Relationship of temporal lobe volumes to neuropsychological test performance in healthy children

Ecological validity of neuropsychological assessment includes the ability of tests to predict real-world functioning and/or covary with brain structures. Studies have examined the relationship between adaptive skills and test performance, with less focus on the association between regional brain volumes and neurobehavioral function in healthy children. The present study examined the relationship between temporal lobe gray matter volumes and performance on two neuropsychological tests hypothesized to measure temporal lobe functioning (visual perception-VP; peabody picture vocabulary test, third edition-PPVT-III) in 48 healthy children ages 5-18 years. After controlling for age and gender, left and right temporal and left occipital volumes were significant predictors of VP. Left and right frontal and temporal volumes were significant predictors of PPVT-III. Temporal volume emerged as the strongest lobar correlate with both tests. These results provide convergent and discriminant validity supporting VP as a measure of the "what" system; but suggest the PPVT-III as a complex measure of receptive vocabulary, potentially involving executive function demands.     

The relation between APOE status and neuropsychological memory test performance: an analysis of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging

This study examined the relationship between two risk factors for dementia, the apolipoprotein (APOE) epsilon4 allele and poor memory test performance. Participants were from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, a 4-year longitudinal population-based study. Persons with no cognitive impairment who had an epsilon4 allele but whose memory was average or better were not at increased risk of developing dementia after five years. Risk was increased for those with below average memory and no epsilon4 allele, but was particularly increased for those with below average memory and an epsilon4 allele. While the APOE epsilon4 allele was associated with slightly lower memory test performance for persons without cognitive impairment at baseline, it only increased their risk of developing dementia if their memory was below average.     

The relationship between external variables and common factors

A theorem is presented which gives the range of possible correlations between a common factor and an external variable (i.e., a variable not included in the test battery factor analyzed). Analogous expressions for component (and regression component) theory are also derived. Some situations involving external correlations are then discussed which dramatize the theoretical differences between components and common factors.Support by the National Research Council of Canada (NRC Grant No. A4640) and the University of British Columbia (UBC Humanities and Social Sciences Grant 26-9718) is gratefully acknowledged.This paper is based in part on the author's Ph.D. dissertation. I am particularly grateful to my dissertation advisor, Dr. Peter H. Schönemann. Thanks also to the editor and the anonymous reviewers, who contributed many helpful comments and suggestions.     

A multivariate comparison of the intellectual performance of black and white children matched on four demographic variables

This study investigated the performance of 285 matched pairs of Black and White children from the standardization sample on the 12 subtests and 3 IQ scales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R). The children were matched on four demographic variables found in a previous (Reynolds and Gutkin, 1979) study to be significantly related to WISC-R performance: sex, socioeconomic status as determined by the occupation of the head of household, region of residence in the U.S. and urban vs rural residence. Multivariate analysis of variance comparing performance across race on the 15 dependent variables revealed that Whites exceeded Blacks on all tasks except Digit Span—a test of rote memory. Results were also related to the evaluation of the Spearman hypothesis.     

On the relation between personality and job performance of airline pilots

The validity of a personality questionnaire for the prediction of job success of airline pilots is compared to validities of a simulator checkflight and of flying experience data. During selection, 274 pilots applying for employment with a European charter airline were examined with a multidimensional personality questionnaire (Temperature Structure Scales; TSS). Additionally, the applicants were graded in a simulator checkflight. On the basis of training records, the pilots were classified as performing at standard or below standard after about 3 years of employment in the hiring company. In a multiple-regression model, this dichotomous criterion for job success can be predicted with 73.8% accuracy through the simulator checkflight and flying experience prior to employment. By adding the personality questionnaire to the regression equation, the number of correct classifications increases to 79.3%. On average, successful pilots score substantially higher on interpersonal scales and lower on emotional scales of the TSS.     

The mediating effect of age on the relationship between child behavior checklist hyperactivity scores and neuropsychological test performance

The relationship between hyperactivity and neuropsychological test performance at different age levels was examined. It was found that for young children (6 to 8 years of age, n=90), there was no significant association between hyperactivity/attentional problems (as measured by the Hyperactivity scale of the Child Behavior Checklist) and performance on neuropsychological tasks thought to contain an attentional component (WISC-R Coding, Arithmetic, and Digit Span; WRAT Arithmetic; and the Benton Visual Retention Test). However, for older children (9 to 12 years of age, n=92), there were significant and large negative correlations between CBC Hyperactivity scores and Coding, WRAT Arithmetic, and Benton VRT scores. Multiple regression analyses supported the above results (for Coding and WRAT Arithmetic), indicating that hyperactivity/inattention has a particularly deleterious effect on test performance (relative to sameage peers) as age increases.Aspects of the research reported in this article were presented at the 1987 meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society in Washington, D.C. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of William Ingram and Lisa Rosa in the data collection.     

Computerized assessment in neuropsychology: A review of tests and test batteries

This article contains detailed reviews of 13 computerized neuropsychological and performance test batteries and six stand-alone computer tests. Tasks found on these instruments are described and tables illustrate which batteries employ which measures. In addition to issues of reliability and validity, special considerations apply to computerized assessment. These issues are discussed and readers are provided information to help them assess computerized tests in relation to their particular clinical and research needs. Since many computerized tests were developed as performance assessment tools, the relationship between performance and neuropsychological assessment is examined.     

