Tactile measures in the structure of intelligence.

This study investigated the relationship of tactile abilities within the framework of a hierarchical structure of mental abilities. Data were analysed from 229 participants who were administered tactile measures from the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery along with a battery of conormed cognitive measures representative of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence. Multiple measures of tactile performance were used including Palm Writing and Object Identification, and each measure included a lateralized measure (i.e., right/left). Factor analytic results suggest tactile measures have a significant relationship with measures of cognitive ability. In this study, tactile measures involving object identification were more related to cognitive measures of visual processing-speed and overall processing speed; whereas, tactile measures involving the recognition of numbers written on the palm of the hand produced high loadings on a separate factor. Results from this study suggest different tactile measures may differentially load on cognitive factors depending on the common processing demands of the tactile and cognitive measures. Suggestions for differentiating common processing demands between tactile and cognitive measures are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading comprehension and working memory in learning-disabled readers: Is the phonological loop more important than the executive system?

This investigation explores the contribution of two working memory systems (the articulatory loop and the central executive) to the performance differences between learning-disabled (LD) and skilled readers. Performances of LD, chronological age (CA) matched, and reading level-matched children were compared on measures of phonological processing accuracy and speed (articulatory system), long-term memory (LTM) accuracy and speed, and executive processing. The results indicated that (a) LD readers were inferior on measures of articulatory, LTM, and executive processing; (b) LD readers were superior to RL readers on measures of executive processing, but were comparable to RL readers on measures of the articulatory and LTM system; (c) executive processing differences remained significant between LD and CA-matched children when measures of reading comprehension, articulatory processes, and LTM processes were partialed from the analysis; and (d) executive processing contributed significant variance to reading comprehension when measures of the articulatory and LTM systems were entered into a hierarchical regression model. In summary, LD readers experience constraints in the articulatory and LTM system, but constraints mediate only some of the influence of executive processing on reading comprehension. Further, LD readers suffer executive processing problems nonspecific to their reading comprehension problems.     

Exploring the validity of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) with established emotions measures.

Emotions measures represent an important means of obtaining construct validity evidence for emotional intelligence (EI) tests because they have the same theoretical underpinnings. Additionally, the extent to which both emotions and EI measures relate to intelligence is poorly understood. The current study was designed to address these issues. Participants (N = 138) completed the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), two emotions measures, as well as four intelligence tests. Results provide mixed support for the model hypothesized to underlie the MSCEIT, with emotions research and EI measures failing to load on the same factor. The emotions measures loaded on the same factor as intelligence measures. The validity of certain EI components (in particular, Emotion Perception), as currently assessed, appears equivocal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new approach to assessing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity using the American College of Rheumatology core set of disease activity measures for RA trials--a multi-center study

To characterize the American College of Rheumatology core set of disease activity measures for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical trials (ACR core set measures) and the ACR definition of improvement of RA (ACR improvement definition), we studied 42 Japanese patients with active RA who were treated with DMARDs including mizoribine. Each patient's disease activity was assessed at the time of enrollment to the study and after 24 weeks using the ACR core set measures as well as the physical global assessment through the conventional measures. Twenty-five (60%) patients were discerned as showing improved by physicians through the conventional measures. This decision appeared to be based on improvement in Lansbury activity index (LAI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) value. Twelve of the 25 "improved" patients satisfied the ACR improvement definition. The 12 patients showed significant improvement in "outcome" measures including patients assessments of pain, disease activity, and physical function, compared to the 30 patients not satisfying the ACR definition. However, no significant differences were observed between these two groups in "process" measures including LAI, tender joint count, swallen joint count, or CRP value. In conclusion, the ACR core set measures including both process and outcome measures have potential to reflect clinical important changes on "real life" of patients with RA.     

Validity of social skills measures for assessing social competence in low-status children: A multivariate investigation.

Investigated the validity of the 3 types of measures that are frequently used to measure social competence in children. Data were collected on 40 3rd- and 4th-grade low-sociometric-status Ss using 2 sociometric rating scales, 3 peer nomination measures, and 4 categories of behavioral observations. All of the measures were collected 3 times. Findings support previous claims that rating-scale measures and nomination measures assess different dimensions of sociometric status. Behavioral measures emerged as a separate factor suggesting that these measures assess a dimension of social competence that is independent from popularity or peer acceptance. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

To Dispel Fantasies About Fantasy-Based Measures of Achievement Motivation.

This article reviews the literature on reliability of fantasy-based achievement motivation measures. Homogeneity estimates for such measures are suggested, and some illustrative applications to data are presented. Analysis of both published and unpublished data suggests that homogeneity reliability of these measures rarely exceeds .30 to .40. The use of achievement motive measures to predict school achievement is questioned on grounds of low reliability of the measures. Previous findings in this area are interpretable in terms of failure to control on IQ and/or productivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age-related deficits in associative memory: The influence of impaired strategic retrieval.

