Beyond IQ: Systemic Resources in STEM Achievement.

Investigation of clinical sense and the problem of non-verbal intelligence testing was undertaken for 45 cases of hearing and speech handicapped children. All test cases were under the age of 12 and had speech training for more than three years. Non-verbal intelligence testing was effective for evaluating their intelligence and the effects of speech training.1) (a) None of the 45 cases underwent non-verbal intelligence testing previous to visiting our clinic, and as a result 90% of them had been evaluated as having lower intelligence, while 10% were judged to be mentally deficient. Following non-verbal intelligence tests at our clinic, of 39 cases who had been diagnosed mentally deficient in addition to other lesion, 36 cases showed normal non-verbal intelligence and 3 cases showed border-line intelligence. On the other hand, 6 cases who had been diagnosed as having a hearing loss only or a cleft palate only were shown to be mentally deficient as well.(b) As concerns the cause of impaired speech for the 45 cases, of 36 cases with normal non-verbal intelligence, 21 cases showed perceptive hearing loss, 7 cases were obscurr, 5 cases were epileptic, and 3 cases resulted from other causes. Three cases of border-line non-verbal intelligence showed impaired speech in addition to abnormal behavior whose cause was obscure. Six cases of retarded non-verbal intelligence showed mental deficiency in addition to hearing loss or cleft palate.2) As a result of our speech training extending over more than three years, of 27 cases (60% of total), 26 cases of normal non-verbal intelligence and 1 case of border-line intelligence were developed, and verbal intelligence reached a level equal to that of non-verbal intelligence.3) Non-verbal intelligence testing is important as a basic discernment test on speech handicapped children and as a clinical method for evaluating learning, hearing and speech ability.4) There remain certain problems and limitations as the results of speech training are evaluated by non-verbal intelligence testing only. The role of non-verbal intelligence in the speech learning process must also be defined in relation to speech learning ability. New tests should be designed for this purpose.

The actiotope model of giftedness (AMG) highlights the interactions between the individual and the environment. Educational and learning capital (ELC) are essential resources that promote the development of excellence. The study objectives were to examine the contribution of educational capital (EC), learning capital (LC), and general intelligence (GI) to scholastic achievements (SA) of school age students, and to examine whether the effect of EC on GI and SA is mediated by LC. Two hundred, fifth grade, students completed GI and mathematical achievement tests. Teachers completed the teacher’s checklist for each student participant and students’ school grades in mathematics, science, language, and English were collected. Results demonstrated that GI, EC, and LC contributed, altogether, 80% to the prediction of SA, the contribution of LC being higher. Moreover, contribution of EC to SA was mediated by LC. The study corroborates the AMG by demonstrating that both the environment and the individual control the ability to reach excellence and giftedness. Abbrevations ELC = Educational and learning capital EC = Educational capital LC = Learning Capital G = general intelligence SA = scholastic achievements

The Actiotope Model of Giftedness (AMG) is one of the most promising models in the field of the nurture of the gifted. It addresses education of the gifted from a comprehensive perspective, unlike other unilateral models around the world. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, not a single study has been conducted on this model in Arab countries. The current study sought to identify the reality of the nurture provided to gifted students in Sudan by surveying the historical beginnings and the current reality, and then reviewing this reality from the perspective of learning sources in the AMG. This review was based on examining documents and surveying the various aspects of this reality based on comprehensive systemic learning resources. The study examined exogenous and endogenous learning sources and clarified the limitations in each. It was recommended that great effort be exerted by the state, its institutions, and the whole of society to promote education of gifted students in Sudan.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Otis Mental Ability Test, Advanced Progressive Matrices, Revised Beta Examination, the D 48 Test, and the Minnesota Paper Form Board were administered to 131 college students to determine the intercorrelations among nonverbal and verbal tests of intelligence. The obtained coefficients were corrected for restriction of range on the WAIS IQs. Between Progressive Matrices and the WAIS Full Scale IQ r = .74 and for the Matrices and the Otis IQ r = .75. The other nonverbal tests showed a low to moderate relationship with the IQ scores.

