Metacognition for dummies

In my current reading (link) I came across some very understandable text re: the construct of metacognition. Maybe others will find these explanations useful in your research, writing, talking to parents, etc.

• "Metacognition (literally "thinking about thinking") is commonly used to refer to the selection and monitoring processes, as well as to more general activities reflecting on and directing one's own thinking" (p. 78)
• "Metacognition depends on two things: knowing one's mental capabilities and being able to step back from problem solving activities to evaluate one's progress" (p.78 --- this is the quote I particularly liked)
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, cognition, neuropsychology, neuroscience, brain, metacognition, thinking, education

powered by performancing firefox

There is no g-spot. Not to be confused with G-spot or g

Ok.....I guess I need to jump on the blogsphere bandwagon re: the recent study that failed to locate a specific brain location for mystical/spirtual states (connections with god) in nuns. The story has been popping up in many of the blog's I monitior. Bottom line, fMRI research of nuns in mystical/spiritual states showed that many areas of the brain are activited....there was no single "god spot." This lack of a g-spot is not to be confused with other prominent g constructs (G-spot; general intelligence or g) :) .

My contribution to the blogsphere is to provide a link to the article for those who want to better understand the actual study.


Technorati Tags: psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neurology, brain, fMRI, g, general intelligence, g-spot, G-spot, god, nuns, spiritual, mystical

powered by performancing firefox

Today's random tidbits from mind and brain blogsphere 8-30-06

• Eide Neurolearning Blog hypothesizes about the positive effect of blogging on cognition and the brain
• Science Daily on use of fMRI to map the brain prior to brain surgery for brain tumors

Technorati Tags: psychology, cognition, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neurology, fMRI, brain tumors, neurosurgery, blogging, blog, learning, education, educational psychology

powered by performancing firefox

Adapted Xbox video game as stroke rehab tool?

Interesting article about the modification of the highly popular Microsoft Xbox video game to serve as a virtual reality treatment for stroke rehabilitation.

Technorati Tags: psychology, Xbox, Microsoft, neuropsychology, neuroscience, stroke, rehabilitation, virtual reality, brain injury

powered by performancing firefox

Assessment of reading comprehension - special journal issue

The current issue of Scientific Studies of Reading is a special issue devoted to the assessment of reading comprehension. The table of contents and abstracts can be viewed by clicking here.

Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, reading, achievement, reading comprehension, Grw, measurement, Scientific Studies of Reading

powered by performancing firefox

Educational assessment - Knowing What Students Know

Today I started reading the book "Knowing What Students Know", which was produced by the Committee on the Foundations of Assessment under the charge of the National Research Council. I want (need) to expand my horizons regarding emerging conceputalizations of educational assessment, especially those grounded in recent developments in cognitive science and psychometrics. I'm only a few chapters into the book, but the applied psychometrician in me resonated to one passage in particular. I pass it along for your consumption, reflection, etc.

• "Educators assess students to learn about what they know and can do, but assessments do not offer a direct pipeline into a student's mind. Assessing educational outcomes is not as straightforward as measuring height or weight; the attributes to be measured are mental representations and processes that are not outwardly visible. One must therefore draw inferences about what students know and can do on the basis of what one sees them say, do, or make in a handful of particular situations. What a student knows and what one observes a student doing are not the same thing. The two can be connected only through a chain of inference, which involves reasoning from what one knows and observes to form explanations, conclusions, or predictions, as discussed in the following section. Assessment users always reason in the presence of uncertainty; as a result, the information produced by an assessment is typically incomplete, inconclusive, and amenable to more than one explanation" (p. 42)
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, neuropsychology, achievement, NCLB, large-scale assessment, psychometrics, cognition, cognitive science, measurement

powered by performancing firefox

Tech tidbit - online speed reading software

I don't know if the use of this application will result in long-term changes in your speed of reading, but it is a neat little software application to play with. Thanks to the Download Squad for the tip regarding the Spreeder program.

Technorati Tags: software, psychology, education, educational psychology, reading, reading speed, reading fluency, speed reading, Spreeder

powered by performancing firefox

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder): Clinical Psychology Review special articles

In reviewing this weeks "recent literature of interest" I noticed that the journal Clinical Psychology Review had recently published a special issue on ADHD. In addition, I noticed another issue of CPR that included an interesting ADHD/MR article, as well as an article "in press" dealing with ADHD and interventions. Below are the titles of the articles and abstracts. I've included a link to a copy of the pdf file for the editorial introduction to the special issue.


