Psychology book nook reviews 11-21-07

A new issue of PsycCRITIQUES is available online.

• If you are a subscriber, please go to http://psycinfo.apa.org/psyccritiques and log in.
• If you would like subscription information, please go to http://www.apa.org/psyccritiques.
• If you have a subscription to the product and experience any access problems, please go to http://members1.apa.org/memhelp1.html.

---

November 21, 2007
Volume 52, Issue 47

Book Reviews
1.	Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction Is Changing Men, Women, and the World Author: Liza Mundy Reviewer: Margaret E. Madden
2.	Why We Talk: The Evolutionary Origins of Language Author: Jean-Louis Dessalles (James Grieve, Trans.) Reviewer: Shelia M. Kennison
3.	Making Up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World Author: Chris Frith Reviewer: Stuart W. G. Derbyshire
4.	Excess Baggage: Leveling the Load and Changing the Workplace Author: Ellen Rosskam Reviewer: David J. Schroeder
5.	Narrowing the Achievement Gap: Strategies for Educating Latino, Black, and Asian Students Authors: Susan J. Paik and Herbert J. Walberg (Eds.) Reviewer: Jennifer B. Unger
6.	The Foundations of Primary Care: Daring to Be Different Author: Joachim P. Sturmberg Reviewer: Elizabeth Soliday
7.	The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen Author: Robert Epstein Reviewer: Susan L. O'Donnell
8.	An Activity-Based Approach to Developing Young Children's Social Emotional Competence Authors: Jane Squires and Diane Bricker Reviewer: Samantha L. Wilson
9.	Higher Level Language Processes in the Brain: Inference and Comprehension Processes Authors: Franz Schmalhofer and Charles A. Perfetti (Eds.) Reviewer: Susan E. F. Chipman
10.	The Female Body in Mind: The Interface Between the Female Body and Mental Health Authors: Mervat Nasser, Karen Baistow, and Janet Treasure (Eds.) Reviewer: Sara Martino
11.	The Path to Paradise: The Inner World of Suicide Bombers and Their Dispatchers Author: Anat Berko (Elizabeth Yuval, Trans.) Reviewers: Beth S. Gershuny and Sheldon Solomon
12.	The Root of All Evil: An Exposition of Prejudice, Fundamentalism, and Gender Imbalance Authors: Sharon Mijares, Aliaa Rafea, Rachel Falik, and Jenny Schipper Reviewer: Patricia L. Wolleat
13.	Traumatic Incident Reduction and Critical Incident Stress Management: A Synergistic Approach Author: Victor R. Volkman (Ed.) Reviewer: Victor A. Colotla
14.	Under Pressure and Overwhelmed: Coping With Anxiety in College Authors: Christopher Vye, Kathlene Scholljegerdes, and I. David Welch Reviewer: Robert D. Brown
15.	Cooperative Learning: Integrating Theory and Practice Author: Robyn M. Gillies Reviewer: Ted Wohlfarth
16.	Handbook of Sport Psychology (3rd ed.) Authors: Gershon Tenenbaum and Robert C. Eklund (Eds.) Reviewer: Shulamith Kreitler
Video Review
17.	Integrative Relational Psychotherapy with Paul L. Wachtel Reviewers: Timothy Anderson and Brian D. Uhlin
Film Review
18.	The Prestige Director: Christopher Nolan Reviewer: Keith Isenberg

Dissertation dish: Prediction of CHC abilities by teachers

It is DD (dissertation dish) time!!!

I just received an e-alert regarding the availability of a new CHC-related dissertation [click here for other CHC/WJ III dissertations recently located]. Below is the reference and abstract. Without reading the dissertation, a question that needs to be asked is how good where all the questionnaire items. Possibly higher teacher-rated and actual tested CHC relations would be present with improved rating scale items.

