IQ's Corner

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Genetically informed, multilevel analysis of the Flynn Effect across four decades and three WISC versions - Giangrande - - Child Development - Wiley Online Library

https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdev.13675

Abstract

This study investigated the systematic rise in cognitive ability scores over generations, known as the Flynn Effect, across middle childhood and early adolescence (7–15 years; 291 monozygotic pairs, 298 dizygotic pairs; 89% White). Leveraging the unique structure of the Louisville Twin Study (longitudinal data collected continuously from 1957 to 1999 using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children [WISC], WISC–R, and WISC–III ed.), multilevel analyses revealed between-subjects Flynn Effects—as both decrease in mean scores upon test re-standardization and increase in mean scores across cohorts—as well as within-child Flynn Effects on cognitive growth across age. Overall gains equaled approximately three IQ points per decade. Novel genetically informed analyses suggested that individual sensitivity to the Flynn Effect was moderated by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors.

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

Friday, November 12, 2021

The Structure of Intrinsic Motivation | Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

The Structure of Intrinsic Motivation | Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012420-091122

Abstract
Intrinsic motivation (IM) is key for persistence at work. When they are intrinsically motivated, people experience work activities as an end in itself, such that the activity and its goal collide. The result is increased interest and enjoyment of work activities. In this article, we review the current state of knowledge on IM, including studies within organizational, cognitive, and social psychology. We distinguish our structural perspective, which defines IM as the overlap between means and ends (e.g., the means-ends fusion model), from content-based approaches to study IM. We specifically discuss three questions: (a) What is IM and why does it matter, (b) how can individuals and organizations increase IM, and (c) what biases and misconceptions do employees and managers hold about IM?
Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Volume 9 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Friday, October 29, 2021

For IQs Corner readers: The Cognitive-Affective-Motivation Model of Learning (CAMML): Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - Kevin S. McGrew, 2021

I'm pleased to share my new pub with my blog readers.

The Cognitive-Affective-Motivation Model of Learning (CAMML): Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - Kevin S. McGrew, 2021
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08295735211054270

The Cognitive-Affective-Motivation Model of Learning (CAMML): Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Kevin S. McGrew

First Published October 25, 2021 Research Article

https://doi.org/10.1177/08295735211054270

Article information

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

Relations among phonological processing skills and mathematics in children: A meta-analysis. - PsycNET

Relations among phonological processing skills and mathematics in children: A meta-analysis. - PsycNET
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-98184-001

Citation
Yang, X., Yan, M., Ruan, Y., Ku, S. Y. Y., Lo, J. C. M., Peng, P., & McBride, C. (2021). Relations among phonological processing skills and mathematics in children: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000710

Abstract
The present study presents a meta-analysis of the relations between phonological processing abilities and different mathematics subskills. Using a random-effects model with 94 studies (135 unique samples, 826 effect sizes), the present meta-analysis revealed a significant general association between phonological processing and mathematics (average r = .33, p < .001, 95% CI [.30, .36]). Phonological awareness (PA) and rapid automatized naming (RAN) showed stronger correlations with mathematics than phonological memory (PM) did. The correlations among phonological processing abilities and mathematics skills were generally stronger among younger children than among older children. PA and PM manifested larger effect sizes when correlated with mathematics accuracy than with mathematics fluency, whereas RAN yielded larger effect sizes when associated with mathematics fluency than with mathematics accuracy. Metastructural equation modeling results revealed that, after statistically controlling for domain-general abilities (i.e., vocabulary knowledge, executive functioning, and nonverbal intelligence), phonological processing still made a unique contribution to different mathematics subskills (β_s = .20 ∼ .54). These results suggest that children may use phonological processing abilities as one mechanism through which to represent, manipulate, and retrieve mathematics knowledge. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Monday, October 25, 2021

On the prediction of human intelligence from neuroimaging: A systematic review of methods and reporting | bioRxiv

On the prediction of human intelligence from neuroimaging: A systematic review of methods and reporting | bioRxiv
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.19.462649v1