CPR Special Issue

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from a neurosciences and behavioral approach: An introduction. EDITORIAL. Clinical Psychology Review (2006), 26 Pages 377-378. Julie B. Schweitzer (link)

1. Behavioral models of impulsivity in relation to ADHD: Translation between clinical and preclinical studies • Pages 379-395. Catharine A. Winstanley, Dawn M. Eagle and Trevor W. Robbins

• Impulsivity, broadly defined as action without foresight, is a component of numerous psychiatric illnesses including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mania and substance abuse. In order to investigate the mechanisms underpinning impulsive behavior, the nature of impulsivity itself needs to be defined in operational terms that can be used as the basis for empirical investigation. Due to the range of behaviors that the term impulsivity describes, it has been suggested that impulsivity is not a unitary construct, but encompasses a variety of related phenomena that may differ in their biological basis. Through fractionating impulsivity into these component parts, it has proved possible to devise different behavioral paradigms to measure various aspects of impulsivity in both humans and laboratory animals. This review describes and evaluates some of the current behavioral models of impulsivity developed for use with rodents based on human neuropsychological tests, focusing on the five-choice serial reaction time task, the stop-signal reaction time task and delay-discounting paradigms. Furthermore, the contributions made by preclinical studies using such methodology to improve our understanding of the neural and neurochemical basis of impulsivity and ADHD are discussed, with particular reference to the involvement of both the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems, and frontostriatal circuitry.

2. The genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pages 396-432. Irwin D. Waldman and Ian R. Gizer

• Over the past 15 years, considerable progress has been made in understanding the etiology of childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), largely due to the publication of numerous twin studies which are consistent in suggesting substantial genetic influences (i.e., heritabilities ranging from 60% to 90%), non-shared environmental influences that are small-to-moderate in magnitude (i.e., ranging from 10% to 40%), and little-to-no shared environmental influences. Following from these quantitative genetic findings, numerous molecular genetic studies of association and linkage between ADHD and a variety of candidate genes have been conducted during the past 10 years. The majority of the candidate genes studied underlie various facets of the dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin neurotransmitter systems, although the etiological role of candidate genes outside of neurotransmitter systems (e.g., involved in various aspects of brain and nervous system development) have also been examined. In this paper, we review recent findings from candidate gene studies of childhood ADHD and highlight those candidate genes for which associations are most replicable and which thus appear most promising. We conclude with a consideration of some of the emerging themes that will be important in future studies of the genetics of ADHD.

3. Brain development and ADHD. Pages 433-444. Amy L. Krain and F. Xavier Castellanos

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by excessive inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, either alone or in combination. Neuropsychological findings suggest that these behaviors result from underlying deficits in response inhibition, delay aversion, and executive functioning which, in turn, are presumed to be linked to dysfunction of frontal–striatal–cerebellar circuits. Over the past decade, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to examine anatomic differences in these regions between ADHD and control children. In addition to quantifying differences in total cerebral volume, specific areas of interest have been prefrontal regions, basal ganglia, the corpus callosum, and cerebellum. Differences in gray and white matter have also been examined. The ultimate goal of this research is to determine the underlying neurophysiology of ADHD and how specific phenotypes may be related to alterations in brain structure.

4. Is there evidence for neural compensation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? A review of the functional neuroimaging literature. Pages 445-465. Catherine Fassbender and Julie B. Schweitzer

• This article reviews evidence for the presence of a compensatory, alternative, neural system and its possible link to associated processing strategies in children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The article presents findings on a region by region basis that suggests ADHD should be characterized not only by neural hypo-activity, as it is commonly thought but neural hyperactivity as well, in regions of the brain that may relate to compensatory brain and behavioral functioning. In this context studies from the functional neuroimaging literature are reviewed. We hypothesize that impaired prefrontal (PFC) and anterior cingulate (ACC) cortex function in ADHD reduces the ability to optimally recruit subsidiary brain regions and strategies to perform cognitive tasks. The authors conclude that healthy individuals can recruit brain regions using visual, spatial or verbal rehearsal for tasks as needed. In contrast, individuals with ADHD may be less able to engage higher order executive systems to flexibly recruit brain regions to match given task demands. This may result in greater reliance on neuroanatomy that is associated with visual, spatial, and motoric processing rather than verbal strategies. The authors speculate that this impaired flexibility in recruiting brain regions and associated strategies limits adaptation to new cognitive demands as they present and may require more effortful processing.

5. Neuropsychological functioning in people with ADHD across the lifespan. Pages 466-485. Larry J. Seidman

• ADHD is defined by behavioral characteristics similar to neuropsychological disorders of executive dysfunction. This paper is a literature review of the neurocognitive characteristics of ADHD from early childhood through adulthood. The author addresses the development of the concept of attention and executive function (EF) deficits in ADHD, clinical neuropsychological studies of pre-teenage children, teenagers and adults with ADHD, gender and the role of psychiatric co-morbidity including the relationship of learning disabilities to ADHD, heterogeneity of neuropsychological dysfunctions, experimental neuropsychological studies, the relationship of brain structure to function, psychopharmacology of ADHD, and clinical neuropsychological assessment. The group data clearly supports the hypothesis that executive dysfunctions are correlates of ADHD regardless of gender and age, and these EF deficits are exacerbated by co-morbidity with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. However, there is limited data on children under the age of 5, teenagers from age 13–18, and adults with ADHD over the age of 40. Studies of individual classification of people with ADHD compared to healthy, non-psychiatric controls do not support the use of neuropsychological tests for the clinical diagnosis of ADHD, and indicate that not all persons with ADHD have EF deficits. Some persons with ADHD may have deficits in brain reward systems that are relatively independent of EF impairments. Future research should clarify the multiple sources of ADHD impairments, continue to refine neuropsychological tools optimized for assessment, and incorporate longitudinal, developmental designs to understand ADHD across the lifespan.

6. Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Pages 486-502. Andrea M. Chronis, Heather A. Jones and Veronica L. Raggi

• Despite the vast literature supporting the efficacy of stimulant medication in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), several limitations of pharmacological treatments highlight the clear need for effective psychosocial treatments to be identified. A large evidence base exists for behavioral interventions, including parent training and school interventions, which has resulted in their classification as “empirically validated treatments.” Additionally, social skills training with generalization components, intensive summer treatment programs, and educational interventions appear promising in the treatment of ADHD. Given the chronic impairment children with ADHD experience across multiple domains of functioning, multimodal treatments are typically necessary to normalize the behavior of these children. The state of the ADHD treatment literature is reviewed, important gaps are identified (e.g., treatment for adolescents), and directions for future research are outlined within a developmental psychopathology framework.

Two other CPR ADHD-related articles

Is ADHD a valid disorder in children with intellectual delays? Kevin M. Antshel, Margaret H. Phillips, Michael Gordon, Russell Barkley, Stephen V. Faraone. Clinical Psychology Review 26 (2006) 555–572

• To assess the validity of ADHD in children with mental retardation, we applied Robins and Guze's [Robins, E., and Guze, S.B.(1970). Establishment of diagnostic validity in psychiatric illness: Its application to schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 983–987.] criteria for determining the validity of a psychiatric disorder. We review the literature describing clinical correlates, family history, treatment response, laboratory studies, course, and outcome of children with ADHD and mental retardation. Although clearly an area in need of further research, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that ADHD is a valid psychiatric condition in children with mental retardation. Nevertheless, without knowing the base rates of ADHD symptoms in the mental retardation population, the positive predictive power and negative predictive power of ADHD symptoms in this population remain an open question. In addition to assessment of base rate symptoms, future research should consider what diagnostic algorithm may best be applied to the diagnosis of ADHD in mental retardation.

Social incompetence in children with ADHD: Possible moderators and mediators in social-skills training Gerly M. de Boo, Pier J.M. Prins. Clinical Psychology Review (2006, in press)

• Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often encounter problems in social interactions with peers and are confronted with peer rejection and social isolation. The most common approach to social problems in children is social skills training. This intervention concept represents a variable mixture of cognitive-behavioral intervention elements. In this article the outcome of social skills training (SST) for children with ADHD is reviewed. Four experimental SSTs are detected and analyzed for potential mediators and moderators of treatment efficacy. Candidate mediators (social cognitive skills, parenting style and medication-induced reduction of key symptoms) are discussed within an empirical and theoretical context. Candidate moderators (subtype, comorbidity, gender and age) are evaluated for their empirical support. It is argued that, although fragmented, there is ample evidence and knowledge to adapt the SST-paradigm towards the specific needs of children suffering from ADHD and to guide future research towards more effective, “well established” interventions.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, neurology, clinical psychology, ADHD, attention deficity, hyperactivity, executive functioning, fMRI, cognition, school psychology, mental retardation, impulsivity, genetics

powered by performancing firefox

Review of Horn and Blankson human cognitive ability chapter - Guest review by John Garruto

The following is a guest post by John Garruto, school psychologist with the Oswego School District and member of the IQs Corner Virtual Community of Scholars. John reviewed the following book chapter and has provided his comments below. [Blog dictator note - John's review is presented "as is" with only a few minor copy edits and the insertion of some URL links]

Horn, J.L. & Blankson, N.. (2006). Foundations for Better Understanding of Cognitive Abilities. In D.P. Flanagan & P.L. Harrison (Eds.), Contemporary Intellectual Assessment: Theories, tests, and issues-2nd Edition (pp. 41-76). New York: Guilford Press.

I learned yesterday that John Horn of CHC theory had passed away. I was saddened by this news, given his significant and influential work related to cognitive theory and assessment. I was looking forward to the opportunity of possibly meeting him at NASP this year and regret that will not come to pass. One way I thought I could pay tribute is to review a few highlights of his contribution to the second edition of Contemporary Intellectual Assessment. There are lots of articles that I’m looking forward to commenting on, but if anyone reads this overview and decides to purchase the book or change their practice in some way for a student, then the post is worthwhile.

