Effects of Instrumental Enrichment on the psychoeducational development of low-functioning adolescents.

Instrumental Enrichment, an intervention program for low-functioning adolescents, consists of some 400 cognitive exercises devoid of curriculum content and contrasts with more conventional general enrichment, which focuses on direct help in school subjects. The 2 approaches were compared under field conditions in Israel over a 2-yr period with 57 matched pairs of 12–15 yr old Ss. 24 pairs from residential and 33 from day centers. Treatment (Instrumental Enrichment vs General Enrichment) by Setting (residential vs day center) analyses of covariance yielded main effects favoring Instrumental Enrichment on intellective and nonintellective criteria and favoring residential settings on some intellective measures. Few interactions were obtained. Results indicate that (a) mediating basic deficiencies in problem solving can produce better results than do tutorials in school subjects and (b) positive intervention can be conducted with adolescents who are failing in school. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constructive thinking: A broad coping variable with specific components.

The structure of constructive thinking and the development of an instrument for measuring it, the Constructive Thinking Inventory (CTI), were discussed. Scales were derived from a factor analysis of an item domain of people's everyday automatic thinking. When the CTI and other tests were factor analyzed, separate intellective and nonintellective factors were found, with the CTI loading more strongly on the nonintellective factor than any other test. Only measures of IQ loaded on the intellective factor. The global constructive thinking scale correlated significantly with success in work, love, social relationships, and in maintaining emotional and physical well-being, but not with academic achievement, the only criterion with which the measures of IQ correlated strongly. The patterns of correlations between the CTI scales and the various criteria as well as the factor analysis demonstrated that the construct of constructive thinking is differentiated as well as integrated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The prediction of medical intern performance.

This study investigated the relationship between the performance of medical interns and their earlier performance as medical and premedical students. 3 criteria relevant to intern performance were used (a) ratings based on letters of evaluation of each intern written by staff members of the internship hospital, (b) an index of the quality of the internship hospital, and (c) a composite of the 1st 2 criteria. Results indicate that the best predictor of intern performance is grade average in the clinical year(s) of medical school, that grades in the preclinical years of medical school have only a slight relationship to intern performance, and that premedical grades have almost no relationship. The Medical College Admission Test tends slightly to be negatively correlated with intern performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of the criterion problem for a medical school faculty.

Through interviews, questionnaires, compendium listings, medical college files, and peer evaluations 80 criterion measures of on-the-job performance of 102 full-time college of medicine faculty members were developed and factor analyzed (a) to determine to what degree premedical and medical school grades predicted the criteria obtained, and (b) to explore other characteristics not currently emphasized in medical education. As indicated by the fact that 1 independent index of performance was obtained for approximately every 3 measures of performance included in the analysis, the most important finding was the complexity of the criterion area studied. School grades came out as a factor independent of the factors related to physician performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pair-comparisons consistency and grades in law school.

Can the predictability of academic grades be improved through the use of a test construction technique known as "measures of consistency in making pair comparison judgments"? "… consistency scores from the Legal Traits Test were correlated with grades at eight schools of law." The results were negative. "… these consistency scores are not promising as predictors of law school grades." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of the criterion problem for a group of medical general practitioners.

The sample consisted of 217 general practitioners from Utah. 80 scores relevant to the performance of these physicians were collected from a variety of scores, intercorrelated, and factor analyzed using the principal components solution based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The 30 factors which had an eigenvalue greater than 1.00 were rotated by the varimax procedure and interpreted. The most important finding was the great criterion complexity for this group of physicians. This complexity suggests that one cannot adequately measure physician performance on the basis of a single score or a few scores. Instead, one must obtain a relatively large number of scores. Performance in both premedical and medical education was independent of performance as a physician. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of the criterion problem for one group of medical specialists.

The sample consisted of 190 Utah physicians fully certified as specialists by an American Board. 80 scores relevant to the performance of these physicians were intercorrelated and factor analyzed using the principal components solution based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The 29 factors which had an eigenvalue greater than 1.00 were rotated by the varimax procedure and interpreted. The most important finding was the great criterion complexity for this group of medical specialists. This complexity suggests that one cannot adequately measure physician performance on the basis of a single score or a few scores. Instead, one must obtain a relatively large number of scores. Performance in poth premedical and medical education was independent of performance as a physician. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are SSATS and GPA enough? A theory-based approach to predicting academic success in secondary school.

