Raven's Coloured Research Articles

Rorschach Comprehensive System Data From a Sample of 211 Nonpatient Children in Brazil

This study provides Rorschach Comprehensive System normative data for Brazilian boys and girls drawn from public and private schools. Initially, the Child Behavior Checklist was administered to parents to assess the child's social competence and to screen out behavioral disturbances. Afterward, the Raven's Color Progressive Matrices was administered to exclude children with low intellectual development. Finally, the Rorschach Comprehensive System was administered to the selected 211 children who were distributed in 4 subgroups: 7-year-olds (n = 50), 8-year-olds (n = 53), 9-year-olds (n = 52), and 10-year-olds (n = 56). Interrater reliability statistics were calculated, including percentage of agreement and iota. Descriptive statistics of all variables of the Comprehensive System for each subgroup are presented and contrasted with results from other relevant comparison samples.

FEUERSTEIN'S MEDIATED LEARNING EXPERIENCE AS A VEHICLE FOR ENHANCING COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING OF REMEDIAL SCHOOL LEARNERS

The study investigated the effects of mediated learning experience (MLE) intervention on Remedial school learners' cognitive functioning as measured by the Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM). The sample comprised 67 participants (males = 35; females =32; mean age =11.8) from Grade 4 through to Grade 7. Participants were given the RCPM on two occasions, and in-between, a non-randomly constituted experimental group was exposed to MLE intervention. Pre-post test results revealed significant improvement within the experimental group on the RCPM, while non-significant pre-post test results were found within the control group. These findings provide support for further development and application of dynamic assessment and its MLE construct. Keywords: dynamic assessment, mediated learning experience, cognitive functioning, traditional measures, remedial school learners

Working memory functioning in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A comparison between subtypes and normal controls

Objective: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience working memory difficulties. However, research findings are inconsistent, making it difficult to compare results across studies. There are several reasons for this inconsistency. Firstly, most studies make no distinction between ADHD subtypes, despite evidence that predominantly inattentive ADHD (ADHD/I) represents a different neurocognitive profile to the hyperactive-impulsive subtype (ADHD/HI). Secondly, documented studies use different tests of working memory which may be measuring different skills. Some assess only the verbal components of working memory and others the visuo-spatial; few of the tests assess both. Further, some tests employ a recognition methodology and others use recall, which require different brain regions and cognitive processes. To clarify these inconsistencies, the verbal and visuo-spatial working memory of children with ADHD/I, ADHD/HI and a control group with no ADHD symptoms were compared. Method: The Automated Working Memory Assessment and Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices were administered to 72 children (ADHD/I n = 27; ADHD/HI n = 25; control n = 20). Results: The ADHD groups performed similarly, but were significantly poorer than the control group in all aspects of working memory. Storage abilities were stronger than processing abilities, while verbal and visuo-spatial abilities were equally developed for all groups. Conclusion: ADHD-related deficits were apparent across working memory components, even when IQ was controlled for, suggesting a generalised impairment.

Parkinson’s disease showing progressive conduction aphasia

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) may develop progressive dementia late in their clinical course. Dementia in PD is mostly related to neuropathological findings of extensive Lewy bodies (LBs), with or without the coexistence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Aphasia has been reported in patients with LB diseases with AD pathology; however, there have been no reports of typical PD patients developing progressive aphasia during their clinical course. We describe a female PD patient who later developed progressive conduction aphasia characterized by phonemic paraphasia and disturbance in repetition of short sentences without disturbance in writing or auditory comprehension. No episodes of fluctuations of attention, memory complaints, or planning errors were observed. She experienced episodes of visual hallucination. Her low scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination suggested impairment of orientation and attention, and her scores on Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices test indicated impaired visuospatial functions. However, her cognitive deficits were not sufficiently severe to impair her daily life. Brain magnetic resonance images revealed atrophy of the left superior temporal gyrus and widening of the left sylvian fissure. [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography revealed glucose hypometabolism in the left cerebral hemisphere. These findings may be related to conduction aphasia. During the progression of PD lesions, the brainstem LB is assumed to take an upward course, extend to the limbic system, and then extend to the neocortex. Conduction aphasia observed in our patient may be associated with an unusual progression of the LB pathology from the brainstem to the left temporoparietal lobe.

