Cerebral lateralization and general intelligence: gender differences in a transcranial Doppler study

The present study evaluated cerebral lateralization during Raven's progressive matrices (RPM) paradigm in female and male subjects. Bilateral simultaneous transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound was used to measure mean blood flow velocities (MBFV) in the right and left middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) in 24 (15 females and 9 males) right-handed normal subjects. The female subjects used a left hemisphere strategy, while males used a right hemisphere strategy to successfully solve RPM tasks. This implies that general intelligence is associated with neural systems within one hemisphere that are accessible to a variety of cognitive processes.     

The Ecological Validity of Neuropsychological Tests: A Review of the Literature on Everyday Cognitive Skills

Evaluating the ecological validity of neuropsychological tests has become an increasingly important topic over the past decade. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the research on the ecological validity of neuropsychological tests, as it pertains to everyday cognitive skills. This review is presented in the context of several theoretical issues facing ecological validity research. Overall, the research suggests that many neuropsychological tests have a moderate level of ecological validity when predicting everyday cognitive functioning. The strongest relationships were noted when the outcome measure corresponded to the cognitive domain assessed by the neuropsychological tests. Several other factors that may moderate the degree of ecological validity established for neuropsychological tests are in need of further exploration. These factors include the effects of the population being tested, the approach utilized (verisimilitude vs. veridicality), the person completing the outcome measure (significant other vs. clinician), illness severity, and time from injury until evaluation. In addition, a standard measurement of outcome for each cognitive domain is greatly needed to allow for comparison across studies.     

Classical Test Theory as a first-order Item Response Theory: Application to true-score prediction from a possibly nonparallel test

We give an account of Classical Test Theory (CTT) in terms of the more fundamental ideas of Item Response Theory (IRT). This approach views classical test theory as a very general version of IRT, and the commonly used IRT models as detailed elaborations of CTT for special purposes. We then use this approach to CTT to derive some general results regarding the prediction of the true-score of a test from an observed score on that test as well from an observed score on a different test. This leads us to a new view of linking tests that were not developed to be linked to each other. In addition we propose true-score prediction analogues of the Dorans and Holland measures of the population sensitivity of test linking functions. We illustrate the accuracy of the first-order theory using simulated data from the Rasch model, and illustrate the effect of population differences using a set of real data.This research is collaborative in every respect and the order of authorship is alphabetical. It was begun when both authors were on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley.We would like to thank both Neil Dorans, Skip Livingston and two anonymous referees for many suggestions that have greatly improved this paper.     

A two-stage algorithm for assessing violations of additivity via axiomatic and numerical conjoint analysis

An algorithm for assessing additivity conjunctively via both axiomatic conjoint analysis and numerical conjoint scaling is described. The algorithm first assesses the degree of individual differences among sets of rankings of stimuli, and subsequently examines either individual or averaged data for violations of axioms necessary for an additive model. The axioms are examined at a more detailed level than has been previously done. Violations of the axioms are broken down into different types. Finally, a nonmetric scaling of the data can be done based on either or both of two different badness-of-fit scaling measures. The advantages of combining all of these features into one algorithm for improving the diagnostic value of axiomatic conjoint measurement in evaluating additivity are discussed.     

A note on reliability estimation for a test with components of unknown functional lengths

This research note proposes two reliability coefficients for tests with components of unknown functional lengths. The derived coefficients are extensions of the techniques devised by Kristof and Feldt and do not require a reduction of test components into parts. Simulation study indicates that the new coefficients yield reasonably stable reliability estimates when the number of test components is small.     

Normative data for eight neuropsychological tests based on a Danish sample

Normative neuropsychological data have been provided using a sample of 101 persons aged 20 to 54 years. Eighty-seven of the subjects were recruited among patients who had undergone minor surgery, and 14 subjects were volunteers from the staff at the hospital laundry. The measures consisted of seven subjects from the WAIS-R, the trail-making test, symbol digit modalities test, auditory-verbal learning test, story recall test, visual gestalt test, recurring figures test, verbal fluency, and Purdue pegboard test. These measures were selected because of suitability in regard to time taken for testing each subject and their sensitivity to subtle changes in neuropsychological functioning. The sample was arbitrarily divided into three age groups, and for each of the three samples, mean, standard deviation, and range were calculated for each test. The results of the Information and Vocabulary subtests from the WAIS-R, education, and social status were applied as independent variables in linear regression analyses where each of the neuropsychological tests, in turn, was the dependent variable. For the oldest age group, age in addition was used as an independent variable. Significant linear relationships, which accounted for an optimal part of the variance, were selected for clinical application.     

Desirable features in neuropsychological tests

Seven desirable features are presented as guidelines for the design and evaluation of neuropsychological tests. Such features are not systematically present in most commonly used testing procedures because the field's methods have been borrowed from disciplines whose theories and measurement goals are quite different from those of modern neuropsychology. In the course of the presentation, three meanings of the term deficit are differentiated.     

An application of order restricted inference methodology to a problem in psychiatry

Using data which reflects upon the genetic makeup of patients, Cadoret, Woolson and Winokur (1977) test two theories regarding the genetic makeup of patients suffering from unipolar affective disorder. This hypothesis test is a good example of a problem in order restricted inference. Using some recently developed techniques in order restricted inference we analyze these data and compare the analyses.This research was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research under contract N00014-80-C-0321.     

A modification of Feldt's test of the equality of two dependent alpha coefficients

The available statistical tests of the equality of nonindependent alpha reliability coefficients require that the product of the number of test parts times the number of subjects be quite large—1000 or more. A modification of one of these tests is derived which avoids this limitation. Monte Carlo studies indicate that the modified test effectively controls the Type I error rate with as few as 2 or 3 test parts and 50 subjects. This means the modified test can be safely employed in comparisons between interrater reliabilities.     

七情半结构投射试验的设计与验证

基于心理学本土化的立意 ,借鉴投射试验的方法 ,对传统“七情”概念进行分析 ,建立图形 -词汇半结构情感试验。图形为具有不同程度抽象涵义的中国画 ,每一图附加 8类形容词以定性和定量分析结果。验证表明 :情感的频数分布为 :中 2 6%、喜 2 2 %、思 1 9%、惊 9%、忧 8%、怒 6%、恐 5 %和悲 5 %。复测信度、分半信度 ,同时效度均较好。聚类分析将情感因素归为负性情感与偏正性情感两大类。因素分析得出两类公共因子 :焦虑与抑郁。