Neuropsychological impairments on the NEPSY-II among children with FASD

Background: We examined the pattern of neuropsychological impairments of children with FASD (compared to controls) on NEPSY-II measures of attention and executive functioning, language, memory, visuospatial processing, and social perception.

Methods: Participants included 32 children with FASD and 30 typically developing control children, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years. Children were tested on the following subtests of the NEPSY-II: Attention and Executive Functioning (animal sorting, auditory attention/response set, and inhibition), Language (comprehension of instructions and speeded naming), Memory (memory for names/delayed memory for names), Visual-Spatial Processing (arrows), and Social Perception (theory of mind). Groups were compared using MANOVA.

Results: Children with FASD were impaired relative to controls on the following subtests: animal sorting, response set, inhibition (naming and switching conditions), comprehension of instructions, speeded naming, and memory for names total and delayed, but group differences were not significant on auditory attention, inhibition (inhibition condition), arrows, and theory of mind. Among the FASD group, IQ scores were not correlated with performance on the NEPSY-II subtests, and there were no significant differences between those with and without comorbid ADHD.

Conclusions: The NEPSY-II is an effective and useful tool for measuring a variety of neuropsychological impairments among children with FASD. Children with FASD displayed a pattern of results with impairments (relative to controls) on measures of executive functioning (set shifting, concept formation, and inhibition), language, and memory, and relative strengths on measures of basic attention, visual spatial processing, and social perception.     

Validity of the V. C. Aeronautics Aptitude Test and the O. E. Scientific Aptitude Test

An hierarchical factor solution was obtained on correlations among WISC and ITPA subtests for 110 reading disabled children. The ability hierarchy which included a general (g) factor, two subgeneral factors, and five primary factors was arranged in a manner congruent with Vernon's structural paradigm. The g-factor was defined by a moderate but distinct pattern of positive loadings from WISC and ITPA subtests. At the subgeneral level a verbal-educational factor was defined by verbal WISC and ITPA subtests, and a spatial-perceptual-mechanical factor was defined by WISC performance and ITPA visual subtests. Three primary factors—freedom from distractibility, verbal precision, and quasi-specific—were defined by WISC subtests. Two primary factors—automatic processes and representational processes—were defined by ITPA subtests.     

从多元概化理论看高考综合能力测试的改进

通过多元概化理论的研究发现,高考综合能力测试（2001,广东）的总体信度达到了可以接受的水平（0.784）。但测验中各部分对总方差的贡献程度与预定的赋分比例有较大差距。其中,地理和政治的贡献度偏低,化学和历史的贡献度偏高。这表明有（历史和化学）偏科特点的考生得到了较高的综合分数。又经决策(D)研究发现,增加地理部分的题量会反常地降低测验的总体信度,这说明有不少高分考生答错或主动放弃了地理科题目。因此,如何有效控制各部分的实际贡献程度、避免负面导向是当前高考综合能力测试亟待解决的问题。     

Fluid and crystallized intelligence: effects of diffuse brain damage on the WAIS

In the 1940's two forms of intelligence, fluid and crystallized, were postulated. Active mental processing (WAIS performance subtests) were fluid while well learned abilities (WAIS verbal subtests) were crystallized. Brain damage was considered to affect fluid abilities more than crystallized. WAIS scores comparing normal and diffusely organically damaged subjects indicated that, as hypothesized, the verbal subtests were more affected than the performance subtests.     

Predictive validity of the WISC-R with Mexican-American children

The reliability and predictive validity of the WISC-R was investigated with 46 Mexican-American children. Approximately a year and a half after the administration of the WISC-R, scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were collected. Internal consistency estimates for WISC-R subtests and composites were found to be comparable to those reported in the WISC-R manual. Correlations between WISC-R subtests and those of the ITBS ranged from modest for verbal subtests to mild when performance subtests were used as predictors. The best single predictor proved to be that of Verbal IQ, which accounted for some 40% of the variance in future achievement when measured by the ITBS. It was concluded that the WISC-R meets minimum requirements of reliability and predictive validity with Mexican-American children.     

