Standardized Intelligence Tests Research Articles

Beyond the heart: Cognitive and verbal outcomes in Arab children with congenital heart diseases

AbstractBackgroundThis study investigates how congenital heart diseases (CHD) characteristics and interventions affect cognitive and verbal skills in Arab children, while also uncovering previously unexplored connections between these skills and the quality of life (QoL) scores as perceived by both children and parents.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted in Jordan, involving 62 children with CHD aged 6–16. Data were collected through standardized intelligence tests (namely The Raven's Progressive Matrices Test and The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and QoL assessments.ResultsSex, disease severity, cyanosis, CHD defect status, conducted operations, and types of interventions did not significantly influence cognitive scores. However, a significant difference was observed in Wechsler's scores between cyanotic and non‐cyanotic children (p < .01) and between severe and moderate cases (p = .01). Further, a significant positive correlation was identified between Wechsler's Scores and QoL reported by parents (r = 0.33, p < .01). This correlation was particularly pronounced in the social and school functioning dimensions of QoL.ConclusionsThis study highlights the need for personalized care approaches for children with CHDs based on their individual characteristics. While cognitive abilities did not directly correlate with children's QoL reports, a significant positive correlation between verbal skills and QoL reported by parents underscores the importance of effective communication in assessing a child's overall well‐being. Future research should further examine the cognitive development in this population, employing neurocognitive investigations and longitudinal studies to gain a deeper understanding of their cognitive profiles and trajectories.

Critical Thinking, Intelligence, and Unsubstantiated Beliefs: An Integrative Review.

A review of the research shows that critical thinking is a more inclusive construct than intelligence, going beyond what general cognitive ability can account for. For instance, critical thinking can more completely account for many everyday outcomes, such as how thinkers reject false conspiracy theories, paranormal and pseudoscientific claims, psychological misconceptions, and other unsubstantiated claims. Deficiencies in the components of critical thinking (in specific reasoning skills, dispositions, and relevant knowledge) contribute to unsubstantiated belief endorsement in ways that go beyond what standardized intelligence tests test. Specifically, people who endorse unsubstantiated claims less tend to show better critical thinking skills, possess more relevant knowledge, and are more disposed to think critically. They tend to be more scientifically skeptical and possess a more rational-analytic cognitive style, while those who accept unsubstantiated claims more tend to be more cynical and adopt a more intuitive-experiential cognitive style. These findings suggest that for a fuller understanding of unsubstantiated beliefs, researchers and instructors should also assess specific reasoning skills, relevant knowledge, and dispositions which go beyond what intelligence tests test.

Executive functioning skills and (low) math achievement in primary and secondary school

Schoolchildren with better executive functioning skills achieve better mathematics results. It is less clear how inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory combine to predict mathematics achievement and difficulty throughout primary and secondary school. This study aimed to find the best combination of executive function measures for predicting mathematical achievement in Grades 2, 6, and 10 and to test whether this combination predicts the probability of having mathematical difficulties across school grades even when fluid intelligence and processing speed were included in the models. A total of 426 students—141 2nd graders (72 girls), 143 6th graders (72 girls), and 142 10th graders (79 girls)—were cross-sectionally assessed with 12 executive tasks, one standardized mathematical task, and a standardized test of intelligence. Bayesian regression analyses found various combinations of executive predictors of mathematical achievement for each school grade spanning Grade 2 to measures of cognitive inhibition (negative priming) and cognitive flexibility (verbal fluency); Grade 6 to measures of inhibition: resistance to distractor interference (receptive attention), cognitive flexibility (local–global), and working memory (counting span); and Grade 10 to measures of inhibition: resistance to distractor interference (receptive attention) and prepotent response inhibition (stop signal) and working memory (reading span). Logistic regression showed that the executive models derived from the Bayesian analyses had a similar ability to classify students with mathematical difficulty and their peers with typical achievement to broader cognitive models that included fluid intelligence and processing speed. Measures of processing speed, cognitive flexibility (local–global), and prepotent response inhibition (stop signal) were the main risk factors in Grades 2, 6, and 10, respectively. Cognitive flexibility (verbal fluency) in Grade 2 and fluid intelligence, which was more stable in all three grades, acted as protective factors against mathematical difficulty. These findings inform practical considerations for establishing preventive and intervention proposals.

