Verbal Reasoning Skills Research Articles

Investigating Different Theory-Based Differential Item Functioning Methods Under Different Scoring Situations

This study intended to investigate the operations of various theory-based Differential Item Functioning (DIF) methods under different scoring situations. In this context, data obtained from conducting a Verbal Reasoning Skills Test (scored both in dichotomous and weighted scores) on 1593 individuals was examined via Mantel-Haenszel/Mantel, Standardization and Likelihood Ratio Test techniques and items that point to DIF and numbers of items with DIF for each technique and scoring situation were identified. Results show that Classical Test Theory (CTT) based DIF methods generally provided results that were consistent in themselves and that these results were not significantly different from each other. Agreement between techniques based on Item Response Theory (IRT) and Classical Test Theory (CTT) was found to be low under different scoring situations and results were significantly different from each other.

Exploring the relationship between cognition and functional verbal reasoning in adults with severe traumatic brain injury at six months post injury

ABSTRACTObjective(s): This study aims to determine the association between cognitive impairment and functional verbal reasoning in adults with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), at six months post-injury.Method(s): 38 participants with severe TBI were assessed using the four tasks on the Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies (FAVRES) [1] and a battery of neuropsychological tests at 6 months post injury in a cross-sectional observational study.Results: Overall performance on the FAVRES [1] was strongly associated with overall performance on the neuropsychological battery (rho = 0.60). FAVRES Task 2 and FAVRES Task 4 had the most significant positive associations with the cognitive indices of Attention and speed of processing, Memory and Executive functions. There was one weak significant association between the Task 1 Accuracy score and the Total Cognitive index (rho = 0.46).Conclusions: Performance on the FAVRES [1] is positively associated with cognitive processes. Participants with stronger verbal reasoning skills which may be required for activities in work, home and social contexts also had higher scores on tests of cognitive functioning. These findings may inform clinical practices for speech pathologists and other health professionals, in the assessment and treatment of cognitive communication disorders during early stages of recovery in people with severe TBI.

Principal Component Analysis of the PEAK Generalization Module

The current study sought to assess the content validity and internal consistency of the PEAK Generalization Module. Eighty-four children with autism were evaluated using the PEAK Generalization Assessment to ascertain the presence or absence of 184 language and learning skills within the child’s repertoire. Following the assessment, a principal component analysis was run yielding a four-component model of the PEAK Generalization Module. Specifically, components possessing eigenvalues greater than 3 and that had at least one item which was most strongly correlated to them were retained. Items were then sorted into the various components based on their correlation scores within the rotated component matrix generated by the principal component analysis. Following the establishment of the four-component model, the internal consistency of the model was tested using Cronbach’s Alphas which indicated strong internal consistency in the overall PEAK-G Assessment as well as each of the four underlying components. The four components identified include the constructs of Foundational Learning and Basic Social Skills, Basic Verbal Comprehension, Memory, and Advanced Social Skills, Advanced Verbal Comprehension, Reading and Writing, and Basic Problem Solving Skills, and Verbal Reasoning, Problem Solving, Logic, and Mathematical Skills. With the increased demand for evidence-based intervention as the number of individuals with diagnoses of autism rises, the present data provide support for a conceptually systematic behavior analytic approach to the treatment of children with autism.

Benefits of simultaneous bilateral cochlear implantation on verbal reasoning skills in prelingually deaf children

BackgroundImpaired auditory speech perception abilities in deaf children with hearing aids compromised their verbal intelligence enormously. The availability of unilateral cochlear implantation (CI) auditory speech perception and spoken vocabulary enabled them to reach near ageappropriate levels. This holds especially for children in spoken language environments. However, speech perception in complex listening situations and the acquisition of complex verbal skills remains difficult. Bilateral CI was expected to enhance the acquisition of verbal intelligence by improved understanding of speech in noise. MethodsThis study examined the effect of bilateral CI on verbal intelligence of 49 deaf children (3;5–8;0 years). Relations between speech perception in noise, auditory short-term memory and verbal intelligence were analysed with multiple linear regressions. In addition, the interaction of educational setting, mainstream or special, on these relations was analysed. ResultsChildren with bilateral CI obtained higher scores on verbal intelligence. Significant associations were present between speech perception in noise, auditory short-term memory and verbal intelligence. ConclusionChildren with simultaneous bilateral CIs showed better speech perception in noise than children with unilateral CIs, which mediated by the auditory short-term memory capacity, enhanced the ability to acquire more complex verbal skills for BICI children in mainstream education.

