WISC-III and CAS: Which Correlates Higher with Achievement for a Clinical Sample?

The relationships between Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) and the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) with the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement (WJ-III) were examined for a sample of 119 children (87 males and 32 females) ages 6 to 16. The sample was comprised of children who were referred to a specialty clinic for evaluation. Participants were administered the WISC-III, the CAS, and the WJ-III, in that order. Results indicated that CAS/WJ-III correlations were consistently significantly higher than those found for the WISC-III/WJ-III. The four separate CAS scales added more variance above and beyond the four separate WISC-III scales than the WISC-III added above and beyond the CAS. In addition, the CAS Full Scale accounted for more unique variance and was a stronger predictor of WJ-III Academic Skills Cluster than the WISC-III Full Scale IQ. These results support the validity of the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive theory as measured by the CAS in relation to the general intelligence model measured using the WISC-III for explaining variance in achievement for this clinical sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two types of tables for use with the WAIS-R.

Confidence intervals for the WAIS-R were computed for the Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores. IQ intervals for the 85, 90, 95, and 99% levels of confidence are reported for each of the 9 standardization sample age groups and the entire sample. Differences between Verbal and Performance IQ scores required for 90 and 99% levels of significance are also reported. All values are computed on the basis of the standard errors of measurement reported in the WAIS-R manual for the standardization sample. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gelcasting of dense and porous ceramics by using a natural gelatine

An improved gel-casting procedure was successfully exploited to produce porous ceramic bodies having controlled porosity features in terms of mean pore size, total pore volume as well as pore geometry. The gel-casting process in which a natural gelatine for food industry is used as gelling agent was firstly set-up to prepare dense alumina and zirconia components. Then, commercial PE spheres, sieved to select proper dimensional ranges, were added to the starting slurries as pore-forming agent. Both alumina and zirconia porous bodies were then produced, having a porosity ranging between 40 and 50 vol%. The fired components were characterised by spherical pores surrounded by highly dense ceramic walls and struts, having a homogeneous and fine microstructure. Their mean pore size was directly dependent on the sieved fraction of the starting PE spheres selected as pore-forming phase.     

Exercise improves executive function and achievement and alters brain activation in overweight children: A randomized, controlled trial.

Objective: This experiment tested the hypothesis that exercise would improve executive function. Design: Sedentary, overweight 7- to 11-year-old children (N = 171, 56% girls, 61% Black, M ± SD age = 9.3 ± 1.0 years, body mass index [BMI] = 26 ± 4.6 kg/m2, BMI z-score = 2.1 ± 0.4) were randomized to 13 ± 1.6 weeks of an exercise program (20 or 40 min/day), or a control condition. Main Outcome Measures: Blinded, standardized psychological evaluations (Cognitive Assessment System and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III) assessed cognition and academic achievement. Functional MRI measured brain activity during executive function tasks. Results: Intent to treat analysis revealed dose-response benefits of exercise on executive function and mathematics achievement. Preliminary evidence of increased bilateral prefrontal cortex activity and reduced bilateral posterior parietal cortex activity attributable to exercise was also observed. Conclusion: Consistent with results obtained in older adults, a specific improvement on executive function and brain activation changes attributable to exercise were observed. The cognitive and achievement results add evidence of dose-response and extend experimental evidence into childhood. This study provides information on an educational outcome. Besides its importance for maintaining weight and reducing health risks during a childhood obesity epidemic, physical activity may prove to be a simple, important method of enhancing aspects of children's mental functioning that are central to cognitive development. This information may persuade educators to implement vigorous physical activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elaboration and mechanical characterization of multi-phase alumina-based ultra-fine composites

Al₂O₃-10 vol.% YAG and Al₂O₃-10 vol.% ZrO₂ bi-phase composites as well as Al₂O₃-5 vol.% YAG-5 vol.% ZrO₂ tri-phase composite were developed by controlled surface modification of an alumina powder with inorganic precursors of the second phases. Green bodies were produced by dry pressing and slip casting and then sintered at 1500 °C. In particular, slip casting led to fully dense, defect-free, and highly homogenous samples, made of a fine dispersion of the second phases into the micronic alumina matrix, as observed by SEM. The mechanical characterization proved the predominant role of the final density on the Vickers hardness, while the elastic modulus was affected by the volume fraction of the constituent phases, in fairly good agreement with the rule of mixture prediction. The fracture toughness values of the bi- and tri-phase materials were similar, and their crack paths revealed the importance of the thermal residual stresses at the matrix-reinforcement interfaces, promoting inter-granular propagations.     

Bilingual Hispanic children's performance on the English and Spanish versions of the Cognitive Assessment System.

This study compared the performance of referred bilingual Hispanic children on the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) theory as measured by English and Spanish versions of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS; Naglieri & Das, 1997a). The results suggest that students scored similarly on both English and Spanish versions of the CAS. Within each version of the CAS, the bilingual children earned their lowest scores in Successive processing regardless of the language used during test administration. Small mean differences were noted between the means of the English and Spanish versions for the Simultaneous and Successive processing scales; however, mean Full Scale scores were similar. Specific subtests within the Simultaneous and Successive scales were found to contribute to the differences between the English and Spanish versions of the CAS. Comparisons of the children's profiles of cognitive weakness on both versions of the CAS showed that these children performed consistently despite the language difference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the development of ice-templated silicon carbide scaffolds for nature-inspired structural materials

The processing of ceramic scaffolds using the ice-templating, or freeze casting, technique provides a relatively simple means to mimic the hierarchical design of natural materials such as nacre. In the present study, we investigated the architecture of silicon carbide (SiC) scaffolds produced by this technique over a range of cooling rates and suspension characteristics to demonstrate its versatility and effectiveness for fabricating unidirectional porous bodies with controlled lamella thickness, porosity fraction and morphology. An array of microstructures was generated specifically to examine the role of the suspension solid load and cooling rate on the pore morphology and final ceramic fraction. With respect to the morphology of the pores, a transition from lamellar to dendritic structure was found to be triggered by an increase in cooling rate or in suspension concentration. Similarly, the freezing condition and suspension characteristics were seen to influence the transition between particle rejection and entrapment by the ice. Based on this study, the specific processing parameters that result in distinct scaffold morphologies, namely lamellar, dendritic or isotropic morphology (the latter corresponding to particle entrapment), are identified and presented in the form of a “morphology map” to establish the regions of the different architectures of freeze-cast SiC scaffolds.     

Gender differences in planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive (PASS) cognitive processes.

Gender differences on academic and intelligence tests have been the focus of a large body of literature that has often left basic questions unanswered. Recently, researchers have suggested that sex-related differences be examined from a theoretical view of ability related to neurological models of cognitive functioning. This study applied the PASS cognitive processing model, based on the neuropsychological work of A. R. Luria (1973), to the study of gender differences for 3 samples of boys and girls. Girls significantly outperformed boys on attention tasks at Grade 3 (n?=?67) and on planning tests at Grade 6 (n?=?66). These findings suggest that the PASS model offers a viable approach to the conceptualiztion of cognitive processes that may prove especially useful in understanding sex-related differences in cognitive and academic performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

IQ: Knowns and unknowns, hits and misses.

Questions the U. Neisser et al (see record 83-26553) task force report's emphasis on alternatives to traditional IQ tests that have not been put in a usable form for practicing psychologists. The author presents 3 important research efforts overlooked by the APA Task Force on Intelligence Report: (1) the Kaufman Assessment Battery Children (K-ABC) and Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test; (2) the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities—Revised; and (3) the Cognitive Assessment System. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)