Selecting the ‘Best’? Competing Dimensions of Politician Quality in the Developing World

AimThis retrospective, longitudinal study examined the predictive value of the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ) in late infancy for identifying children who progressed to have low cognitive ability at 5 years of age.MethodsThe ASQ was performed on 755 participants from the Irish BASELINE birth cohort at 24 or 27 months of age. Intelligence quotient was measured at age 5 with the Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test, Second Edition, and low cognitive ability was defined as a score more than 1 standard deviation below the mean. The ASQ’s predictive value was examined, together with other factors associated with low cognitive ability at 5 years.ResultsWhen the ASQ was performed at 24 or 27 months, the overall sensitivity for identifying low cognitive ability at 5 years was 20.8% and the specificity was 91.1%. Using a total score cut‐off point increased the sensitivity to 46.6% and 71.4% at 24 and 27 months, but specificity fell to 74.1% and 67.2%, respectively. After adjusting for ASQ performance, maternal education and family income were strongly associated with cognitive outcomes at 5 years.ConclusionThe ASQ did not detect the majority of children with low cognitive ability at age 5. Alternative methods need investigation.

Background A clear association between low cognitive ability in early adult life and increased risk of premature cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been demonstrated [1]. However, the mechanisms for this relationship are not fully understood. Also, despite the evidence on low early cognitive ability being a risk factor for CVD, specific CVD prevention studies in this group has not been reported and low cognitive ability has not been mentioned in clinical guidelines for prevention of CVD. Purpose To clarify the interrelationships between early adult life cognitive ability and late middle-life health behaviors and the risk of CVD and presence of subclinical carotid plaque. Methods Register-data from psychological testing of men at age 18–19 years in the Swedish Enlistment Battery was used (n=1009), and early cognitive ability was calculated as the mean of four subtests on a scale from 1 to 9 (logical-inductive ability, verbal ability, visuospatial ability and technical understanding). A lifestyle index on a scale from 4 to 12, which was calculated as the sum of self-reported diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption, where each behavior was divided into 3 levels and the most health-promoting level was the highest level, as well as clinical CVD risk factors were collected at age 60 years within the VIPVIZA RCT (Västerbotten Intervention Program – Visualization of subclinical Atherosclerotic disease for optimum cardiovascular prevention) [2]. Risk of CVD was calculated as SCORE and presence of carotid plaques was identified, based on ultrasonography and defined according to Mannheim consensus [2]. Early cognitive ability's association to SCORE and presence of carotid plaques was assessed using linear and logistic regression, respectively. The linear regression was performed using restricted cubic splines to account for non-linearity. Results Early cognitive ability and the lifestyle index were normally distributed (mean 4.24, SD 1.12 and mean 9.95, SD 1.484, respectively). Mean of SCORE was 2.6%, SD 1.4. Carotid plaques were observed among 61%. A statistically significant negative association between early cognitive ability and SCORE was found (p=0.009, Figure 1). Higher early cognitive ability was also associated with a decreased risk for carotid plaques, with an odds ratio 0.86 for each increase of one point in cognitive ability (95% CI: 0.76–0.96, p=0.007). Conclusion Among men, higher cognitive ability at age 18–19 years is associated with lower risk of CVD and lower risk of having carotid plaque at age 60 years Additional modelling analyses are warranted to clarify the mediating and moderating roles of socioeconomic position, lifestyle and clinical CVD risk factors on the path between early cognitive ability and risk of CVD and subclinical atherosclerosis. This may guide development of tailored interventions to reduce the inequity in CVD due to cognitive ability. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Swedish Research CouncilRegion Västerbotten

Although an increasing body of evidence links being overweight in midlife with an increased risk for dementia in late life, no studies have examined the association between being overweight in midlife and cognitive ability in late life. Our aim was to examine the association between being overweight in midlife as measured by body mass index (BMI) and cognitive ability assessed over time. Participants in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study Aging were derived from a population-based sample. The participants completed baseline surveys in 1963 or 1973 (mean age 41.6 years, range 25-63 years). The surveys included questions about height, weight, diseases, and lifestyle factors. Beginning in 1986, the same individuals were assessed on neuropsychological tests every 3 years (except in 1995) until 2002. During the study period, 781 individuals who were 50 years and older (60% women) had at least one complete neuropsychological assessment. A composite score of general cognitive ability was derived from the cognitive test battery for each measurement occasion. Latent growth curve models adjusted for twinness showed that persons with higher midlife BMI scores had significantly lower general cognitive ability and significantly steeper longitudinal decline than their thinner counterparts. The association did not change substantially when persons who developed dementia during the study period were excluded from the analysis. Higher midlife BMI scores precede lower general cognitive ability and steeper cognitive decline in both men and women. The association does not seem to be mediated by an increased risk for dementia.