• Upper elementary teachers' predictions of their students' oral reading levels and levels of reading-related CHC abilities by Zavertnik, Jennifer Leigh, Ph.D., Temple University, 2007, 158 pages; AAT 3268230

Abstract

• Intelligence tests are invaluable tools for school psychologists to assist in understanding a student's cognitive strengths and needs in making accurate diagnostic and treatment decisions. Research has shown that profile analysis, the time-honored method of test interpretation practiced by the majority of school psychologists, is flawed. The Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory of Cognitive Abilities offers the most empirically supported theory of intelligence to date. Based on this theory, researchers have proposed a cross-battery approach to cognitive assessment. School psychologists are encouraged to use this framework to provide more reliable and valid psychoeducational evaluations. However, little research has looked at the application of CHC theory in the classroom. This study investigated whether teachers were able to predict the level of CHC abilities that their 3 rd , 4 th , and 5 th grade students possess as related to reading achievement. This study utilized a 23-item questionnaire completed by the student's teacher based on classroom observations. Each item related to one of the five broad CHC abilities that have been found to correlate with reading achievement: Gc, Ga, Glr, Gsm and Gs. The teachers were also asked to rate each student's oral reading ability. Ten subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability--Third Edition (WJ-III COG) and one subtest from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement--Third Edition (WJ-III ACH) were then individually administered to each participant. Additional analyses examined which abilities teachers were best able to predict as well as which of the five CHC abilities best predicted the oral reading score. Results from the 47 participants (26 girls and 21 boys) found that only the teachers' concurrent predictions of their students' crystallized ability and oral reading scores significantly correlated with their actual scores. The students' short-term memory and crystallized ability scores were the only CHC abilities associated with the students' oral reading scores. Together, these two abilities explained 50.5% of the variance in the students' scores. While further replication is warranted with larger, more diverse samples, this teacher survey has the potential to be an important source of information to school psychologists, particularly in the pre-referral process.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, testing, intelligence, IQ test, IQ scores, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, Gf-Gc, cross-battery

Powered by ScribeFire.

State-of-the-art of reading theory research - recommended reading

I just skimmed what I think is an important article re: the state-of-research re: theories of reading. The reference (and abstract) is below.

Even if you are not interested in understanding the state-of-the-art of theories of reading, the first half of the article provides a nice overview of the importance of unified theories in science, questions these theories should answer, criteria to use to evaluate such theories, etc.

The value of the article (to me) is that it made me feel less ignorant re: my ongoing unease regarding my knowledge of the extant reading research. There is soooooooooooo much reading research being published, many advocates for different positions and favorite constructs (e.g. phonological awareness; RAN; etc.), etc., that I find it hard to integrate the various pieces into a coherent understanding. I now realize that my inability to get my brain around the extant reading research is not due only to my cognitive and knowledge limitations, but also stems from the fact that theories of reading are still in a state of infancy and that no grand unified framework exists to organize all the different article-based bits of information I have been accumulating.

I found a couple of quotes in the article to be particularly enjoyable. They are below (emphasis added by the blog dictator).

• A useful metaphor for scientific theory was suggested by Judson (1980): Scientific theories are the invisible mansions of the mind. As applied to developing fields,this metaphor implies that a theory should be a developing architecture with many rooms and a plan that is open to additions and modifications: a dynamic architecture. Larger theories encompass and unify smaller theories within their developinglarger structures.

• Correlating reading behavior with brain areas and their activity is a growing line of research. However, as in cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience is characterized by localist and fragmented theories. Although observations from MRIs, event-related potentials, and neuron recordings proliferate, no theory as yet explains how the brain engenders the reading mind. Without a theory of how it does, all these observations float free of any interpretive mooring.

Sadoski, M., & Paivio, A. (2007). Toward a unified theory of reading. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11(4), 337-356. (click here to view)

Abstract

• Despite nearly 40 years of scientific theorizing about reading, the field remains fragmented with little progress toward unification. In this article, we (a) emphasize the privileged position of unified theories in all science, (b) compare the growth of theory in cognitive science and reading, (c) identify the phenomenal domain of a unified scientific theory of cognition in reading, (d) propose five general principles for evaluating such theories, and (e) discuss selected influential theories and their potential for contributing to a unified theory of cognition in reading. Our purpose is to extol reading theory and encourage increased attention to developing powerful, unified theories.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, education, reading, achievement, Grw, theory, unified theory, neuropsychology, neuroscience, special education, reading disabilties

Powered by ScribeFire.

Another g+specific abilities and rdg. ach. study

Yet another g+specific CHC-to-rdg achievement study has been published. This Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment "in press" article, by Nick Benson, also uses the WJ III norm data [conflict of interest disclosure - I'm a coauthor or the WJ III]. This research differs significantly from most all prior g+specific abilities causal SEM modeling investigations by including not only effects between CHC cognitive abilities and reading, but causal effects among specific subskills of reading (reading fluency, basic reading skills, reading comprehension). The abstract is below.

