowenstein, Amy E.
Pess, Rachel
TI Predicting individual differences in low-income children's executive
control from early to middle childhood
SO DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE
AB The present longitudinal study tested the roles of early childhood
executive control (EC) as well as exposure to poverty-related adversity
at family and school levels as key predictors of low-income children's
EC in elementary school (n=391). Findings suggest that children's EC
difficulties in preschool and lower family income from early to middle
childhood are robust predictors of later EC difficulties as rated by
teachers in 2nd and 3rd grades. Findings also suggest enrollment in
unsafe elementary schools is significantly predictive of higher levels
of teacher-rated EC difficulty, but only for those children who showed
initially elevated levels of EC difficulty in early childhood.
Implications for scientific models of cognitive development and
poverty-related adversity are discussed.
PD MAY
PY 2013
VL 16
IS 3
BP 394
EP 408
ER
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Article alert: Cultural differences in the development of processing speed

AU Kail, RV
McBride-Chang, C
Ferrer, E
Cho, JR
Shu, H
AF Kail, Robert V.
McBride-Chang, Catherine
Ferrer, Emilio
Cho, Jeung-Ryeul
Shu, Hua
TI Cultural differences in the development of processing speed
SO DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE
AB The aim of the present work was to examine cultural differences in the
development of speed of information processing. Four samples of US
children (N=509) and four samples of East Asian children (N=661)
completed psychometric measures of processing speed on two occasions.
Analyses of the longitudinal data indicated that, although processing
speed was comparable among US and East Asian children at the youngest
age (similar to 4.5years), it developed more rapidly in some but not all
of the East Asian samples. Results are discussed in terms of factors
that may promote more rapid development of processing speed in some East
Asian cultures.
PD MAY
PY 2013
VL 16
IS 3
BP 476
EP 483
ER
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IQs Corner Recent Literature of Interest: 5-22-13

 

Here is over two weeks of recent publications of interest (with abstracts). Enjoy. So much to read...so little time.

 

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Article: Does brain training work? Yes, if it meets these 5 conditions




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Article: Frontiers | Distraction and Mind-Wandering Under Load


Frontiers | Distraction and Mind-Wandering Under Load
http://www.frontiersin.org/Cognition/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00283/abstract

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Cluster analysis of the WJ III/WISC-III intelligence tests: OBG post


This is a OBG (oldie but goodie) post that has new updated links

In a prior shameless plug, I briefly summarized the results of a recently published CHC-based confirmatory factor analysis study of a WJ-III/WISC-III cross-battery data set (Phelps, McGrew, Knopik & Ford, 2005). Following a favorite quantoid mantra ("there is more than one way to explore a data set"), I couldn't resist but conduct a more loosey-goosey (sp?) exploratory analysis of the data.

One of my favorite exploratory tools, given the Gv presentation of the multivariate structure of the data, is hierarchical cluster analysis (sometimes referred to as the "poor man's" factor analysis). Without going into detail, I subjected the data set previously described to Ward's clustering algorithm. As a word of caution, it is important to note that cluster analysis will provide neat looking cluster dendograms for random data....so one must be careful not to over-interpret the results. Yet, I find the looser constraints of cluster analysis and, in particular, the continued collapsing of clusters of tests (and lower-order clusters) into ever increasing broad higher-order clusters very thought provoking---the results often suggest different broad (stratum II) or intermediate level strata (as per Carroll's 3-stratum model).

I present the current results "as is" (click here to view or download). Blogsters will need to consult prior posts to glean the necessary pieces of information to interpret the CHC factor codes and names, the abilities measured by the WJ III tests, etc.

To say the least, some interesting hypothesis are suggested. In particular, I continue to be intrigued by the possibility of a higher-order dual cognitive processing model structure (within the CHC taxonomy) --that is, a distinction between automatic vs controlled/deliberate processing
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Stanford-Binet 5 post publication resources: 5-20-13

This is an update of a post made a number of years ago...with new information

Stanford Binet 5 Assessment Service Bulletins (info from Riverside Publishing web page)
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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Article: Jon Lieff YouTube Channel




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Friday, May 17, 2013

Article: Complexity in Searching for the Neural Code



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Video tutorial: Estimating latent WISC-IV and WAIS-IV scores for individuals--Dr. Joel Schneider

Dr. Joel Schneider has done it again.  A brilliant video tutorial demonstrating how latent factor scores can be used, via Excel templates he provides, to interpret scores on the WISC-IV and WAIS-IV.  This is complex material but his beautiful visual video tutorial makes it easier to understand the complex constructs.  Dr. Schneider continues to push the envelope on psychometric based IQ test score interpretation.


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Article: Could a brain scan tell you how smart you are? Research shows intelligence linked to strength of neural connections


Could a brain scan tell you how smart you are? Research shows intelligence linked to strength of neural connections
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2182624/Could-brain-scan-tell-smart-Research-shows-intelligence-linked-strength-neural-connections.html

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Article: Shocks to the Brain Improve Mathematical Abilities




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Article: Brain Science Upstages DSM-V, So-Called Mental Health 'Bible'


Brain Science Upstages DSM-V, So-Called Mental Health 'Bible'
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/brain-science-upstages-dsm-mental-health-bible/story?id=19170123

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Picture: Brain grows till early 20s!




