Neuropsychological assessment of eldery articles

As posted over on the Brain Blog. The complete post also lists the specific articles in this issue.

• Psychometric data relevant to the use of common neuropsychological cognitive test instruments are presented and discussed in the current issue of the journal, The Clinical Neuropsychologist (Volume 19, Issue 3-4; September-December 2005). The issue deals with data collected as part of the Mayo's Older Americans Normative Studies (or "MOANS" for short). Specific attention is paid toward whether test performance is more closely related to general intellectual functioning than to years of formal education, an important concern in the use of this normative data set in understanding the performances by individuals.

Gsm-MS developmental decline hypothesis

The Brain Blog just posted information regarding recent research on the decline in short-term memory (Gsm-MS) in the elderly that suggests that this lose "is not associated with a lack of focus on relevant information. Rather, short-term memory loss lies with an inability to filter out surrounding distractions."

Quote to note: The world is a stage.....

Sean O'Casey

• "All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed."

Who said statistics are not useful?

Fluid Intelligence (Gf) coffee mug

What the heck is this? Well...over on the IAP-CHC listserv, the CHC crowd had fun (this weekend) working on the development of a CHC listserv t-shirt. It reminded me of the IAP "Fluid Intelligence (Gf)" coffee mugs I once had produced for fun. I gave most all the cups away. Over on the listserv there appeared to be some interest in "bringing them back"...so...I decided to post a picture and assess the real interest.

To bring these back from the past would require some work as the original art is MIA and the initial creation/production costs would occur all over again. But, if there was a big enough demand, I might be persuaded to contact my favorite PR guy (PR Advantage and Promotions in Central MN) to see what might be possible.

Although you can't see the entire figure, you should be able to ascertain the gist. The figure represents the broad Gf ability and the narrow abilities subsumed by Gf (e.g., Induction, Piagetian Reasoning, etc.). After hearing many "fluid intelligence" jokes/comments at professional conferences, I made a unilateral decision that two new narrow abilities needed to be added to Gf. You can see them on the mug, represented by images.....one is the image of a coffee cup (for the narrow fluid ability of caffeine) and the other.....yes...the other primary narrow "fluid" ability is_______ ........you get the drift.

If enough folks are interested, post a comment on this blog or contact me via the IAP CHC listserv.

If you are puzzled about potential uses, think of the following.

I used to give out free mugs at my workshop presentations. I've heard that some professors gave them to their favorite graduate/research assistants. Heck...maybe all graduate students who pass their intellectual assessment course could be awarded a cup!!!!!!!!! The possibilities are endless. Heck, I found that they have been great conversation starters when people, esp. people not involved in cognitive assessment, enter my office. I have found it a fun way to introduce the idea of CHC abilities and assessment to others.

And...one of the best endorsements I ever received, which can be verified by his daughter (I think she may still read this blog), came from Jack (Three-Stratum model) Carroll. I gave Jack a mug and he had a particular fondness for it...esp. the feel of the handle in his hand. This is the truth...he commented on his Gf mug (to me), esp. how comfortable it was in the hand, more than once.

Let the polling begin. I'm not sure how many cups would need to be sold to cover the costs, but I'm willing to check in to it.

Stay tunned

Glr-MA (associate memory) predicts Alzheimer's ?

APA press release.

• "Two recent studies may help clinicians and researchers better predict and understand dementia of the Alzheimer's type early in its history. Both studies appear in the September issue of Neuropsychology, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
  

Check out the APA link above to view the press release and also to find links where you can view/download pdf copies of the two articles.

Of particular interest to readers if this blog were findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study of Amsterdam--a test of paired-associate learning (Glr-MA) was the best predictor of Alzheimer's (two years later).

Quote to note: Paradoxes

"Two paradoxes are better than one; they may even suggest a solution." - Edward Teller

Superior and Gf - Parietal lobe importance?

More from the Eide Neurolearning blog---this time a report on the role of the parietal lobe in superior Gf performance

Central auditory processing disorders (Ga)-ASHA

ASHA has produced a "consensus report" on central auditory processing disorders (Ga). The link can be found over at the Eide Neurolearning blog (thanks).

University/academic blog source - The Main Quad

As seen on Instapundit.com - a new blog dediced to keeping track of academic/university (student and faculty) blogs - The Main Quad.

Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) listserv

For readers of this blog who would like to participate in a discussion listserv devoted primarily to CHC theory and assessment issues, and who have not yet joined, I would suggest you take a stroll over to the IAP CHC listserv page and join. The current membership is n=756.

