Concurrent Validity of the Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener for Children with ADHD

The present study examined the concurrent validity of a new computer-assisted ADHD screening system, the Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener (PADDS; Pedigo, Pedigo, &; Scott, 2006 Pedigo, T., Pedigo, K. and Scott, V. B. Jr. 2006. PADDS Pediatric ADHD Screener: An evidence-based assessment system for screening attention and executive disorders, clinical and users guide, Okeechobee, FL: Targeted Testing, Inc.  [Google Scholar]) in relation to the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; Greenberg, 1999 Greenberg, L. M. 1999. Test of Variables of Attention, Los Alamitos, CA: The Tova Company.  [Google Scholar]), the Conner's Continuous Performance Test- II (CPT-II; Conners &; MHS Staff, 2000 Conners, C. K. and MHS Staff. 2000. Conner's continuous performance test II, Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.  [Google Scholar]), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, &; Kenworthy, 2000 Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C. and Kenworthy, L. 2000. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: Professional Manual, Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.  [Google Scholar]) in three clinically referred samples of children 6 to 12 years of age. The PADDS is a recently published multidimensional screening measure that incrementally merges computer-administered executive tasks with parent and teacher behavior ratings to aid in the diagnostic decision-making process for youth with attention disorders. To date, no published study has examined the concurrent validity of the PADDS. In a clinic-referred sample of 217 subjects diagnosed with ADHD concurrent validity was assessed through correlation coefficients, paired t-tests (p < .001), and Cohen's d effect sizes. In comparison to the TOVA, the CPT-II, and the BRIEF scales, the PADDS demonstrated strong concurrent validity between conceptually similar scales, providing initial evidence for the concurrent validity of the PADDS. Relative to other measures, the PADDS appears to have some unique scales designed to assess attention and various aspects of executive functioning.     

Tasks for Assessing Memory for Temporal Order Versus Memory for Items in Aging

Younger and older adults were compared on new tests for item and temporal memory suitable for use in future electrophysiological or neuroimaging studies. Following a series of 10 simple line drawings, 4-choice panels containing two previously seen targets and two novel distractors appeared. Participants identified which pictures had been seen previously (item), or which of the items was presented earliest (temporal order). Performance of younger adults was superior to that of older adults. Memory for item and temporal order were equivalent in the younger group. In contrast, the item memory of the older group was superior to memory for temporal order, confirming previous evidence of differential impairment of memory for temporal order with age.     

Talkativeness in Cognitively Normal Women at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

Previous research has suggested a correlation between some linguistic patterns and the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). There is increasing clinical need to identify factors that can be used alone or in combination to predict the onset of AD. The purpose of the present study was to explore the association of language skills and genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Oral and written language samples of cognitively normal women with a susceptibility gene for AD (ApoE e4) were compared to those of noncarriers on measures of grammatical complexity, topic relevance, and talkativeness by observers unaware of participant genotypes. Participants included 29 ApoE e4 carriers 49-73 years of age, and 29 e4 noncarriers 48-76 years of age, most of whom had a first-degree relative with AD. Carriers and noncarriers were group matched for age, educational level, and estimated IQ. Participant groups did not differ significantly in language complexity or topic relevance. However, the ApoE e4 group was significantly more talkative than the noncarrier group (p &lt; .05).     

Spatial Memory and Aging: Performance on a Human Analog of the Morris Water Maze

Rodent studies demonstrate parallel age-related changes in spatial memory and the hippocampal formation. Converging cognitive, neuropsychological, and neurobiological evidence suggests similar changes in humans, although these correlates have not been studied in the same individuals. The purpose of the current project was to develop and validate a human analog of a rodent spatial memory task for future use in correlative studies of spatial memory and brain structure and function. Younger and older healthy adults studied the location of a target relative to distal cues in a large tent-like enclosure. Group performances were similar for the practice trial, which could be solved verbally, suggesting similar abilities to remember the configuration of multiple stimuli in a large space. However, on subsequent trials, which depended more upon spatial memory, older adults were impaired relative to their younger counterparts.     

Art and authenticity: the importance of originals in judgments of value

Why are original artworks valued more than identical duplicates? The present studies explore 2 mechanisms underlying the special value of original artwork: the assessment of the art object as a unique creative act (performance) and the degree of physical contact with the original artist (contagion). Across 5 experiments, participants were exposed to hypothetical scenarios in which an original object was duplicated. The type of object varied across experiments (e.g., a painting vs. a piece of furniture) as did the circumstances surrounding the creation of the original object and the duplicate. Overall, the results support assessments of performance and contagion as key factors underlying the value of original artwork, and they are consistent with the conclusion that the discrepancy in value between original artworks and perfect duplicates derives from people's lay theories about the domain of art, rather than from associations with particular kinds of art or certain cases of forgery.     

The changing nature of the parent-adolescent relationship from early to late adolescence

This research analyzes changes in the parent-child relationship that help clarify the balance between individuation and cohesiveness over the period from age 11 to 17. Data were collected from mothers, fathers, and oldest children in 110 families whose oldest child was 11, 14 or 17. Three methods were involved: a survey of attitudes about family decision making, independence, love, understanding, and satisfaction with parenting; Loevinger's measure of ego level for parents and children; and an open-ended assessment of qualities family members admired in one another. The results provide insight into expectations and processes involved in revising the quality of parent-child relationships during early adolescence.     

Effects of punishment on response latency in extraverts

Previous findings indicate that in comparison to introverts, extraverts are prone to form responses that are resistant to interruption by punishment. Because the tendency to stop and reflect following punishment may be crucial for subsequent learning, the present study was designed to examine differences between introverts' and extraverts' reactions to punishment using response latency on the trial following punishment as the dependent variable. Sixty-six extraverted and 66 introverted male undergraduates performed a pattern-matching task in which they received noncontingent 50% success and 50% failure feedback under three incentive conditions including reward only, punishment only, or both. As predicted, a significant interaction was found in the both condition, reflecting the tendency of extraverts to respond more quickly and introverts more slowly following punishment feedback than following reward feedback. No significant effects were found in the other two conditions; however, a tendency was noted for extraverts to respond more quickly overall when only reward was given. A second experiment using reward-only and punishment-only feedback replicated this finding and yielded a significant interaction of Group X Condition. The results indicate that in contrast to introverts, extraverts are activated by the availability of reward and, paradoxically, that punishment may facilitate rather than interrupt extraverts' reward seeking behavior.