Trifactor Models for Multiple-Ratings Data

In this study we extend and assess the trifactor model for multiple-ratings data in which two different raters give independent scores for the same responses (e.g., in the GRE essay or to subset of PISA constructed-responses). The trifactor model was extended to incorporate a cross-classified data structure (e.g., items and raters) instead of a strictly hierarchical structure. we present a set of simulations to reflect the incompleteness and imbalance in real-world assessments. The effects of the rate of missingness in the data and of ignoring differences among raters are investigated using two sets of simulations. The use of the trifactor model is also illustrated with empirical data analysis using a well-known international large-scale assessment.     

Visual working memory as the substrate for mental rotation

In mental rotation, a mental representation of an object must be rotated while the actual object remains visible. Where is this representation stored while it is being rotated? To answer this question, observers were asked to perform a mental rotation task during the delay interval of a visual working memory task. When the working memory task required the storage of object features, substantial bidirectional interference was observed between the memory and rotation tasks, and the interference increased with the degree of rotation. However, rotation-dependent interference was not observed when a spatial working memory task was used instead of an object working memory task. Thus, the object working memory subsystem—not the spatial working memory subsystem—provides the buffer in which object representations are stored while they undergo mental rotation. More broadly, the nature of the information being stored—not the nature of the operations performed on this information—may determine which subsystem stores the information.     

The ameliorating effect of oroxylin A on scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice

Oroxylin A is a flavonoid and was originally isolated from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi., one of the most important medicinal herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the ameliorating effects of oroxylin A on memory impairment using the passive avoidance test, the Y-maze test, and the Morris water maze test in mice. Drug-induced amnesia was induced by administering scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.). Oroxylin A (5 mg/kg) significantly reversed cognitive impairments in mice by passive avoidance and the Y-maze testing (P<.05). Oroxylin A also improved escape latencies in training trials and increased swimming times and distances within the target zone of the Morris water maze (P<.05). Moreover, the ameliorating effects of oroxylin A were antagonized by both muscimol and diazepam (0.25 mg/kg, i.p., respectively), which are GABA(A) receptor agonists. Furthermore, oroxylin A (100 microM) was found to inhibit GABA-induced inward Cl(-) current in a single cortical neuron. These results suggest that oroxylin A may be useful for the treatment of cognitive impairments induced by cholinergic dysfunction via the GABAergic nervous system.     

The effect of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 on the acquisition and extinction of learned fear in the developing rat

Recent findings reveal qualitative developmental differences in extinction of learned fear. The present study explored potential developmental differences in the role of NMDA in acquisition and extinction. Rats were injected with MK-801 prior to fear conditioning or extinction training. Acquisition was found to be NMDA dependent in both age groups, whereas extinction was found to be NMDA dependent in 23-day-old rats, but NMDA independent in 16-day-old rats. These results illustrate another fundamental developmental difference in extinction as well as a dissociation in the role of NMDA in the acquisition and extinction of fear early in development.     

Delinquent peer affiliation and conduct problems: A twin study

Many putative environmental risks correlate with individuals' genotypes. The association between delinquent peer affiliation and conduct problems may occur because of shared genetic liability. Five hundred fifty three monozygotic and 558 dizygotic twin pairs, aged 11 to 18 years, were assessed for delinquent peer affiliation and conduct problems. The authors investigated whether genes contribute to both delinquent peer affiliation and the correlation between delinquent peer affiliations and conduct problems. Delinquent peer affiliation was influenced by genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental factors; genetic factors also contributed to the correlation between delinquent peer affiliations and conduct problems, providing evidence for genotype-environment correlation. The magnitude of the genetic variance of conduct problems was contextually dependent on levels of delinquent peer affiliation and was greater at higher levels of delinquent peer affiliation.     