Judgements about the relation between force and trajectory variables in verbally described ballistic projectile motion

How accurate are explicit judgements about familiar forms of object motion, and how are they made? Participants judged the relations between force exerted in kicking a soccer ball and variables that define the trajectory of the ball: launch angle, maximum height attained, and maximum distance reached. Judgements tended to conform to a simple heuristic that judged force tends to increase as maximum height and maximum distance increase, with launch angle not being influential. Support was also found for the converse prediction, that judged maximum height and distance tend to increase as the amount of force described in the kick increases. The observed judgemental tendencies did not resemble the objective relations, in which force is a function of interactions between the trajectory variables. This adds to a body of research indicating that practical knowledge based on experiences of actions on objects is not available to the processes that generate judgements in higher cognition and that such judgements are generated by simple rules that do not capture the objective interactions between the physical variables.     

A new method of administering the Grooved Pegboard Test: performance as a function of handedness and sex

The purpose of the present study was twofold: first to examine the influences of sex and handedness on manual performance on the Grooved Pegboard Test; and secondly to provide normative data for two versions (Place and Remove tasks) of the Grooved Pegboard Test, as previous work (Bryden & Roy, 1999) had suggested that the Remove task of the Grooved pegboard may provide a purer measure of motor speed of the two hands than the standard administration of the Grooved Pegboard Test. One hundred and fifty-three (47 males and 106 females) participants completed the Grooved Pegboard Test. Individuals performed the standard version of the Grooved Pegboard Test (Place task) and a novel version of the test (Remove task). In the standard version, participants were timed on their speed for placing the pegs, while in the novel version they were timed on their speed for removing the pegs. Results confirmed previously noted hand and sex differences in the Place task of the Grooved Pegboard Test, as well as the lack of effect of handedness on performance (Bornstein, 1995; Ruff & Parker, 1993). Significant performance differences between the hands were also noted for the Remove task. Findings also indicated that the Remove task was sensitive to sex and handedness effects.     

群体认同与个体心理健康的关系:调节变量与作用机制

近年来,群体认同与个体心理健康的关系得到了研究者的关注。本研究通过对相关文献的梳理与归纳发现:民族、国家、学校、家庭等不同种类群体的认同,群体认同数量与个体心理健康的关系显著;群体认同与个体心理健康之间的关系受群体认同动机和个体对群体评价的调节,并依赖于自尊、社会支持、控制知觉、归因方式等因素的中介;未来应利用多种方法继续研究群体认同与个体心理健康关系的调节变量与作用机制。     

An investigation of cognitive test performance across conditions of silence,background noise and music as a function of neuroticism

The present study investigates the role of trait neuroticism on cognitive performance under distraction. Seventy participants were given a personality test and then undertook a number of different cognitive tasks in silence, in the presence of popular music and in background noise. It was predicted that performance on a general intelligence test, a test of abstract reasoning, and a mental arithmetic task would be adversely affected by background sounds. It was predicted that neuroticism would be negatively correlated with performance on the mental arithmetic task but only when the individuals were working in the presence of background sound. Stable vs. unstable participant's performance on a mental arithmetic task during noise was significantly higher as predicted. The results provided partial support for the hypotheses and are discussed with respect to previous findings in the literature on personality (particularly introversion–extraversion) and distraction on cognitive task performance. Limitations are noted.     

Subjective cognitive complaint in healthy older adults: Identification of major domains and relation to objective performance

This study analyzed complaints across a range of memory domains in middle-aged and older adults, as well as assessed their relationship with objective cognitive performance and personal characteristics. A total of 115 community-dwelling, healthy adults between the ages of 45 and 87 completed the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire (QAM) and were tested with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. A principal component analysis identified seven dimensions of complaint. Difficulty inhibiting internal and external sources of interference when learning or remembering something was the main area of complaint and it was correlated with word-list recall and Digit Symbol. We identified complaints related to a set of memory failures that appear to be more detrimental to autonomy and safety. These were correlated with a measure of functional autonomy and might, therefore, indicate more severe difficulties. Overall, this study provides indications regarding the main domains of memory complaints and identifies which complaints are most reflective of objective cognitive problems.     

Note on the relation between Kendall's tau and the Cronholm-Revusky test

It is shown that the rank testR proposed by Cronholm and Revusky for comparing the effect of two treatments on a single group ofn subjects is a linear function of Kendall'sτ-coefficient. The asymptotic results of Bennett for the distribution ofR are also applicable to that ofτ under a class of nonnull hypotheses.     

On kristof's test for a linear relation between true scores of two measures

The hypothesis that two variables have a perfect disattenuated correlation and hence measure the same trait, except for errors of measurement, is discussed. Equivalently, the underlying variables, the true scores, are related linearly. We show that several previously proposed ad hoc tests are in fact likelihood ratio tests. The cases when the linear relation is specified and when it is unspecified are both discussed.This work was done while the author was at Purdue University Under Air Force Grant AFOSR-72-2350B.