Exploring the Reliability and Validity of the DAT-K in Grade 11 Learners in a Historically Disadvantaged School in Johannesburg,South Africa

This study explored the reliability and validity of the Differential Aptitude Test—Form K (DAT-K) in a sample of 75 learners (mean age = 17.1 years, SD = 1.13) from a previously disadvantaged school in Johannesburg. Adequate reliability coefficients were obtained but coefficients were higher for nonverbal than verbal subtests. Face validity was judged to be adequate but construct validity was questionable. All subtests correlated within cluster (verbal, non-verbal) but all the subtests with the exception of the Comparison subtest loaded highly on a single factor. Examination of the influence of language as a variable suggested that learners whose home language was an African language did significantly poorer on all the DAT-K subtests except for the Comparison subtest. These findings lend support to the arguments that psychological testing in South Africa is problematic particularly in individuals who do not speak English as their first language.     

Reliability and validity of mothers' developmental estimates for children between 4 and 41 months

The feasibility of mothers estimating their own children's development is explored in this paper. Construction, reliability and validity of a mothers' developmental inventory for children from 4 months to 41 months is described. The inventory consists of six subtests: Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Language Expression, Language Comprehension, Personal-Social Competence and Self Help. A preliminary version of the inventory was item analyzed on a sample of 105 mothers of 4 to 37 months old children. This reduced the inventory to 164 items with satisfactory reliability and age discrimination on half-year intervals. The list was cross-validated on a sample of 275 mothers, for which medians of alpha coefficients for the six subtests ranged from 0.69 to 0.96, with most (26 out of 36) coefficients being 0.77 or higher. Again, the age discrimination was satisfactory, although floor effects appeared on four subtests for children younger than 12 months and ceiling effects on two subtests for children older than 24 months.     

Non-g residuals of the SAT and ACT predict specific abilities

This research examined whether non-g residuals of the SAT and ACT subtests, obtained after removing g, predicted specific abilities. Non-g residuals of the verbal and math subtests of the SAT and ACT were correlated with academic (verbal and math) and non-academic abilities (speed and shop), both based on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Non-g residuals of the SAT and ACT math subtests were positively related to math ability and negatively to verbal ability, whereas the opposite pattern was found for the verbal subtests. Non-g residuals of both sets of subtests were weakly related to non-academic abilities. The results support an investment theory of skills and abilities: Investing in skills in one area (e.g., math) improves abilities in that area but lowers abilities in competing areas (e.g., verbal).     

The Bergen left–right discrimination test: practice effects,reliable change indices,and strategic performance in the standard and alternate form with inverted stimuli

Several authors pointed out that left–right discrimination (LRD) tasks may be entangled with differential demands on mental rotation (MR). However, studies considering this interrelationship are rare. To differentially assess LRD of stimuli with varying additional demands on MR, we constructed and evaluated an extended version of the Bergen right–left discrimination (BRLD) test including additional subtests with inverted stickmen stimuli in 174 healthy participants (50♂, 124♀) and measured subjective reports on participants’ strategies to accomplish the task. Moreover, we analyzed practice effects and reliable change indices (RCIs) on BRLD performance, as well as gender differences. Performance significantly differed between subtests with high and low demands on MR with best scores on subtests with low demands on MR. Participants’ subjective strategies corroborate these results: MR was most frequently reported for subtests with highest MR demands (and lowest test performance). Pronounced practice effects were observed for all subtests. Sex differences were not observed. We conclude that our extended version of the BRLD allows for the differentiation between LRD with high and low demands on MR abilities. The type of stimulus materials is likely to be critical for the differential assessment of MR and LRD. Moreover, RCIs provide a basis for the clinical application of the BRLD.     