Blogmaster comment - the evidence continue to mount that indicates, when using a comprehensive cognitive ability taxonomy (CHC theory), construct valid measures from the major broad CHC domains, and methodology that allows the simultaneous effects of both general intelligence (g) and specific cognitive abilities in the analysis, that some specific cognitive abilities are important in understanding school achievement above an beyond the influence (effect) of g. Other studies that support this position are listed below the current featured article abstract.

Abstract

• Structural equation modeling procedures are applied to the standardization sample of the Woodcock–Johnson III to simultaneously estimate the effects of a psychometric general factor (g), specific cognitive abilities, and reading skills on reading achievement. The results of this study indicate that g has a strong direct relationship with basic reading skills until about sixth grade. Also, g is found to have a strong indirect effect on reading fluency and comprehension across grade levels. Basic reading skills has a strong direct effect on reading fluency across grade levels. The effect of cognitive processing speed (Gs) on reading fluency increase with age. Reading fluency initially has a strong direct effect on reading comprehension, but this effect is reduced with age. Conversely, the direct effect of crystallized intelligence or knowledge (Gc) on reading comprehension increase with age.

Other supporting g+specific abilities research studies.

• Bensen, N. (2007, in press). Cattell-Horn-Carroll cognitive abilities and reading achievement. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment (this is the article featured above)
  

• Flanagan, D. P. (2000). Wechsler-based CHC cross-battery assessment and reading achievement: Strengthening the validity of interpretations drawn from Wechsler test scores. School Psychology Quarterly, 15(3), 295-329.

• Floyd, R. G., Keith, T. Z., Taub, G. E., & McGrew, K. S. (2007). Cattell–Horn–Carroll cognitive abilities and their effects on reading decoding skills: g has indirect effects, more specific abilities have direct effects. School Psychology Quarterly, 22, 200-233.

• Keith, T. Z. (1999). Effects of general and specific abilities on student achievement: Similarities and differences across ethnic groups. School Psychology Quarterly, 14(3), 239-262.

• McGrew, K. S., Flanagan, D. P., Keith, T. Z., & Vanderwood, M. (1997). Beyond g: The impact of Gf-Gc specific cognitive abilities research on the future use and interpretation of intelligence tests in the schools . School Psychology Review, 26(2), 189-210.

• Taub, G., Floyd, R. G., Keith, T. Z., & McGrew, K. S. (in press). Effects of general and broad cognitive abilities on mathematics achievement from kindergarten through high school. School Psychology Quarterly.

• Vanderwood, M. L., McGrew, K. S., Flanagan, D. P., & Keith, T. Z. (2002). The contribution of general and specific cognitive abilities to reading achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 13, 159-188.

Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, education, achievement, intelligence, IQ tests, IQ scores, g, general intelligence, specifc abiliites, domain specific, SEM, WJ-R, WJ III, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, Gf-Gc

Powered by ScribeFire.

Handbook on Aging and Cognition

I don't often make posts about new book advertisements that pass through my email box, but I thought this one might be worthy of mention, primarily because I've always been impressed with the cognition/intelligence research completed by one of the editors (Dr. Tim Salthouse). Check out the new edited text Handbook on Aging and Cognition. I've not read the book nor do I have a copy (hint....if the publisher is reading this post...how about a free copy for the blogmaster).

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, developmental, geriatric, aging, intelligence, cognition, IQ tests, IQ scores, Handbook on Aging and Cognition

Powered by ScribeFire.

Brain clock = g (general intelligence)?

[Double click on image to enlarge]

Check out intriguing post at my sister blog (the IQ Brain Clock) re: another study that suggests that temporal processing (temporal g) may be more related to psychometric intelligence/g than the classic reaction time g paradigm.

CHC and WJ III dissertations 11-16-07

The other day I posted a list of 19 CHC (Cattell-Horn-Carroll) based dissertations (titles and abstracts) that have been published in the past five years. I've now expanded this list to include WJ III dissertations published during the past five years. The total n is now approximately 30. Title pages and abstracts can be found by clicking here.

I've set an email alert with my university to notify me of new dissertations in these two areas (CHC and WJ III) and will pass along FYI's on new and notable dissertations as they come in.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, school psychology, dissertation, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cross-battery, IQ, IQ test, WJ III

Powered by ScribeFire.

