Assessment Of Cognitive Skills Research Articles

Using Technology for the Efficient and Precise Assessment of Cognitive Skills in Countries with Limited Standardized Assessment Instruments: A Report on the Case of Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the country’s progress toward appropriate and inclusive education programs for children with disabilities is still evolving. A crucial aspect of this evolution has been the development of a comprehensive assessment battery that covers a broad range of cognitive factors for the diagnosis of neurodevelopment disorders and other types of intellectual atypicalities, including giftedness. The Alif–Ya Assessment Battery consists of 47 subtests based on various theories of intelligence. Alif–Ya capitalizes on advanced technologies to enable its delivery either in person or remotely. Moreover, over half of Alif–Ya’s subtests are adaptive; items are selected for the test takers based on their previous responses. In this paper, we provide an overview of the Alif–Ya Assessment Battery, describe how it was designed to make the best use of the latest and best features of technology for the appropriate and accurate assessment of children and adolescents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via remote or in-person administration, and present initial data collected with the battery.

Cooperative Learning: Effect on Prospective Teachers' Metacognitive Skills Development at University Level

This study was conducted while using the Quasi-Experimental design to examine the effect of Cooperative learning on prospective teachers' Meta cognitive skills. The sample for this study included two sections/ groups, each comprising 40 students (40 males 40 females=80) enrolled in the fifth Semester of the B.Ed Honors program in a public university. One of the sections was declared as the Experimental, whereas the other as the Controlled group. The understudy sections were pre-tested, and then the experimental group was exposed to the intervention (cooperative learning strategy), which lasted for one Semester. Both sections were post-tested after the completion of the intervention. Meta cognitive Skills Assessment Tool (MSAT) was used for pre and post-test. Based on the results, it is concluded that Cooperative Learning helps develop Meta cognitive skills in prospective teachers. Therefore, it is recommended that the teachers should teach while using the Cooperative learning approach.

High Intellectual Potential and High Functioning Autism: Clinical and Neurophysiological Features in a Pediatric Sample.

High Intellectual Potential (HIP) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) are two different conditions sharing some clinical and neurobiological features. The aim of the present study was to characterize a sample of HIP children (n: 16; M/F: 14/2; median age: 10 years) in comparison to those with HFA (n: 17; M/F: 16/1; median age: 13 years) and to neurotypically developed (NTD) children (n: 10; M/F: 4/6; median age: 11 years) from a clinical and neurophysiological perspective. Specifically, a standardized clinical assessment of cognitive and adaptive skills, autistic symptoms, executive functions and behavioral features was performed. Moreover, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded, referring specifically to the mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300 paradigm. Our data highlighted the presence of similarities between the intellectually gifted individuals and the ones with autism (i.e., a nonhomogeneous intellective profile, an adaptive skills impairment, subthreshold autistic symptoms and increased perfectionism). Interestingly, a distinct neurophysiological characterization between groups came out, with evidence of a reduced MMN amplitude only in the HFA group. Furthermore, no differences within groups in the P300 component emerged. Therefore, our results start to provide a more informative characterization of the HIP phenotype in comparison to those of HFA and NTD, highlighting the potential role of the MMN amplitude index in helping clinicians and researchers to distinguish between HIP and HFA. Nevertheless, further research on the topic is strongly needed.

Physiological and Hygienic Characteristics of Cognitive Functions Determining Successful Student Learning Under Conditions of Different Schooling Intensity

Introduction: In the context of the modern educational process, accompanied by a high intensity of intellectual work, one of the most important tasks of school medicine specialists is to support, maintain and improve cognitive skills of schoolchildren as the main predictors of academic success. Objective: The study aimed to give a physiological and hygienic characteristic of cognitive functions determining academic success of schoolchildren aged 15–17 years under conditions of various schooling intensity. Materials and methods: We conducted a time study to assess schooling intensity of 250 pupils of a multidisciplinary lyceum (Group 1) and 274 pupils of a comprehensive school (Group 2) and evaluated their academic performance. Computer testing was used to study the functional state of the central nervous system, mental performance and cognitive skills of the schoolchildren. Results: We established higher grade point averages in key disciplines among Group 1 students with high schooling intensity (class 3.1) compared to those in Group 2 with optimal intensity of the educational process (class 1). We found that high academic performance in Group 1 was attributed to the optimal functional state of the central nervous system characterized by stabilization of nervous processes and a better ability of the nervous system to form the adaptive functional system of the body in response to various stimuli; to the dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere in 61.2 % of the students, which determined mature skills of verbal, abstract, logical and analytical thinking in 51.9–93.5% of the students; high speed of mental activity and concentration of voluntary attention promoting cognitive activity and maintaining normal mental performance of the schoolchildren. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the processes of adaptation of schoolchildren to various factors of school environment and learning to be used within the development of school medicine when organizing educational activities of students at schools with an intensive learning regime in order to promote academic performance and achieve high efficiency of the educational process within physiological capabilities of children and adolescents. At the same time, from physiological and hygienic points of view, assessment of cognitive skills in children and teenagers by means of medical and psychological testing in educational establishments implementing profile training of various difficulty levels can become an effective diagnostic tool in predicting academic performance of students and help resolve issues of prevention of maladjustment and stress at school.