Supporting educational researchers and practitioners in their work in education: Assessing the verbal reasoning skills of five- to six-year-old children

The purpose of this study was to design an instrument for five- to six-year-old children to help measure their verbal reasoning skills and assess the validity and reliability of the resulting instrument. For this purpose, the researchers have created the Younger Children Verbal Reasoning Test (YCVR-test) and a control instrument, which have been used experimentally with 24 five- to six-year-old children from kindergarten. The instrument has then been evaluated using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Cronbach's alpha measure for internal consistency. Additionally has been evaluated the Cronbach's alpha with 129 five- to six-year-old children. The findings of this study indicate that the YCVR-test is an internally consistent and reliable tool for use in assessing the reasoning skills of young children.

Going Beyond Input Quantity: Wh-Questions Matter for Toddlers' Language and Cognitive Development.

There are clear associations between the overall quantity of input children are exposed to and their vocabulary acquisition. However, by uncovering specific features of the input that matter, we can better understand the mechanisms involved in vocabulary learning. We examine whether exposure to wh-questions, a challenging quality of the communicative input, is associated with toddlers' vocabulary and later verbal reasoning skills in a sample of low-income, African-American fathers and their 24-month-old children (n=41). Dyads were videotaped in free play sessions at home. Videotapes were transcribed and reliably coded for sheer quantity of fathers' input (number of utterances) as well as the number of wh-questions fathers produce. Children's productive vocabulary was measured at 24months using the McArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventory MCDI (completed by the mothers), and children's verbal reasoning skills were measured 1 year later using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Results indicate that the overall quantity of father talk did not relate to children's vocabulary or reasoning skills. However, fathers' use of wh-questions (but not other questions) related to both vocabulary and reasoning outcomes. Children's responses to wh-questions were more frequent and more syntactically complex, measured using the mean length of utterance (MLU), than their responses to other questions. Thus, posing wh-questions to 2-year-olds is a challenging type of input, which elicits a verbal response from the child that likely helps build vocabulary and foster verbal reasoning abilities.

IMPROVING PRE-SCHOOLERS’ REASONING SKILLS USING THE PHILOSOPHY FOR CHILDREN PROGRAMME

1. Introduction Developing language, independent thinking and cooperative learning are essential tasks for young children, and this is the focus of preschool activities for children aged 3-7 in many countries (Fisher 2001, Goh, Yamauchi, & Ratliffe 2012, Koolieelse lasteasutuse riiklik Oppekava 2008, Taggart, Ridley, Rudd, & Benefield 2005). In the context of basic education, verbal reasoning capacity could be defined as an essential cognitive domain for success in one's life and academic education because verbal reasoning is the precondition to fostering the four main language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing (Fisher 2001). Acquisition and competent use of these language skills assumes consciousness and deliberative activity, the achievement of which is associated with verbal reasoning (Vygotsky 1934/2014). That is why it is important to develop verbal reasoning skills as a precondition to fostering the four main language skills in children as early as possible, and to find an effective method to achieve that (Lipman 1975 1984). Some authors have emphasized that structured conversations are very good places to learn verbal reasoning skills in a variety of ways (Aubrey, Ghenta, & Kanira 2012, Lipman 1977, Taggart et al. 2005). Piaget and Vygotsky also both stressed the importance of interactions with others to develop a child's ability to explain points of view (Piaget & Inhelder 1975, Vygotsky 1934/2014). This leads us to Sperber and Mercier's (2010) research, which pointed out that groups perform better at reasoning tasks than individuals, and in some cases, only about 10% of the participants give the correct solution (when questioned individually), while an astonishing 70% of groups did. Therefore, in a group discussion, participants are able to produce more good arguments to develop verbal reasoning. But there is a problem, some researchers (Goh et al. 2012) have found that children aged 3 to 7 often have limited opportunities to be involved in structured conversations and group discussions. For instance, Jacoby and Lesaux (2014) observed learning activity through literacy-based lessons with children 2 to 6 years old and found that only 22% of the 147 children observed could participate in the group discussion, the rest were listening to what the teacher was saying. It is known that some investigated learning methods that rely on group discussions have been found to be extremely effective at developing thinking skills (Aubrey et al. 2012, Cabell, Justice, McGinty, & DeCoster 2015, Daniel, Gagnon, & Pettier 2012, Goh et al. 2012, Lipman 1973, White 2012), and these are now being adopted at all levels of education (Sperber & Mercier 2010). Therefore, we assume that structured group discussions could be implemented regularly with pre-schoolers to support verbal reasoning. Therefore, this study aims to obtain some clarity on what effect philosophical group discussions following the Philosophy for Children (P4C) programme have on supporting children's verbal reasoning skills as well as on raising children's talkativeness and reducing the extent to which children answer I do not know. 2. Verbal reasoning Reasoning is often considered one of the higher-level thinking skills (Evans 2003, Sperber & Mercier 2010), which is beyond the reach of children in their early years (before the age of 5) (Aubrey et al. 2012, Becker, Miao, Duncan, & McClelland 2014, Daniel et al. 2012, Koerber, Sodian, Thoermer, & Nett 2005, Matsak 2010, Myers 2005, Nobes, Martin, & Panagiotaki 2005, Ridley 2006). Some researchers (Apperly & Butterfill 2009, Evans 2003, Sperber & Mercier 2010) are of the opinion that reasoning can be carried out through two distinct cognitive systems: the first system is cognitively efficient but limited, inflexible, unconscious, implicit, automatic, associative or heuristic--it is also seen as fast, of little value and generally efficient in ordinary circumstances, and runs in the wrong direction when problems are non-standard, the second system is described as conscious, explicit, rule-based, analytic or flexible and demanding of general cognitive resources. …