Comparison of Single and Dual Target Visual Attention Tasks in Children with down Syndrome

Understanding the nature of attentional processing in children with Down Syndrome (DS) is imperative for developing effective education practices. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether children with DS exhibit impairment in sustained, transient, single-, or dual-target continuous performance tasks. Target detection time and accuracy was compared in children with DS to Typically Developing (TD) children of similar nonverbal mental age (as measured by the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices), on single and dual- target continuous performance tasks measuring sustained attention, a visual change detection task measuring transient attention, and feature and conjunctive visual search tasks measuring both sustained and transient attention. Results showed that children with DS performed similarly to TD children on sustained and transient attention tasks that only required the detection of a single unique target, but were impaired in overall accuracy on tasks that required dual-target detection. Findings suggest a possible impairment in attention and working memory in children with DS. Error analysis of task responses revealed differences in problem solving strategy between children with DS and TD children, despite similar overall performance. Findings have implications for the education of children with DS and understanding of the nature of intellectual disability per se.

Relationship between periodontal status and intellectual function among community‐dwelling elderly persons

The aim of this study was to indicate the relationship between periodontal status and intellectual function in the elderly. Periodontal status has been shown to be related to demographic, socioeconomic, and psychological status. Intellectual function is a significant indicator of health status. Nevertheless, the relationship between periodontal status and intellectual function has not been elucidated in detail among the elderly. A total of 152 community-dwelling elderly persons, aged 70-74 years, were enrolled in the study. Periodontal status was evaluated using the WHO Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN). Intellectual function was assessed by four neuropsychological tests: Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) test, the Verbal Paired Associates 1 (VerPA) task and the Visual Paired Associates 1 (VirPA) task, extracted from the Wechsler Memory Scale Revised Edition, and the Block Design subtest, extracted from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales, Third Edition. Correlations between CPITN and each test were examined using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. The ordinal regression model was constructed with CPITN as the dependent variable and neuropsychological test as the principal independent variable to adjust for demographic factors, general health, lifestyle and oral health behaviour. Significant correlations were found between the RCPM test, the VerPA task, the Visual Paired Associates 1 and CPITN. In the ordinal regression model, CPITN was significantly related to measures of RCPM after adjusting for demographic factors, general health status, lifestyle and oral health behaviour. Intellectual function is considered a significant indicator of periodontal status among community-dwelling elderly persons.

Development of non‐verbal intellectual capacity in school‐age children with cerebral palsy

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are at greater risk for a limited intellectual development than typically developing children. Little information is available which children with CP are most at risk. This study aimed to describe the development of non-verbal intellectual capacity of school-age children with CP and to examine the association between the development of non-verbal intellectual capacity and the severity of CP. A longitudinal analysis in a cohort study was performed with a clinic-based sample of children with CP. Forty-two children were assessed at 5, 6 and 7 years of age, and 49 children were assessed at 7, 8 and 9 years of age. Non-verbal intellectual capacity was assessed by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM). Severity of CP was classified by the Gross Motor Function Classification System, type of motor impairment and limb distribution. manova for repeated measurements was used to analyse time effects and time × group effects on both RCPM raw scores and RCPM intelligence quotient scores. The development of non-verbal intellectual capacity was characterised by a statistically significant increase in RCPM raw scores but no significant change in RCPM intelligence quotient scores. The development of RCPM raw scores was significantly associated with the severity of CP. Children with higher levels of gross motor functioning and children with spastic CP showed greater increase in raw scores than children with lower levels of gross motor functioning and children with dyskinetic CP. Children with CP aged between 5 and 9 years show different developmental trajectories for non-verbal intellectual capacity, which are associated with the severity of CP. The development of non-verbal intellectual capacity in children with less severe CP seems to resemble that of typically developing children, while children with more severe CP show a limited intellectual development compared to typically developing children.

Clinical profiles of late‐onset semantic dementia, compared with early‐onset semantic dementia and late‐onset Alzheimer's disease

Semantic dementia (SD) has been recognized as a representative of dementia with presenile onset; however, recent epidemiological studies have shown that SD also occurs in the elderly. There have been few studies about the differences of clinical profiles between early-onset SD (EO-SD) and late-onset SD (LO-SD). Age-associated changes in the brain might cause some additional cognitive and behavioural profiles of LO-SD in contrast to the typical EO-SD cases. The aim of the present study was to clarify the characteristics of neuropsychological, and behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) profiles of LO-SD patients observed in screening tests in comparison with EO-SD patients and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LO-AD) patients as controls. Study participants were LO-SD (n = 10), EO-SD (n = 15) and LO-AD (n = 47). We examined the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), the Short-Memory Questionnaire (SMQ), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and the Stereotypy Rating Inventory (SRI). Both SD groups scored significantly lower than the LO-AD patients in 'naming' of the MMSE. In the 'construction' score of the MMSE and the RCPM score, however, the LO-SD patients as well as the LO-AD patients were significantly lower than the EO-SD patients. In the SMQ score, 'euphoria' and 'disinhibition' scores of the NPI, the SRI total and subscale scores, both SD groups were significantly higher, whereas in the 'delusion' score of the NPI, both SD groups were significantly lower than the LO-AD patients. Visuospatial and constructive skills of LO-SD patients might be mildly deteriorated compared with EO-SD patients, whereas other cognitive and behavioural profiles of LO-SD are similar to EO-SD. Age-associated changes in the brain should be considered when we diagnose SD in elderly patients.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Chinese Language and Reading Abilities

