An investigation of unilateral cerebral pathology with equated verbal and visual-spatial tasks.

Ss with left cerebral damage perform significantly different on certain tasks so as to be distinguishable from Ss with right cerebral damage. In this instance, verbal and visual-spatial paired associations were learned. The results indicated that control Ss (no known cerebral damage) showed no difference on either task, but patients with right cerebral damage (R) did significantly poorer on visual-spatial learning than verbal learning; patients with left cerebral damage (L) did just the reverse. Percent of accuracy of diagnosis of Rs as R, and Ls as L was marred by the factor of age. Measures of perseveration were less clearcut than error scores. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4JG82S. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of verbal and nonverbal reinforcement on the WAIS performance of normal adults.

Explored the effects of verbal reinforcement, nonverbal reinforcement, and no reinforcement by the examiner on the performance of 24 male and 24 female Ss receiving the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Scores were consistently, though nonsignificantly, higher in the 2 reinforcement conditions than in the no-reinforcement condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variability in upper motor neurone-type dysarthria: an examination of five cases with dysarthria following cerebrovascular accident

The degree of diversity in the nature and extent of the physiological deficits which occur in subjects with dysarthria with similar neurological damage is demonstrated through the individual assessment profiles of five subjects with dysarthria following upper motor neurone (UMN) damage. The perceptual profiles of each subject were compiled using perceptual ratings of deviant speech parameters, intelligibility ratings from the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (ASSIDS), and perceptual judgements of subsystem function determined from the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA). For each individual, the perceptual profile of their speech impairments was compared and contrasted with the objective results of spirometric and kinematic assessments of respiratory function aerodynamic and electroglottographic evaluations of laryngeal function, pressure and strain gauge evaluations of articulatory function, and nasal accelerometric assessments of nasality. The outcomes of the individual perceptual and physiological profiles are discussed with respect to the presence of differential subsystem impairments both within each subject and between subjects with similar underlying pathophysiological deficits. The importance of interpreting the instrumental findings with respect to the interdependency of each of the motor speech subsystems, the limitations of perceptual assessments, and the advantages of utilising both perceptual and physiological analyses in the process of identifying treatment goals is discussed.     

Ideation in patients with unilateral or bilateral midline brain lesions.

Hypothesized that persons with left vs. right unilateral brain lesions differ in complicated ideational processes in 50 Ss with well localized lesions. On a multiple-discriminant analysis, 7 selected Rorschach variables differentiated the left, right, and midline-bilateral groups at the .0001 level. Interpretation of Discriminant I, ideation, yields a modus operandi of left-hemisphere Ss which is limited and constricted; of right-hemisphere Ss which is expansive and uncritically innovative. Discriminant II, uniqueness of pathology, indicates that left and right groups differ significantly and are significantly divergent, with the midline group undistinguished on this dimension. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Renal reserve is normal in adults born with unilateral renal agenesis and is not related to hyperfiltration or renal failure

This study was carried out to examine the renal hemodynamic response in adult patients with single kidneys born with unilateral renal agenesis. A group of 21 patients with unilateral renal agenesis were divided into three groups according to their glomerular filtration rate (GFR): 112 +/- 3 ml/min x 1.73 m2 in group A, 68 +/- 3.2 ml/min x 1.73 m2 in group B, and 40.7 +/- 3.3 ml/min x 1.73 m2 in group C. Mean arterial blood pressure was significantly higher in the patients of group C who were also proteinuric. The renal hemodynamic response to an oral protein load (2 g/kg of protein as beefsteak) was normal in all groups and unrelated to hyperfiltration or to renal failure and proteinuria. The study indicates that in patients with renal agenesis, the hemodynamic response to a protein challenge is similar to that of kidney donors, renal transplant recipients and uninephrectomized patients. The paper also demonstrates that the renal response to a protein challenge is inadequate to identify patients with renal agenesis who are at risk of developing renal disease. Finally, in renal agenesis with renal disease, creatinine clearance overestimated the GFR by an average of 32.7%.     