Effect of Sensorineural Hearing Loss on Neurocognitive Functioning in Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors.

Intensified therapy with platinum-based regimens for pediatric brain tumors has dramatically increased the number of pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTS) but frequently causes permanent sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Although neurocognitive decline in PBTS is known to be associated with radiation therapy (RT), SNHL represents a potential additional contributor whose long-term impact has yet to be fully determined. The neurocognitive impact of significant SNHL (Chang scale ≥ 2b) in PBTS was assessed through a retrospective cohort study of audiograms and neurocognitive testing. Scores for neurocognitive domains and subtest task performance were analyzed to identify specific strengths and weakness for PBTS with SNHL. In a cohort of PBTS (n = 58) treated with platinum therapy, significant SNHL was identified in more than half (55%, n = 32/58), of which the majority required hearing aids (72%, 23/32). RT exposure was approximately evenly divided between those with and without SNHL. PBTS were 6.7 ± 0.6 and 11.3 ± 0.7 years old at diagnosis and neurocognitive testing, respectively. In multivariate analyses adjusted for RT dose, SNHL was independently associated with deficits in intelligence, executive function, and verbal reasoning skills. Subtests revealed PBTS with SNHL to have poor learning efficiency but intact memory and information acquisition. SNHL in PBTS increases the risk for severe therapy-related intellectual and neurocognitive deficits. Additional prospective investigation in malignant brain tumors is necessary to validate these findings through integration of audiology and neurocognitive assessments and to identify appropriate strategies for neurocognitive screening and rehabilitation specific to PBTS with and without SNHL.

El síndrome del cromosoma x frágil: fenotipo conductual y dificultades de aprendizaje

In this article, we describe the behavioral phenotype of individuals with Fragile X Syndrome and its impact in the educational scope. This syndrome is characterized by difficulties in sensory integration, cognitive deficits (verbal reasoning, abstract/ visual and cuantitative skills, short term memory, sequential processing, attention and executive processes), language disorders (phonetic-phonologicals, semanticals, morphosyntacticals and pragmaticals) and communication disorders, social anxiety, general hyperarousal, autism, non autistic social difficulties, attention deficit and hyperactivity, and learning disabilities. The behavioral phenotype is highly variable and depends on sex, age, and mutation status (full mutation or premutation). The behavioural phenotype has important repercussions in education, as it enables us to understand the learning disabilities and to develop specific intervention strategies.

Students’ Competence in Verbal Reasoning and Language Skills in Their Learning Throughout the BSc-Extended Course

Students’ Competence in Verbal Reasoning and Language Skills in Their Learning Throughout the BSc-Extended Course

Child predictors of learning to control variables via instruction or self-discovery

We examined the role child factors on the acquisition and transfer of learning the control of variables strategy (CVS) via instruction or self-discovery. Seventy-six fourth graders and 43 sixth graders were randomly assigned to a group receiving direct CVS instruction or a discovery learning group. Prior to the intervention, cognitive, scientific, and linguistic child factors were assessed. Acquisition and transfer of CVS knowledge were measured before and after intervention. Outcomes showed that CVS acquisition and transfer learning gains were higher for the instruction group than for the discovery group. Variation in CVS acquisition learning gains was explained by CVS pretest, verbal reasoning skills, and reading comprehension in the discovery group only. Variation in transfer gains were explained by vocabulary in the instruction group and by CVS prestest, verbal reasoning, vocabulary, and reading comprehension in the discovery group. It can be concluded that instruction provides a more effective method for learning CVS since individual differences in the instruction group played a marginal role explaining CVS posttest. However, since individual differences in linguistic ability account for variation in CVS learning gains discovery learning, these should be taken into consideration when teaching CVS in a more discovery-based manner.