• Gf/Gc theory is wrong…this is how the text begins. Horn & Blankson do an excellent job in reminding us that when it comes to cognition, there are variables that we cannot control for and therefore can never engender a true experimental study. We can only look at analyses and associations and make hypotheses and predictions. There can be a tremendous temptation to assert ourselves based on our knowledge and the existing research. Although Horn & Blankson contend Gf/Gc is probably the best of what we have right now, researchers will continue to refine and improve the theoretical framework. I am reminded of the additional abilities that Kevin McGrew described in the chapter on CHC Theory-Past, Present, and Future (in the same volume) and the evolutions of the CHC taxonomy. We must remember to view what we do not dogmatically, but with the notion that with future learning, our goal is to minimize as much of our own error as possible.
• Many of us in our intro psychology books learned about Gf/Gc, specifically that Gf declines with age, but Gc does not. Some great tenets never change. Horn & Blankson expanded on this, focusing on studies that revealed that crystallized intelligence (Gc) and Tertiary Storage and Retrieval (TSR-now known as Glr-Long Term Storage and Retrieval in contemporary CHC theory) only maintain or improve with age. Three other factors (Fluid Reasoning (Gf), Short-Term Memory (SAR-now known as Gsm in contemporary theory) and processing speed (Gs) have been shown to decline with age.
• In addition to the above, Horn & Blankson lump the abilities into three distinct areas: Vulnerable abilities (Gf, SAR, and GS), Expertise Abilities ((Gc, TSR, and Gq), and Sensory-Perceptual Abilities (Gv and Ga).
• To g or not to g: Those who are familiar with CHC theory are likely also familiar with the spirited debate between Carroll’s notion of “g” exists, to Horn’s notion of “g does not exist” (link). Horn & Blankson continue to provide an argument of the nonexistence of ‘g’. They argue thaqt although intercorrelations and commonalities are present between the broad factors Spearman meant the broad abilities to contribute uniquely to ‘g’, without shared variance. Although this has been examined, it has not been able to be established.
• Horn & Blankson also noted that if there was to be such a thing a ‘g’, the closest ability to it is Gf (or fluid reasoning). To quote: “The common factor that was separate from other factors at the second order and identical with a factor identified at the third order in Gustafsson’s (1984) study was interpreted as Gf. This factor corresponds most closely to the construct Spearman described (p. 53).
• Gs, Gf &Gsm-MW, and expertise: Horn & Blankson describe a compelling new way to look at Gs. Although they note that Gs declines with age, measures of responding “as slowly as possible” seem to correlate well with Gs. In other words, people who have trouble performing quickly also have trouble performing deliberately very slowly. The common variable is the amount of attention required to do both. Interestingly, the ability to deliberately be slow also declines with age. Can it be that Gs instead might be related to executive functioning? It’s an intriguing prospect.
• There have been some excellent discussions on the interrelationship of working memory with fluid reasoning (link). Although some might not see working memory as an ability that takes a great deal of intelligence and knowledge, on working memory tasks one must be able to process simultaneous information in order to solve various types of complicated puzzles-particularly those with multiple levels. Horn & Blankson discuss that working memory seems to be much more negatively impacted by age than memory span AND Gf also declines with age--the interrelationship is noteworthy.
• Probably one of the most important notions that Horn & Blankson discuss is that of expertise. They note that although Gc increases with age, most intelligence tests only use survey level knowledge in a variety of areas, but none ever get to the depth of the expert (my own example I might give is that an item that might tap this to the expertise level is to display a painting that is not extremely famous (such as The Mona Lisa or A Starry Night), but one that is a bit more obscure and to have the subject identify the painter, time period, and style of painting.) Interestingly, an English and History double major Master’s level professor may score substantially better than a nuclear engineer!
• Horn & Blankson further the concept of expertise by indicating that the expert’s skills do not necessarily decline with age. They note a study where Gf was related to novice crossword achievement (r = .72) and negatively correlated with age ( r = -.25). However, the expert crossword achiever showed a .24 correlation with age and a near zero correlation with Gf. Furthermore, they note the working memory of the expert to be well preserved depending on how it is tapped (for example, someone who is older may still excel at blindfolded chess, which requires them not only to visualize the pieces, but hold them in working memory.)
• Conclusions: I have to weigh in on the ‘g’ issue, although I worry about being a “loud stream” (users of the WAIS-R will get that one). My own thought is that ‘g’ exists because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It does follow well below average ability in a variety of skills will result in an even lower ‘g’ than those skills and the opposite for well above average. Certainly doing well or poorly in most areas seems to relate to a measure of global functioning. However, that said, I still see it as relatively unimportant. At the end of the day, our job is to determine the different strengths and weaknesses our subjects have and how that compares to academic, adaptive, or occupational functioning.
• The chapter by Horn & Blankson is profound in its implications. First, they note that there are a large number of caveats to the long held understanding of which cognitive abilities deteriorate with age. We’ve had a lot of spirited discussions on the IAPCHC listserv about how many of our tests do not tap skills of some of our most intelligence members of society. Horn & Blankson tackle this issue directly. Furthermore, the notion of how the “expert” deviates from the rule of most intelligence tests (given the contrary path their ability trajectories seems to follow over time against nonexpert subjects) gives greater credence to the notion that those things we think we know may not be.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, cognition, intelligence, IQ, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, John Horn, intellectual assessment, Gf-Gc, intelligence theory, expertise

powered by performancing firefox

Recent literature of interest 8-27-06

This weeks recent literature of interest can be found by clicking here.

Technorati tags: teaching tool. psychology. educational psychology. school psychology.

Today's random tidbits from the brain and mind blogsphere - 8-27-06

These tidbits are presented "as is"........reader beware. Make your own informed judgement.