This study investigated the etiology of individual differences in Chinese language and reading skills in 312 typically developing Chinese twin pairs aged from 3 to 11 years (228 pairs of monozygotic twins and 84 pairs of dizygotic twins; 166 male pairs and 146 female pairs). Children were individually given tasks of Chinese word reading, receptive vocabulary, phonological memory, tone awareness, syllable and rhyme awareness, rapid automatized naming, morphological awareness and orthographic skills, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. All analyses controlled for the effects of age. There were moderate to substantial genetic influences on word reading, tone awareness, phonological memory, morphological awareness and rapid automatized naming (estimates ranged from .42 to .73), while shared environment exerted moderate to strong effects on receptive vocabulary, syllable and rhyme awareness and orthographic skills (estimates ranged from .35 to .63). Results were largely unchanged when scores were adjusted for nonverbal reasoning as well as age. Findings of this study are mostly similar to those found for English, a language with very different characteristics, and suggest the universality of genetic and environmental influences across languages.

Consciência sintática: prováveis correlações com a coerência central e a inteligência não-verbal no autismo

To evaluate syntactic awareness, central coherence, non-verbal intelligence, social and communication development, interests and behavior of children with autistic spectrum disorders and to examine their probable correlations. Participants were ten subjects diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, eight male and two female, with ages between 4 years e 9 months and 13 years and 4 months (mean age 9 years), who used oral language for communication. The following tests were used: Syntactic Awareness Test - Adapted (Prova de Consciência Sintática - Adaptada), Computerized jigsaw puzzles with picture and background and only with background; and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices - Special Scale. Subjects' parents answered the protocol Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R). The children with autism presented syntactic awareness performance similar to that of 6-year-old children with typical development. Sixty percent of the subjects showed non-verbal intelligence at a superior or average level. There were no correlations between the performances in syntactic awareness and the other tested variables. There was no relationship between the performance in syntactic awareness and the results related to central coherence, non-verbal intelligence and social interaction deficits, difficulties in communication and restrict patterns interests of subjects with autism. The results suggest that these children seem to follow the development pattern of typically developing 6-year-old children in syntactic awareness abilities, only delayed.

Relation between dental fluorosis and intelligence quotient in school children of Bagalkot district

This study was conducted on 160 children, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka state between August and October 2010, with the aim of finding out if there is a relation between dental fluorosis status and Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Children were categorized as, those suffering from dental fluorosis and those not suffering from dental fluorosis and for all children in both categories, Intelligence testing was done using the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. The following observations were made from the data gathered: The mean IQ score of children without dental fluorosis was significantly higher than those children who had dental fluorosis. The mean IQ scores did not vary with the severity of dental fluorosis as classified by Dean's fluorosis index. Also it was noticed that the percentage of children with dental fluorosis was more in Extremely Low and Low IQ categories whereas the percentage of children without dental fluorosis was more in Average and High Average IQ categories. Previous studies had indicated toward decreased Intelligence in children exposed to high levels of fluoride and our study also confirmed such an effect.

The role of working memory and updating in Coloured Raven Matrices performance in typically developing children

A large body of evidence indicates that working memory correlates with performance on fluid intelligence tasks such as Raven's tests. However, light still needs to be shed on which particular aspects of working memory might be most critically related to fluid intelligence, and whether working memory updating—which appears crucial to intellectual functioning—has a prominent role. To address these issues more closely, our study presented participants (aged 5–11 years) with the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, an updating task, and a battery of working memory tasks. Our findings confirm that working memory indeed plays an important part in explaining fluid intelligence, in particular that updating information in working memory is critical to fluid intelligence in the context of development.