Effects of verbal and self-monitoring feedback on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale performance in normal adults.

Hypothesized that feedback for correct and incorrect responses may be the salient feature in inducing test performance in adults. 60 undergraduates were administered an abbreviated form of the WAIS in 1 of 3 conditions--no feedback, praise for correct answers, or a self-monitoring condition in which Ss were given feedback and instructed to record their points. Results suggest that feedback coupled with self-monitoring feedback is effective in inducing IQ test performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mapping of semantic, phonological, and orthographic verbal working memory in normal adults with functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Twelve neurologically normal participants (4 men and 8 women) performed semantic, phonological, and orthographic working memory tasks and a control task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Divergent regions of the posterior left hemisphere used for decoding and storage of information emerged in each working memory versus control task comparison. These regions were consistent with previous literature on processing mechanisms for semantic, phonological, and orthographic information. Further, working memory versus control task differences extended into the left frontal lobe, including premotor cortex, and even into subcortical structures. Findings were consistent with R. C. Martin and C. Romani's (1994) contention that different forms of verbal working memory exist and further suggest that a reconceptualization of premotor cortex functions is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consistency of intermanual discrepancies in normal and unilateral brain lesion patients.

Examined the distribution of intermanual discrepancies on 3 motor tests (grooved pegboard, finger tapping, and dynamometer) among 331 normal controls, 63 patients with right brain damage (RBD), and 40 patients with left brain damage (LBD). All Ss were right-handed. Considerable variability in the intermanual discrepancies was observed in all 3 samples. About 25% of the normal sample obtained scores more than 1 standard deviation from the control mean on a single measure. RBD tended to accentuate the pattern of intermanual discrepancies observed with controls, while LBD moved the discrepancy in the opposite direction. Results confirm the difficulties related to clinical judgments of deficits in preferred-hand motor performance and suggest the need to examine patterns of performance across several motor tests. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in verbal IQ—Performance IQ discrepancies among patients with schizophrenia and normal volunteers.

Substantial verbal IQ (VIQ)–performance IQ (PIQ) discrepancies may reflect brain dysfunction. The authors examined 159 patients with schizophrenia ( 115 men and 44 women) or schizoaffective disorder (25 men and 19 women) and 79 normal participants (33 men and 46 women), calculated mean VIQ–PIQ discrepancy scores by sex and diagnosis, and identified persons with large VIQ–PIQ discrepancies (15-point difference in either direction). Schizophrenic/schizoaffective men had a larger mean VIQ–PIQ discrepancy than did other groups. The proportion of all patients with either VIQ?>?PIQ or PIQ?>?VIQ ( 17.8%) was not significantly different from that of normal participants (22.8%). However, significantly more men than women with schizophrenia exhibited a VIQ–PIQ pattern (20% vs. 3.2%). No unusual discrepancy patterns were noted among normal participants. Results were interpreted in light of theories of hemisphere dysfunction in schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term outcome of trauma in adults: the psychological impact of a fatal bus accident

The psychological impact of trauma on 36 parents and spouses was examined 1 year (1989), 3 years (1991), and 5 years (1993) after a fatal school bus accident in Western Norway in 1988. The course and outcome of posttraumatic symptoms (Impact of Event Scale [IES]) and symptoms of general psychological distress (SCL-90) were examined in relation to type of trauma (loss vs. no loss) and prior exposure to trauma. A large proportion of the sample reported high levels of symptoms on SCL-90 and IES (Intrusion). No associations were observed between type of trauma and any of the symptom measures. Prior exposure to trauma did not affect the scores on IES but was associated with a sustained vulnerability for general psychological distress (SCL-90). Different trajectories of the symptoms indicate that two psychological processes may be involved in long-term adjustment to trauma.     

The structure of verbal abilities in young and older adults.