In 2 experiments, the authors investigated whether impaired strategic retrieval processes contribute to the age-related deficit in associative memory. To do so, they compared older and younger adults on measures of associative memory that place high demands on retrieval processes (associative identification and recall-to-reject) to measures that place low demands on such processes (associative reinstatement and recall-to-accept). Results showed that older adults were severely impaired on associative identification and recall-to-reject measures; relatively intact on recall-to-accept measures, unless recollection was prominent; and intact on associative reinstatement measures. Together, these findings suggest that impairment in strategic retrieval accounts for older adults' deficits in memory for associative information and that this deficit, above and beyond poor binding of items, leads to and amplifies an impairment in overall recollection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accessibility Effects on Implicit Social Cognition: The Role of Knowledge Activation and Retrieval Experiences.

Performance on measures of implicit social cognition has been shown to vary as a function of the momentary accessibility of relevant information. The present research investigated the mechanisms underlying accessibility effects of self-generated information on implicit measures. Results from 3 experiments demonstrate that measures based on response compatibility processes (e.g., Implicit Association Test, affective priming with an evaluative decision task) are influenced by subjective feelings pertaining to the ease of retrieving relevant information from memory, whereas measures based on stimulus compatibility processes (e.g., semantic priming with a lexical-decision task) are influenced by direct knowledge activation in associative memory. These results indicate that the mediating mechanisms underlying context effects on implicit measures can differ as a function of the task even when these tasks show similar effects on a superficial level. Implications for research on implicit social cognition and the ease-of-retrieval effect are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of physical and social reasoning in adolescence.

A theoretically important issue is the degree to which cognitive development in different domains is coordinated. Two important domains that have received considerable attention recently are physical and interpersonal reasoning, yet no adequately designed studies comparing them have been reported. A multitrait, multimethod investigation of the development of logical and interpersonal reasoning among 151 adolescents (ages 12, 14, and 16 yrs) was conducted by devising group written measures of standard physical and interpersonal reasoning tasks. Results indicate that correlations between different measures within each domain were no greater than correlations between measures from different domains (.50 and .44, respectively). Also, on qualitative stage comparisons, fewer Ss showed formal reasoning on the interpersonal measures than on the physical reasoning measures. Significant age effects were obtained for each measure. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measures of early academic skills: Reliability and validity with a first grade sample.

This study investigated the reliability- (interscorer and test-retest) and criterion-related validity (concurrent and predictive) of 11 curriculum-based measures of early academic skills with a sample of first-grade students. Some measures required production-type responses. Other measures required selection-type responses. The measures involved letters (sounds, names, copying), numbers (names, counting in sequence), colors, and shapes. Subjects were 30 first-grade students from an urban parochial school. Test-Retest reliability was assessed with alternate forms of the measures over a two-week interval. Concurrent validity was assessed with a norm-referenced achievement test (the Woodcock-Johnson Revised). Predictive validity was assessed by measuring oral reading fluency in passages and on word-lists four months after the initial assessment. Results suggested that some measures displayed better reliability and validity than others. The practical utility of these measures in light of their technical characteristics and the need for further construct validity data are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familial prevalence and coaggregation of schizotypy indicators: A multitrait family study.

Schizophrenic probands (n?=?17), their 1st-degree relatives (n?=?61), and medically and psychiatrically screened normal control Ss (n?=?18) were studied with structured interviews for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) Axis I disorders and schizotypal personality disorder, questionnaire measures of schizotypy, measures of smooth-pursuit eye movement dysfunction, and attention dysfunction. Schizophrenic Ss scored abnormally on essentially all measures. Relatives differed significantly from control Ss on most measures. Correlational analyses indicate that many characteristics tested in these measures run together in families. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that a single vulnerability dimension or typology, presumably in part genetically transmitted, may account for phenotypically distinct abnormalities. These traits, taken together, may have joint usefulness for identifying persons with a predisposition to schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group sensitivity training: Update, meta-analysis, and recommendations.

This investigation was a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of group sensitivity training. Analysis of 63 studies revealed a moderate size, heterogeneous effect (weighted mean d?=?0.62) on all outcome measures. Categorical model testing indicated that group sensitivity training had significantly larger effects on behavioral measures than on self-report measures (mean ds?=?1.03 and 0.44, respectively). Moreover, effect sizes for behavioral measures were moderated by the size of treatment groups, the number of sessions, and the precision of measurement recording. That is, interventions involving larger groups and meeting for more sessions had larger effect sizes, as did studies involving more discrete outcome measures. As recommended elsewhere, future studies need to explore group processes and mechanisms of change in group sensitivity training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship of style difficulty, practice, and ability to efficiency of reading and to retention.