High Cognitive Ability and Mental Health: Findings from a Large Community Sample of Adolescents.

Whereas it has sometimes been asserted that the intellectually gifted would be more prone to develop mental health problems, empirical studies generally do not seem to support such claims. However, much of the available research has relied on preselected samples, introducing risks for sample selection bias. This study scrutinized the relationship between intellectual giftedness (defined as high cognitive ability) and mental health in a large, non-selective sample of early adolescents (n = 3409; 49.6% boys; Mage = 12.5 years). Using a standardized intelligence test (CoVaT-CHC) to identify participants with a high cognitive ability (IQ ≥ 120; n = 403), we compared self- and parent-reported levels of emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and self-reported worry and global self-esteem between high and average ability adolescents. Findings indicated that adolescents with a high cognitive ability were not at increased risk of psychological maladjustment; if any, differences were in favor of the high ability group. However, adolescents who had been formally identified as gifted (i.e., who had received a gifted label) did report worse adjustment for a number of outcomes.

Comparison of cognitive strength and weaknesses between visually impaired children and non-visually impaired children

Visually impaired children experience limitation in learning and identifying the world. There has yet to be an intelligence measuring instrument tailor made to accommodate their limitations. Therefore, this study aims explore strengths and weaknesses of visually impaired children compared to non-visually impaired children in standard intelligence test as a pilot study for constructing intelligence test that is tailor made for visually impaired children. This research is a quantitative approach using WISC-R as the research instrumenrs. The data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U Test. This study found a significant difficulty experienced by visually impaired children in performance subtest. Further, no significant difference in verbal IQ was found between visually impaired children and non-visually impaired children. The results of this study are expected to be the basis for developing intelligence measuring tools for visually impaired children in the future.

Phenotypic shift in copy number variants: Evidence in 16p11.2 duplication syndrome

Recurrent 16p11.2 duplications produce a wide range of clinical outcomes with varying effects on cognition and social functioning. Family-based studies of copy number variants (CNVs) have revealed significant contributions of genomic background on variable expressivity. In this study, we measured the phenotypic effect of 16p11.2 duplications and quantified the modulating effect of familial background on cognitive and social outcomes. Genomic and clinical data were ascertained from 41 probands with a 16p11.2 duplication and their first-degree relatives. Paired comparisons were completed to determine the duplication's effect on expected vs actual performance on standardized tests of intelligence (IQ) and social functioning (Social Responsiveness Scale-2). Intraclass correlations between relatives and probands were also calculated. Cognitive and social functioning were significantly lower among individuals with 16p11.2 duplications than their CNV-negative relatives, whereas intraclass correlations between the groups remained high for full-scale IQ and Social Responsiveness Scale-2 scores. The 16p11.2 duplication confers deleterious effects on cognition and social functioning, whereas familial background significantly influences phenotypic expression of these traits. Understanding variable expressivity in CNV disorders has implications for anticipatory clinical care, particularly for individuals who receive a genetic diagnosis at an early age, long before the full scope of manifestations becomes evident.

Factors Facilitating and Hindering the Transition to Higher Education for High-Ability Students

In this qualitative study, we explored the opportunities and difficulties experienced by cognitively high-ability students during the transition to higher education. Although high-ability individuals undoubtedly have the cognitive capacity to excel academically, research has demonstrated persistent underachievement among this group of students, and that they may face particular challenges within higher education compared to primary and secondary education. To better understand their experiences, 10 current and former high-ability students were selected by means of scores on standardized intelligence tests to participate in semi-structured interviews. Results revealed many similarities between the participants. The majority of the participants reported insufficient study skills and not knowing what was expected of them as obstacles during their transition to higher education. They also cited a lack of challenge in previous schooling as a source of transitional difficulties. On-time entry into higher education, good study skills, and clear expectations led to a more successful transition. Contextual factors, such as perceived support from the learning environment, seemed to have a facilitating effect on the students' transition experience but did not seem to determine the success of a student's transition on their own.