• Omni Brain - report that taller people may be smarter
• Science Daily - protecting injured brains from hypoxia
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, brain injury, brain, hypoxia, intelligence, IQ, tall, taller, height

powered by performancing firefox

Another tech tidbit - changing your desktop icons

If you are one of those people who like to customize the appearance of the icons on your desktop (I am not one of these people), check out iconaholic for some updated icons to replace some of those old outdated (ugly) ones.


Technorati Tags: computers, desktop, tech tidbit, icons

powered by performancing firefox

Tech tidbit - Google Scholar adds "related results"

Thanks to Lifehacker for the post regading a new enhancment to Google Scholar - "related results"

Technorati Tags: Google, Google Scholar, literature search, searches

powered by performancing firefox

Today's random tidbits from the mind and brain blogsphere - 8-23-06

• Thanks to Mind Hacks for the post regarding recent activity in the neuroscience/neuropsychology of music
• Thanks to Eide Neurolearning blog for post re: recent studies of brain areas involved in Gf (fluid reasoning) in seniors and the relationship between cortical thickness of high intelligence
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, education, music, muscial abilities, neuroscience, neuropsychology, Gf, fluid reasoning, fluid reasoning, fMRI, IQ, intelligence, cognition, gifted

powered by performancing firefox

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, education, music, muscial abilities, neuroscience, neuropsychology, Gf, fluid reasoning, fluid reasoning, fMRI, IQ, intelligence, cognition, gifted

powered by performancing firefox

Off task - gear for the science activist

Thanks to the Scientific Activist for the interesing post re: possible ways to dispaly/wear your support and belief in science.  Xmas shopping just got easier in my neck of the woods :)



Technorati Tags: science, scientific activist, psychology, education, Xmas shopping, gifts, scientific

powered by performancing firefox

Today's random tidbits from the mind and body blogsphere - 8-22-06

Random tidbits from today's mind and brain blogsphere:

• Eide Neurolearning blog has post and links to MSNBC piece on the SAT and ACT test wars
• The popular press has finally caught up with a prior IQs Corner post on research linking "crabbiness" and high IQ after age 60. The IQs Corner post contains a link to the original journal article
  

Technorati Tags: crabbiness, psychology, educational psychology, cognition, aging, adulthood, IQ, intelligence, SAT, ACT, admissions testing

powered by performancing firefox

John Horn (the "H" in CHC theory) passes away - favorite picture

Earlier today I posted a note regarding the passing of Dr. John Horn (link). The picture above is one of my favorite pictures of John, wearing his "Random State University" sweatshirt at an informal NASP 2006 get-together.

Technorati Tags: psychololgy, educational psychology, intelligence, CHC, CHC theory, John Horn, Gf-Gc, g, general intelligence, USC, cognition, IQ, IQ testing, aging, psychometrics, aging research, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, school psychology, ISIR

powered by performancing firefox

Today's random tidbits from the mind and brain blosphere 8-21-06

A few random tidbits from today's mind and brain blogsphere:

• BoingBoing - info on free Google "kick-ass" word processor
• Gene Expression provides some updated thoughts on a recent Flynn-Dickens paper on Black-White IQ differences
• Mind Hacks - info on Washington Post review of first chapter of neuropsychiatrits Dr. Brezendine's book "The Female Brain"

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, black-white, IQ, racial differences, word processing, Google, female, female brain, neuroscience, neuropsychology, neurology, intelligence, genetics

powered by performancing firefox

John Horn (the "H" in CHC theory) passes away

This morning I was saddened to hear that John Horn, the "H" in CHC theory, passed away this past Friday. I learned this from Tim Keith and then emailed and had it confirmed by Jack McArdle, who worked with John for decades. As information becomes available I'll pass it along.

This is a great loss to the field of theoretical intelligence and applied intelligence testing. He will be missed. I, in particular, will miss his lively arguements against the "g" (general intelligence) position. He had a profound impact on my professional life.

All NASP members who were fortunate enough to meet with John at last years NASP should cheerish that get-together (link, link).


Technorati Tags: psychololgy, educational psychology, intelligence, CHC, CHC theory, John Horn, Gf-Gc, g, general intelligence, USC, cognition, IQ, IQ testing, aging, psychometrics, aging research, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, school psychology, ISIR

powered by performancing firefox

More on rapid automatic naming (RAN) and reading - Guest post by Jeff Evans

The following is a guest post by Jeff Evans (SLP and Assessment Project Director with Pearson Assessments ), a member of the IQs Corner Virtual Community of Scholars project.

------------------------------

I want to believe the double-deficit theory has predictive strength for reading ability, because it is such a parsimonious theory. After writing for this blog about Vukovic & Siegel, 2006, “The Double-Deficit Hypothesis: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Evidence.” I’ve continued to read about what we know and what we don’t know regarding the double-deficit theory. I recently discovered this excellent book:

• H. L. Swanson, K. R. Harris, & S. Graham (Eds), (2003). Handbook of learning disabilities. New York: Guilford Press.