Two studies were carried out to predict academic success in the highly competitive environment of a private preparatory school, Choate Rosemary Hall. The 1st study focused on the question of whether there are indicators beyond middle school grade-point average (GPA) and standardized test scores that might enhance the validity of measures for predicting success of students attending Choate. The results indicated the importance of taking into account aspects of self-regulated learning (SRL), such as academic self-efficacy, academic motivation, academic locus of control, and measures of the WICS (Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity Synthesized) theoretical framework. Both sets of SRL and WICS indicators demonstrated incremental validity in predicting success at Choate. The 2nd study preliminarily evaluated the value of including indicators of aspects of the SRL and the WICS theoretical framework into the Choate admission process. The results of this study examined the utility of using quantified indicators other than middle-school GPA and standardized test scores for making admission decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of moral judgment development to formal education.

Tested Ss from an ongoing longitudinal study initiated by the present 1st author and colleagues (see record 1974-32073-001) at 2-yr intervals after high school graduation on the Defining Issues Test and other measures of moral thinking (e.g., socio-moral concepts test, political attitudes test) to investigate the relationship of moral-judgment development to formal education. In a 3rd testing 4 yrs after high school, 59 Ss participated; of these, 39 were in a 4th testing 6 yrs later. When Ss were divided into low- and high-education groups, depending on how many years of college they attended, the groups showed increasingly divergent developmental pathways. The high-education group showed increasing gains, and the low-education group showed a leveling off. Years in college added significantly to the predictability of moral judgment in young adulthood, above and beyond that accounted for by initial high school scores on the same moral-judgment measures. Results complement and extend findings from other cross-sectional and longitudinal studies on the relation of formal education to moral judgment. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Opening up in the classroom: Effects of expressive writing on graduate school entrance exam performance.

Our study sought to determine whether experimental disclosure could improve exam performance and psychological health in students taking a graduate school entrance exam. Students preparing for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, or PCAT were randomly assigned to write expressively about their upcoming exam or to a neutral writing condition. Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms and test anxiety before and after writing, and exam scores were collected. The experimental disclosure group had significantly higher test scores and significantly lower pre-exam depressive symptoms than the neutral writing group. Although benefits for depressive symptoms were found in expressive writers regardless of exam type, the advantage of expressive writing for test performance was only observed in students taking the MCAT or LSAT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Competition and the premedical student.

Administered a digit symbol and a motor manipulation task to 20 premedical, 15 premedical dropout, and 20 liberal art undergraduate students. Ss were led to believe they were competing against another student like themselves. However, the 2nd member of each pair was actually a confederate of e, making it possible to experimentally manipulate success and failure. There were no performance differences among the groups on the initial trial of each of the 2 tasks. Under competitive conditions, however, improvement in performance was significantly greater for premedical ss than for premedical dropouts, and greater for these latter ss than for the liberal arts ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Agreement between school study team decisions and authoritative definitions in classification of students at-risk for mild disabilities.

Investigated the degree to which school study teams (SSTs) considered and used results from traditional psychoeducational measures in determining eligibility or ineligibility for special education. Research definitions based on authoritative criteria were used to define 3 groups of students: 47 learning disabled students, 43 students with mild mental retardation, and 60 low achieving students. These groups were then compared to SST classification decisions to determine relative rates of agreement and disagreement. Results show that SSTs show relatively low rates of agreement with authoritative definitions of mild disability groups. Results also suggest that SSTs are making classification decisions based on perceived educational need rather than test scores provided by school psychologists, and the extent to which these scores meet arbitrary eligibility criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students

The inability to cope successfully with the enormous stress of medical education may lead to a cascade of consequences at both a personal and professional level. The present study examined the short-term effects of an 8-week meditation-based stress reduction intervention on premedical and medical students using a well-controlled statistical design. Findings indicate that participation in the intervention can effectively (1) reduce self-reported state and trait anxiety, (2) reduce reports of overall psychological distress including depression, (3) increase scores on overall empathy levels, and (4) increase scores on a measure of spiritual experiences assessed at termination of intervention. These results (5) replicated in the wait-list control group, (6) held across different experiments, and (7) were observed during the exam period. Future research should address potential long-term effects of mindfulness training for medical and premedical students.     

Testing common sense.

Predictors of success in school, such as conventional psychometric intelligence (e.g., IQ) tests, are less predictive of success out of school. Even the most charitable estimates of the relation between intelligence test scores and real-world criteria such as job performance indicate that approximately three fourths of the variance in real-world performance is not accounted for by intelligence test performance. Researchers have begun to explore new constructs in search of measures to supplement existing cognitive ability tests as predictors of real-world performance. Among the most promising constructs is practical intelligence, or common sense. Performance on measures of practical intelligence predicts real-world criteria such as job performance but is relatively unrelated to performance on intelligence tests and other common selection measures. Consequently, its contribution to prediction is largely independent of the contributions of existing measures, including measures of cognitive ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intelligence, schooling, and society.