It would be great to achieve a membership of 1000+ by the end of the year.

CHC abilities and mild traumatic brain injury: Meta-analysis

I just read the following new meta-analysis of the mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) neuropsychological literature since 1995. The meta-analysis synthesized 17 research studies.

Frencham, K., Fox, A. & Maybery, M. (2005). Neuropsychological studies of mild traumatic brain injury: A meta-analytic review of research since 1995. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 27, 334-351.

Given my CHC orientation, I took the liberty of converting the neuropsychological domains reported in the manuscript into CHC terminology. Below are the major highlights from the study (CHC factor notation is inserted by me).

• "...we found that there was a small positive effect of mTBI on neuropsychological performance across all stages post-injury"

• "...our study shows that measure of speed of processing (Gs), working memory and attention (Gsm), memory (Glr), and executive function (Gf?/Glr?) may be the most sensitive to dysfunction in individuals after mTBI, with memory (Glr) being particularly affected in the acute phase, and showing resolution with time since injury"

• "In line with Binder et al.'s findings, we also noted a significant effect in the area of working memory/attention (Gsm) and speed of processing (Gs), domains combined under their attention and concentration label (cognitive efficiency)"

• "...the effect of mTBI attenuated over time...the main part of recovery after mTBI occurs within the first thre months, with any subsequent changes in performance being of limited statistical and clinical significance"

• "...memory (Glr) was the only neuropsychological domain that was associated with time since injury"

It is interesting to note the finding, which I've seen repeatedly in other studies and which I have seen in clinical samples of subjects who have taken the WJ-R and WJ III, that the CHC domains of Gs and Gsm (working memory in particular) [which is often referred to as "cognitive efficiency"] are sensitive indicators to disruption of cognitive functioning due to various types of clinical disorders.

I also find it interesting that measures of verbal comprehension (Gc) and perceptual organization (Gv) where not consistently associated with mTBI.

Intelligence and the internet

Is the internet changing the nature of intelligence? Popular press readings available at C/NET New.com.

Brain function and executive function/planning ability

Over at the Eide Neurolearning Blog research results have been posted that focus on different regeions of the brain involved in executive function/planning tasks.

Blogs, politics and the FEC

Although this is not a political blog, there is no question that the "tipping point" regarding the presence and importance of blogs came during the last presedential election. If you are a political blog junkie, you might be interested in a post over at Bloglines dealing with some FEC hearings.

More on memory (Gsm, Glr) from APA Monitor

The most recent APA Monitor features articles on research and training of memory abilities. (Thanks Myomancy).

Video games, Gv and surgery?

Can playing video games increase Gv abilities? See the following interesting post at the Eide Neurolearning Blog: Video Gamers & Visual Spatial Expertise - Hands of a Surgeon?

Off task: Handbook for bloggers and cyberdissidents

For those serious about making a significant political impact via blogging. Thanks Instapundit.com

• The Handbook for Bloggers and Cyberdissidents is now out
  

Gv-MV - "what/where" brain locations of MV?

A recent post over on the Brain blog presented some interesting research regarding possible differences in brain localization of Gv-MV (visual memory) as a funciton of the "what" and "where" of images.

Woodock-Munoz Foundation Web Page

FYI. Individuals interested in clinical assessment research and a revitalization of the Human Cognitive Abilities (HCA) Project should check out the new Woodcock-Munoz Foundation web page.

Searching the worlds library via Google?

FYI. Google has embarked on a project to make large portions of major libraries available for on-line searching. Legal copyright issues are being raised. The outcome could be very important for those of us who are becoming increasingly dependendnet on the internet as our library. Stay tunned.

Vizual (Gv)Thinking Blog

FYI - I've just spun off another blog called "Vizual Thinking"

What is this new blog all about? Why does a quantoid psychologist with a scholarly-oriented intelligence testing blog start a more personal blog devoted to creative visual images?

Many of my colleagues often refer to me as Dr. Gv, where Gv refers to visual-spatial processing/thinking as per the Cattell-Horn Carroll Theory of Cognitive Abilities.

Why? Because whenever I'm asked a theoretical or statistical question, I typically create visual diagrams and images to explain difficult concepts. Also, I've been known to spend considerable time creating and tweaking images/graphics on my professonal PowerPoint presentation slides. I've been a heavy Gv thinker as long as I can remember.

Couple this with a renewed interest in creative amateur photography...and yep...Dr. Gv needs a place to post his Gv/photographic vizualizations, images, and fascination with visual patterns.