Two-year follow-up of treated adolescents with early-onset bipolar disorder: Changes in neurocognition

BackgroundFew studies have analyzed the course of neurocognition in treated children and adolescents with early-onset bipolar disorder (EOBD) and shown improvements in attention, working memory, and verbal memory after treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the progress over two years in neuropsychological performance of a sample of medicated adolescents with EOBD compared to healthy controls (HC). MethodsTwenty adolescents, diagnosed in clinical setting as DSM-IV bipolar disorder, treated for two years, euthymic, and 20 gender and age-matched HC were assessed at two moments in reasoning, verbal and visual memory, working memory, speed, visual-motor skills and executive function. Multivariate analyses of variance was carried out to analyze the differences between groups over time, and to monitor the influence of psychotic symptoms and type of mood-stabilizer. ResultsThe entire sample improved on verbal and visual memory tests (verbal recall p<0.01; visual recall p<0.001). Moreover, patients improved more than controls in verbal reasoning (p<0.01), working memory (p<0.01), processing speed (p<0.01) and visual-motor skills (p<0.001). Psychotic symptoms and treatment with lithium were associated with poorer development in executive control tasks. LimitationsSample size was small and groups were re-evaluated in slight different follow-up periods. Doses of antipsychotics drugs over time were not controlled. ConclusionsProcessing speed and visual-motor skills in the EOBD group normalized during follow-up. Executive functioning, working memory, and verbal and visual memory remained impaired in patients versus controls. The knowledge of cognitive deficits due to normal course of illness or to drug effects allows better therapeutic strategies.

Cognitive and Adaptive Skill Profile Differences in Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder With and Without Comorbid Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) often present with comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can complicate diagnosis and treatment planning. This study investigated the cognitive and adaptive profiles of 81 children with ADHD/FASD and 147 children with ADHD. Multivariate analysis of variance and follow-up discriminant analysis indicated that the two groups had similar profiles on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, although the children with comorbid ADHD/FASD demonstrated significantly more impairment in verbal ability, perceptual reasoning, working memory, processing speed, and overall adaptive skills. The results suggested that when compared with children with ADHD alone, children with ADHD/FASD exhibit significantly more impaired cognitive processing and adaptive skill deficits that are essential for school success and healthy social, behavioral, and emotional functioning. Research evaluating the profiles of these groups is likely to facilitate earlier and more accurate diagnosis and intervention.

Principal Component Analysis of the PEAK Relational Training System

The purpose of the present study was to examine the underlying constructs within the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) Relational Training System Direct Training Module. Ninety-eight children with Autism or other developmental and intellectual disabilities were evaluated using the PEAK Direct Training Assessment, which endorsed the presence or absence of 184 possible skills within their repertoire. Following this evaluation, a Principal Component Analysis was run which yielded a four-factor model of the PEAK Direct Training Module. Specifically, factors that possessed Eigenvalues greater than three were retained. Items were loaded onto each factor based on their correlation scores within a final rotated component structure matrix. The resulting four-factor model includes the constructs of Foundational Learning Skills, Perceptual Learning Skills, Verbal Comprehension Skills, and Verbal Reasoning, Memory, and Mathematical Skills. In an era of movement towards evidence-based practices, the present data provide support for PEAK system as a conceptually systematic approach to the treatment of children with autism.

Neurocognitive performance of children with higher functioning Autism Spectrum disorders on the NEPSY-II

This study examined patterns of strengths and weaknesses in the neurocognitive performance of children with higher functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants were 30 children with higher functioning ASD ranging from 6 to 11 years, and 60 typically developing (TD) children, who were matched with the children with higher functioning ASD in terms of age, gender, and maternal education. The TD children were drawn from the Finnish standardization sample for the NEPSY-II. The cognitive abilities of the children with higher functioning ASD were assessed with the WISC-III, and the neurocognitive performance of the children with higher functioning ASD and TD children on the NEPSY-II was compared. The children with higher functioning ASD were found to have strengths in verbal reasoning skills with respect to the population mean and weaknesses in set-shifting, verbal fluency, and narrative memory in comparison with the TD children. Minor weaknesses were also observed in facial memory and fine and visuomotor skills.