Abstract
Human intelligence is one of the main objects of study in cognitive neuroscience. Reviews and meta-analyses have proved to be fundamental to establish and cement neuroscientific theories on intelligence. The prediction of intelligence using in vivo neuroimaging data and machine learning has become a widely accepted and replicated result. Here, we present a systematic review of this growing area of research, based on studies that employ structural, functional, and/or diffusion MRI to predict human intelligence in cognitively normal subjects using machine-learning. We performed a systematic assessment of methodological and reporting quality, using the PROBAST and TRIPOD assessment forms and 30 studies identified through a systematic search. We observed that fMRI is the most employed modality, resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) is the most studied predictor, and the Human Connectome Project is the most employed dataset. A meta-analysis revealed a significant difference between the performance obtained in the prediction of general and fluid intelligence from fMRI data, confirming that the quality of measurement moderates this association. The expected performance of studies predicting general intelligence from fMRI was estimated to be r = 0.42 (CI_95% = [0.35, 0.50]) while for studies predicting fluid intelligence obtained from a single test, expected performance was estimated as r = 0.15 (CI_95% = [0.13, 0.17]). We further enumerate some virtues and pitfalls we identified in the methods for the assessment of intelligence and machine learning. The lack of treatment of confounder variables, including kinship, and small sample sizes were two common occurrences in the literature which increased risk of bias. Reporting quality was fair across studies, although reporting of results and discussion could be vastly improved. We conclude that the current literature on the prediction of intelligence from neuroimaging data is reaching maturity. Performance has been reliably demonstrated, although extending findings to new populations is indispensable. Current results could be used by future works to foment new theories on the biological basis of intelligence differences.

Sunday, October 03, 2021

‘Race-norming’ kept former NFL players from dementia diagnoses. Their families want answers.

'Race-norming' kept former NFL players from dementia diagnoses. Their families want answers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/29/nfl-concussion-settlement-race-norming/

I believe this refers to demographically adjusted or Heaton neuropsych norms…which have occasionally been used inappropriately in Atkins ID death penalty cases.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

A critical review of antecedents of psychological measurement: Is it necessary to revisit or reorganized the foundations Psychometry? | Journal of Basic and Applied Psychology Research

A critical review of antecedents of psychological measurement: Is it necessary to revisit or reorganized the foundations Psychometry? | Journal of Basic and Applied Psychology Research
https://repository.uaeh.edu.mx/revistas/index.php/jbapr/article/view/6774

The purpose of present essay was revisited and supplemented antecedents on psychological measurement and analyzed his foundations in a scientific perspective. This review includes since early great pioneers of measurement at the beginning of nineteen century to the principal contributions of psychometrics in the middle of twenty century. The researcher' knowledge on the Science History in general and the analysis of theories and methodological antecedents of their discipline are very important to an integral scientific' formation. The problems and challenges of science are showed an interdisciplinary approach that permits the comprehension of scientific concepts and methods, to improve and reorganized each discipline with a broad and new perspective. The roots of Psychometry included pioneers and contributors in Mathematical, Statistical, and Experimental Sciences, who's had persisted with creativity in the development of theories, methods, models, technics and procedures to construct psychological measurements in social and behavioral sciences. Since the Rasch' Model and the Item Response Theory, among others advances in multivariate statistics, the modern Psychometry have theories, models, applied strategies and methods to document validity and reliability evidence. Psychometrics today, counts with standards to guide best practices in test development and validation in behavioral sciences

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

To predict the future, consider the past: Revisiting Carroll (1993) as a guide to the future of intelligence research - ScienceDirect

To predict the future, consider the past: Revisiting Carroll (1993) as a guide to the future of intelligence research - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289621000696

Abstract
There is a widely held consensus in the field of intelligence research that the broad factors identified by Cattell, Horn, and Carroll are an adequate summary of individual differences in human cognitive abilities. Most researchers would agree that the redundancy among these factors is best accounted for by an overarching general factor. We think the best way to acknowledge major accomplishments is to build upon them with the goal to challenge the status quo. Here we want to do so by discussing six broad ability factors that are either considered in Carroll's epochal book or could be candidates for future inclusions to the list of established cognitive ability factors: fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, cognitive speed, creativity, social and emotional intelligence, and collaborative problem solving. We conclude with four pleas: reunite correlational and experimental research, enrich construct interpretations, reunite educational and psychological measurement of maximal cognitive effort, and reconsider the sampling of indicators and content validity.