I hope someone enjoys these visual images.

More different opinions on the "Mozart effect"

On Cognitive Dailey --- More on Mozart Effect

NIMH ADHD Multimodel Treatment study - FAQ

FYI (thanks to Mymomancy). NIMH has posted FAQ regarding Multimodel Treatment of ADHD.

• NIMH Research on Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Multimodal Treatment Study—Questions and Answers

Sounds of typing give messages away

I ran across an interesting article that has nothing to do with the content/purpose of this blog.

Scientific American reports (Sounds of typing give messages away) that a team of researchers used statistical learning theory and computers to decode what is typed on keyboards based only on the analysis of the keyboard clicking sounds. Interesting cocktail trivia.

ADHD and working memory training

Can working memory training help students with ADHD? Recently a report was published in Scientific American that suggests this might be a treatment for some kinds. Just an FYI.

Neuropsychologist Brain Blog - again

I previously mentioned a neuropsych Brain Blog, but somehow forgot to incude it in my routine blog watch. I've now added the Brain Blog to my blog roll and will also monitor the posts on a regular basis.

As an example, the Brain Blog recently summarized an interesting article on the assessment of exectutive functioning in preschoolers.

I'll alert readers of "Intelligent Insights on Intelligence" of interesting Brain Blog posts as I view them.

Attention and intelligence/IQ - "In press" Intelligence article

The following article is "in press" in the journal Intelligence and provides some interesting insights into the structure of the construct of attention and the relations between attention constructs and general intelligence.

The article introduction provides a nice scheme for organizing the different attentional constructs that have emerged from different research traditions. I have included the relevant excerpts below the abstract.

The best fitting model, which suggested that attention may be a higher-order construct that subsumes two lower-order attentional constructs, is displayed in the figure above.

One usual caveat...this study was conducted with high school and college students...generalizability to younger populations is not known.

Schweizer, K., Moosbrugger, H. & Goldhammer, F. (in press). The structure of the relationship between attention and intelligence, Intelligence.

Abstract

• The relationship between attention and general intelligence was investigated considering the different types of attention: alertness, sustained attention, focused attention, attentional switching, divided attention, attention according to the supervisory attentional system, attention as inhibition, spatial attention, attention as planning, interference, attention as arousal, and attention according to the assessment tradition. In a sample of 197 participants the relationship of attention and intelligence was investigated by means of structural equation modeling. The results revealed that each type of attention was substantially related to intelligence on the latent level. Furthermore, a high degree of overlap in predicting intelligence was observed for the various types of attention. Comprehensive models based on resources theory and Posner’s dimensions were also investigated. The best model of the relationship between attention and intelligence included two first-order and one second-order latent variables of attention and one of intelligence. It predicted 32% of the variance of intelligence.

Select excerpts from the article:

Sources of research on attention:

• Perceptual attention effects research. In this field the following types of attention are considered: alertness, sustained attention which is assumed to include vigilance, focused attention, spatial and selective attention/attentional switching and divided attention (Coull, 1998; Sturm & Zimmermann, 2000; Zomeren & Brouwer, 1994). For ease in communication, spatial and selective attention/attentional switching is addressed as attentional switching.

• Working memory and attention research: The research concerning working memory provides another source since the central executive of working memory is associated with a supervisory attentional system (Baddeley, 1986). This system is necessary in order to guarantee appropriate behavior in situations that are demanding since they do not enable the rapid execution of automatic processes. The corresponding type is denoted supervisory attention.

• Information processing attention research. Another source is given by a scheme that includes several types of attention referring to all the sections of information processing (Neumann, 1992, 1996). It includes inhibition of action, spatial attention, planning of action, skill-based interference and arousal as types.

• Assessment tradition research: Finally, there is the assessment tradition as source. It includes various measures, which represent this ability and are applied in professional psychology for selection purposes, especially in traffic psychology.
  

Each one of these types is based on empirical evidence and, consequently, can claim a limited degree of validity. Although the overlap of attention types of different sources is rather likely, it is not obvious.

The best fitting model is summarized in the partial figure above (figure only displays the structural or latent factor relations). In terms of the attention construct, it suggests two general categories of attention. One represents the perceptual aspects of attention while the other represents characteristics of attention involved in higher-level cognitive/information processing (including working memory). Interested readers are encouraged to track down this manuscript when it is published for additional details.

Google blog search

I've been a long time fan of the Technorati site for searching blogs. Recently I became aware that Google now provides a blog search engine. I'm going to use both.