Reading comprehension is one of the most important skills learned in school and it has an important contribution to the academic success of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Though previous studies have investigated reading comprehension difficulties in ASD and highlighted factors that contribute to these difficulties, this evidence has mainly stemmed from children with ASD and intact cognitive skills. Also, much emphasis has been placed on the relation between reading comprehension and word recognition skills, while the role of other skills, including fluency and morphosyntax, remains underexplored. This study addresses these gaps by investigating reading comprehension in two groups of school-aged children with ASD, one with intact and one with low cognitive abilities, also exploring the roles of word decoding, fluency and morphosyntax in each group's reading comprehension performance. The study recruited 16 children with ASD and low cognitive abilities, and 22 age-matched children with ASD and intact cognitive skills. The children were assessed on four reading subdomains, namely, decoding, fluency, morphosyntax, and reading comprehension. The children with ASD and low cognitive abilities scored significantly lower than their peers with intact cognitive abilities in all reading subdomains, except for decoding, verb production and compound word formation. Regression analyses showed that reading comprehension in the group with ASD and intact cognitive abilities was independently driven by their decoding and fluency skills, and to a lesser extent, by morphosyntax. On the other hand, the children with ASD and low cognitive abilities mainly drew on their decoding, and to a lesser extent, their morphosyntactic skills to perform in reading comprehension. The results suggest that reading comprehension was more strongly affected in the children with ASD and low cognitive abilities as compared to those with intact cognitive skills. About half of the children with ASD and intact cognitive skills also exhibited mild-to-moderate reading comprehension difficulties, further implying that ASD may influence reading comprehension regardless of cognitive functioning. Finally, strengths in decoding seemed to predominantly drive cognitively-impaired children's reading performance, while the group with ASD and intact cognitive skills mainly recruited fluency and metalinguistic lexical skills to cope with reading comprehension demands, further suggesting that metalinguistic awareness may be a viable way to enhance reading comprehension in ASD.

The association between premorbid cognitive ability and social functioning and suicide among young men: A historical-prospective cohort study

Bronchiectasis may change cognitive function. The mechanism responsible for cognitive dysfunction in COPD may be neuronal damage caused by hypoxia. Cognitive function in patients with bronchiectasis is also likely to be affected by similar mechanisms. The goal of this study was to determine the frequency and determinants of low cognitive ability in subjects with stable bronchiectasis. Thirty subjects with stable bronchiectasis and 25 healthy volunteers underwent a cognitive ability assessment using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Bronchiectasis was diagnosed by high-resolution computed tomography of the chest. Age, body mass index, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and pulmonary function were assessed. Perceived intensity of dyspnea after exercise (after climbing 3 flights of stairs) was estimated using a modified Borg scale. Mean scores on the verbal and performance tests and full-scale IQ scores were significantly lower in subjects with bronchiectasis than in healthy volunteers. Low cognitive ability in subjects with bronchiectasis was associated with higher depression scores, lower oxygen saturation, and poor lung function after adjusting for potential confounders in multivariate analysis. Borg scores after exercise in subjects with bronchiectasis and low cognitive ability were higher than those in subjects with bronchiectasis and high cognitive ability, despite similar PaO2 and FEV1 in both groups. Low cognitive ability in subjects with bronchiectasis may be associated with reduced lung function, more serious hypoxemia, and higher depressive symptoms. Subjects with bronchiectasis and low cognitive ability feel more intense dyspnea than do those with high cognitive ability.

The etiology of high and low cognitive ability during the second half of the life span

The study of impulsivity in offenders with low cognitive ability has received relatively little empirical investigation. A sample of 108 male offenders with IQ scores below 75 points answered an adaptation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11). The adapted version had high reliability, and results showed the instrument is useful in discriminating sex offenders from both violent offenders, and non-sex offenders with low cognitive ability. Sex offenders with low cognitive ability achieve better planning scores, while other offenders with low cognitive ability show increased impulsiveness in terms of scores indicating quicker decision making, and a reduced amount of concern for the consequences of their actions. The study highlights the stability of impulsivity according to historical offences. Overall results indicate that the combination of acting without thinking, and lack of concern for consequences, differentiates offenders with low cognitive ability from many other offenders. Neither age nor IQ scores are significantly related to impulsivity in this group.