IQ test scores are measures of g, or general intelligence, the common element present in diverse tests of cognitive abilities that are positively related to each other. IQ scores are related to the acquisition of knowledge in school and occupational settings. IQ test scores also relate to the academic achievements of one's children. In many contexts, the relationship between IQ and various outcomes is not attributable to the relationship between IQ and social class background. IQ is an index that distinguishes among individuals with common social and demographic backgrounds. The relationship between IQ and various outcome measures may be reduced by relying on multivariable selection procedures, by modifying educational and occupational practices, and by interventions designed to increase IQ. Representative studies that provide evidence for these assertions are considered. Although the influence of the ability indexed by IQ may be reduced, it probably cannot be eliminated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevention of emotional disorders in the school setting: A further investigation.

Children in the primary grades of a single experimental (E) school were exposed, for 3 yr., to a comprehensive program designed for the early detection and prevention of emotional disorders. At the end of that period they were contrasted, on a variety of school-record and adjustment measures, to control 3rd graders from 2 demographically comparable schools. Evidence was presented demonstrating the salutary effects of the preventive program with respect to several criterion measures of behavior, achievement, and adjustment. Additionally, within the E school, youngsters in whom manifest or incipient pathology was identified very early in their careers, were found, by the end of the 3rd yr., to be performing less adequately in school, showing greater indications of maladjustment on objective tests and behavioral ratings, obtaining lower standard achievement test scores, less well-rated by their peers, and manifesting more physical complaints than their nonaffected peers. The implications of these data for a preventively oriented, community-based approach to mental health problems were considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior, motivation, and achievement in desegregated junior high school science classes.

To locate possible antecedents for racial differences in science achievement, measures of mathematics and reading achievement, causal attribution, attitude toward school success, and in-class behavior were acquired from 40 Black and 40 White junior high school students, both groups evenly divided between males and females. Significant group differences were limited to mean achievement test scores and science grades. Achievement scores were significantly related to grades, but classroom behaviors also accounted for a significant and unique portion of the variance. There were no significant relationships between behaviors and other student measures. Teacher ratings of effort, ability, course difficulty, and environment were also acquired. Teachers rated Whites as smarter and believed that Black females exerted the greatest effort and Black males the least. As a secondary interest, number and type of student interactions were recorded. Few hostile interracial encounters were observed, and interactions were predominately within race. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The predictive validity of measured interest for Navy vocational training.

An experimental interest test, yielding scores on 5 homogeneous scales, was administered to a sample of recruits on their 3rd day in the Navy. Recruits were assigned to Naval school training, on the basis of expressed interest and aptitude test scores, by classification personnel who did not have access to interest test scores. Follow-up results are reported for 19,147 recruits assigned to 51 schools, each of which had a related scale on the interest test. For students in each of the 51 schools, the mean score on the related interest scale was significantly higher than the corresponding mean score for the general recruit population. For 41 schools, the related interest scales had statistically significant predictive validity against a school grade criterion. Related interest scales contributed significantly to operational aptitude tests in predicting school success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of reading and related academic problems.

Conducted a 5-yr longitudinal study to (a) compare psychometric vs behavioral kindergarten predictors of reading performance and (b) examine the effect on reading performance of particular classroom and school environments. Two cohorts of approximately 850 middle-class kindergarten children were administered a psychometric battery (e.g., the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test). Also, a Student Rating Scale consisting of 41 classroom behavior items representing 5 factors was completed for each S by the kindergarten teacher. The scale proved equal to the best psychometric measures in predicting reading test scores in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. Inclusion of classroom and school variables enhanced the prediction. Particularly instructive were analyses of false positive and negative prediction patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School and peer competence in early adolescence: A test of domain-specific self-perceived competence.

The validity for a domain-specific model of self-perceived peer and school competence was examined in a sample of young Black adolescents of lower socioeconomic status. Three methods were used to gauge peer and school competence: self-ratings, via the Perceived Social Competence Scale for Children; peer-ratings, based on nominations; and objective criteria, such as grade point average, achievement test scores, and number of reciprocated friendship choices. More generally defined measures of social competence (i.e., perceived general competence and the Social Competence Nomination Form) were included in some analyses for purposes of comparison. Correlations within and between competence domains were examined via both a multitrait-multimethod matrix and factor analysis. Findings supported the distinctness of perceived peer and school competence domains, providing support for a domain-specific model of self-concept. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)