What is a blog search? From the folks at Google Blog search:

• Blog Search is Google search technology focused on blogs. Google is a strong believer in the self-publishing phenomenon represented by blogging, and we hope Blog Search will help our users to explore the blogging universe more effectively, and perhaps inspire many to join the revolution themselves. Whether you're looking for Harry Potter reviews, political commentary, summer salad recipes or anything else, Blog Search enables you to find out what people are saying on any subject of your choice.

• Your results include all blogs, not just those published through Blogger; our blog index is continually updated, so you'll always get the most accurate and up-to-date results; and you can search not just for blogs written in English, but in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages as well.

Myomancy blog plug re: genetics and abilities

The Myomancy blog picked up on one of my recent article FYI posts re: genetics and abilities/disabilities. Additional links are provided at that site. Thanks to Myomancy for the plug.

Aptitude test-retest scores and g

Another interesting "in press"Intelligence article, this one addressing the relation between aptitude test-retest scores and general intelligence (g). I believe the abstract and subsquent excerpts are self explanatory.

As blog readers digest the implications of this article, I can't help but think of common misconceptions some assessment professionals hold regarding the interpetation of test-retest reliability statistics. Reflect on the following quote (from the WJ-R technical manual - the McArdle and Woodcock discussion of the SEM-based test-retest study reported in that manual) when digesting the gist of this article.

• "A test does not change from one time to another; people do. There may be considerable change on some traits, but relatively little on others. Test-retest studies evaluate the tendency for change in people, not some aspect of test quality. A test that does not reflect such changes in human traits would be an insenstive measure of those traits. For example, an adult person's height is a very stable characteristic and the repeated measurement of a person's height will produce almost identical results. On the other other, an individual's weight is much more likely to fluctuate and the reason for weighing oneself daily or weekly is to track these changes. The bathroom scale is not condemned as unreliable because it reports different weights for the same individual on different occassions (it is condemned fo being too accurate!). The important point derived from the height and weight example is that, given good reliable measurements at different times, we should expect little or no change in some traits while expecting much fluctuation in others" (McGrew, Werder & Woodcock, 1991, p. 99)

Coyle, T. (in press). Test–retest changes on scholastic aptitude tests are not related to g. Intelligence.

Abstract

• This research examined the relation between test–retest changes on scholastic aptitude tests and g-loaded cognitive measures (viz., college grade-point average, Wonderlic Personnel Test, and word recall). University students who had twice taken a scholastic aptitude test (viz., Scholastic Assessment Test or American College Testing Program Assessment) during high school were recruited. The aptitude test raw scores and change scores were correlated with the g-loaded cognitive measures in two studies. The aptitude test change scores (which were mostly gains) were not significantly related to the cognitive measures, whereas the aptitude test raw scores were significantly related to those measures. Principal components analysis indicated that the aptitude test change scores had the lowest loading on the g factor, whereas the aptitude test raw scores and the cognitive measures had relatively high loadings on the g factor. These findings support the position that test–retest changes on scholastic aptitude tests do not represent changes in g. Further research is needed to determine the non-g variance components that contributed to the observed test–retest changes.

Select excerpts from the discussion

• What might have caused the observed test–retest changes, which were mostly gains? Some possibilities include practice effects, which refer to test–retest increases after repeated exposure to the test items; coaching effects, which refer to test–retest increases after being taught test-specific strategies; and regression effects, which refer to test–retest increases (or decreases) after an unusually low (or high) test score on the first testing attempt. Test–retest changes due to these effects are generally not g loaded (see Jensen, 1998, pp. 314–344). In particular, practice and coaching effects are typically welded to a specific cognitive test and do not transfer beyond that test. Similarly, regression effects are typically an anomaly of recruiting participants who have unusually low (or high) test scores on the first testing attempt. Whatever the causes of test–retest changes, spontaneous or random fluctuations in test scores could not explain the test–retest changes observed in the present study. If th observed test–retest changes had been random, then the distribution (and magnitude) of gains and losses in test scores should have been equivalent or nearly so. But this was not the case: More participants showed gains than losses, and the average gain score was larger in (absolute) magnitude than the average loss score.

• The findings of the current research are consistent with prior research indicating that test–retest changes on cognitive tests are not related to g (Jensen, 1998, pp. 314–344). In particular, the aptitude test change scores did not predict the g-loaded cognitive measures and did not load highly on the g factor. In contrast, the aptitude test raw scores did (significantly) predict the cognitive measures and did load highly on the g factor. Together, these findings support the position that test–retest changes on scholastic aptitude tests (viz., SAT and ACT) do not represent changes in g. Further research is needed to determine the non-g variance components that contributed to the observed test–retest changes.