Evaluation of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cognitive performance and clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who had attended a tertiary center. Method: Fifty-six children and adolescents aged 7-16 years with ADHD who had been admitted to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry clinic between June 2020 and March 2021 were retrospectively included in the study. A semi-structured interview form for the Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Interview Schedule-Present Version for School-Age Children was used to determine mental disorders. The Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGIS) was completed to assess the severity of ADHD symptoms. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) was used in the assessment of cognitive skills. Results: The median age of the participants was 13 and 71.4% of them were male. The Working memory index (s=83.3) and Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ) (s=84) were found to be the lowest scores. According to the comparisons between CGIS, the FSIQ score (χ2 =0.736; p=0.947), verbal comprehension index (χ2 =2.882; p=0.578), perceptual reasoning index (χ2 =1.412; p=0.842), working memory index (χ2 =1.980; p=0.739), processing speed index (χ2 =1.673; p=0.796) were not found to be statistically different between the groups. Conclusion: The WISC-IV scale, which is increasingly preferred in the clinic use, could help to obtain information about cognitive performance in children with ADHD, regardless of the severity of ADHD symptoms.

When Surgeons Are “Too Old” to Practice Surgery: Recommendations to Balance the Imperatives of Public Safety and Practical Necessity

Few countries have legally set a maximum age for practicing surgery. This is difficult to sustain as surgeon shortages in many localities require hospitals to grant surgical privileges based on internal peer review systems. This approach is not without problems. Some hospitals and medical societies have developed competency assessment programs. Based on the literature and the experience of various jurisdictions, the authors recommend a policy approach that does not mandate a retirement age for surgeons, but rather a mandatory age of 65 at which surgeons shall be legally subject to periodic assessment of physical dexterity, eye/hand coordination, and cognitive skills.

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA).

Learning mathematics is a complex process that requires the development of multiple domain-general and domain-specific skills. It is therefore not unexpected that many children struggle to stay at grade level, and this becomes especially difficult when several abilities from both domains are impaired, as in the case of mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). Surprisingly, although MLD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders affecting schoolchildren, most of the diagnostic instruments available do not include assessment of domain-general and domain-specific skills. Furthermore, very few are computerized. To the best of our knowledge, there is no tool with these features for Spanish-speaking children. The purpose of this study was to describe the protocol for the diagnosis of Spanish MLD children using the BM-PROMA multimedia battery. BM-PROMA facilitates the evaluation of both skill domains, and the 12tasks included for this purpose are empirically evidence-based. The strong internal consistency of BM-PROMA and its multidimensional internal structure are demonstrated. BM-PROMA proves to be an appropriate tool for diagnosing children with MLD during primary education. It provides a broad cognitive profile for the child, which will be relevant not only for diagnosis but also for individualized instructional planning.