Autism research bibliography

Over the past year there has been a steady increase in people who have contacted me to ask my opinion regarding CHC-based assessment of individuals with autism. I respond honestly ....saying that I have spent little time studying this specific developmental disability. Today I decided to run a search of my IAP Reference Database...to see what literature I might skim to "get up to speed." I was amazed at the number of references I had accumulated over the past few years (over 400). This is definitely a hot topic of contemporary research.

I've decided to make the result of my search available to others. Click here if you want to view/download/print a copy.


Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, education, special education, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, autism, aspergers

Powered by ScribeFire.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll dissertations

I just ran a search of my university library to locate any and all possible Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) dissertations that have been recently completed. I found just under 20 such dissertations. The list (including abstracts) can be found by clicking here.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, school psychology, dissertation, CHC theory, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, intelligence, cross-battery, IQ, IQ test, WJ III

Powered by ScribeFire.

Psychology book nook reviews 11-14-07

A new issue of PsycCRITIQUES is available online.

• If you are a subscriber, please go to http://psycinfo.apa.org/psyccritiques and log in.
• If you would like subscription information, please go to http://www.apa.org/psyccritiques.
• If you have a subscription to the product and experience any access problems, please go to http://members1.apa.org/memhelp1.html.

---

November 14, 2007
Volume 52, Issue 46

Book Reviews
1.	The Psychology of Genocide, Massacres, and Extreme Violence: Why “Normal” People Come to Commit Atrocities Author: Donald G. Dutton Reviewer: Anthony J. Marsella
2.	Behavioral Consultation and Primary Care: A Guide to Integrating Services Authors: Patricia J. Robinson and Jeffrey T. Reiter Reviewer: Nicholas A. Cummings
3.	Social History Assessment Author: Arlene Bowers Andrews Reviewer: Leslie M. Lothstein
4.	Handbook of Narrative Inquiry: Mapping a Methodology Author: D. Jean Clandinin (Ed.) Reviewer: David Manier
5.	Handbook of Emotion Regulation Author: James J. Gross (Ed.) Reviewer: Lisa M. Bauer
6.	Married with Special-Needs Children: A Couples' Guide to Keeping Connected Authors: Laura E. Marshak and Fran Pollock Prezant Reviewer: Anisha Shah
7.	Understanding Personality Disorders: An Introduction Author: Duane L. Dobbert Reviewer: Kristin B. Webb
8.	ADHD Grown Up: A Guide to Adolescent and Adult ADHD Author: Joel L. Young Reviewer: Marcia McCabe
9.	Missing Data: A Gentle Introduction Authors: Patrick E. McKnight, Katherine M. McKnight, Souraya Sidani, and Aurelio José Figueredo Reviewer: Francis C. Staskon
10.	Getting Help: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Self-Assessment and Treatment of Mental Health Problems Author: Jeffrey C. Wood Reviewer: Erica J. Gannon
11.	Examinations of Criminal Responsibility: Foundations in Mental Health Case Law Author: Richard I. Frederick, David F. Mrad, & Richart L. DeMier Reviewer: Kimberly Kirkland
12.	Brain Aging: Models, Methods, and Mechanisms Author: David R. Riddle (Ed.) Reviewer: Richard H. Cox
13.	The Identity Trap: Saving Our Teens From Themselves Author: Joseph Nowinski Reviewer: F. Richard Ferraro
14.	Why Is Math So Hard for Some Children? The Nature and Origins of Mathematical Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Authors: Daniel B. Berch and Michèle M. M. Mazzocco (Eds.) Reviewer: Stephen A. Truhon
15.	Bad Religion: The Psychology of Religious Misbehavior Author: Michael L. Klassen Reviewer: Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
16.	Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce Authors: National Center on Education and the Economy Reviewer: Kathleen Sullivan Brown
Video Review
17.	Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior with Martin M. Antony Reviewer: Elaine L. Phillips
Film Review
18.	Thin Director: Lauren Greenfield Reviewer: Randall C. Flanery

Can frontal brain age-related atrophy increase gambling, depression and prejudice?

Another nice research summary in one of my favorite journals for quick contemporary research updates....Current Directions in Psychological Science. von Hippel (2007) presents a summary that suggests that age-related atrophy of the brains frontal lobes (which is the primary seat of executive functions), which can produce increased disinhibition in behavior, might be causative variables in increased prejudice, gambling, and depression in the elderly.


Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, aging, developmental, executive functions, inhibition, gambling, prejudice, depression.Stroop test

Powered by ScribeFire.