The primary aim of the study was to measure the receptive and expressive vocabulary with respect to clinical parameters and selected socio-demographic variables and to assess whether the size of vocabulary could be predicted by certain variables in a consecutive series of children identified as having bilateral sensorineural hearing loss ("Göttinger Hör-Sprachregister"). All children aged between 2;6 to 6;3 years diagnosed in the Department of Phoniatrics/Pedaudiology of the University Göttingen as having a permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment ("Göttinger Hör-Sprachregister") in a defined period (july 1995-september 2000) were examined with standardized receptive and expressive vocabulary tests as well as a nonverbal intelligence test (on average 5.5 months after diagnosis and 2.9 months after fitting with hearing aids). 37 children (20 boys, 17 girls). Mean age at diagnosis: 48.5 (SD 15.9; min. 18, max. 75) months, mean age at hearing aid fitting: 51 months (SD 15.2). Multiple handicapped children, children with additional conductive hearing impairment and those with postnatal losses were excluded. The sample as a whole demonstrated lexical deficits of varying severity that were greater in the expressive than in the receptive vocabulary, depending on the clinical parameter. Children with congenital hearing impairment, with severe-to-profound hearing impairment (> 70 dB) and bilingual children demonstrated on average the smallest receptive and expressive vocabulary. An early fitting with hearing aids did not correspond with a better lexical development when a severe-to-profound hearing impairment existed. Severity of a hearing impairment and nonverbal intelligence significantly predicted the average size of the receptive vocabulary. A moderate hearing impairment, high non-verbal intelligence, and gender (female) emerged as the strongest significant predictors of the expressive vocabulary. The vocabulary test result of a bilateral sensorineurally hearing-impaired child may be an indicator for early cognitive training.

The assessment of intelligence in Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been gaining ground in scientific research, indicating a tendency to intellectually superior results, with high IQ, when evaluated by non-verbal intelligence tests. This study evaluated the intelligence of 30 children aged between 5 years and 11 years and 9 months, diagnosed with ASD, mild and moderate degree, using non-verbal intelligence tests, Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the Non-Verbal Test of Intelligence for Children (R-2), aiming to expand studies related to the assessment of the intelligence of children with ASD and to check among the standardized instruments available in Brazil, the most appropriate. The data were analyzed in a standardized way, evaluating the percentile and standard score (IQ) of the sample, according to the rules of each test, and the results showed intelligence within the mean in Raven and upper mean in R-2, reinforcing previous studies. The scores were analyzed using Pearson's coefficient, showing high correlation and convergence between the tests (coefficient r = 0.89) crediting the R-2 as a potential psychometric instrument in the assessment of this target audience. Researches like this can increase the knowledge about the intelligence construct in ASD and guide the choice of non-verbal tests, as favorable instruments in the intelligence assessment of this target audience.

There are scarcely published studies that have addressed the relationship between posttraumatic period, and severity of PTSD in relation to the short-term memory and the general intelligence. The first hypothesis was that the longer the posttrauma period, the lower the short-term memory and general intelligence scores; and the more severe the disease, the lower the scores in these tests. The second hypothesis was that impaired short-term memory would predict difficulties with reading and writing in the PTSD group, and would reveal differences between the PTSD group and the control group with regard to learning difficulties. Thirty males with PTSD, and 20 males without PTSD participated in the study. Both groups were Arab and Kurdish refugees from Iraq who had recently settled in Sweden. The nonverbal short-term memory and intelligence tests were administered. Clinician-assessed interview for PTSD (CAPS), the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were applied. The following partial correlations were found in the PTSD group (n = 30) between duration of PTSD and (a) Block Design Test (r = −0.42, p = 0.04); and (b) Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT; number of rotation errors: r = 0.42, p = 0.04; number of distortion errors: r = 0.41, p = 0.05); and between Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM), and Severity of PTSD (r = −0.42, p = 0.04). RSPM predicted Severity of PTSD. BVRT predicted Difficulties with Reading and Writing in the PTSD group. The results of the present study show that PTSD patients have learning difficulties and cognitive problems in proportion to the duration and severity of perceived life events and trauma.