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

PROCEDURES FOR ASSESSING COGNITIVE SKILLS OF PROSPECTIVE LANGUAGE TEACHERS

The purpose of the research was to find out how the procedures for measuring students’ cognitive skills could be incorporated into the university course Language Teaching Methodology. The study was organised within a framework of Anderson’s theory of cognitive skills development and Glaser’s taxonomy of dimensions for assessing achievement. We developed the instrument, which encompassed two empirical questionnaires for treatment groups. Both questionnaires comprised an equal number of tasks but differed in the content of procedures for measuring knowledge acquisition and structure as one of the dimensions of cognitive assessment. Empirical Questionnaire 1, based on a traditional approach to assessment, included multiple-choice questions related to the lecture material. Empirical Questionnaire 2 comprised both traditional and unconventional measures, such as a SVT test; constructed and conversation-based responses; simple and high order rule tasks. Thirty-four third-year students of the Department of Foreign Languages, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University participated in three-stage research-oriented teaching, which lasted ten weeks. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods were employed for the evaluation of learning outcomes. After final testing, we compared the results obtained from the students. The group mean difference (EG vs. CG) was 0.12 points, 95% confidence interval (0.07 - 0.17), two-sample t-test p < 0.0001. Findings suggest that cognitive skills assessment considerably affects and improves student learning. The implications relate to final grades assessment and curriculum design and contribute to expanded uses for cognitive skills testing.

Measurement of Cognition for the National Children's Study.

The National Children's Study Cognitive Health Domain Team developed detailed plans for assessing cognition longitudinally from infancy to early adulthood. These plans identify high-priority aspects of cognition that can be measured efficiently and effectively, and we believe they can serve as a model for future large-scale longitudinal research. For infancy and toddlerhood, we proposed several paradigms that collectively allowed us to assess six broad cognitive constructs: (1) executive function skills, (2) episodic memory, (3) language, (4) processing speed, (5) spatial and numerical processing, and (6) social cognition. In some cases, different trial sequences within a paradigm allow for the simultaneous assessment of multiple cognitive skills (e.g., executive function skills and processing speed). We define each construct, summarize its significance for understanding developmental outcomes, discuss the feasibility of its assessment throughout development, and present our plan for measuring specific skills at different ages. Given the need for well-validated, direct behavioral measures of cognition that can be used in large-scale longitudinal studies, especially from birth to age 3 years, we also initiated three projects focused on the development of new measures.

The Effectiveness of the Android-Based Calistung Digital Game Application to Improve Early Childhood Cognitive Skills

This article aims to determine Android-based digital calistung game application's effectiveness to improve early childhood cognitive skills. The experimental method was carried out on 26 kindergarten students aged 5-6 years. The research design used was pre-experimental. The sampling technique used in this study was purposive sampling. Cognitive skill data collection used observation guidelines consisting of cognitive dimensions (1) symbolic thinking recognizing concepts, (2) learning problem solving and cause and effect, (3) association and classification. The assessment of cognitive skills used a scale of 1 - 4. The study results concluded an increase in the average value of cognitive skills of kindergarten students aged 5-6 years through the Calistung game. This research implies that teachers' competence in using digital calistung media needs to be improved through in-service training kindergarten students' cognitive skills.

Reliability Evidence for the Gibson Assessment of Cognitive Skills (GACS): A Brief Tool for Screening Cognitive Skills Across the Lifespan.

PurposeThe aim of the current study was to examine and report three sources of reliability evidence for the Gibson Assessment of Cognitive Skills, a paper-based, brief cognitive screening tool for children and adults measuring working memory, processing speed, visual processing, logic and reasoning, and three auditory processing constructs: sound blending, sound segmenting, sound deletion along with work attack skills.Sample and MethodsThe sample (n = 103) for the current study consisted of children (n = 73) and adults (n = 30) between the ages of 6 and 80 (M = 20.2), 47.6% of which were female and 52.4% of which were male. Analyses of test data included calculation of internal consistency reliability, split-half reliability, and test–retest reliability.ResultsOverall coefficient alphas range from 0.80 to 0.94, producing a strong source of internal consistency reliability evidence. The split-half reliability coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.96 overall, producing a strong second source of reliability evidence. Across all ages, the test–retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.83 to 0.98. For adults ages 18 to 80, test–retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.73 to 0.99. For children ages 6 through 17, test–retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.89 to 0.97. All correlations were statistically significant at p < 0.001, indicating strong test–retest reliability and stability across administrations.ConclusionThe evidence collected for the current study suggests that the GACS is a reliable brief screening tool for assessing cognitive skill performance in both children and adults.

Incipient Racism? When Does it Start? Racial Attitude Development in Young Children

The present study examined the forerunners of racial attitudes in two groups of children (from Black families and White families). Assessments of various cognitive and perceptual skills were conducted longitudinally at seven age points from six months to three years of age. Racial attitudes were present in almost half of the children by three, although not all had yet exhibited mastery of underlying skills. Both groups of children exhibited similar pro-same race attitudes at 36 months, but some divergence in developmental patterning began at 30 months of age. Some parental behaviors such as parental willingness to discuss race and diversity of the child’s environment were related to attitudes at three.

64. ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF PEER FEEDBACK AMONGST PEDIATRIC RESIDENTS

Background An Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Common Program requirement states that a training program must evaluate resident performance in a timely manner and use multiple evaluators. Peer evaluation is one tool used by many programs to fulfill this requirement. Peer evaluation is critical to the development and training of residents because it allows for the assessment of cognitive and noncognitive skills not necessarily observed by faculty. A literature review showed that effective feedback should be performance-focused, specific, based directly on observable, or objective data, neutral, identify a plan for improvement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of open-ended feedback provided to pediatric residents by their peers throughout their clinical rotations. Methods At our institution, pediatric residents are asked to complete a peer evaluation form on all residents that they have worked with during their rotation. The residents received no formal training on giving peer feedback. The form is a series of Likert scaled questions and an open-ended feedback section. Based on our literature review, we created a rubric that assessed the degree to which the open-ended comments were specific (low, moderate, or high), actionable (yes or no), and objective (low, moderate, or high). Two blinded reviewers retrospectively analyzed 1368 peer feedback comments received by 26 graduating pediatric residents during their 3-year training period. Results Cohen's kappa for each criterion demonstrated high inter-rater reliability. Our analyses determined that, on average, 59% of the comments were rated moderately or highly specific (?=0.834), 3% were rated actionable (?=0.969), and 92% were rated moderately or highly objective (?=0.935) when evaluated separately against each criterion in the rubric (e.g. specificity alone). When analyzing the overall quality of each comment, less than 5% of comments (?=0.958) were determined to be specific (moderate or high), actionable, AND objective (moderate or high). While a majority of comments were evaluated to be specific and/or objective, we found the greatest disparity in feedback quality was a lack of actionable feedback. Discussion These results indicate residents-in-training need development on how to improve the quality of feedback they provide to their peers, particularly in the area of actionable information. Future efforts should focus on creating and evaluating strategies that elicit higher quality feedback.

Video Commentary: Rapid-Fire Assessment of Surgical Cognitive Skills

We describe the use of "Video Commentary", an assessment using a set of operative videos, to assess trainees' surgical cognitive skills (operative knowledge, spatial awareness, and surgical insight). The Video Commentary assessment has been routinely administered to Postgraduate Year (PGY) 1-5 general surgery residents since 2014 as part of a biannual multistation, OSCE-type exam at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Video Commentary is a rapid-fire, 6-minute assessment, where trainees watch a series of 20 to 30 second operative video clips and comment on them as they play. Each clip varies in procedure, approach, difficulty, and complexity. The combination of video clips differs according to trainees' PGY level except for a few videos that overlap among PGY groups. The name of the procedure is provided at the beginning of each clip with a countdown timer showing in the corner of the screen. A comprehensive checklist is used to score trainees' performance in real-time. Assessment of trainees of different levels and staff surgeons show a positive correlation with the experience level (p = 0.0001). The assessment provides a safe alternative to assess trainees in the operating room and encourages them to become more effective communicators. With the use of technology, large video databases can be created to provide just-in-time tailored feedback to the trainees. Video Commentary can serve as a time and resource-efficient assessment of trainees' surgical cognitive skills and insight. The use and demand of real-time commentary on operative videos may provide a viable approach to help surgeon educators determine trainees' baseline, progression, and readiness to advance.

Sound discrimination and explicit mapping of sounds to meanings in preschoolers with and without developmental language disorder

Purpose To investigate links between sound discrimination and explicit sound-meaning mapping by preschoolers with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). Method We tested 26 children with DLD and 26 age- and gender-matched peers with typical language development (TLD). Inclusion was determined via results of standardised assessments of language and cognitive skills and a hearing screening. Children completed two computerised tasks designed to assess pitch and duration discrimination and explicit mapping of pitch- and duration-contrasting sounds to objects. Result Children with TLD more successfully mapped pitch categories to meanings than children with DLD. Children with TLD also showed significantly better overall sound discrimination than children with DLD. Sound-discrimination scores were marginally associated with overall sound-meaning mapping in multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs). Correlation tests indicated significant associations between discrimination and mapping, with moderate to large effect sizes. Thus, significant sound-discrimination differences between the groups may contribute to differences in sound-meaning-mapping accuracy. Conclusion Children with DLD had more difficulty mapping sound categories to meanings than TLD peers. We discuss possible explanations for this finding and implications for theoretical accounts of the aetiology of DLD.