The Relationship between Motor Skills and Intelligence in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study explored the association between intelligence and motor skills in children with ASD after controlling for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the associations between motor impairment and intellectual disability (ID) in this population. In total, 120 children with ASD (3-16years; 81.7% boys) completed a standardized intelligence test, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children and Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Variance in performance IQ was associated with 20.8% of the variance in motor skills while significant associations were found between comorbid ID and motor impairment (ɸ = 0.304). Manual Dexterity and Balance are moderately influenced by performance IQ in children with ASD. Furthermore, presence of ID is also moderately associated with motor impairment in this population.

Critical Thinking: A Model of Intelligence for Solving Real-World Problems.

Most theories of intelligence do not directly address the question of whether people with high intelligence can successfully solve real world problems. A high IQ is correlated with many important outcomes (e.g., academic prominence, reduced crime), but it does not protect against cognitive biases, partisan thinking, reactance, or confirmation bias, among others. There are several newer theories that directly address the question about solving real-world problems. Prominent among them is Sternberg’s adaptive intelligence with “adaptation to the environment” as the central premise, a construct that does not exist on standardized IQ tests. Similarly, some scholars argue that standardized tests of intelligence are not measures of rational thought—the sort of skill/ability that would be needed to address complex real-world problems. Other investigators advocate for critical thinking as a model of intelligence specifically designed for addressing real-world problems. Yes, intelligence (i.e., critical thinking) can be enhanced and used for solving a real-world problem such as COVID-19, which we use as an example of contemporary problems that need a new approach.

HISTORY OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN THE USA

The article analyzes the historical stages of inclusive education in the United States: the first – 1960 – the stage of segregation and marginalization of people with special educational needs, the second (from 1968 to 1975) – the stage of normalization, the idea of involving disabled students in the educational environment, the third stage – educational mainstreaming (1975–1983), the fourth stage – (1983–2004) – inclusive education characterized by joint training of people with special needs with peers using typical development, the fifth –mixed educational system – a comprehensive inclusive education system starting in 2004 and until now in the United States.It was determined that the definition of “special educational needs” (learning disability), means developmental delay, disorder of one or more processes related to speaking, reading, pronunciation, writing or arithmetic abilities as a result of possible cerebral dysfunction, but not in the result of mental disorders, loss of sensitivity, cultural, educational or upbringing factors. It has been found that disorder or disability is not one specific concept, but often a mixture of disorders grouped under one broad term, and inclusive education is seen as “the process of addressing and responding to the diverse needs of students by ensuring their participation in learning, cultural activities and community life and reducing exclusion in education and the learning process”. Now intellectual level is determined by using standard intelligence tests, mostly Stanford-Binet, that allows to use individualized curricula as a basis for teaching children with disabilities in inclusive settings. But it is still clear that even in such circumstances, the problems of inclusive education remain to be complex and ambiguous.
 Keywords: special educational needs, children with disabilities, inclusive environment, inclusion, child with special educational needs, inclusive education, state acts, US general education system.

Stories Children Tell: Should the Thematic Apperception Test be Included in Psychoeducational Assessments?

Federal law requires that psychoeducational evaluations be comprehensive, and utilize variety of assessment measures that evaluate the child’s functioning along academic and cognitive domains as well as life skills outside of the classroom (Wiley, 2014) . Previous research suggests the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Harvard University Press, 1943), a measure requiring responses to ambiguous stimuli, is an important part of comprehensive psychological evaluations (Adolescence, 43(171): 593-606, 2008). However, when integrated into psychoeducational assessment batteries, the TAT poses challenges associated with validity, reliability, and theoretical conceptualization (Miller and Nickerson 2006). In light of this criticism, this study examines the role that the TAT may play in psychoeducational assessment of children. Specifically, the study explores the relationship between TAT narratives, based on Teglasi’s coding system (Wiley, 2010), and data from intelligence testing, self- and informant-rating scales of behavior. Utilizing an exploratory mixed-method design, the study concluded that the TAT and standardized intelligence and personality tests measure different aspects of cognitive and emotional domains. Clinicians are encouraged to include the TAT in comprehensive psychoeducational assessments in order to evaluate contextual cognitive processes and implicit emotional functioning that are not measured by standardized tests.