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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Article: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Training Using a Visual Speed of Processing Intervention in Middle Aged and Older Adults


A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Training Using a Visual Speed of Processing Intervention in Middle Aged and Older Adults
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0061624

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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Article: Visualizing the Connectome : Neuroskeptic




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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Article: Why the Fuss Over the D.S.M.-5?

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Article Alert : The roles of cognitive and motivational predictors in explaining school achievement in elementary school

The roles of cognitive and motivational predictors in explaining school achievement in elementary school
Weber, Heike S.; Lu, Liping; Shi, Jiannong; Spinath, Frank M.
Learning and Individual Differences, Vol. 25 – 2013: 85 - 92

10.1016/j.lindif.2013.03.008

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1041608013000447

Accessed with BrowZine, supported by University of Minnesota.


*****************************************
Kevin McGrew, Phd.
Educational Psychologist
Institute for Applied Psychometrics
Director IAP
www.themindhub.com
*****************************************
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Article Alert: Self-efficacy and academic achievement: Why do implicit beliefs, goals, and effort regulation matter?

Self-efficacy and academic achievement: Why do implicit beliefs, goals, and effort regulation matter?
Komarraju, Meera; Nadler, Dustin
Learning and Individual Differences, Vol. 25 – 2013: 67 - 72

10.1016/j.lindif.2013.01.005

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1041608013000071
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The Getting of Wisdom: Fluid Intelligence Does Not Drive Knowledge Acquisition

The Getting of Wisdom: Fluid Intelligence Does Not Drive Knowledge Acquisition
Christensen, Helen; Batterham, Philip J.; Mackinnon, Andrew J.
Journal of Cognition and Development, Vol. 14 Issue 2 – 2013: 321 - 331

10.1080/15248372.2012.664590

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15248372.2012.664590
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Digit reversal in children’s writing: A simple theory and its empirical validation

Digit reversal in children's writing: A simple theory and its empirical validation
Fischer, Jean-Paul
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol. 115 Issue 2 – 2013: 356 - 370

10.1016/j.jecp.2013.02.003

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S002209651300043X
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he language of mathematics: Investigating the ways language counts for children’s mathematical development

The language of mathematics: Investigating the ways language counts for children's mathematical development
Vukovic, Rose K.; Lesaux, Nonie K.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol. 115 Issue 2 – 2013: 227 - 244

10.1016/j.jecp.2013.02.002

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0022096513000428
*
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Friday, May 10, 2013

Article: Former University of Minnesota president receives Peabody Distinguished Alumnus Award

Congrats to my doctoral mentor and long time friend. One of the all time best professionals 

Former University of Minnesota president receives Peabody Distinguished Alumnus Award
http://www.noodls.com/viewNoodl/18564820/vanderbilt-university/former-university-of-minnesota-president-receives-peabody-di

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Article: Standardized Tests - ProCon.org



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Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Article: Release Notes for NIF 5.0




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Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Article: What Is Working Memory and Why Does It Matter? | Executive Function




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Article: Estimating Latent Scores in Individuals



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Monday, May 06, 2013

Article: Anscombe's quartet




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Article: A contextualized view on long-term predictors of academic performance.


A contextualized view on long-term predictors of academic performance.
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/105/2/436

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Article: A meta-analysis of the efficacy of teaching mathematics with concrete manipulatives.


A meta-analysis of the efficacy of teaching mathematics with concrete manipulatives.
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/105/2/380

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Article: Complex problem solving in educational contexts—Something beyond g: Concept, assessment, measurement invariance, and construct validity.


Complex problem solving in educational contexts—Something beyond g: Concept, assessment, measurement invariance, and construct validity.
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/edu/105/2/364

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Sunday, May 05, 2013

Article: RDoC Dimensional Approach for Research vs. DSM-5 for Diagnosis


RDoC Dimensional Approach for Research vs. DSM-5 for Diagnosis
http://neurocritic.blogspot.com/2013/05/rdoc-dimensional-approach-for-research.html

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Article: Brain, Interrupted




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Saturday, May 04, 2013

When are fluid intelligence and working memory isomorphic and when are they not?, Chuderski, Adam

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0160289613000445
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The Flynn Effect and IQ Disparities Among Races, Ethnicities, and Nations: Are There Common Links? | Psychology Today

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201008/the-flynn-effect-and-iq-disparities-among-races-ethnicities-and-nations-
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Friday, May 03, 2013

Article: Why Older Minds Make Better Decisions






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Article Alert: Multivariate Screening Model for Later Word Reading Achievement: Predictive Utility of Prereading Skills and Cognitive Ability

Multivariate Screening Model for Later Word Reading Achievement: Predictive Utility of Prereading Skills and Cognitive Ability
Macdonald, Heidi H.; Sullivan, Amanda L.; Watkins, Marley W.
Journal of Applied School Psychology, Vol. 29 Issue 1 – 2013: 52 - 71

10.1080/15377903.2013.751476

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15377903.2013.751476
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Thursday, May 02, 2013

Article: What Is Executive Function? | Executive Functioning




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NIMH · Transforming Diagnosis

FYI. MINH on DSM-5

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/transforming-diagnosis.shtml
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