Two groups of Ss, one of high and one of low mechanical ability, read a technical passage before an eye-movement camera. An "easy" style and a "hard" style passage were used, and Ss read the passage once or three times. Reading efficiency measures collected were words read per second and per fixation; retention measures were scores on modified recall and word recognition tests. The high ability group scored better on all measures than the low ability group; three readings yielded superior scores on the retention measures; and the "easy" style gave higher scores on the reading efficiency and modified recall measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggression, emotional maladjustment, and empathy in the abused child.

19 abused children between 5 and 10 yrs old were compared with 19 nonabused children on measures of aggression, emotional maladjustment, and empathy. The 2 groups were matched for age, sex, socioeconomic status, developmental age, IQ, language, and race. The abused Ss were found to be significantly lower than the controls on the measure of empathy and higher on measures of emotional maladjustment. They did not differ on the aggression measures. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measures of functional status in community-dwelling elders

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate two performance-based measures of functional status and assess their correlation with self-report measures. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 363 community-dwelling elders enrolled in a trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment who participated, all had at least one of four target conditions (urinary incontinence, depression, impaired functional status, or history of falling). MEASUREMENTS: Two performance-based measures, National Institute on Aging (NIA) Battery, and Physical Performance Test (PPT), and three self-report functional status measures, basic and intermediate activities of daily living and the Short-Form-36 (SF-36) physical functioning subscale, were used. Measures of restricted activity days, patient satisfaction and perceived efficacy were also used. MAIN RESULTS: All measures were internally consistent. There was a high correlation between the NIA and PPT (kappa = 0.71), while correlations between the performance-based and self-report measures ranged from 0.37 to 0.50. When patients with values above the median on the two performance-based measures were compared with those below, there were significant differences (p 相似文献   

Relational Integration and Executive Function in Alzheimer's Disease.

Executive functions depend on the ability to represent relations between objects and events, and the prefrontal cortex provides the neural substrate for this capacity. Patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and control participants were administered measures of working memory and reasoning that varied systematically in their relational complexity. AD patients showed impairment on reasoning measures that required the online integration of relations but performed as well as control participants on nonrelational items and items requiring the processing of only single relations. When AD patients were divided into subgroups based on their performance on relational reasoning measures, the subgroup that showed significant impairment on relational integration measures exhibited a neuropsychological profile consistent with prefrontal cortical dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manager-employee "understanding" in the retail grocery and meat market.

Employees and managers in each of eleven retail food stores provided measures of "understanding" of each other by predicting the other's responses on two questionnaires. From these data, four measures of "understanding" were derived. These were correlated with rankings of the stores based on (1) employee ratings by the manager, (2) manager evaluations by the employees, (3) job satisfaction scores of the employees, and (4) judged efficiency of the retail unit. The first two ratings were not related to any of the measures of "understanding," but the latter two variables were significantly correlated with certain of the measures of "understanding." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A metacognitive approach to "implicit" and "explicit" evaluations: Comment on Gawronski and Bodenhausen (2006).

Comments on the article by B. Gawronski and G. V. Bodenhausen (see record 2006-10465-003). A metacognitive model (MCM) is presented to describe how automatic (implicit) and deliberative (explicit) measures of attitudes respond to change attempts. The model assumes that contemporary implicit measures tap quick evaluative associations, whereas explicit measures also consider the perceived validity of these associations (and other factors). Change in explicit measures is greater than implicit measures when new evaluative associations are formed and old associations are rejected. Implicit measure change is greater than explicit when newly formed evaluative associations are rejected. When implicit and explicit evaluations conflict, implicit ambivalence can occur. The authors relate the MCM to the associative-propositional evaluation model and explain how the MCM builds on the attitude strength assumptions of the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the cognitive deficits in reading disability and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

This study used a nonreferred sample of twins to contrast the performance of individuals with reading disability (RD; n?=?93), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n?=?52), RD and ADHD (n?=?48), and neither RD nor ADHD (n?=?121) on measures of phoneme awareness (PA) and executive functioning (EF). Exploratory factor analysis of the EF measures yielded underlying factors of working memory, inhibition, and set shifting. Results revealed that ADHD was associated with inhibition deficits whereas RD was associated with significant deficits on measures of PA and verbal working memory. The RD?+?ADHD group was most impaired on virtually all measures, providing evidence against the phenocopy hypothesis as an explanation for comorbidity between RD and ADHD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)