Relationship of the Wechsler pre-school and primary scale of intelligence and the Stanford-Binet (L-M) in lower class children

Using 72 lower class children, concurrent validity of the WPPSI was studied employing Form L-M of the Stanford-Binet as the criterion. Correlations between SB and WPPSI were moderately high (.86 for FS, .81 for VS, .73 for PS), but the WPPSI appeared a somewhat more difficult test for the sample employed. Mean SB IQ (94.61) was higher than the mean FS (90.71), VS (89.38) and PS (93.68) IQs; it exceeded WPPSI IQ in 72% of all cases. On the WPPSI, PS IQ was significantly greater than either VS or FS IQs. Amont the WPPSI subtests, Vocabulary was significantly lower than all other subtests and Comprehension lower than Picture Completion, Mazes, and Block Design. The only significant sexual difference favored females on Similarities. For subjects whose FS IQ was below the group median IQ, relationships among each of the WPPSI scales and subtests were lower than for those subjects who scored above the median. This was particularly true for the Vocabulary, Animal House, and Picture Completion subtests.     

WAIS-III task perception and performance as a function of stopwatch display

Examiner's instructions for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition indicate that stopwatch display is optional. Since verbal instructions do not consistently inform examinees whether a subtest is timed, examinees may rely upon the visual cue of the stopwatch. Furthermore, examinees' understanding of the actual subtest demands may affect their performances. In the present study, 58 volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups, one in which the examiner displayed the stopwatch and one in which the stopwatch was concealed. Participants were administered the first five subtests. Predictions were that (1) participants to whom the stopwatch was displayed would more accurately perceive whether the subtests were timed, and (2) participants who accurately understood the demands of subtests would score higher than those who did not. Results supported the first hypothesis for three subtests out of five, one remaining inconclusive due to a ceiling effect. The second hypothesis was not supported. Both the implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.     

The role of affective assessment in intelligence testing

Based on the tenets of logical learning theory and the research in its support, it was predicted that subjects (87 seventh and eighth graders) would score higher on subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children which they had assessed positively than on those which they had negatively assessed. This superiority on liked over disliked subtests was also predicted to be greater for Black than for White subjects and for lower class, compared with middle class, subjects. Subjects performed significantly better on their liked than on their disliked subtests, p < .01, supporting the telic human image advanced by logical learning theory. No racial or social class differences in this effect were seen.     

K-ABC simultaneous processing, DAS nonverbal reasoning, and Horn's expanded fluid-crystallized theory.

Horn's distinction between--fluid intelligence (Gf) and visualization (Gv) was investigated with two Nonverbal Reasoning subtests from the Differential Ability Scales and three Simultaneous Processing subtests from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children. The sample comprised a predominantly Euro-American groups of 57 normal boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Principal factor analysis yielded clear-cut Gf and Gv dimensions. The Gf factor was composed both of Differential Ability Scales and Kaufman-ABC subtests, suggesting that the construct of simultaneous processing is not merely a measure of Gv, as researchers have hypothesized, but also measures Horn's Gf fluid intelligence to a considerable extent.     

Rater Agreement on IQ and Achievement Tests: Effect on Evaluations of Learning Disabilities

Protocols from 110 evaluations utilizing the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) and the Woodcock/Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised (W/J-R) were scored by two different raters to determine (a) whether subtests with more difficult levels of scoring yield lower interrater correlation coefficients, (b) whether scoring errors on subtests affect broad score estimates, (c) the effect of expertise of rater on scoring errors, and (d) whether scoring errors affect a learning disability determination based on IQ/achievement discrepancy. Scoring errors were found on almost 25% of Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests; however, the effect of these scoring errors was minimal. About 42% of Writing Samples subtests had scoring errors, resulting in a mean change of 1.75 points on the Broad Written Language Cluster subtest. On the WISC-III, but not the W/J-R, there were significantly more errors made by inexperienced testers. Scoring errors resulted in two cases in which learning disability determination would be changed. Overall, the study corroborates previous findings of strong interrater reliability on most subtests of common IQ and achievement tests and indicates that novice scorers are not likely to make scoring mistakes that will significantly impact an IQ/achievement discrepancy-based documentation of learning disability.     