IQ's Corner Headlines 11-10-07

All the news thats fit for IQ's Corner readers:

This is the 42nd installment of IQs Corner Headlines from the Brain and Mind Blogsphere. If you like this little e-newsletter you can sign up to receive it daily (delivered to your email inbox by visiting the boxes at the bottom of this blog page).

educational psychology, intelligence, cognition, cognitive, neuropsychology, brain, neuroscience, headlines, IQs Corner, Kevin McGrew, school psychology, psychology, education, special education, IQ, IQ Testing, IQ scores

powered by performancing firefox

RIAS overview/review article

My two recent RIAS posts seem to be generating some interest. I just received a copy of another RIAS journal article, written in the context of gifted identification, from one of the test authors - Dr. Cecil Reynolds. I'm posting it here so folks can access additional RIAS published material.

Enjoy.

Technorati Tags: school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, gifted, intelligence, g, general intelligence, IQ, IQ tests, RIAS

Powered by ScribeFire.

Parallel test forms explanation

Thanks to my Pearson/AGS friend, Jeff Evans, for sending a link to an easy-to-understand explanation of parallel test forms (e.g., Form A and B).

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, education, parallel forms, psychometrics, testing

Powered by ScribeFire.

RIAS factor structure - another study

This is a follow-up to the portion of my 11-9-07 "Research Bytes" post dealing with the factor structure of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales.

After suggesting that the Nelson et al. (2007) study would have been more powerful if they had also factor analyzed the correlation matrices in the RIAS manual (along side their factor analysis in an independent referral sample), an email arrived from Dr. Alex Beaujean indicating he had completed the analysis I had suggested---and more (added yet a third sample). Dr. Beaujean currently has the manuscript under journal review, so it would be inappropriate to provide a complete copy here. However, Dr. Beaujean did agree to let me publish the abstract from the current submitted paper.

If you want additional information re: this research, contact Dr. Beaujean.

• Beaujean, A. A., McGlaughlin, S. M. & Margulies, A. S. (submitted). Factorial Validity of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales for Referred Students.

Abstract

• The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2003, 2005), is a recently-developed, individually-administered psychometric instrument designed to measure general cognitive ability, as well as verbal (crystallized) intelligence, nonverbal (fluid) intelligence, and memory. Although it has been in circulation for over four years, there is a paucity of independent research published about its psychometric properties. The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the RIAS across three samples of school-age children: the RIAS norming sample, the data reported in Nelson,Canivez, Lindstrom, and Hatt (2007), and a new, independent sample of students referred for special educational services. Using confirmatory factor analytic techniques, this study found that a two-factor model, positing verbal and nonverbal factors, fit all three data sets better than a one-factor model. Further, the two-factor model appeared invariant across the three samples, except for one subtest's residual variance. Implications of this study for practitioners are then discussed.
  

• Nelson, J. M., Canivez, G. L., Lindstrom, W., & Hatt, C. V. (2007). Higher-order exploratory factor analysis of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales with a referred sample. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 439–456.
  
• Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2003). Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
• Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2005). Introduction to Reynolds Intellectual
  Assessment Scales and the Reynolds Intellectual Screening Test. In D. P. Flanagan & P. L. Harrison (Eds.), Contemporary intellectual assessment (2nd ed., pp.461–483). New York: Guilford.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, intelligence, IQ, IQ test, IQ score, RIAS, Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, factor analysis

Powered by ScribeFire.

IQ's Corner Recent Literature of interest 11-10-07

This weeks recent literature of interest can be found by clicking here.

Technorati tags: teaching tool. psychology. educational psychology. school psychology.

IQ Research bytes #2: WJ III, CoGAT, RIAS

Check out the following research articles re: commonly used group (CoGAT) and individually administered (WJ III: RIAS) intelligence tests.

1. Although not that recent (2003), I just discovered a manuscript by David Lohman, coauthor of the CoGAT (group IQ test), where he presents the results of an investigation between the relations of the group-based CoGAT scores and scores from the individually administered Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability--Third Edition (WJ III ; conflict of interest disclosure - I'm a co-author of the WJ III, and both the CoGAT and WJ III are published by Riverside Publishing). The title, abstract, and a link to a pdf copy of manuscript is below.