Funciones cognitivas en la descendencia de pacientes con trastorno bipolar I

Objetivo: Describir las características neuropsicológicas de niños y adolescentes descendientes de padres con antecedentes de TB I, respecto a la aplicación de una prueba estandarizada de inteligencia.
 Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional descriptivo de corte transversal, en donde los autores investigaron el Coeficiente Intelectual Total; Índice de compresión verbal; Índice de Razonamiento Perceptual; Índice de Memoria de trabajo; Índice de Velocidad de Procesamiento. Se evaluaron (n=30) descendientes al aplicar varias subpruebas de la Escala de inteligencia de Weschler para niños, (WISC –IV).
 Resultados: El Coeficiente Intelectual Total de los participantes con un 63,3% está por debajo del promedio de la curva de distribución normal, según la estandarización del test de inteligencia aplicado. Clasificando la tendencia de la muestra como un promedio normal bajo, en cuanto a la muestra evaluada. Los índices de memoria de trabajo y compresión verbal fueron las funciones cognitivas con puntuaciones más bajas en la muestra.
 Discusión: Nuestros hallazgos sugieren un riesgo en hijos de pacientes con TBI, que puede contribuir a un incremento cuantitativo de las alteraciones cognitivas, especialmente el índice de memoria de trabajo y compresión verbal. Estos hallazgos pueden sugerir un posible endofenotipo del TB I y su descendencia, en relación a la presentación temprana de alteraciones cognitivas en este grupo de riesgo. Dichos hijos podrían ser un punto de partida para realizar estudios que determinen predicción y realizar así un abordaje temprano.

Accuracy in Judging Others' Personalities: The Role of Emotion Recognition, Emotion Understanding, and Trait Emotional Intelligence.

The ability to accurately judge others’ personality and the ability to accurately recognize others’ emotions are both part of the broader construct of interpersonal accuracy (IPA). However, little research has examined the association between these two IPA domains. Little is also known about the relationship between personality judgment accuracy and other socio-emotional skills and traits. In the present study, 121 participants judged eight traits (Big Five, intelligence, cooperativeness, and empathy) in each of 30 targets who were presented either in a photograph, a muted video, or a video with sound. The videos were 30 second excerpts from negotiations that the targets had engaged in. Participants also completed standard tests of emotion recognition ability, emotion understanding, and trait emotional intelligence. Results showed that personality judgment accuracy, when indexed as trait accuracy and distinctive profile accuracy, positively correlated with emotion recognition ability and was unrelated to emotion understanding and trait emotional intelligence. Female participants were more accurate in judging targets’ personality than men. These results provide support for IPA as a set of correlated domain-specific skills and encourage further research on personality judgment accuracy as a meaningful individual difference variable.

Character Strengths Are Related to Students' Achievement, Flow Experiences, and Enjoyment in Teacher-Centered Learning, Individual, and Group Work Beyond Cognitive Ability.

While character strengths have been found to predict educational outcomes beyond broad personality traits and cognitive ability, little is known about their differential contribution to success and positive learning experiences in different school settings. In this study, we use trait activation theory to investigate the relationships of students’ character strengths with achievement, flow experiences, and enjoyment in different learning situations (i.e., teacher-centered learning, individual tasks, and group work). In studying these relationships, we controlled for psychometric intelligence. Secondary school students (N = 255; 46.3% male; mean age = 14.5 years) completed a self-report measure of character strengths, the VIA-Youth (Park and Peterson, 2006b). Cognitive ability was assessed using a standardized intelligence test (PSB-R; Horn et al., 2003) at baseline. Three months later, students completed the Flow Short Scale (Rheinberg et al., 2003) adapted to the three learning situations and indicated their typical enjoyment of these situations. Both the students and their teachers (N = 18; 50% male; mean age = 44.8 years) provided ratings on school achievement in each of the three learning situations. Results indicate that, as expected, (a) certain character strengths (love of learning and perseverance) show consistent relationships with achievement and positive learning experiences (flow and enjoyment) above and beyond cognitive ability across all learning situations, whereas (b) other character strengths show differential trait-outcome relationships (e.g., the character strength of teamwork was predictive of achievement and positive learning experiences in group work). Taken together, these results suggest that different character strengths play a role in different school situations and that their contribution to explaining variance in educational outcomes is incremental to the contribution of cognitive ability.

