Working memory and fluid intelligence in young children

The present study investigates how working memory and fluid intelligence are related in young children and how these links develop over time. The major aim is to determine which aspect of the working memory system—short-term storage or cognitive control—drives the relationship with fluid intelligence. A sample of 119 children was followed from kindergarten to second grade and completed multiple assessments of working memory, short-term memory, and fluid intelligence. The data showed that working memory, short-term memory, and fluid intelligence were highly related but separate constructs in young children. The results further showed that when the common variance between working memory and short-term memory was controlled, the residual working memory factor manifested significant links with fluid intelligence whereas the residual short-term memory factor did not. These findings suggest that in young children cognitive control mechanisms rather than the storage component of working memory span tasks are the source of their link with fluid intelligence.     

Parent perceptions of an integrated stuttering treatment and behavioral self-regulation program for early developmental stuttering

PurposeRecent research has identified approximately half of children who stutter present with self-regulation challenges. These manifest in elevated inattentive and/or impulsive behaviours, aligned with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. These symptoms have been found to influence the child’s responsiveness to their stuttering treatment, and may exacerbate the psychosocial consequences of stuttering for them and their families. Early stuttering intervention identifies parents as key agents of change in the management of their children’s stuttering. This study sought feedback from parents regarding their experiences with an integrated stuttering treatment and behavioral self-regulation program for early developmental stuttering, addressing the child’s self-regulation challenges.MethodEight parents of children who stutter who had co-occurring self-regulation challenges completed the integrated program. This incorporated the Triple P--Positive Parenting Program adapted for the developmental stuttering population, and the Curtin University Stuttering Program (CUSP). Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted to capture parents’ reflections on, and experiences with, the integrated program.ResultsThematic analysis identified several major themes regarding the parents’ experiences with the integrated program: emotional impact on parents, child self-regulation, link between stuttering and behaviour, parent self-regulation, impact on family dynamics, and overall positive perceptions of the integrated program. All of the parents indicated they would recommend the program to future parents of children who stutter.ConclusionThis study provides insights into parents’ perceptions regarding an integrated intervention approach for early stuttering and behavior management. It also indicates how adopting a holistic approach to stuttering intervention is positive and has social validity.     

融合视角下的西方创造力系统观

创造力研究领域的学者已经在大C创造力、小C创造力以及创造力过程、人格、产品、创造力社会文化环境等不同角度进行了丰富的研究与理论的建构, 但体系纷繁, 观点各异, 往往让人难以抓住问题的重点, 我们则在梳理创造力定义的基础上, 将西方创造力理论从两个大方向上进行一定的梳理与思考, 一个是发展的角度(从微C创造力到小C创造力, 再到专业C创造力, 最后到大C创造力), 另一个是从微观到宏观联系的角度(从创造力的认知神经基础到创造力过程……一直到创造力的社会文化层面), 组成一个既联系又发展的坐标分类图, 因其与星系发展的过程有类似之处, 便将其比喻为星系发展模型, 以此来分析每个理论(主要包括Kaufman的4-C创造力模型、Csikszentmihalyi的创造力系统模型、Sternberg的创造力贡献推进理论、Amabile的创造力组成成分模型、Gl?veanu的5A创造力理论)的适用范围与界限, 以期为深入理解各个理论, 树立创造力整体观及为更进一步深入研究与应用做出一定的铺垫。     

Role of visual-perceptual skills (non-motor) in children with developmental coordination disorder

The purposes of this study were to examine test-retest reliability of the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (Non-Motor)-Revised (TVPS-R), to explore motor-free visual-perceptual skills, and to categorize subtypes thereof in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). One hundred and seventy-eight children, aged 9 and 10 years, identified as having DCD with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC), were assessed, along with 200 typically developing children. The results showed good test-retest reliability for the total perceptual quotient scores of the TVPS-R, but not for all subtests. Children with DCD performed significantly poorer compared to typically developing children on the visual-perceptual test, but the deficits were not common to all children with DCD. This study supported the stance that we should consider the heterogeneous characteristics of children with DCD when designing experimental studies or developing educational interventions.     