• Lohman, D. (2003, March). The Woodcock-Johnson III and the Cognitive Abilities Test (Form 6): A Concurrent Validity Study (click here to view)

• Abstract - This study investigated the concurrent validity of the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III; Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) and Form 6 of the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT; Lohman & Hagen, 2001). A total of 178 students in grades 2, 5, and 9 were administered 13 tests from the WJ-III and the appropriate level of the CogAT. Interbattery confirmatory factor analyses showed that the general factors on the two batteries correlated r = .82. Correlations between broad-group clusters on the WJ-III and battery-level scores on the CogAT generally supported the construct interpretations of each, but also suggested important differences in the abilities measured by both batteries.

2. In another WJ III related study (see conflict of interest disclosure statement above), Craig Firsby and Steven Osterlind present a follow-up to an earlier descriptive analysis of the WJ III Test Session Observation Checklist norm data. Their most recent analysis focused on potential differences in examiner ratings for self-identified Hispanic's in the WJ III standardization sample. The abstract and article speak for themselves. See information below.

• Frisby, C. & Osterlind, C. (2007). Hispanic Test-Session Behavior on the Woodcock Johnson Psychoeducational Battery– Third Edition. Journal of Psyhoeducational Assessment, 25 (3), 257-270. (click here to view)
  

• Abstract--This study examined potential differential examiner ratings for a large sample of self-identified Hispanics on the Woodcock Johnson Psychoeducational Battery–Third Edition (WJ-III) Test Session Observation Checklist (TSOC). Both between-group (Hispanics vs. non-Hispanics) and within-group analyses (Hispanics disaggregated by first spoken language, language spoken in the home, and mother’s highest educational level) were conducted. Four research hypotheses were tested through 44 analyses. Most comparisons were not statistically significant, and across- and within-group differences had minimal influence in analyses that were statistically significant. The authors conclude that there is no compelling evidence of substantial systematic differences in examiner ratings of Hispanics’ test-session behaviors on the WJ-III.

3. Finally, Nelson et al. (2007) report an independent investigation of the internal (structural) validity of the Reynolds Inellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS). The article information is below. The long story short - Nelson et al. conclude that their factor extraction methods were more rigorous and appropriate than the exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) reported by the RIAS authors. More importantly, Nelson et al. conclude that the RIAS should only be interpreted as a single-factor measure of g (general intelligence). Their analysis did not support a three-factor structure presented by the RIAS authors. As we all know, the "my factor analysis methods are better than your factor analysis methods" has been a common battle cry in the factor analysis literature for decades. Regardless of this caveat, I do have a couple of comments based on my quick skim of the article.

First, I concur with Nelson et al. that the EFA methods should include oblique correlated factors...and not orthogonal (uncorrelated) factors as reported by the test authors. Cognitive abilities are correlated and this should be modeled in the analyses. Second, in defense of the RIAS authors, the Nelson et al. sample consists of referred subjects, and not a nationally representative sample. Although referral samples are much better for investigating the factor structure of instruments than clinical samples (e.g., LD), it is possible that the Nelson et al. results are influenced by characteristics of the non-normal sample. Third, I believe that the continued criticism of the over-use of CFA methods in test development is misdirected. If one reads the writings of one of the fathers of SEM-based methods (Joreskog), SEM methods (in this case CFA) can be used not only for model confirmation, but also may play a critical role in "model development and generation." Those of us who develop measures of cognitive abilities often use CFA as a model generation/building tool as per Joreskog . And..this is OK.

Fourth, since all test manuals must report test intercorrelation matrices as per the Joint Test Standards, it is possible for independent researchers to import the published correlation matrices into standard stat software and factor analyze the orignal norm-based correlations. Given this possibility, it would have been nice if Nelson et al. would have included, as a companion to their factor analysis in the referral sample, a similar analysis (using the same logic and methods) of the same correlation matrices the RIAS authors used. If similar results were found vis-a-vis the application of their methods in both the norm and referred samples, it would make their arguement stronger.

Cecil.....I know you catch my blog every now and then. If you would like to prepare a response to the Nelson et al. article, I'd be happy to post it as a guest blog post.