The chapter by Bowers & Ishaek entitled “RAN's contribution to understanding reading disabilities” was very good. I thought I would be provided with a strong dichotomous viewpoint on RAN and its relation to reading (from what I had read in Vukovic & Siegel, 2006.) I was wrong, and surprised. Bowers sees the evidence somewhat less starkly than Vukovic, but not entirely differently. Recall this statement in Vukovic’s 2006 article:

There is a lack of evidence to support the hypothesis that deficits in naming speed skills are independently related to reading impairment. Research that has examined the independence of naming speed from phonological awareness has demonstrated inconsistent findings, with most studies supporting naming speed as a phonological variable.

What is the upshot? We are left with a sticky issue. Plenty of good evidence that RAN measures something associated with reading; likely consistent with studies suggesting three deficits, not just two: phonological awareness, naming speed, and orthographic awareness.

[Blog dictator note - below is the reference and abstract for this chapter. Evans provided a lenghty bulleted set of comments/conclusions from the chapter. For the sake of blog post brevity I have posted that additional information in a separte pdf file that can be accessed by clicking here]

Bowers. P.G., & Ishaek, G. (2003). RAN's contribution to understanding reading disabilities. In H. L. Swanson, K. R. Harris, & S. Graham (Eds), Handbook of learning disabilities (pp. 140-157). New York: Guilford Press.

• Abstract: Much research evidence has accumulated demonstrating that phonological processing, especially sensitivity to the individual phonemes in oral language, plays an important role in learning to read not only English but other languages as well. A major issue for the field investigating cognitive bases for reading disabilities is that of the sufficiency of this factor in explaining reading difficulties. Are other cognitive differences (e.g., working memory and naming speed) which characterize reading disabled versus normally achieving readers just correlates of the phonological problems or consequences of poor reading? Or, are they somewhat independent correlates or causes of reading difficulties? This chapter addresses one variable for which this question has been debated, the rapid naming of highly familiar visual symbols. Is slow naming a marker for underlying problems associated with reading acquisition not explained by phonological difficulties (Bowers & Wolf, 1993; Wolf & Bowers, 1999)? Or, is slow naming speed a type of phonological problem partially distinct from phoneme awareness but still tapping a similar underlying deficit (e.g., Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1994)? Although the debate about the nature of the deficit underlying slow naming has not been resolved, the results of the many studies in this area have enriched our knowledge about reading acquisition and reading fluency. The perspective taken in this chapter is that slow naming speed marks a second core deficit associated with reading disabilities whose effects are reflected in a particular profile of reading skills.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, education, cognition, intelligence, reading, learning disabilities, RAN, dyslexia

Today's random tidbuts from the mind and brain blogsphere

A random tidbits from today's mind and brain blogsphere:

• BPS Research Digest - drug may enhance intuition (link)
• CogNews - discovery of gene that may help explain evolution of human brain capacity (link)
• Developing Intelligence - good discussion and links to article related to important aspect of executive functioning - disinhibition (link)
• Mind Hacks - summary of research (reported in Neurocritic) on neuroscience of poverty and mind/brain development (link)
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, educadtion, cognition, intelligence, intuition, brain development, IQ, executive function, poverty, neuroscience, neurology, neuropsychology, mind

powered by performancing firefox

The "Epileptic" comic book

Thanks to Mind Hacks for the post regarding the comic book "Epileptic", a highly praised "work of art" that charts the impact of David B.'s brother's epiepsy on his life and family.  I think I need to figure out how to secure a copy of this publication.


Technorati Tags: psychology, neurology, neuropsychology, neuroscience, epilepsy, epileptic, comic book, educational psychology, special education, brain disorders, brain, cognition, seizures

powered by performancing firefox

WJ III NU (normative update): "Specification of cognitive processes involved in tests" publication

Dr. Fred Schrank, a colleague and co-author of the WJ III [this is a conflict of interest disclosure for both of us], has just published a new Assessment Service Bulletin (ASB # 7): "Specification of the Cognitive Processes Involved in Performance on the Woodcock-Johnson III NU". (click here to view/download).

The paragraph below, which was extracted from the ASB, is self-explanatory. Enjoy

• This bulletin integrates information on the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III®), Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory, and selected research in cognitive psychology—the branch of psychology that is based on the scientific study of human cognitive processes. Support for a specification of the cognitive processes involved in performance on the WJ III is described in terms of an integration of CHC theory with selected classic and contemporary cognitive and neuroscience research.

This publication was made available to IAP (and this blog) by Riverside Publishing.

• "Woodcock-Johnson III NU Assessment Service Bulletin Number 7 used with permission of the publisher. Copyright 2006 by the Riverside Publishing Company. All rights reserved"
  

Technorati Tags: WJ III, WJ III NU, normative update, CHC theory, cognition, cognitive psychology, information processing, cognitive processes, neuroscience, neuropsychology, educational psychology, education, school psychology, special education, assessment, IQ, testing, IQ testing, ASB, Riverside Publishing

powered by performancing firefox

IQs Corner recognized in Scientific American - self pat on the blog back

Thanks to Dr. Scott Decker for alerting me to the fact that the humble blog you are reading (aka., IQs Corner) was mentioned in the current issue of Scientific American: Mind, which had a featured article on the "Teen Brain."