Monday, September 13, 2021

Achievement Motivation: What We Know and Where We Are Going | Annual Review of Developmental Psychology

Achievement Motivation: What We Know and Where We Are Going | Annual Review of Developmental Psychology
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-050720-103500

Monday, August 30, 2021

Déjà vu All Over Again: A Unitary Biological Mechanism for Intelligence Is (Probably) Untenable

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/8/2/24

Abstract
Nearly a century ago, Spearman proposed that "specific factors can be regarded as the 'nuts and bolts' of cognitive performance…, while the general factor is the mental energy available to power the specific engines". Geary (2018; 2019) takes Spearman's analogy of "mental energy" quite literally and doubles-down on the notion by proposing that a unitary energy source, the mitochondria, explains variations in both cognitive function and health-related outcomes. This idea is reminiscent of many earlier attempts to describe a low-level biological determinant of general intelligence. While Geary does an admirable job developing an innovative theory with specific and testable predictions, this new theory suffers many of the shortcomings of previous attempts at similar goals. We argue that Geary's theory is generally implausible, and does not map well onto known psychological and genetic properties of intelligence or its relationship to health and fitness. While Geary's theory serves as an elegant model of "what could be", it is less successful as a description of "what is". View Full-Text
Keywords: intelligence; processing speed; attention; working memory; heritability

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Frontiers | Neuropsychological Development of Cool and Hot Executive Functions Between 6 and 12 Years of Age: A Systematic Review | Psychology

Frontiers | Neuropsychological Development of Cool and Hot Executive Functions Between 6 and 12 Years of Age: A Systematic Review | Psychology
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687337/full

Neuropsychological Development of Cool and Hot Executive Functions Between 6 and 12 Years of Age: A Systematic Review

L. Fernández García, A. Merchán, +1 author María Teresa Daza González
Published in Frontiers in Psychology 2021

Previous studies on the development of executive functions (EFs) in middle childhood have traditionally focused on cognitive, or "cool," EFs: working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. However, knowledge of the development of socio-emotional, or "hot," EFs, such as delay of gratification, decision-making and theory of mind, is more limited. The main aims of this systematic review were to characterize the typical development of both the primary cool and hot EFs in middle childhood, and to identify the main tools for evaluating EFs as a whole. We conducted a systematic search on studies of cognitive and socio-emotional EFs published in the last 5 years in Pubmed, PsycInfo, and WoS databases. Of 44 studies selected, we found a variety of tasks measuring cool EFs, while measures of hot EFs were limited. Nevertheless, the available data suggest that cool and hot components follow distinct, but related, developmental trajectories during middle childhood

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Explaining the high working memory capacity of gifted children: Contributions of processing skills and executive control - ScienceDirect

Explaining the high working memory capacity of gifted children: Contributions of processing skills and executive control - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691821001086?via%3Dihub

Explaining the high working memory capacity of gifted children: Contributions of processing skills and executive control.

Alexandre Aubry, C. Gonthier, B. Bourdin
Published 2021
Medicine
Acta psychologica

Intellectually gifted children tend to demonstrate especially high working memory capacity, an ability that holds a critical role in intellectual functioning. What could explain the differences in working memory performance between intellectually gifted and nongifted children? We investigated this issue by measuring working memory capacity with complex spans in a sample of 55 gifted and 55 nongifted children. Based on prior studies, we expected the higher working memory capacity of intellectually gifted children to be driven by more effective executive control, as measured using the Attention Network Test. The findings confirmed that intellectually gifted children had higher working memory capacity than typical children, as well as more effective executive attention. Surprisingly, however, working memory differences between groups were not mediated by differences in executive attention. Instead, it appears that gifted children resolve problems faster in the processing phase of the working memory task, which leaves them more time to refresh to-be-remembered items. This faster problem solving speed mediated their advantage in working memory capacity. Importantly, this effect was specific to speed on complex problems: low-level processing speed, as measured with the Attention Network Test, did not contribute to the higher working memory capacity of gifted children.