Angry and aggressive behavior across three generations: a prospective,longitudinal study of parents and children

This investigation examined intergenerational continuities in both angry, aggressive parenting and also the angry, aggressive behavior of children and adolescents. Data from 75 G2 youth (26 men, 49 women, M = 22-years old), their mothers (G1), and their G3 children (47 boys, 28 girls, M = 2.4-years old) were included in the analyses. The prospective, longitudinal design of the study, which included observational and multiinformant measures, overcame many of the methodological limitations found in much of the earlier research on intergenerational transmission. The results demonstrated a direct connection between observed G1 aggressive parenting and observed G2 aggressive parenting from 5 to 7 years later. G2 aggressive behavior as an adolescent and G3 aggressive behavior as a child were related to parenting behavior but not directly to one another. The results were consistent with a social learning perspective on intergenerational continuities in angry and aggressive behaviors.     

Longitudinal Intellectual Assessment of Children With HIV Infection

The objective of this paper was to describe the intellectual development of 39 children with HIV infection. The children received serial evaluations over a 10-year period. Thirty-nine children were assessed with age-appropriate intellectual measures at regular intervals as part of their treatment in the HIV Program of a children's hospital. Children showed an 24-point drop in mean Bayley Mental scores over the first 2 years of life. McCarthy scores remained in the low average range from ages 3–5 years. IQ scores were stable by age 6 in the low average range, and unchanged through age 12. Significant changes in memory, vocabulary, and performance subtests were noted. Children with HIV infection demonstrated a significant decline in mental functioning over the first 2 years of life, fell into the low average range by age 3, and remained in the low average range, with subtle changes in some areas.     

Testing hypotheses regarding the causes of comorbidity: examining the underlying deficits of comorbid disorders

The authors examined the validity of a method commonly used to test alternative hypotheses regarding the causes of comorbidity: the examination of underlying deficits of comorbid disorders. The authors simulated data in which the true causes of comorbidity were known, then compared the patterns of underlying deficits of the comorbid disorders found in the simulated data with the predicted results. The method of examining the underlying deficits of comorbid disorders could distinguish between several comorbidity models, including those that could not be distinguished well using other methods. The ability to distinguish the correct model decreased as the sample size and the correlation between the underlying deficits and the symptom scores decreased, suggesting that the issue of power should be considered carefully.     

The role of visual short-term memory in empty cell localization

Three experiments examined the visual memory representation supporting performance at long interstimulus intervals (ISIs) in an empty cell localization task. Two arrays of dots within a 4 x 4 grid were displayed briefly in succession. One grid cell did not contain a dot in either array, and the task was to localize the empty cell. In Experiment 1, we replicated previous findings of recovery to high levels of performance at long ISIs. In Experiment 2, we tested whether figural grouping in visual short-term memory (VSTM) supports long-ISI performance by manipulating the complexity of the array pattern. Pattern complexity had no effect on empty cell localization at 0-msec ISI, suggesting dependence on high-capacity visible persistence, but there was a large simple pattern advantage at long ISIs, suggesting dependence on figural grouping in VSTM. Experiment 3 demonstrated that participants typically remember the empty cells of the first array, and not the dots, for comparison with Array 2.     

Use of the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood: Revised Edition (DC:0–3R) with Canadian Infants and Young Children Prenatally Exposed to Substances

The current study examined the mental health diagnostic profiles of infants and young children prenatally exposed to substances using the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, Revised (DC:0–3R) diagnostic system. Participants were 46 biological mother–infant dyads who were engaged in a clinical program for mothers with substance‐use problems and their young children (aged 10–41 months). Diagnostic information was reported for each of the five axes listed in the DC:0–3R diagnostic system based on file reviews. In addition, the children's socioemotional and adaptive behaviors were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist, Infant–Toddler Social Emotional Assessment, the Social‐Emotional Scale, and the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (2nd ed.). In this sample of young children with prenatal substance exposure, a broad range of socioemotional symptoms were evident, with almost one third of the children meeting criteria for at least one Axis I mental health diagnosis. In addition, the majority of dyads demonstrated features of a disordered relationship. Children in more problematic relationships demonstrated higher levels of socioemotional and adaptive functioning difficulties and were more likely to have an Axis I diagnosis than were children in adapted relationships. The importance of early intervention efforts aimed at infants with prenatal substance exposure and their biological mothers is highlighted, with a particular focus on enhancing the quality of the mother–child relationship.