The "Calendar" page, which lists misc. sources of information, included (under Web Sites) the site you are now reading. I can't believe it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If readers will allow me to do so...pat....pat.....pat....(self-pats on the back).


Even more exciting was the description of our humble blog.

• "Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner). Kevin McGrew, a professional in the psychometric field, also offers an excellent set of links (mostly to blogs in related fields), which save you the trouble of staying up all night trolling the internet to get the 'blox populi' of the mind and brain community."

To say the least....I now feel some serious pressure to deliver. This nice plug has energized me to pay more attention to IQ's Corner, which, more-or-less, is a humble little hobby that I squeeze into my spare time.

If you want to read the original post, click here for a scanned image.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, education, learning, intelligence, IQ, brain, neuroscience, Scientific American,

powered by performancing firefox

Todays random tidbits (#2) from the mind and brain blogsphere

More random tidbits from the mind and brain blogsphere today

• Psychology in the News report on gene linked to development of schizophrenia.

• Science Daily report on boosting a key protein to improve the treatment of seizures
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, cogntion, educational psychology, neuropsychology, education, schizophrenia, seizures, genetics

powered by performancing firefox

Todays random tidbits from the mind and brain blogsphere

A few tidbits from today's cognitive blogsphere to note:

• Brain Injury blog FYI announcement of Brain Injury Vocational Conference in British Columbia, Vancouver May 24-26
• Developing Intelligence blog - another excellent post on the dimensions of working memory
• Eide Neurolearning blog - nice FYI post on educational implications of working memory
• Neuroethics and Law blog - interesting post re: commercial endeavor to use MRI's for lie detection (No Lie MRI)
• COGMED - I have not examined the efficacy of this commercial endeavor. COGMED provides working memory software to help with working memory, attention. concentration, ADHD, etc.
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, education, learning, intelligence, IQ, brain, neuroscience, fMRI, cognitive training, lie detection, working memory, Gsm, brain injury, neurology

powered by performancing firefox

Off task - perfectly poured latte part 2

I previously made a post regarding the perfectly poured latte (link).

This masterpieace was poured by Brenna at the "bou" (Caribou) at the corner of 25th and Division in St. Cloud, Mn on 8-14-06.

There is a God.

Recent literature of interest 8-13-06

This weeks recent literature of interest can be found by clicking here.

Technorati tags: teaching tool. psychology. educational psychology. school psychology.

ISIR web page resource revised: International Society for Intelligence Research resource

The International Society for Intelligence Research (ISIR), which also publishes the premiere journal in the field of intellignece (Intelligence), has recently revised it's home web page. Check it out by clicking here.

On the home page there is a nifty little "trailer" of pictures from a social event at ISIR last year. I was able to dodge the camera person so I'm not present in the photos. But, if you watch the pictures scroll by you can see the likes of Richard Woodcock, Art Jensen, Linda Gottfriedson, Phil Rushton, etc.

Also, I'm ecstatic that ISIR, via it's links link, has included a link to IQs Corner blog (the humble blog you are reading) under their blogs header and the Institute for Applied Psychometrics (IAP) under other resources. Thanks to Doug Detterman and the ISIR group for this recognition.

In addition, links to the web pages of some of the more famous and active ISIR members is also included.

Kudos to ISIR and Doug Detterman for the new-look ISIR web presence. Other resources are also included and/or planned. This is a "must monitor" web site for serious students/scholars of intelligence

Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, learning, intelligence, individual differences, IQ, testing, ISIR,

powered by performancing firefox

Intelligence & achievement: Chicken or the egg

The following is a post by the blogmaster (Kevin McGrew), who is also a member of IQs Corner Virtual Community of Scholars project.

Historically there has been considerable debate re: the causal relations between psychometric intelligence and academic achievement. Positions have ranged from (a) current achievement causes future intelligence, (b) intelligence and achievement are reciprocal in causality, (c) both constructs are simply difference slices of the same domain and are not distinct constructs, and (d) current intelligence causes future achievement. A real chick-egg causal issue.

An article to appear in the journal Intelligence, using cross-lagged panel analysis methods with the WISC-III and achievement tests, supported the position that intelligence predicts (causes?) achievement and not vice-versa.

Article information is presented below.

• Watkins, M. & Canivez, G. (2006, in press). Psychometric intelligence and achievement: A cross-lagged panel analysis. Intelligence. [click here to view article]

Abstract

• There has been considerable debate regarding the causal precedence of intelligence and academic achievement. Some researchers view intelligence and achievement as identical constructs. Others believe that the relationship between intelligence and achievement is reciprocal. Still others assert that intelligence is causally related to achievement. The present study addressed this debate with a cross-lagged panel analysis of WISC-III and achievement test scores of 289 students assessed for special education eligibility with a test–retest interval of 2.8 years. The optimal IQ–achievement model reflected the causal precedence of IQ on achievement. That is, the paths from IQ scores at time 1 to IQ and achievement scores at time 2 were significant whereas the paths from achievement scores at time 1 to IQ scores at time 2 were not significant. Within the limits imposed by the design and sample, it appears that psychometric IQ is a causal influence on future achievement measures whereas achievement measures do not substantially influence future IQ scores.