Four language sample measures as well as measures of vocabulary, verbal fluency, and memory span were obtained from a sample of young adults and a sample of older adults. Factor analysis was used to analyze the structure of the vocabulary, fluency, and span measures for each age group. Then an "extension" analysis was performed by using structural modeling techniques to determine how the language sample measures were related to the other measures. The measure of grammatical complexity was associated with measures of working memory including reading span and digit span. Two measures, sentence length in words and a measure of lexical diversity, were associated with the vocabulary measures. The fourth measure, propositional density, was associated with the fluency measures as a measure of processing efficiency. The structure of verbal abilities in young and older adults is somewhat different, suggesting age differences in processing efficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of the accident and emergency management of deliberate self harm

This article explores the relationship between selected socio-economic factors and health knowledge of children in Bangladesh. Data was generated from a representative sample survey of 2520 children aged 11-12 y and resident throughout the country. A total of six health knowledge items, all of which are very relevant to Bangladesh, were assessed in this study. Both bivariate and multivariate analysis were used for this purpose. Analysis revealed that the urban/rural residence of the child, the length of the child's schooling in years, the parental level of education and the economic status of the household was associated with the level of health knowledge of the children. To achieve the required improvement in health knowledge of Bangladeshi children this study concluded that adequate schooling of all children must be ensured by removing social barriers to this. Greater educational investment as well as quality education related to everyday life should be provided in rural areas.     

Sex similarities in verbal and performance IQ deficits following unilateral cerebral lesions.

Investigated whether men and women produce similar Verbal IQ and Performance IQ patterns following unilateral cerebral lesions. Ss included 24 women (mean age 43.96 yrs) and 24 men (mean age 45.08 yrs) with independent neurological evidence of neoplastic or vascular lesions of the right cerebral hemisphere, 24 women (mean age 47.88 yrs) and 24 men (mean age 47.50 yrs) with such lesion evidence of the left cerebral hemisphere, and 14 female (mean age 46.43 yrs) and 14 male (mean age 45.50 yrs) controls. Each group was equated for education, lesion site, severity, chronicity, and etiology. Ss were administered the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale, and differences in Verbal and Performance IQ values were compared. Contrary to reports in the literature, no consistent evidence of Sex?×?Lesioned Hemisphere interactions was found. Differences in the lateralization effects between men and women were not reflected in direction or pattern but only in magnitude, arguing against a theory of differential cognitive lateralization according to sex. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement or training: An examination of method in conservation studies.

Presents procedural considerations for measuring optimal performance of children on Piagetian tasks. A questioning sequence based on a hierarchy of subordinate capabilities is proposed, with supporting data from a study of 37 59-77 mo. old nursery school and kindergarten children that used such a sequence. It was found that questioning trials had little or no effect below age 66 mo., but did influence achievement of conservation concepts beyond that age. Transfer across tasks and retention of conservation concepts were observed in conservers. A rationale is proposed that explains the results in terms of measurement of optimal performance rather than successful training. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child's play with adults, toys, and peers: An examination of family and child-care influences.

Toddler-age children's (11 to 30 months old) play with care-giving adults and with toys and peers was observed and rated in family day-care homes. Fifty-five children, their mothers, and family day-care home providers participated in this study. The quality of the family day-care homes was assessed with the Harms and Clifford Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS) and by measures of ratio and group size. Information on family stress, social support, child-rearing attitudes, and maternal role satisfaction was reported by mothers. More nurturing and supported families were associated with higher quality child care, whereas more restrictive and stressed families were associated with lower quality child care. More restrictive and stressed families were associated with more changes in child-care arrangements. Greater numbers of child-care changes also were associated with lower levels of competent play with objects and peers. When quality of care was controlled, both more nurturing and supported families and less restrictive and stressed families were associated with higher levels of competent play with adult caregivers, peers, and objects. When family characteristics were controlled, higher quality child care was associated with more competent play with adult caregivers and with peers and objects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)