To evaluate the association between adolescent and young-adult hearing loss and nonverbal intelligence in rural Nepal. Cross-sectional assessment of hearing loss among a population cohort of adolescents and young adults. Sarlahi District, southern Nepal. Seven hundred sixty-four individuals aged 14 to 23 years. Evaluation of hearing loss, defined by World Health Organization criteria of pure-tone average greater than 25 decibels (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz), unilaterally and bilaterally. Nonverbal intelligence, as measured by the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, 3rd Edition standardized score (mean, 100; standard deviation, 15). Nonverbal intelligence scores differed between participants with normal hearing and those with bilateral (p = 0.04) but not unilateral (p = 0.74) hearing loss. Demographic and socioeconomic factors including male sex; higher caste; literacy; education level; occupation reported as student; and ownership of a bicycle, watch, and latrine were strongly associated with higher nonverbal intelligence scores (all p < 0.001). Subjects with bilateral hearing loss scored an average of 3.16 points lower (95% confidence interval, -5.56 to -0.75; p = 0.01) than subjects with normal hearing after controlling for socioeconomic factors. There was no difference in nonverbal intelligence score based on unilateral hearing loss (0.97; 95% confidence interval, -1.67 to 3.61; p = 0.47). Nonverbal intelligence is adversely affected by bilateral hearing loss even at mild hearing loss levels. Socio economic well-being appears compromised in individuals with lower nonverbal intelligence test scores.

In order to examine the relationship between linguistic background and nonverbal intelligence, two groups of Canadian native children, one bilingual and the other monolingual, were administered tests of verbal ability and nonverbal intelligence. The bilingual group was found superior on a test of nonverbal intelligence, however, no difference was obtained between the groups with respect to English vocabulary level. The results are interpreted as showing general support for a transfer-accretion model for the development of intelligence and abilities.

The neurological circuit that involves attention includes prefrontal areas, thalamus, anterior cingulum, and brainstem. Other cognitive domains, such as memory, use more complex neocortical networks. When combined, all those networks form an individual’s general intelligence. Although these cognitive domains can be affected even without attention deficits, the opposite is not true as attention is a prerequisite for them. Therefore, properly excluding attention deficits is a core process for the correct analysis of other cognitive processes. In this context, an ideal attention test would be one that can measure attention performance with minimal interference from general intelligence. Currently, most attentional tests are anchored in years of formal education. However, to our knowledge, there aren’t attentional tests standardized based on the Intelligent Quotient (IQ). Our main objective is to analyze if there was influence of intelligence scores on attentional performance through different neuropsychological tests. We also aimed to identify whether these attention tests were affected by different educational levels. This study age range was of 18 to 65 years. Education levels were divided as: elementary (0 to 8 years of instruction), high school (9 to 12) and higher education (13+). All participants were submitted to the following attention tests: Continuous Visual Attention Test (CVAT), Diffuse Attention Test for Drivers (TADIM), Discriminative Attention Test for Drivers (TADIS), and Pictorial Visual Memory Test (TEPIC). Intellectual performance was measured through the R-1 Non-Verbal Intelligence Test. R-1 raw points were divided into 3 clusters based on the percentile as: ≤ 25%; &gt; 25% and &lt; 75%; and ≥ 75%. For each attention test we analyzed the correlations between the R-1 raw scores and attention performance. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to test the effect of R-1 clusters in the attention performance. Educational level was used as a covariate. The sample included 1036 participants (75.8% males). The mean age was 31.8 years. Education levels were represented as 17% elementary, 48% high school, 29% higher education and 5% not informed. The correlations indicated significant coefficients for TADIM (r = 0.486, P = 0.000), TADIS (r = 0.502, P = 0.000), and TEPIC (r = 0.311, P = 0.000). The CVAT variable that reached the highest correlation coefficient was the intrinsic alertness subdomain (r = 0.143, P = 0.000). A MANCOVA indicated a significant effect of the R-1 cluster for all the tests, excepted for the CVAT. The educational levels were also found equally significant for the TADIM, TADIS, and TEPIC except the CVAT. We concluded that TADIM, TADIS, and TEPIC test results were significantly affected by IQ and educational levels. Then, standardized data of these tests need to be corrected not only for the educational level, but also for the individual’s IQ.

Academic achievement, measured with the grade point average (GPA), is a stable characteristic that has been associated with many sociodemographic and psychological variables; however, the relation of these variables with GPA has not been totally elucidated. The objective of this study was to perform an association of health, psychological and personal variables with GPA and non-verbal intelligence in low-academic performance population according to sex. We invited health sciences university students who had failed the same subject twice to complete a set of sociodemographic and psychological variables and a non-verbal intelligence test. The GPA, admission exam test and preparatory GPA were obtained. We included 124 students, and found that GPA was associated with non-verbal intelligence in women but not in men; in whom, having a job and having a romantic partner, were more correlated. In women, positive relations with others, emotion perception and weekly physical activity hours were marginally correlated with GPA; while in men, emotion regulation and self-motivation had a tendency of correlation with GPA. In addition, we found that non-verbal intelligence was associated somatization and the number of diseases in women. Academic achievement is regulated by different variables in each sex; therefore, intervention programs addressed by sex are needed to increase it.