Development of daily activities in school-age children with cerebral palsy

The purpose of this study was to describe the course of capabilities in self-care, mobility, and social function in school-age children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to investigate associations with CP-, child-, and family-characteristics. A clinic-based sample of children with CP ( n = 116; 76 males, 40 females; mean age 6 y 3 mo, SD 12 mo) was followed longitudinally in three yearly measurements. Children's capabilities were assessed with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Functional Skills Scale (PEDI-FSS). Averaged for the total group, significant increases over time were shown in PEDI-FSS scores in all three domains. For self-care, the course was best predicted by a model including level of gross motor function (measured by the Gross Motor Function Classification System) and intellectual capacity (measured by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices). For mobility, the course was best predicted by a model containing only level of gross motor function. For social function, the course was best predicted by a model comprising level of bimanual function (measured by the Manual Ability Classification System) and paternal educational level. Generally, the increase in capabilities was greater if level of functioning was higher, except for level of paternal education. The findings indicate that there are different sets of determinants for the course of different domains of daily activities. Such different sets of determinants may help to set realistic expectations and to create appropriate treatment plans for different domains of daily activities in school-age children with CP.

Item and error analysis on Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices in Williams Syndrome

Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) is a standardised test that is commonly used to obtain a non-verbal reasoning score for children. As the RCPM involves the matching of a target to a pattern it is also considered to be a visuo-spatial perception task. RCPM is therefore frequently used in studies in Williams Syndrome (WS), in order to match WS participants to a control group or as a single measure to predict performance on a test-condition in developmental trajectory analyses. However, little is known about the performance of participants with WS on the RCPM. The current study compared the type of errors and the difficulty of each item for 53 participants with WS to 53 typically developing children who were individually matched on the total raw score for RCPM. Results showed that the participants with WS made the same proportion of error types and that the proportion of error types changed similarly to those of typically developing controls over development. Furthermore, the differential item difficulty between the two groups was highly similar. It is therefore argued that, although participants with WS are delayed on RCPM, their performance is not atypical which suggests that RCPM performance is supported by typical mechanisms. The RCPM is therefore a useful tool to match WS to control groups or to construct developmental trajectories.

Nutritional and socioeconomic status in cognitive development of Santal children of Purulia district, India

Background: Cognitive development of children depends on nutritional and socioeconomic factors.Objectives: The objectives of the present study were to assess the cognitive development and to investigate the relationship of nutritional and socioeconomic status (SES) to cognitive development in 5–12 year old Santal children of Purulia district of West Bengal, India.Methods: The nutritional status of each child was assessed by z-score of height-for-age, weight-for-height and weight-for-age parameters. SES was measured using the updated Kuppusswami scale. Cognitive development was measured by Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM).Results: The growth curve of RCPM scores of Santal children remained around the 5th percentile values of British children. The RCPM scores of the adequately nourished children and upper-lower SES were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the children with lower SES and nutritional status. About 42.96% and 27.69% of Santal children were found to be in the intellectually deficient and below average groups, respectively. RCPM scores of Santal children were significantly correlated with nutritional status and socioeconomic factors (p < 0.01).Conclusion: The surveyed children showed poor cognitive functions. The vulnerable nutritional and socioeconomic statuses of Santal children are the major causes for their poor cognitive development.

Performance of Greek Demented and Nondemented Subjects on the Greek Version of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale. A Validation Study

ABSTRACTA translated version of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) into Greek ((DRS-GR) was applied to a sample of Greek population (N = 356) comprising normal middle-aged and elderly subjects (controls), as well as patients suffering from Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) to test its reliability and validity. A well-known dementia screening instrument, the Mini Mental State Examination test (MMSE), and a nonverbal measure of abstract reasoning, the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices, were employed as measures of DRS-GR concurrent validity. Reliability analysis was satisfactory with Cronbach's alpha reaching 0.82 and item to total correlations yielding high coefficients for most items. DRS-GR scores were influenced by age and education, but not by gender. Correlation between MMSE and the total DRS-GR score was significant in patients and normal controls, but correlation between DRS-GR and RCPM was significant in AD and nondemented PD only. Specificity and sensitivity for dementia screening, calculated on a Receiver Operating Characteristic curve, with a cut-off score the mean value minus two standard deviations, corrected for age and education, was 96% and 80%, respectively. Our preliminary findings show that DRS-GR is a reliable and well-adapted instrument for clinical application in the Greek population.