Friday, August 13, 2021

When academic achievement (also) reflects personality: Using the personality-achievement saturation hypothesis (PASH) to explain differential associations between achievement measures and personality traits. - PsycNET

When academic achievement (also) reflects personality: Using the personality-achievement saturation hypothesis (PASH) to explain differential associations between achievement measures and personality traits. - PsycNET
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-74431-001

Citation
Hübner, N., Spengler, M., Nagengast, B., Borghans, L., Schils, T., & Trautwein, U. (2021). When academic achievement (also) reflects personality: Using the personality-achievement saturation hypothesis (PASH) to explain differential associations between achievement measures and personality traits. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000571

Abstract
Students' academic achievement is a key predictor of various life outcomes and is commonly used for selection as well as for educational monitoring and accountability. With regard to achievement indicators, a differentiation has traditionally been drawn between grades and standardized tests. There is initial, albeit inconclusive, evidence that these indicators might differentially reflect students' personality as encapsulated in the Big Five personality traits as well as measures of cognitive abilities. In this article, we propose the personality-achievement saturation hypothesis (PASH) as an overarching model that describes the association between achievement indicators and personality. The PASH suggests that the differentiation between grades and tests is too simplistic and that associations between personality and achievement instead vary across five main features of the achievement measures that are used: level of standardization, relevance for the student, curricular validity, instructional sensitivity, and cognitive ability saturation. On the basis of findings from prior studies, we focused in particular on conscientiousness and openness to test the PASH. We used data from three large-scale studies (total N = 14,953) and aggregated our findings across these studies. In line with the PASH, the Big Five trait of conscientiousness was most strongly related to measures that were less standardized and less saturated with cognitive ability but higher on curriculum validity, relevance, and instructional sensitivity. In addition, openness was most strongly related to measures that were higher on standardization and cognitive ability saturation but lower on relevance, curriculum validity, and instructional sensitivity in English. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Connections between mathematics and reading development: Numerical cognition mediates relations between foundational competencies and later academic outcomes. - PsycNET

Connections between mathematics and reading development: Numerical cognition mediates relations between foundational competencies and later academic outcomes. - PsycNET
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-74878-001

Citation
Spencer, M., Fuchs, L. S., Geary, D. C., & Fuchs, D. (2021). Connections between mathematics and reading development: Numerical cognition mediates relations between foundational competencies and later academic outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000670

Abstract
We examined longitudinal relations between 1st-grade cognitive predictors (early nonverbal reasoning, processing speed, listening comprehension, working memory, calculation skill, word-problem solving, word-reading fluency, attentive behavior, and numerical cognition) and 2nd-grade academic outcomes (calculations, word-problem solving, and word reading) in 370 children (Mage = 6.55 years, SDage = 0.33 years at the start of the study) who were identified as at-risk or not-at-risk for mathematics disability. Path analysis mediation models revealed that numerical cognition, assessed at an intermediary timepoint, mediated the effects of processing speed, working memory, calculation skill, word-problem solving, and attentive behavior on all 3 outcomes. Findings indicate that multiple early domain-general cognitive abilities are related to later mathematics and reading outcomes and that numerical cognition processes, which may track ease of forming symbol-concept associations, predict later performance across both academic domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

General intelligence and the dark triad: A meta-analysis. - PsycNET

General intelligence and the dark triad: A meta-analysis. - PsycNET
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-71827-001

Citation
Michels, M. (2021). General intelligence and the dark triad: A meta-analysis. Journal of Individual Differences.Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000352

Abstract
The dark triad of personality (D3)—consisting of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism—is a set of socially aversive personality traits. All three traits encompass disagreeable behavior and a particular disregard for the well-being of others, but also a tendency to strategic and deceptive manipulation of social environments in order to attain one′s goals. To exercise these complex manipulations effectively it seems beneficial to have high cognitive abilities. Therefore, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine possible relationships between intelligence and the dark triad. A total of 143 studies were identified to estimate the strength of relationships between the D3 and general, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence. The results indicate that none of the constructs of the dark triad are meaningfully related to intelligence. However, there was a small negative correlation between intelligence and Factor 2 psychopathy. The substantial heterogeneity regarding the observed effect sizes could not be explained with meta-regression for the most part. There was no evidence for a publication bias. In total, the results challenge the notion that the dark triad is an adaptive set of personality traits that enables individuals to effectively manipulate their social surroundings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Saturday, August 07, 2021

Recent developments, current challenges, and future directions in electrophysiological approaches to studying intelligence - ScienceDirect

Recent developments, current challenges, and future directions in electrophysiological approaches to studying intelligence - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289621000532