ABSTRACTThe Actiotope Model of Giftedness (AMG) focuses on person–environment interactions to define giftedness. The development of the Questionnaire of Educational and Learning Capital (QELC) was based on the AMG. The first aim of this study was to present the reliability and validity of a Turkish version of the QELC for 10th grade students. The second aim of this study was the administration of the QELC in gifted and non-gifted students and the determination of mean QELC-scale differences between both groups. Two different samples were included in the study. In the first sample, 421 10th grade students took the QELC (147 boys, 274 girls). The second sample consisted of 38 gifted students and 38 non-gifted students, the latter randomly selected from the first sample. In addition to the QELC, confidence in one’s competence, failure coping, stability and modifiability beliefs regarding one’s action repertoire were assessed and used to validate the QELC. School grades were collected, too. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor structure of the QELC (i.e., educational capital and learning capital). The results supported the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of QELC. Gifted students had lower scores in educational as well as learning capital than non-gifted students.

Studies of short-term memory and general intelligence associated with duration and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on observed Type A scores are rare. The authors' aim was to assess Type A behavior and identify subgroups of patients who performed most poorly on memory and intelligence tests and Type A scores related to the severity and duration of their disease. They administered nonverbal memory and intelligence tests to 30 men with PTSD and 20 men without PTSD who responded. During their initial contact with the participants, 2 experts assessed 3 major coronary-prone characteristics (hyperalertness, tight facial musculature, and explosive speech). They found significant differences between the PTSD and control groups in total Type A scores. Those with the most severe PTSD performed most poorly on visual retention tests and showed the highest scores on self-reported and subjective diastolic blood pressure reactivity during magnetic resonance imaging. In the PTSD group, high error scores on the visual retention test predicted Type A behavior and low scores on the picture memory block design tests predicted high Type A scores. A significant positive correlation was found between Type A and clinician-assessed subjective distress, whereas the correlations were significantly negative between picture memory and Type A behavior. Suppressed fear is commonly associated with PTSD; decades of research on Type A behavior have isolated fear as a crucial factor in cardiovascular disease.

Objectives: Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structure of spoken words and shows a strong relationship with early literacy. Children's development of phonological awareness is affected by speech-language skills, intelligence, and environmental factors. This study aims to examine the relationship between phonological awareness and related factors; including speech-language skills, nonverbal intelligence, and social-economic status (SES) in 1st to 3rd graders and to identify which factors significantly predict phonological awareness. Methods: A total of 128 1st to 3rd-grade students received a phonological awareness test, articulation and phonology test, receptive and expressive vocabulary tests, and nonverbal intelligence test. Information about the SES for each child was also obtained. Correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regressions were performed to examine which factors predict phonological awareness at the syllable and phoneme levels among articulation and phonology ability, receptive and expressive vocabulary, nonverbal intelligence, SES and grades. Results: The results indicated that receptive vocabulary and articulation, and phonology ability predict significantly phonological awareness at the syllable level. Also, expressive vocabulary and nonverbal intelligence significantly predict phonological awareness at the phoneme level. Conclusion: This study suggests that phonological awareness develops during the early primary school years, and shows close relationships with receptive and expressive vocabulary, articulation and phonology ability, and intelligence.

There are consistent individual differences in human intelligence, attributable to a single 'general intelligence' factor, g. The evolutionary basis of g and its links to social learning and culture remain controversial. Conflicting hypotheses regard primate cognition as divided into specialized, independently evolving modules versus a single general process. To assess how processes underlying culture relate to one another and other cognitive capacities, we compiled ecologically relevant cognitive measures from multiple domains, namely reported incidences of behavioural innovation, social learning, tool use, extractive foraging and tactical deception, in 62 primate species. All exhibited strong positive associations in principal component and factor analyses, after statistically controlling for multiple potential confounds. This highly correlated composite of cognitive traits suggests social, technical and ecological abilities have coevolved in primates, indicative of an across-species general intelligence that includes elements of cultural intelligence. Our composite species-level measure of general intelligence, 'primate g(S)', covaried with both brain volume and captive learning performance measures. Our findings question the independence of cognitive traits and do not support 'massive modularity' in primate cognition, nor an exclusively social model of primate intelligence. High general intelligence has independently evolved at least four times, with convergent evolution in capuchins, baboons, macaques and great apes.