BINS validation - Bayley neurodevelopmental screener in Brazilian preterm children under risk conditions

Psychometric researches increase in Brazil. Bayley Infant Neurodevelopment Screener - BINS (Aylward, 1995) is a low cost, fast instrument. In 10’ it classifies children under developmental risk degrees. This research purpose was investigating BINS psychometric properties. 61 low-income Brazilian preterm, were divided in groups: 31 children (12 months) and 30 children (24 months), both sex, birth weight <2000 g. Socio-demographic-psychological profile was previously registered. Neurologists examined them through Amiel-Tison and Gosselin (2001) and physicians with Denver-DDST-II (Frankenburg, Dodds, Archer, &; Bresnick, 1990). Psychologist assessed children at chronological age, with Bayley Scales-BSID-II (Bayley, 1993) and BINS (12 m) and BINS (24 m). Results demonstrated homogeneous characteristics sample. Reliability indexes were over requested standards. Validity evidences based on external variables were positive moderated and BINS (24 m)/BSID-II (mental) presented high correlation. Validity evidences based on content were attested by expertise. High sensitivity was found. So, BINS can be considered an instrument of adequate psychometric properties, able to screen children under risk, according to Psychological Association requests.     

Conceptual Analysis and Empirical Observations of Animal Minds

Philosophia - The relation between conceptual analysis and empirical observations when ascribing or denying concepts and beliefs to non-human animals is not straightforward. In order to reflect on...     

True or False? Keying Direction and Acquiescence Influence the Validity of Socio-Emotional Skills Items in Predicting High School Achievement

What type of items, keyed positively or negatively, makes social-emotional skill or personality scales more valid? The present study examines the different criterion validities of true- and false-keyed items, before and after correction for acquiescence. The sample included 12,987 children and adolescents from 425 schools of the State of São Paulo Brazil (ages 11–18 attending grades 6–12). They answered a computerized 162-item questionnaire measuring 18 facets grouped into five broad domains of social-emotional skills, i.e.: Open-mindedness (O), Conscientious Self-Management (C), Engaging with others (E), Amity (A), and Negative-Emotion Regulation (N). All facet scales were fully balanced (3 true-keyed and 3 false-keyed items per facet). Criterion validity coefficients of scales composed of only true-keyed items versus only false-keyed items were compared. The criterion measure was a standardized achievement test of language and math ability. We found that coefficients were almost as twice as big for false-keyed items’ scales than for true-keyed items’ scales. After correcting for acquiescence coefficients became more similar. Acquiescence suppresses the criterion validity of unbalanced scales composed of true-keyed items. We conclude that balanced scales with pairs of true and false keyed items make a better scale in terms of internal structural and predictive validity.     

Automated theorem proving for non-classical logics

Automated theorem proving for non-classical logics     

Visuospatial working memory for locations,colours, and binding in typically developing children and in children with dyslexia and non‐verbal learning disability

This study examined forward and backward recall of locations and colours and the binding of locations and colours, comparing typically developing children – aged between 8 and 10 years – with two different groups of children of the same age with learning disabilities (dyslexia in one group, non‐verbal learning disability [NLD] in the other). Results showed that groups with learning disabilities had different visuospatial working memory problems and that children with NLD had particular difficulties in the backward recall of locations. The differences between the groups disappeared, however, when locations and colours were bound together. It was concluded that specific processes may be involved in children in the binding and backward recall of different types of information, as they are not simply the resultant of combining the single processes needed to recall single features.