Indices of Laterality in Turner Syndrome

The present study explored the utility of manual laterality in predicting verbal and visual-spatial functioning and educational placement among girls and adolescents with Turner syndrome (TS). A significant curvilinear relationship emerged between derived Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) and motor skill laterality such that either very strong or very weak laterality was less advantageous for visual-spatial skills than moderate laterality. A significant negative correlation, but no curvilinear relation, emerged between derived Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ) and degree of motor skill laterality, with more strongly lateralized participants showing lower verbal skills than weakly lateralized participants. Hand preference category showed no significant relationships with VIQ, PIQ, or educational placement.     

Do the Wechsler scales underestimate the difference between verbal and performance abilities in children with language–related disorders?

The present paper examines the validity of the Wechsler scales with children with language-related disorders, with whom the scales were not originally normed. The general question is whether we can take measures of IQ, normed with a normal sample, and then validly use them as indicators of the same constructs with samples significantly different from the normed sample. In previous papers it was pointed out that the pattern structurally simple > moderately complex > complex tests can be observed in their IQ profiles within both the Verbal scale and the Performance scale. In this paper, it is hypothesized that this scatter of scores leads to an underestimation of the global V-P IQ differences for children with language-related disorders because there are more structurally complex tests on the Performance scale than on the Verbal scale. To test this hypothesis, "purer" V-P IQ differences were calculated by comparing the scores on Verbal and Performance tests of equal structural complexity. WPPSI and WISC-R data from four groups of children were analyzed: language-impaired children (n = 128), reading-impaired children (n = 112), children from dyslexic families (n = 51), and normal children (n = 49). When the effect of the difference in structural complexity was controlled for, it was found that the distribution of the revised V-P IQ difference was significantly more toward the negative end of the spectrum than the traditional V-P IQ differences for language-impaired and reading-impaired children, and approaching a significant level for children from dyslexic families. As hypothesized, there were no significant differences between the two distributions of V-P IQ differences for normal children. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Sustained attention and visual processing speed in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder and other psychiatric disorders

To investigate the cognitive functioning of children and adolescents with bipolar illness, 112 child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients and day-hospital patients at a state psychiatric hospital were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) as part of an admission psychological assessment. There were 22 patients with Bipolar Disorder and 90 with other psychiatric disorders; all were between 8 and 17 years of age. The patients with Bipolar Disorder had a mean age of 14 yr., a mean Verbal IQ of 78, a mean Performance IQ of 76, and a mean Full Scale IQ of 75. When their WISC-III scores were compared with those who had Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders (Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder), Psychosis Not Otherwise Specified, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, there were no significant between-group mean differences for Verbal IQ, but patients with Bipolar Disorder had a significantly lower mean Performance IQ than those with ADHD and those with Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Contrary to the expectation that the patients with Bipolar Disorder might have better sustained attention (higher Digit Span scores) than those with Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders and worse visual processing speed (lower Coding scores) than the other diagnostic groups, the bipolar patients' Digit Span and Coding scores did not differ significantly from those of the other groups. The patients with Psychosis, Not Otherwise Specified had significantly lower mean Performance IQ, Full Scale IQ, and Coding than the ADHD and the Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Disorder groups.     

Reading-disabled hyperactive children: A distinct subgroup of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity?

Mixed hyperactive/reading-disabled children, selected from a large sample of hyperactive children, were compared to pure hyperactive children on demographic, behavioral, and neuropsychological measures. Children in the Mixed group were reading-disabled relative to age and IQ; those in the Pure group had achievement scores that were average relative to age and IQ. The Mixed group was significantly older than the Pure group; there were no differences in gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Behaviorally, the groups did not differ significantly on teacher ratings or on psychiatric ratings of aggression. The Mixed group had a significantly higher Performance IQ, whereas the Pure group had a significantly higher Verbal IQ and performed better on measures of cognitive impulsivity. Several other measures failed to distinguish the groups. The data give minimal support to the notion that pure hyperactive and mixed hyperative/reading-disabled children constitute distinct subgroups of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity.This research was supported in part by Mental Health Clinical Research Grant MH-30906 and by U. S. Public Health Service Grant MH-18579.     