Do the Mega and Titan Tests Yield Accurate Results? An Investigation into Two Experimental Intelligence Tests

The Mega and Titan Tests were designed by Ronald K. Hoeflin to make fine distinctions in the intellectual stratosphere. The Mega Test purported to measure above-average adult IQ up to and including scores with a rarity of one in a million of the general population. The Titan Test was billed as being even more difficult than the Mega Test. In this article, these claims are subjected to scrutiny. Both tests are renormed using the normal curve of distribution. It is found that the Mega Test has a higher ceiling and a lower floor than the Titan Test. While the Mega Test may thus seem preferable as a psychometric instrument, it is somewhat marred by a number of easy items in its verbal section. Although official scores reported to test-takers are too high, it is likely that the Mega Test does stretch to the one in a million level. The Titan Test does not. Testees who had previously taken standard intelligence tests achieved average scores of 135–145 IQ on those. Since the mean of all scores on the Mega and Titan Tests was found to be IQ 137 and IQ 138, respectively, testees had considerable scope to find their true level without ceiling effects. Both are unusual and non-standard tests which require a great deal of effort to complete. Nevertheless, they deserve consideration as they represent an inventive experimental method of measuring the very highest levels of human intelligence and have been taken by enough subjects to allow norming.

Expanding the cross-cultural psychological assessment tool box with IQ test short forms

Objective Short forms of standard intelligence tests are useful in clinical and research settings where administration of a full intelligence test is impractical or unnecessary. In cross cultural contexts where few tests are available, including brief intelligence tests, short forms may be particularly useful to meet clinical and research needs. However, there is little cross-cultural research on the validity of short forms. This study evaluated feasibility of short form development for the Spanish version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and examined comparability of short-form IQ estimates in Spanish- and English-speaking children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method Participants included children with ADHD who were administered the WISC-IV Spanish (n = 165) or WISC-IV (n = 299). Full Scale IQs (FSIQs) were calculated for two-, three-, four-, and five-subtest short forms. Misclassification rates, mean absolute differences, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to determine short form accuracy in estimating FSIQ. Results The WISC-IV short forms examined had generally strong psychometric properties (e.g., ICCs ranged from .78 to .94) and level of accuracy in estimating FSIQ did not differ across primary language of Spanish or English. Conclusions Findings support feasibility of IQ short form development to help address mental health disparities in research and clinical screening for Spanish- and English-speaking pediatric populations with ADHD.

The Effectiveness of Using Multisensory Approach in Enhancing Achievement and Retention of English Vocabulary Amongst Intermediate Female Students with EFL Learning Disabilities

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using multisensory approach in enhancing the achievement and retention of English language vocabulary amongst intermediate stage female students with EFL learning disabilities. A quasi-experimental model was adopted as an experimental methodology where a standardized intelligence test (R.Cattel IQ scale) and a researcher –prepared vocabulary achievement test were used as research tools. The subjects (N = 116) were selected from two intermediate schools in Taif. A criterion was applied to select students with learning disabilities. The sample was divided randomly into two groups: control and experimental. Both groups were pre-tested to assure that they were equivalent. The control group (N=10) were taught through traditional method, while the experimental group(N=12) were taught through multisensory approach during the first term of the school year(1435-1436H). The experiment lasted for six weeks, then the vocabulary achievement was applied. One month later, the VAT delayed test was applied. In order to process the results of the study groups statistically, the researcher used the computerized program: Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Mann-Whitney U Test, normal distribution Z, Wilcoxon signed ranks test and effect size of Wilcoxon were used in this study. Results revealed that multisensory approach had a positive effect on vocabulary achievement and retention of the students with learning disability. Keywords : Multisensory Approach, EFL, Learning Disabilities, English Vocabulary, KSA. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-9-17 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