This study aims to determine: (1) differences in learning outcomes for students who are taught by PBL and direct teaching methods, low and high cognitive abilities. (2) the interaction between learning methods and cognitive abilities on learning outcomes of sprints. (3) differences in learning outcomes of sprinting with the PBL and direct teaching methods in terms of high cognitive ability. (4) the difference in learning outcomes of sprinting with the PBL and direct teaching methods in terms of low cognitive ability. This research is a quasi-experimental research with a factorial design. The research sample was taken using random sampling technique, the number of samples used was 50 students of SMP Negeri 8 Tasikmalaya. Analysis of the data used is the requirements test and hypothesis testing. The results of the study show: (1) there are differences in learning outcomes between students taught by PBL and direct teaching methods, (2) there is an interaction between learning methods and cognitive abilities on learning outcomes of sprints. (3) there are differences in learning outcomes between students who are given learning using the PBL Model and the Direct Instruction Model in groups of students who have high cognitive, (4) there is no difference in the learning outcomes of sprints between students who are given learning using the PBL Model and the Direct Instruction Model in groups of students who have low cognitive abilities.

This research was conducted to observe students' error in working on problems proving the binomial theorem on the symmetric properties of binomial coefficients. This type of research is qualitative research. This research uses a test method, namely by working on questions followed by interviews. This research involved students from the Tadris Mathematics Study Program at Al Falah As Sunniyah Kencong Jember University in the second semester of the 2023/2024 academic year with a total of 17 students. The 17 students were grouped into 3 cognitive abilities, namely high, medium and low cognitive. The subjects of this research consisted of three students with each student representing each cognitive ability group. The results of the research show that the types of language interpretation errors are made by subjects with high and moderate cognitive abilities, namely not writing the correct sentences when drawing conclusions. Conceptual errors were made by subjects with medium and low cognitive abilities in the form of errors in the proof steps. Procedural errors were made by subjects with moderate and low cognitive abilities, namely not having carried out complete calculations when applying the theorem in numerical form. Technical errors were made by subjects with low cognitive abilities, namely writing the same steps repeatedly. Errors in drawing conclusions were made by subjects with high, medium and low cognitive abilities. The three subjects considered the verification process to be complete. All errors are caused by a lack of understanding of the concept, carelessness in the proof process and not being careful in reading the questions.

Observational studies have found associations between smoking and both poorer cognitive ability and lower educational attainment; however, evaluating causality is challenging. We used two complementary methods to explore this. We conducted observational analyses of up to 12 004 participants in a cohort study (Study One) and Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses using summary and cohort data (Study Two). Outcome measures were cognitive ability at age 15 and educational attainment at age 16 (Study One), and educational attainment and fluid intelligence (Study Two). Study One: heaviness of smoking at age 15 was associated with lower cognitive ability at age 15 and lower educational attainment at age 16. Adjustment for potential confounders partially attenuated findings (e.g. fully adjusted cognitive ability β -0.736, 95% CI -1.238 to -0.233, p = 0.004; fully adjusted educational attainment β -1.254, 95% CI -1.597 to -0.911, p < 0.001). Study Two: MR indicated that both smoking initiation and lifetime smoking predict lower educational attainment (e.g. smoking initiation to educational attainment inverse-variance weighted MR β -0.197, 95% CI -0.223 to -0.171, p = 1.78 × 10-49). Educational attainment results were robust to sensitivity analyses, while analyses of general cognitive ability were less so. We find some evidence of a causal effect of smoking on lower educational attainment, but not cognitive ability. Triangulation of evidence across observational and MR methods is a strength, but the genetic variants associated with smoking initiation may be pleiotropic, suggesting caution in interpreting these results. The nature of this pleiotropy warrants further study.

Cytomegalovirus infection and cognitive abilities in old age

Recently the causal influence of education on political knowledge has been questioned. Rather, pre-adult predispositions such as personality traits and intelligence are proposed as the real causal agents. This article investigates in two studies whether education retains its explanatory power regarding political knowledge when personality traits and intelligence are taken into account. One study draws on a draftee sample and has excellent measures of both personality traits and intelligence; the other study draws on a representative sample and has excellent measures of personality traits. Openness to experience and intelligence are found to be positive predictors of political knowledge and neuroticism a negative predictor of political knowledge. In both studies, education remains the single strongest predictor of political knowledge. Furthermore, education can, to a large extent, even out the differences in political knowledge between those with high and low cognitive abilities.

The genetic and environmental etiology of low general cognitive ability (g) during infancy and early childhood has not previously been investigated. The current study examined the genetic etiology of low cognitive ability at 14, 20, 24, and 36 months with twins from the MacArthur Longitudinal Twin Study. Low g groups were formed from the lowest 10th percentile at each age. Univariate probandwise concordance rates and DeFries-Fulker (J. C. DeFries & D. W. Fulker, 1985, 1988) multiple regression techniques suggest genetic etiology in low general cognitive ability groups. The stability of low general cognitive ability over time also appears to be primarily due to genetic factors. Although replication is necessary, these results suggest that the genetic etiology of low g during infancy and early childhood is at least as great as the heritability of g in the unselected population.

Cognitive ability across the life course and cortisol levels in older age