Use of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking in an Exploratory Study of Creativity in Hong Kong Primary School Children: A Cross-cultural Comparison

This exploratory study reports an empirical attempt to (1) establish inter-scorer and parallel-forms reliabilities as well as convergent validity of the Chinese version of the TTCT, (2) measure the level of fluency, flexibility, and originality in 10–12 year-old Hong Kong children, and (3) compare the scores of the Hong Kong sample with those from other studies. The Figural and Verbal Forms A and B were administered. The overall results showed high inter-rater reliability of the Chinese version of the Test. The parallel-forms reliability between the Verbal Forms (P > 0.001) of the Test was higher than that between the Figural Forms (P > 0.05). The Hong Kong results on the Figural Test were generally higher than those obtained in Taiwan, Singapore, and USA, but slightly lower than the German results. This trend in the results was reversed on the Verbal Forms. The absence of sex differences on the TTCT was noted.     

Use of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with the educationally handicapped

Despite widespread use of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) as a measure of intelligence for educationally handicapped students, few studies have related PPVT scores of such students to their scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Using 100 public school students consecutively referred for learning difficulties, their mean PPVT IQ (97.75) was found to be consistently and significantly higher than WISC Full Scale IQ (89.65), Verbal IQ (88.68), and Performance IQ (92.73). Correlations between the PPVT IQ and the WISC Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs were .70, .69, and .54, respectively. A tabular summary of previous studies comparing PPVT and WISC IQs is included.     

The effects of positive examiner verbal comments on the total WISC-R performance of institutionalized EMR students

Forty educably mentally retarded (EMR) students were randomly selected and assigned to one of two treatment groups. Students in the experimental group were verbally praised after their responses to the WISC-R questions, while the students in the control group received nonevaluative procedural comments. The scaled scores for five of eleven subtests, in addition to the Verbal, Performance and Full Scale indices, were significantly greater under the experimental procedure. The treatment's efficacy and considerations for future research were noted and discussed.     

Hand movements which cross the body midline: findings relating age differences to handedness.

Performance of 200 children (5 groups, 4 to 12 yr.) in an experimental study of spatial development was analyzed in terms of hand preference and differences in laterality of response. In accord with the literature a cross-lateral inhibition effect was confirmed but there were marked differences between hands. The supposed 'body midline' seemed to offer more resistance to one hand than to the other. Alternative explanations are suggested.     

Children's Narratives Following Traumatic Brain Injury: Linguistic Structure, Cohesion, and Thematic Recall

Narrative discourse and intellectual functioning were examined 3 years following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children 1 to 8 years of age at the time of injury. The language-impaired TBI group (n= 9) had language deficits during the subacute stage of recovery; their performance was contrasted with that of a TBI comparison group equated on neurologic and demographic variables that did not show subacute language impairment (n= 8) and a sibling comparison group (n= 9). The language-impaired TBI group had lower Verbal and Full-Scale IQ scores and produced fewer words and utterances than the sibling group on a story retelling task; their stories were characterized by fewer complete referential and lexical ties and more referential errors, indicating difficulty conjoining meaning across sentences. The language-impaired TBI group recalled approximately one-third of the propositions needed to maintain the story theme and made more errors sequencing the propositions than either the TBI or the sibling comparison groups. Group differences were not obtained on the Performance IQ scores or on measures of rate or fluency of speech production, mazes, use of conjunctives, or naming errors. The discourse deficiencies of children with TBI and acute language impairment were most pronounced at the level of cognitive organization of the text reflecting text macrostructure and were least apparent at the level of lexical and sentential organization reflecting text microstructure. Results are discussed in terms of the vulnerability of developing language abilities to disruption by brain injury.     

Language Outcome After Perinatal Stroke: Does Side Matter?

The goal of this study was to examine structured language skills in children with perinatal strokes. Participants were 28 school-age children with early focal brain lesions (17 with left hemisphere [LH] damage, 11 with right hemisphere [RH] damage), and 57 controls. A standardized test of language (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Revised) was administered. Receptive, Expressive, and Total Language scores, as well as subtest scores, were analyzed. Control participants scored within the normal range, whereas the LH and RH groups scored significantly more poorly than did controls. There were no differences between the LH and RH groups on any of the language scores, and all scores were below the 14th percentile. Within the lesion group as a whole, scores were not related to lesion laterality, site, or severity. Results also were not accounted for by socioeconomic status or IQ. However, children who experienced seizures demonstrated significantly poorer performance than did children who did not experience seizures. Damage to either the LH or RH early in development adversely affects later language abilities, particularly on tasks with structured and complex linguistic demands. Although lesion side has little effect, the presence or absence of seizures is a major contributor to language outcome.     