Abstract

EEG studies represent an important sub-discipline in the field of intelligence research and have significant potential to advance the theoretical understanding and practical applications of the construct. This commentary reviews key themes and major developments in the field from the last several decades, and outlines open questions and future directions for the next phase of research. Two main areas of progress in recent years relate to (1) improvements in study design and psychometric approaches, and (2) increased integration with cognitive psychology and neuroscience. In turn, these advances have clarified several themes and pressing issues. These include: The need to establish the replicability and effect sizes of key effects, the need to explicitly attend to the distinction between trait- and task-related sources of variance in correlations between intelligence and EEG variables, the need to systematically identify and test moderators of those relationships, the need for greater use of formal modeling at the level of measurement and theory, and the need for continued integration of theoretical advances from related disciplines. We argue that an increased focus on these issues can yield rapid progress in this area over the coming years. The commentary concludes with suggestions for both immediate priorities and long-term directions in basic and applied EEG research on intelligence.

Friday, August 06, 2021

Parsing information flow in speeded cognitive tasks: The role of g in perception and decision time. - PsycNET

Parsing information flow in speeded cognitive tasks: The role of g in perception and decision time. - PsycNET
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-72829-001

Thursday, August 05, 2021

Full artiThe relation between working memory, number sense, and mathematics throughout primary education in children with and without mathematical difficulties

Number sense and working memory contribute to mathematical development throughout primary school. However, it is still unclear how the contributions of each of these predictors may change across development and whether the cognitive contribution is the same for children with and without mathematical difficulties. The aim of the two studies in this paper was to shed light on these topics. In a cross-sectional design, a typically developing group of children (study 1; N = 459, Grades 1-4) and a group with mathematical difficulties (study 2; N = 61, Grades 4-6) completed a battery of number sense and working memory tests, as well as a measure of arithmetic competence. Results of study 1 indicated that number sense was important in first grade, while working memory gained importance in second grade, before predictive value of both predictors waned. Number sense and working memory supported mathematics development independently from one another from Grade 1. Analysis of task demands showed that typically developing children rely on comprehension and visualization of quantity-to-number associations in early development. Later in development, pupils rely on comparing larger numerals and working memory until automatization. Children with mathematical difficulties were less able to employ number sense during mathematical operations, and thus might remain dependent on their working memory resources during arithmetic tasks. This suggests that children with mathematical difficulties need aid to employ working memory for mathematics from an early age to be able to automatize mathematical abilities later in development.

Full article: The relation between working memory, number sense, and mathematics throughout primary education in children with and without mathematical difficulties
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09297049.2021.1959905

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Myths and misconceptions about intelligence: A study of 35 myths - ScienceDirect

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886921003895
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886921003895?via%3Dihub

Abstract This study is concerned with the extent to which people believe in, and endorse, various myths about intelligence and intelligence testing. It examined the prevalence of myths about intelligence as set out in a recent book (Warne, 2020). Participants (N = 275) completed a questionnaire in which they rated the extent to which they thought various statements/facts about intelligence were essentially true or false. In all, eighteen of these myths were rated as true (definitely or partly), two as definitely false and six probably false by the majority of the participants. There were no significant demographic or personality correlates of the total correct score (determined by rating the myth as false). The discussion considers why, in this important area of psychology, myths, misconceptions and ignorance seem so difficult to dispel. Limitations of this, and similar, studies are noted, and implications are discussed.

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

Monday, July 26, 2021

A new beginning of intelligence research. Designing the playground - ScienceDirect

A new beginning of intelligence research. Designing the playground - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016028962100043X?via%3Dihub

Protzko, J., & Colom, R. (2021). A new beginning of intelligence research. Designing the playground. Intelligence, 87, 101559.

Abstract
Here we present several points for designing a probable playground concerning a new beginning of intelligence research within the XXI Century: the nature, definition, and measurement of the construct of interest, its development across the lifespan, its enhancement by varied means, and its place within the already identified human psychological traits. Predictions can go wrong when those who make them 1) assume that trends will be linear, 2) use script-writing assuming that they know what the responses to any trend will be, and 3) conflate primary facts with their interpretation. With these pitfalls in mind, we predict: 1) a proliferation of alternate models of the positive manifold; 2) The derailment of the field in the next decade or two with a new trendy research angle; 3) The gradual abandonment of classic IQ tests for intelligence research in favor of alternative measurements. We see a bright future for intelligence research, but dark spots cannot be discarded.