Working memory (Gsm-MW) and g - another study

There is no shortage of contemporary research that has reported a strong relation between working memory (Gsm-MW) and g or Gf. Colom et al (in press) have added yet another article ("in press" in Intelligence) that continues to support this strong association. The article and abstract is below.

The above figure (which is from the manuscript) is hard to read...I know. The important point to glean from the crude figure is the fact that in this study Colom et al. specified direct paths from both the latent short-term or memory span (STM) and working memory (WM) factors to g.

An alternative conceptualization, which I (based on the work of others) have presented elsewhere, hypothesizes that memory span (and Gs) have direct effects on working memory, which in turn, has a strong direct path on g. In the models I have presented, the effect of memory span (and Gs) are largely indirect (mediated via working memory). In addition, models that extend this work to the investigation of subsequent direct and indirect effects of memory span (Gsm-MS), Gs, and g on academic achievement have been presented.


Colom, R., Francisco J., Rebollo, P (in press). Memory span and general intelligence: A latent-variable approach. Intelligence

Abstract

• There are several studies showing that working memory and intelligence are strongly related. However, working memory tasks require simultaneous processing and storage, so the causes of their relationship with intelligence are currently a matter of discussion. The present study examined the simultaneous relationships among short-term memory (STM), working memory (WM), and general intelligence (g). Two hundred and eight participants performed six verbal, quantitative, and spatial STM tasks, six verbal, quantitative, and spatial WM tasks, and eight tests measuring fluid, crystallized, spatial, and quantitative intelligence. Especial care is taken to avoid misrepresenting the relations among the constructs being studied because of specific task variance. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results revealed that (a) WM and g are (almost) isomorphic constructs, (b) the isomorphism vanishes when the storage component of WM is partialed out, and (c) STM and WM (with its storage component partialed out) predict g.

Genetics and mathematics (Gq) - Intelligence "in press" article

"In press" articles for the next issue of Intelligence have again been posted. I will try to post FYI posts as I skim the articles.

The following article presents interesting data regarding the "generalist genes" hypothesis of human cognitive abilities/disabilities.

Kovas, Y., Harlaar, N., Petrill, S. A., & Plomin, R. (2005). 'Generalist genes' and mathematics in 7-year-old twins. Intelligence, 33(5), 473-489.

Abstract

• Mathematics performance at 7 years as assessed by teachers using UK national curriculum criteria has been found to be highly heritable. For almost 3000 pairs of 7-year-old same-sex twins, we used multivariate genetic analysis to investigate the extent to which these genetic effects on mathematics performance overlap with genetic effects on reading and general intelligence (g) as predicted by the 'generalist genes' hypothesis. We found substantial genetic overlap between mathematics and reading (genetic correlation = 0.74) and between mathematics and g (0.67). These findings support the 'generalist genes' hypothesis that most of the genes that contribute to individual differences in mathematics are the same genes that affect reading and g. Nonetheless, the genetic correlations are less than unity and about a third of the genetic variance on mathematics is independent of reading and g, suggesting that there are also some genes whose effects are specific to mathematics..

As stated in the article:

• A “generalist genes” theory of learning abilities and disabilities has recently been proposed which predicts that most genetic effects for scholastic achievement and cognitive abilities are general rather than specific (Plomin & Kovas, in press). That is, the genes that affect one area of learning, such as mathematics performance, are largely the same genes that affect other abilities, although there are some genetic effects that are specific to each ability.

Over at the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring (NCSPM), they have just posted "Some FAQ on curriculum based assessment in math." This is the national center on continuous/direct student monitoring.

ADHD med usage in US states

The Myomancy blog recently posted an interesting election-type (blue and red states) map of ADHD med usage in the United States, based on a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Interesting. A picture is worth........

Reading and brain function

As seen on the Eide Neurolearning blog

• The different ways we read: Implications for Dyslexia

Task switching ability and multitasking

Over on the Eide Nerurolearning blog.....some interesting information on task switching ability and multi-tasking. I've been seeing more and more empirical articles on task swithcing ability and hope to read a few and share the results sometime soon.

Brain is work-in-progress

FYI

From Scientific American - Genetic Analysis Suggests Human Brain is Work-in-Progress

What's wrong with science reporting

The following interesting post was on Instapundit.com today.