Cerebellar patients demonstrate preserved implicit knowledge of association strengths in musical sequences

Recent findings suggest the involvement of the cerebellum in perceptual and cognitive tasks. Our study investigated whether cerebellar patients show musical priming based on implicit knowledge of tonal-harmonic music. Participants performed speeded phoneme identification on sung target chords, which were either related or less-related to prime contexts in terms of the tonal-harmonic system. As groups, both cerebellar patients and age-matched controls showed facilitated processing for related targets, as previously observed for healthy young adults. The outcome suggests that an intact cerebellum is not mandatory for accessing implicit knowledge stored in long-term memory and for its influence on perception. One patient showed facilitated processing for less-related targets (suggesting sensory priming). The findings suggest directions for future research on auditory perception in cerebellar patients to further our understanding of cerebellar functions.     

The Early Neuropsychological and Behavioral Characteristics of Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) represent a constellation of disorders that may be overlooked or misdiagnosed, despite being fairly common presenile neurodegenerative diseases. Although the cognitive disorder can be difficult to document, particularly early in the dementia course, neuropsychological evaluation can assist in the diagnosis. Neuropsychologists are in an excellent position to draw from related disciplines like personality theory and social psychology to better assess the types of changes that characterize the prodromal and early phases of the disease. This review summarizes the current state of the field in the diagnosis of FTLD and discusses the emerging role of neuropsychology in elucidating the brain organization of complex processes including empathy, behavioral control and inhibition, reward systems, appetitive behaviors, emotional regulation, and goal-orientation. As this review underscores, frontotemporal dementia remains a powerful model for studying brain–behavior relationships.     

Neuropsychological Effects of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations

Brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM's) are developmental, chronic lesions that provide unique information about the human brain and can be a useful model for neuroscientists to study cerebral reorganization and hemodynamics. We review the neuroanatomy, epidemiology, natural history, imaging and treatment of brain AVMs, and provide a model with which to better understand neuropsychological functioning and brain reorganization. We suggest that future studies must exclude ruptured AVMs if they wish to further explain focal neurological/cognitive deficits associated with this neurovascular anomaly.     

Evaluating Child Coping Competence: Theory and Measurement

Much of the research on children’s coping styles is based on a downward extension of adult coping theories. In a departure from this approach, coping competence theory seeks to account for children’s ability to cope with daily challenges on the basis of developmental research. The theory, which states that challenges call for distinct coping skills in the affective, social, and achievement domains, was evaluated with an ethnically diverse sample of preschoolers. The study relied on confirmatory factor analysis of a parent-completed measure of coping to test the 3-factor model underlying the theory, and related those factors to parent and teacher measures of child functioning. Results supported the 3-factor model of coping competence and showed that each domain of coping was negatively correlated with parent and teacher ratings of child disruptive behavior. Coping competence theory held across child sex and age. Findings provide support for a 3-factor model of coping competence in early childhood and for the validity of the new parent-completed measure of children’s coping styles refined in this study.     

The thalamus and basal ganglia: What is exactly where?: A reply to ‘Neuropsychological consequences of right thalamic injury: Case study and review,’ MJ Summers, Brain and Cognition 50 (2002)

The present paper re-analyzes anatomical and clinical data of a previous case report ([Summers, 2002]). In this case study, a patient with severe neuropsychological and behavioral impairments is described and it is claimed that these impairments are causally linked to an right thalamic lesion. A simple method how to perform a lesion analysis is introduced which shows that PD’s lesion was a striatocapsular hematoma, and not a thalamic bleeding. The results of this anatomical re-analysis challenge the original behavioral-lesion hypothesis and emphasize the importance to provide appropriate data on brain lesions and clinical findings in neuropsychological case reports.     

Individual differences in trajectories of arithmetical development in typically achieving 5- to 7-year-olds

The arithmetical performance of typically achieving 5- to 7-year-olds (N = 29) was measured at four 6-month intervals. The same seven tasks were used at each time point: exact calculation, story problems, approximate arithmetic, place value, calculation principles, forced retrieval, and written problems. Although group analysis showed mostly linear growth over the 18-month period, analysis of individual differences revealed a much more complex picture. Some children exhibited marked variation in performance across the seven tasks, including evidence of difficulty in some cases. Individual growth patterns also showed differences in developmental trajectories between children on each task and within children across tasks. The findings support the idea of the componential nature of arithmetical ability and underscore the need for further longitudinal research on typically achieving children and of careful consideration of individual differences.