Learning style and intelligence of reading disabled students

This study examined the relationship between elements of the Learning Style Inventory and various scales of the WISC-R for reading disabled students. Previous research generally suggests that reading disabled students have preferences that tap the visual-spatial domain and have higher WISC-R Performance Scale and subtest scores than Verbal Scale and subtest scores. Subjects with IQs of 90 or better on either the Verbal or Performance Scales of the WISC-R and a consistency score of 75 or better on the inventory were selected. Contrary to what might be expected, data generally showed a nonmeaningful pattern of correlations between scales of the Learning Style Inventory and WISC-R Performance-type functioning. However, as an important part of the validation of the inventory, lack of association between the two can be interpreted as support for its construct validity.     

Components of IQ Scores Across Levels of Measured Ability

Forty-three (43) students from the Talent Identification Program's Summer Residential Program living in North Carolina took the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R; Wechsler, 1974) during the program. The test was also administered to 50 other North Carolina Students who qualified for the SRP but did not attend, as well as 34 students who had not been identified as gifted. The scores were evaluated for normative and idiographic strengths and weaknesses on the 12 subtests of the WISC-R. The idiographic differences were calculated by comparison against the average score of only the 6 subtests in the same subscale of the test (Verbal or Performance) as well as against all 12 subtests on the test. It was found by means of the former comparisons that the gifted students showed significantly more idiographic strengths on the Verbal scales and weaknesses on the Performance scales than the academically competent sample.     

Patterns of intellectual ability in children with verbal deficits

Patterns of intellectual ability were examined in 81 children with verbal deficits identified by a Low Verbal/High Performance WISC profile. The results of verbal and nonverbal tests of intellectual functioning were factor-analyzed, and three groups of children were defined based on patterns of factor scores. Group 1 consisted of children with a Specific Language Disability (SLD) but good Abstract Reasoning ability, while Group 2 included SLD children with good Sequencing-Memory skills. Group 3 children displayed a General Language Disability (GLD) with deficits in both abstract reasoning and sequencing memory. The intellectual patterns were related to cognitive interpretations and found to have educational implications, with Group 1 children reading adequately, Group 2 children showing somewhat poorer reading skills, and Group 3 children reading very poorly. These findings emphasize the importance of identifying subgroups of children with verbal deficits and demonstrate the feasibility of extracting relatively specific cognitive information from global measures of intelligence. The results question the appropriateness of applying traditional assumptions regarding cognitive organization derived from studies of normal children to atypical groups of children.     

Direct assessment of the cognitive correlates of attention deficit disorders with and without hyperactivity

The cognitive functioning of children identified as attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H) was compared to that of children identified as attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/WO). Based on information on symptoms supplied by teachers, 20 ADD/H and 15 ADD/ WO children were selected according to DSM-III criteria from a large elementaryschool learning disabilities and behavior disorders population. For comparison purposes, 16 normal children from regular classrooms were also selected. Children from all three groups were evaluated with a battery of cognitive tests. Intelligence test scores differentiated the two ADD groups, with the ADD/H children obtaining significantly lower Full Scale IQ scores than both ADD/WO and control children. In addition, ADD/H children obtained significantly lower Verbal IQ scores than ADD/WO children. Both ADD groups performed more poorly than controls on Spelling and Reading Achievement, and the ADD/WO group performed more poorly on Math Achievement. The two ADD groups took longer to complete six Stroop and rapid naming tasks than the control groups but did not differ among themselves. The ADD/WO group made more errors on a visual matching task than the controls, but neither ADD group differed from controls on the accuracy of the Stroop tasks, rapid naming tasks, measures of receptive and expressive language, visual-motor integration, or sustained visual attention. The differences between the two ADD groups were fewer than expected on the basis of previous research and are more global than specific.The assistance of John Junginger, Jason Walker, and Cynthia Jones at various stages of the project is gratefully acknowledged. Particular thanks are extended to the teachers and staff of Clarke County schools.     

Cerebral lateralization and reading dysfunction

The laterality preference patterns and types of oral reading errors were examined for 90 seventh-grade males. Specifically, scores on a self-report measure of lateral preference for 30 readers with adequate decoding skills but low comprehension and 30 readers who lacked decoding skills were compared with each other and with 30 good readers. As predicted, poor readers with grade appropriate word recognition scores were found to be generally more confused in their lateral preference than were good readers or poor readers who lacked decoding skills. Results of oral reading errors confirmed a visual integration problem for the more bilateral reader. Poor comprehenders with word recognition skills also reported significantly greater mixed lateral patterns for their fathers than did other readers. The results were interpreted as supporting the initial argument that difference-poor readers fail to comprehend because of problems in organizing visual input, which seems intimately tied to a bilateralization of functions.     