• WHAT'S WRONG WITH SCIENCE REPORTING, from The Guardian. Rather a lot, really. "Science is done by scientists, who write it up. Then a press release is written by a non-scientist, who runs it by their non-scientist boss, who then sends it to journalists without a science education who try to convey difficult new ideas to an audience of either lay people, or more likely - since they'll be the ones interested in reading the stuff - people who know their way around a t-test a lot better than any of these intermediaries. Finally, it's edited by a whole team of people who don't understand it."
• In other words, it's like the rest of the news . . . .

Lawyers and learning in moderation

Can we learn anything from the learning ability of future lawyers? EASYYYYYYY…..No lawyer jokes allowed.

The following article confirms what most folks consider intuitive. Complex learning is easiest when broken down into an optimal set of learning steps. That is--learning requires moderation (too many or too few steps are not good). Most good teachers know this.

Food for thought: How does one identify the number of "optimal" steps for complex learning? Does the number of optimal steps vary as a function of individual differences in CHC abilities? Does this simply confirm the classic g-ATI---that g is the primary replicated ability that interacts with instruction? Given the reported link between working memory (Gsm-MS) and g/Gf, is the primary cognitive variable “at play in complex learning the amount of information that can be juggled concurrently in working memory? I have more questions and arm-chair hypotheses than answers.


Nadolski, R., Kirschner, P. & Merrienboer, J. (2005). Optimizing the number of steps in learning tasks for complex skills. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 223–237

Select statements from the article:

• The aim of the study is to investigate the relation between the number of steps provided to learners and the quality of their learning of complex skills. It is hypothesized that students receiving an optimized number of steps will learn better than those receiving either the whole task in only one step or those receiving a large number of steps.
• Participants were 35 sophomore law students studying at Dutch universities, mean age ¼ 22.8 years (SD ¼ 3:5), 63% were female.
• Participants exposed to an intermediate (i.e. optimized) number of steps outperformed all others on the compulsory learning task. Too many steps made the learning task less coherent; though time on task was increased, no concomitant increase in learning was observed. Although as efficient as the optimal condition with respect to amount learnt per unit time, too few steps led to a lower performance on the learning task.
• There is clear empirical evidence for the value of optimization the number of steps in learning tasks. Too many steps lead to lower performance and, thus, do not justify the extra, but apparently unnecessary, costs of developing such instructional materials. In other words, development costs can be reduced since less instructional material is needed. Too few steps lead to lower performance.

Tangled bank - Vanity science blog posts

FYI...New blog I just ran across. The Tangled Bank is a site for those interested in keeping up with someone's (admittingly biased - vanity press) take on important new science-related posts in the blogsphere. No endorsements...just FYI.

Here is a description from the blog.

• Welcome to the Tangled Bank, a version of the "Carnival of the Vanities" for science bloggers. A Carnival is a weekly showcase of good weblog writing, selected by the authors themselves (that's the vanity part). Every other week, one of our crew will highlight a collection of interesting weblog articles in one convenient place, making it easy for everyone to find the good stuff.Two things will distinguish us from the original "Carnival of the Vanities": 1) we are specifically restricting ourselves to articles in the field of science and medicine, very broadly defined, and 2) we've got a different name. Our weekly compendium of great science weblog articles will be called the Tangled Bank, after Charles Darwin's famous metaphor.

Quote to note - Experts

P. J. Plauger

"My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what's really going on to be scare"

Mozart and Gv?

FYI. The Cognitive Dailey blog has recently posted comments on the "Mozart effect." Below is the first paragraph. Go to this blog if you want more information.

• How do we reconcile the variety of results that have been found with respect to the Mozart effect — the idea that the music of Mozart can lead to improved performance on spatial ability tests? With some researchers appearing to have found no effect at all, and others claiming dramatic effects, who are we to believe? In just the research we’ve reviewed here at Cognitive Daily, we’ve got Ivanov and Geake reporting a pronounced effect for both Mozart and Bach, Jackson and Tlauka arguing that there’s no Mozart effect for route learning, and McKelvie and Low declaring “final curtains for the Mozart effect.”

IQ "stealth conensus" - g, race, gender and genetics

FYI. I just discovered a recent post on the Gene Expression blog that discusses the IQ/g/genetics "stealth consensus."

Given the recent flurry of activity in IQ/g/race/gender research and commentary, readers may want to become familiar with some of these discussions.

As per usual, I make no endorsement of any of the positions of researchers (pro/cons) regarding to the touchy issue of genetics, race, gender, and intelligence. I am at the novice level in this domain of psychological knowledge.