• Nelson, J., Canivez, G., Lindstrom, W. & Hatt, C. (2007) Higher-order exploratory factor analysis of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales with a referred sample. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 439-456 (click here to view)

• Abstract--The factor structure of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS; [Reynolds, C.R., & Kamphaus, R.W. (2003). Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.]) was investigated with a large (N=1163) independent sample of referred students (ages 6–18). More rigorous factor extraction criteria (viz., Horn's parallel analysis (HPA); [Horn, J.L. (1965). A rationale and test for the number of factors in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 30, 179–185.], and Minimum Average Partial (MAP) analysis; [Velicer, W.F. (1976). Determining the number of components from the matrix of partial correlations. Psychometrika, 41, 321–327.]), in addition to those used in RIAS development, were investigated. Exploratory factor analyses using both orthogonal and oblique rotations and higher-order exploratory factor analyses using the Schmid and Leiman [Schmid, J., and Leiman, J.M. (1957). The development of hierarchical factor solutions. Psychometrika, 22, 53–61.] procedure were conducted. All factor extraction criteria indicated extraction of only one factor. Oblique rotations resulted in different results than orthogonal rotations, and higher-order factor analysis indicated the largest amount of variance was accounted for by the general intelligence factor. The proposed three-factor solution was not supported. Implications for the use of the RIAS with similarly referred students are discussed.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, RIA, WJ III, CoGAT, intelligence, IQ tests, IQ scores, factor analysis, statistics, hispanic, bias, g, general intelligence

Powered by ScribeFire.

CHC theory "up north" - Oh Canada.....

I'm currently flying back from a presentation at the British Columbia Association of School Psychologists (BCASP) annual conference in Vancouver, BC. The title of my presentation was "Beyond the CHC theory tipping point: Back to the future." My plan (subject to change due to the whims...and..more importantly...the time constraints of the blog dictator) is to eventually post an on-line version of my PPT slides...which will be announced at here at IQ's Corner.

I want to thank the BCASP members for the speaking opportunity and the warm welcome and gracious treatment. I also want to say "thanks" for the kick-ass insulated BCASP coffee travel mug they gave me as a gift. Finally, a special thanks to Dr. Laurie Ford, current director of the school psychology program at UBC. Laurie is a long-time friend and colleague who initiated the invitation and who took good care of me at the conference. Thanks Laurie.

This is the second CHC theory presentation I've made "up north" since October. In October I made a similar presentation in Calgary (with a greater emphasis on the WJ III battery and links to intervention planning) together with long-time friend and colleague, Barb Wendling. Dr. Don Saklofske from the University of Calgary initiated and coordinated this presentation. Like Laurie, he was a very gracious host. The picture above is of myself (front row, light sport coat, Don (next to me), Barb (far left on picture), and a number of Don's graduate students in school psychology at Calgary. This group also gave me some cool gifts....a U Calgary T-shirt and hat. This hat has become my favorite hat to wear when I need to work outside and there is a nip in the air.

I want to thank my Canadian neighbors and welcome them as new readers at this blog. It was a pleasure to "spread the gospel" re: the importance of theory-based (CHC theory) intelligence testing...and how clinical practice needs to catch up with current CHC theory and CHC-grounded assessment instruments and approaches.


Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, CHC theory, Calgary, Vancouver, BCASP, intelligence, IQ tests, WJ III

Powered by ScribeFire.

IQ's Corner Headlines - 11-3-07

All the news thats fit for IQ's Corner readers:

This is the 41st installment of IQs Corner Headlines from the Brain and Mind Blogsphere. If you like this little e-newsletter you can sign up to receive it daily (delivered to your email inbox by visiting the boxes at the bottom of this blog page).

educational psychology, intelligence, cognition, cognitive, neuropsychology, brain, neuroscience, headlines, IQs Corner, Kevin McGrew, school psychology, psychology, education, special education, IQ, IQ Testing, IQ scores

powered by performancing firefox

Random tidbits from mind blogosphere 11-3-07

• Check out one of the best brain/mind blogs around (Developing Intelligence) for an interesting post on subliminal "fast priming" influences on word interpretation.
• Mind Hacks routinely provides a list of recent posts of interest...called "spike activity." Check out a sample post for 11-2-07 for an example of the diversity of FYI's included in these routine reports.
  
• Just in time for holiday shopping for that certain lady in your life....the Brain Bag purse.
• A number of interesting posts on aging and the brain. First, an interesting, and bit scary, report that 1 in 60 adults may be walking around with some form of brain abnormality. Next, check out Perusing Psychology for a realistic (and sometimes sobering...for us over 30 years of age) look at the neuropsychology of changes in the brain as we age. Finally, check out On the Brain for a top ten list of misconceptions by scientists and the public re: the neurological bases of memory/cognitive loss in aging.
  
• Check out the top brain fitness blog (Sharp Brains) for a report on the top 10 neuroscience trends in 2007.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, brain fitness, aging, mind blogosphere, Sharp Brains

Powered by ScribeFire.