Characterization and Prediction of Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Longitudinal Study.

Anxiety is one of the most common comorbidities in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study's aims were: To examine the frequency of elevated anxiety symptoms in adolescents diagnosed with ASD in toddlerhood; To explore the impact of comorbid anxiety in adolescents on clinical presentation; To evaluate variables in toddlerhood that associate with anxiety symptom severity in adolescence. The study included 61 adolescents (mean age = 13:8y) diagnosed with ASD in toddlerhood (T1). Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment of cognitive ability, adaptive skills and autism severity at T1 and again as adolescents (T2), and an evaluation of anxiety symptoms at T2. For the first aim, the most prevalent anxiety subtypes noted in adolescence were separation (39.3%), social (27.9%) and generalized anxiety (18.0%). For the second aim, cognitive ability, autism severity and adaptive skills in adolescents with and without elevated anxiety symptoms scores of any type did not differ significantly. For the third aim, younger age at adolescence was associated with more severe separation and generalized anxiety symptoms. Higher cognitive ability and adaptive skills in toddlerhood were associated with elevated generalized anxiety symptoms in adolescence. Lower adaptive behaviors and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) correlated with elevated social anxiety symptoms. Lower cognitive abilities and more severe RRBs in toddlerhood predicted separation anxiety in adolescence. The study sheds light on early characteristics in ASD that associate with anxiety symptom severity in adolescence. The type of elevated anxiety symptoms presented in adolescence associated with the level of cognitive ability, adaptive skills and RRBs in toddlerhood.

Task engagement during narrative writing in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder compared to peers with and without attentional difficulties

BackgroundChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate highly variable writing skills. Few studies have examined if engagement during writing assessments may differ for children with ASD and if task engagement is related to their writing assessment performance. This study examined narrative writing and broad task engagement in children with ASD compared to peers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and typically developing (TD) peers. MethodSixty children with ASD, 32 children with ADHD, and 29 TD children completed assessments of cognitive skills, symptom severity, and spontaneous narrative writing. Time spent engaged during writing was assessed during the spontaneous narrative writing task. ResultsThe ASD group performed lowest on text organization and quality scores as well as word production scores while also spending the least time engaged with the writing task. Time spent engaged was most strongly associated with narrative writing scores in the ASD group and explained unique variance in text organization and quality scores and word production scores after controlling for related age, cognitive skills, and symptom severity variables. The ADHD group showed similar associations between time spent engaged and word production scores, and time spent engaged explained unique variance in word production scores. ConclusionsTime spent engaged completing the writing task appeared lowest for the ASD group and may suggest writing task engagement to be a more prominent difficulty area for children with ASD compared to peers with ADHD and TD peers. Implications for better understanding and supporting the writing skills of children with ASD are discussed.

Integrating User-Centred Design Approaches for a Course Design Framework for Interdisciplinary Studies Teaching and Learning

This paper proposes the theoretical context for a course development framework to address the specific needs and challenges of teaching and learning in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS). User-Centred design (UCD) principles are used for this development process. Traditional course development frameworks provide a helpful guide in terms of setting out the steps necessary for successful course development. While these steps will inform the course development framework being proposed here, several alterations will be made. The unique demands of teaching and learning in IDS require skill development necessary for doing advanced interdisciplinary work and eschews linearity. The key feature of this framework is the inclusion of intentional iterative phases throughout course delivery that will allow for adaptation based on the incorporation of feedback in a variety of forms: self, instructor, peer, stakeholder (e.g., from service-learning supervisors), and cognitive skills assessment tools. The adaptive nature of this framework should meet the demands of the growing area of IDS.

Performance assessment - The knowledge, skills and attitudes of surgical performance

Pediatric surgical education has traditionally focused on the hard cognitive and psychomotor (technical) skills. While more and more attention is being paid to softer skills such as communication, collaboration, leadership, health advocacy, professionalism and scholarship, the bulk of curricula remain focused on the hard skills. An intricate part of education is the assessment of performance. This article reviews the current literature on the assessment of cognitive and psychomotor skills, focusing particularly on the assessment of technical skills in the realm of simulation.