Prenatal Exposure to Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Children’s Intelligence at 5 Years of Age in a Prospective Cohort Study in Poland

BackgroundIn this prospective cohort study of Caucasian mothers and children in Krakow, Poland, we evaluated the role of prenatal exposure to urban air pollutants in the pathogenesis of neurobehavioral disorders.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure and child intelligence at 5 years of age, controlling for potential confounders suspected to play a role in neurodevelopment.MethodsA cohort of pregnant, healthy, nonsmoking women was enrolled in Krakow, Poland, between 2001 and 2006. During pregnancy, participants were invited to complete a questionnaire and undergo 48-hr personal air monitoring to estimate their babies’ exposure, and to provide a blood sample and/or a cord blood sample at the time of delivery. Two hundred fourteen children were followed through 5 years of age, when their nonverbal reasoning ability was assessed using the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM).ResultsWe found that higher (above the median of 17.96 ng/m3) prenatal exposure to airborne PAHs (range, 1.8–272.2 ng/m3) was associated with decreased RCPM scores at 5 years of age, after adjusting for potential confounding variables (n = 214). Further adjusting for maternal intelligence, lead, or dietary PAHs did not alter this association. The reduction in RCPM score associated with high airborne PAH exposure corresponded to an estimated average decrease of 3.8 IQ points.ConclusionsThese results suggest that prenatal exposure to airborne PAHs adversely affects children’s cognitive development by 5 years of age, with potential implications for school performance. They are consistent with a recent finding in a parallel cohort in New York City.

Does item overlap account for the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and psychopathology in preadolescents?

Trait emotional intelligence (EI) is associated with psychopathology when measured concurrently although recent research suggests that trait EI does not predict psychopathology longitudinally in preadolescents. This investigation explores whether item overlap may be responsible for these contrasting findings. A sample of 598 children aged 10–11 years completed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue – ASF), the Beck Youth Inventories (BYI) to measure psychopathology, and the Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices to screen for intellectual impairment. A joint exploratory factor analysis conducted on all items from the TEIQue – ASF and the BYI revealed that 16 items from the TEIQue – ASF overlapped BYI factors. After the removal of these items the relationships between the TEIQue – ASF and subscales of the BYI did not significantly differ from those using the original scale. In addition, the differences in the psychopathology scores of those high and low on trait EI persisted after the removal of the overlapping items from the TEIQue – ASF. Whilst further research into this issue is recommended the findings indicate that trait EI and psychopathology are not distinct constructs but that they are still related in preadolescents after controlling for item overlap.

Cognitive modifiability of children with developmental disabilities: A multicentre study using Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment—Basic program

The study aimed at exploring the effectiveness of cognitive intervention with the new “Instrumental Enrichment Basic” program (IE-basic), based on Feuerstein's theory of structural cognitive modifiability that contends that a child's cognitive functioning can be significantly modified through mediated learning intervention. The IE-basic progam is aimed at enhancing domain-general cognitive functioning in a number of areas (systematic perception, self-regulation abilities, conceptual vocabulary, planning, decoding emotions and social relations) as well as transferring learnt principles to daily life domains. Participants were children with DCD, CP, intellectual impairment of genetic origin, autistic spectrum disorder, ADHD or other learning disorders, with a mental age of 5–7 years, from Canada, Chile, Belgium, Italy and Israel. Children in the experimental groups ( N = 104) received 27–90 h of the program during 30–45 weeks; the comparison groups ( N = 72) received general occupational and sensory–motor therapy. Analysis of the pre- to post-test gain scores demonstrated significant ( p < 0.05) advantage of experimental over comparison groups in three WISC-R subtests (“Similarities”, “Picture Completion”, “Picture Arrangement”) and Raven Coloured Matrices. Effect sizes ranged from 0.3 to 0.52. Results suggest that it is possible to improve cognitive functioning of children with developmental disability. No advantage was found for children with specific aetiology. Greater cognitive gains were demonstrated by children who received the program in an educational context where all teachers were committed to the principles of mediated learning.

Effects of mediated intervention on cognitive functions: A pilot study with Grade 5 learners at a remedial school

The present study explored the effects of a mediated intervention programme on a sample of Grade 5 learners, in a remedial school. The participants (n = 20) were systematically sampled and they constituted two groups; namely, Individual Mediation (n = 10) and Group Mediation (n = 10). It was hypothesised that participants exposed to this programme would yield a significant improvement in cognitive functioning as measured by the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices. It was further proposed that participants within the Individual Mediation group would perform significantly better than those within Group Mediation. Set Variations B-8 to B-12 from Feuerstein's Learning Potential Assessment Device served as a vehicle for mediating cognitive deficiencies. Results revealed a significant improvement in scores only within the Individual Mediation group. Despite the statistically significant improvement yielded within the Individual Mediation group, no statistically significant difference was found between the Individual Mediation and the Group Mediation sample. These findings are discussed in light of existing literature and future recommendations are suggested.