The Vocabulary of Emotions Test (VET)

Considering the necessity to broaden the range of valid emotional intelligence (EI) measures, this study further examined the psychometric properties of the Vocabulary of Emotions Test (VET; Takšić, Harambašić, & Velemir, 2003). Participants were 333 university students (75.4% female) from Serbia, 245 studying education sciences or humanities, and 88 pursuing natural/technical sciences. All were administered the Serbian version of the VET and two standard tests of verbal intelligence (VI) and asked to report their average grade. The VET had good internal consistency (α = .83) and correlated positively with both measures of VI (r = .37 and .45), as with participants’ grades (r = .20). Significant group differences emerged on the VET, but not the two VI tests, with female participants and the Education Sciences/Humanities group scoring higher than their respective counterparts. A hierarchical regression analysis with VI (Step 1) and VET scores (Step 2) as predictors, and grades as the criterion, yielded a significant model (R 2 = .04) with emotional vocabulary explaining additional variance over VI (ΔR 2 = .02) and surfacing as the only independent predictor (β = .18) of academic achievement. Further analyses showed emotional vocabulary to incrementally predict achievement in education sciences and humanities (ΔR 2 = .03, β = .19), but not in natural/technical sciences, in which context neither VI nor emotional vocabulary were statistically significant predictors of students’ grades. The current results are interpreted as promising evidence on the reliability and validity of the Serbian VET, encouraging further use of this instrument in EI research.

Different cognitive styles can affect performance in laparoscopic surgery skill training.

The lack of depth cues and haptic feedback makes minimally invasive surgery a cognitive challenge. It is therefore important to know which individuals are expected to perform well in minimally invasive surgery. In cognitive psychology, methods are available with which one can measure different cognitive thinking styles. It is well known that these cognitive styles correlate with many different tasks. We investigated whether this method can also predict performance on a box trainer (Lübeck Toolbox®), a device for training laparoscopic surgery. If so, the method might help to select and train those people who willmost likely develop high skills in minimally invasive surgery. Thirty medical students and thirty non-medical students performed five laparoscopic surgical tasks on a box trainer. We measured the time required and the errors participants made on each task. Their cognitive style was measured with a method from cognitive psychology that distinguishes between people who think visually, spatially, or verbally. Furthermore, all students completed a subset of a standard intelligence test (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) and three subtests of the German Medical University Admission Test (TMS). Participants with spatial thinking styles performed best on the box trainer. Visual and verbal cognitive styles impeded box trainer performance. Performance on the box trainer could also be predicted by the TMS and IQ scores. The study shows for the first time that a standard method from cognitive psychology can be used to distinguish between different cognitive styles in surgical education and that these different cognitive styles affect performance on a box trainer. Since the correlation between box trainer performance and surgical proficiency is well documented, the method might be an efficient way to reduce errors and to elevate patient safety in laparoscopic surgery.

The Relation of Tests of Scientific Reasoning to Each Other and to Tests of General Intelligence.

We conducted two studies to replicate and extend, as well as test, the limits of previous findings regarding an apparent disconnect between scientific-reasoning skills in psychological science, on the one hand, and scores on standardized tests of general intelligence, on the other. In Study 1, we examined whether this disconnect would extend beyond psychological science to additional sciences as well, such as nutrition and agriculture. The results did indeed extend, suggesting that scientific reasoning across various natural sciences is comparable to scientific reasoning in psychological science, but different in kind from the reasoning required on conventional standardized tests. In Study 2, we examined whether these findings were linked to the format of presentation of scientific problems. Whereas real scientific-reasoning problems are open-ended, standardized tests tend to use multiple-choice format. We discovered that using multiple-choice format did indeed result in an apparently closer relation of the scientific-reasoning tests to two of the conventional ability measures (SAT Reading and Number Series) but not to two other tests (Letter Sets and SAT Math). Thus, one can increase the correlations of scientific-reasoning tests with at least some standardized ability tests but at the cost of content validity and ecological validity.