Conclusion of authors

• With due consideration of these caveats, the present study provides evidence that psychometric intelligence is predictive of future achievement whereas achievement is not predictive of future psychometric intelligence. This temporal precedence is consistent with the theoretical position of Jensen (2000) that intelligence bears a causal relationship to achievement and not the other way around. press).

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, cognition, intelligence, IQ, achievement, education, psychometrics, IQ testing, WISC-III, Wechsler, cross-lagged panel analysis, g, general intelligence, school psychology

powered by performancing firefox

Quotes to note: Memory, attention and being lost in thought

The true art of memory is the art of attention --- Samual Johnson, quoted in the Houston Chronicle

The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it is unfamiliar territory - Actor Paul Fix, quoted in the Lansing, Mich., State Journal


Technorati Tags: psychology, quotes, memory, attention, thought, thinking

powered by performancing firefox

The "reading wars"

The ENL blog has an interesting post on the ongoing "reading wars." Thanks ENL.


Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, school, achievement, reading, dyslexia, LD, learning disabilities, cognition, reading instruction

powered by performancing firefox

Brain localization of executive functions: Prefrontal cortex?

Another interesting post from the DI blog re: the localization of executive functions in the brain. The emphasis on the prefrontal cortex is consistent with a ton of literature I've read over the past few years.


Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, neurology, school psychology, executive functions, prefrontal cortext, brain, cognition

powered by performancing firefox

Recent literature of interest - 8-3-06

This weeks recent literature of interest can be found by clicking here.

Technorati tags: teaching tool. psychology.

Learning styles: Validity (or lack thereof) of the Gregorc Style Delineartor

I've always been a skeptic of some of the popular learning style instruments that seem to "catch on" in education. Recently I ran across an empirical study of the validity of the Gregorc Style Delineator.  This study, the abstract (and link to article) which is provided below, failed to support the structural validity of this "pop"-ular instrument.  The abstract and article speak for themselves.

However, having been subjected to these type of instruments while working in the public schools (the early part of my career), I did see some positive benefits from the "process" of taking and discussing the results among staff.  The process often made educators more aware of individual differences, a topic that could then be expanded upon as a consultant.

Reio, T. & Wiswell, A. (2006). An Examination of the Factor Structure and Construct Validity of the Gregorc Style Delineator.  Educational and Psychological Measuremen, 66(3), 489-501 [click here to view]

Abstract

• Cognitive learning style instruments continue to enjoy widespread use in educational and occupational contexts by researchers and practitioners alike, despite widespread questions about the valid measurement of cognitive learning styles. This investigation examines the psychometric properties of one well-known measure of cognitive learning style—the Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD). The GSD was administered to 467 undergraduate and graduate students (49% female) from two major colleges in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Using confirmatory and exploratory factor-analytic techniques, Gregorc’s channel theory was investigated as deployed and represented by the instrument. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, ranging from .54 to .68, were appreciably lower than those reported by the instrument’s developer. The data disconfirmed both the two- and four-factor confirmatory models. In the post hoc exploratory factor analyses, many of the factor pattern/structure coefficients were ambiguously associated with two or more of the four theoretical channels as well. Overall, there was little support for the GSD’s theoretical basis or design and the concomitant accurate portrayal of one’s cognitive learning style.
  

Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, learning, learning styles, individual differences, assessment, testing, validity, Gregorc Style Delineator

powered by performancing firefox

Expertise, ACT-R, CLT (cognitive load theory): Instructional design

In my readings I frequently run across references to Anderson's ACT-R framework for describing the acquisition of expertise. If pushed hard, I would be hard to provide a concise explanation/description of this model. Thus, I found a quick skim of a recent article dealing with CLT (cognitive load theory) a pleasant surprise. The following concise summary (italics added by blogmaster) of the ACT-R framework was provided.

• "Using worked examples in problem-solving instruction is consistent with a four-stage model of expertise that is based on the well-known ACT-R framework (Anderson, Fincham,& Douglass, 1997). In this model, learners who are in the first stage of skill acquisition solve problems by analogy; they use known examples of problems, and try to relate those problems to the new problem to be solved. At the second stage, learners have developed abstract declarative rules or schemas, which guide them in future problem solving. At the third stage, with sufficient practice, the schemas become proceduralised, leading to the fourth stage of expertise where automatic schemas and analogical reasoning on a large pool of examples are combined to successfully solve a variety of problem types. Empirical evidence has shown that learning with worked examples is most important during initial skill acquisition stages for well-structured domains such as physics, programming, and mathematics (Van-Lehn, 1996)."

Although not the primary purpose of this post, readers may find the complete article, which deals with CLT, of interest. I've been collecting articles on CLT but have yet to devote sufficient time to understanding the implications of CLT (which would allow me to do some intelligent posting). All I can say is that I think CLT appears to have significant implications for instructional interventions when framed within a cognitive information processing framework.

Technorati Tags: psychology, education, educational psychology, expertise, ACT-R, CLT, cognitive load theory, instructional design, instructional psychology, achievement, working memory, expertise

powered by performancing firefox