Measurement invariance of WISC-IV across normative and clinical samples

Measurement invariance of the WISC-IV second-order factorial structure between normative and clinical samples was investigated using WISC-IV core subtests and a total of 1100 children aged 6-16. Multi-group higher order analysis of mean and covariance structure (MG-MACS) models were used to analyze these data. Results supported measurement invariance. Only Coding and Comprehension subtest intercepts varied slightly between groups. The hypothesized WISC-IV factor model described the data well. Factor patterns, first- and second-order factor loadings, intercepts, residual variances of measured subtests, and disturbances of first-order factors of the WISC-IV were generally invariant. Results suggested that WISC-IV index scores and subtests have the same meaning for children in both normative and clinical groups.     

Changes in test-taking patterns over time

The current study aims to investigate the relationship between right, wrong and missing answers to cognitive test items (test-taking patterns) in the context of the Flynn Effect (FE). We compare two cohorts of Estonian students (1933/36, n = 890; 2006, n = 913) using an Estonian adaptation of the National Intelligence Tests and document three simultaneous trends: fewer missing answers (− 1 Cohen's d averaged over subtests), and a rise in the number of right and wrong answers to the subtests (average ds of .86 and .30, respectively). In the Arithmetical Reasoning and Vocabulary subtests, adjustments for false-positive answers (the number of right minus the number of wrong answers) reduced the size of the Flynn Effect by half. These subtests were supposed to be high g-loading subtests. Our conclusion is that rapid guessing has risen over time and influenced tests scores more strongly over the years. The FE is partly explained by changes in test-taking behavior over time.     

The Facts of Observation in Psychoanalysis

The regression of five achievement criteria on the six Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT) subtests was determined for a sample of 100 Ss. The MRT was administered at the end of kindergarten, and the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test and the arithmetic subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test were administered at the end of first grade. Results indicated that the MRT predicts first grade arithmetic better than it does reading and that Alphabet and Numbers are by far the best predictors among the six subtests of the MRT. A sex difference was present in that girls tended to earn higher scores than boys on the two reading criteria.     

Empirical research on the identification of singular,multiple and subordinate argumentation

To examine to what degree argumentation skills are mastered by pupils who attend the vocational, general and academic streams in Dutch secondary education various subtests were constructed. The theoretical study of argumentation as exposed by Van Eemeren and Grootendorst was the basis for this test construction. In this article tests for the identification of singular, multiple and subordinate argumentation are described. Also an account is given of a pretest of these three subtests.     

Interindividual differences in acuity for odor and aroma

To determine the olfactory acuity of 27 subjects a sensory test was presented which was divided into 4 subtests, 2 for nasal and 2 for oral stimulation. Each subtest contained 28 (4 substances X 7 concentrations) olfactory detection tasks (items). The substances used were lemon and rum aroma as well as ethyl butyrate and amyl acetate, the solvents tap water and sugared tap water. Analysis showed that the test provided a clear differentiation between subjects of low, medium, and high olfactory acuity. The intercorrelations among the test substances and the split-half reliabilities of the subtests proved relatively high, whereas only moderate to low intercorrelations among the subtests were found. This was considered an effect of intraindividual variations of olfactory sensitivity. Finally, some conclusions for the construction of acuity tests for odor and aroma are presented.     

Imagination and Emotion

A study was conducted for the purpose of determining whether or not the addition of one or both of the supplementary WISC subtests, Digit Span of the Verbal Scale—and Mazes of the Performance Scale, materially affected the obtained IQs for high achieving fifth grade subjects. All 12 subtests of the WISC were individually administered to 44 Ss, and IQs were then calculated in such a manner that specific comparisons could be made. These comparisons were between Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs composed of the maximum number of subtests, and Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs exclusive of Digit Span, Mazes, or both subtests. Analyses by use of t tests for correlated means revealed highly significant differences. The addition of Digit Span and Mazes in the WISC battery served to depress the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs of the high achieving Ss.