Reaction time correlations with intelligence test scores obtained under either timed or untimed conditions

One hundred and thirteen high school students were randomly assigned to one of two groups that were administered an intelligence test (the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery) under either timed or untimed conditions. Subsequently, all subjects were given a battery of 8 reaction time tests. Multiple regression analyses showed that combinations of RTs were approximately equally good predictors of IQ scores in both groups. Zero-order correlations between each RT test and IQ scores were also approximately equal for timed and untimed Verbal and Full-Scale scores but correlations with Performance scores were higher in the timed condition. The extent to which the different RT tests correlated with timed scores was quite highly related to the tests' loadings on a general speed factor but these loadings were not related to the tests' correlations with untimed scores. Rather, the relative complexity of the RT tests had a stronger influence on their correlations with IQ scores in the untimed condition. It is concluded that timed and untimed intelligence tests impose different information-processing demands on subjects but that the speed with which subjects can cope with these demands is equally important in both conditions.     

Clinical utility of the WISC-R and the French Pictorial Test of Intelligence with native American primary grade children

Cultural bias and the clinical utility of the WISC-R and French Pictorial Test of Intelligence were evaluated using scores of 22 male and 22 female Navajo primary grade children. There were no significant differences in performance on either test according to sex. As expected, the Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ of the WISC-R and the Deviation IQ of the French provided significantly depressed estimates of ability. A prorated Performance IQ might be the least depressed measure of potential among these children.     

II. The comparability of the WISC-R and WAIS among 16-year-old EMR children

Thirty 16-year-old EMR children were administered the WAIS and WISC-R in counterbalance order to determine the comparability of the two assessment instruments. The WAIS was found to yield significantly higher Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores. The comparisons of corresponding subtests indicate that all WAIS subtests were significantly higher than the WISC-R except Picture Completion. Correlations between corresponding WAIS and WISC-R IQ scales and subtests, however, were significant. The results suggest differences between the two instruments among children of subnormal intelligence, thus presenting the possibility that a child may be differentially classified based on the selection of the intelligence test.     

Do illustrations enhance preschoolers' memories for stories? Age-related change in the picture facilitation effect

This study investigated whether illustrations facilitate story recall in preschoolers (N=58) 46 to 63 months of age. Each child was exposed to either a verbal story narrative with illustrations (Verbal and Picture condition), the narrative alone (Verbal Only condition), the narrative with uninformative illustrations (Verbal and Irrelevant Picture condition), or the illustrations alone (Picture Only condition). Children recalled the story immediately and after a 1-week delay. With increasing age, the Verbal and Picture group increasingly outperformed the other verbal groups, particularly when recalling central details conveyed by both narrative and illustrations. Performance did not vary among the three verbal groups at lower values of age, whereas the Verbal and Picture group recalled more than the other verbal groups at the older ages. Regardless of age, all verbal groups outperformed the Picture Only group, suggesting that preschoolers are unlikely to spontaneously generate a narrative from pictures alone.     

Visual laterality responses to different emotive stimuli by red-capped mangabeys, Cercocebus torquatus torquatus

Hemispheric asymmetry in emotional perception has been put forward by different theories as the right hemisphere theory or the valence theory. But no consensus was found about the role played by both hemispheres. So, in order to test the different theories, we investigated preferential use of one eye in red-capped mangabeys, at the individual as well as at the group level. In this study we investigated the influence of the emotional value of stimuli on the direction and strength of visual preference of 14 red-capped mangabeys. Temporal stability of the bias of use of a given eye was evaluated by comparing our current results to those obtained 2.5 months previously. Two experimental devices, a tube and a box, tested five different stimuli: four food types varying in palatability and a neutral stimulus. The subjects’ food preferences were evaluated before testing the laterality. The mangabeys used their left eyes predominantly at the group level for the tube task. The majority of the subjects showed a visual preference at the individual level for the box task, but this bias was not present at the group level. As the palatability of the stimuli increased, the number of lateralized subjects and the number of subjects using preferentially their left eye increased. Similarly, the strength of laterality was related to food preference. Strength of laterality was significantly higher for subjects using their left eye than for subjects using their right eye. Preferential use of a given eye was stable over short periods 2.5 months later. Our data agree with reports on visual laterality for other species. Our results support the valence theory of a hemispheric sharing of control of emotions in relation to their emotional value.