When do self-discrepancies predict negative emotions? Exploring formal operational thought and abstract reasoning skills as moderators

Individual differences in higher-order cognitive abilities may be an important piece to understanding how and when self-discrepancies lead to negative emotions. In the current study, three measures of reasoning abilities were considered as potential moderators of the relationship between self-discrepancies and depression and anxiety symptoms. Participants (N = 162) completed measures assessing self-discrepancies, depression and anxiety symptoms, and were administered measures examining formal operational thought, and verbal and non-verbal abstract reasoning skills. Both formal operational thought and verbal abstract reasoning were significant moderators of the relationship between actual:ideal discrepancies and depressive symptoms. Discrepancies predicted depressive symptoms for individuals with higher levels of formal operational thought and verbal abstract reasoning skills, but not for those with lower levels. The discussion focuses on the need to consider advanced reasoning skills when examining self-discrepancies.

Treating the Signature Injury

Treating the Signature Injury

Multidimensional ability tests and culturally and linguistically diverse students: Evidence of measurement invariance

Ability tests are used by teachers to provide additional context for interpreting student achievement and as a tool for differentiating instruction to the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of students. Tests that provide the most useful information for these purposes measure school-related content domains including verbal and quantitative reasoning. However, there is concern that verbal content affects validity for culturally and linguistically diverse students. In this study, the structure of a multidimensional ability test of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning skills was explored in three groups of students who varied in language and cultural background. Configural invariance and invariant factor loadings were supported, but the verbal battery showed weaker relationships to the other batteries and reduced variability for English learners. Results indicate that battery-level scores are appropriate for all students, but that accounting for educational opportunity may be required for interpreting scores.

Multigroup Generalizability Analysis of Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal Ability Tests for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

For educators seeking to differentiate instruction, cognitive ability tests sampling multiple content domains, including verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning, provide superior information about student strengths and weaknesses compared with unidimensional reasoning measures. However, these ability tests have not been fully evaluated with respect to fairness and validity for English-language learners (ELL). In particular, reliability is an important aspect of validity that has not been sufficiently evaluated. In this study, multivariate generalizability methodologies were used to explore the differential reliability of the Cognitive Abilities Test across ELL and non-ELL students in two schools with large Hispanic populations. Results suggest that verbal and quantitative reasoning skills are measured less precisely for ELL students than for non-ELL students. However, the composite score of the three batteries showed strong reliability in both groups. We conclude that multidimensional tests provide reliable information about the academic strengths of ELL and non-ELL students, though further research is needed.

Language and verbal reasoning skills in adolescents with 10 or more years of cochlear implant experience.

The purpose of this study is to identify factors predictive of successful English language outcomes in adolescents who received a cochlear implant (CI) between 2 and 5 yrs of age. All 112 participants had been part of a previous study examining English language outcomes at the age of 8 and 9 yrs with CIs. The participants were given a battery of language and verbal reasoning tests in their preferred communication mode along with measures of working memory (digit span) and verbal rehearsal speed (sentence repetition duration). The degree to which students' language performance was enhanced when sign was added to spoken language was estimated at both test sessions. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to document factors contributing to overall language outcomes. A substantial proportion of the adolescents obtained test scores within or above 1SD compared with hearing age-mates in the tests' normative samples: 71% on a verbal intelligence test, 68% on a measure of language content, 71% on receptive vocabulary, and 74% on expressive vocabulary. Improvement in verbal intelligence scores over an 8-yr interval exceeded expectation based on age-mates in the test's normative sample. Better English language outcomes were associated with shorter duration of deafness before cochlear implantation, higher nonverbal intelligence, higher family socioeconomic status, longer digit spans, and faster verbal rehearsal speed as measured by sentence repetition rate. Students whose current receptive vocabulary scores were not enhanced by the addition of signs also exhibited higher English language scores than those without sign enhancement; however, sign enhancement demonstrated in the elementary school years was not predictive of later high-school language skills. Results of this study support the provision of CIs to children at the youngest age possible. In addition, it highlights the substantial role that cognition plays in later language outcomes. Although the students' use of sign to enhance language skills during the elementary years does not appear to have a negative impact on later language skills, students who continue to rely on sign to improve their vocabulary comprehension into high school typically exhibit poorer English language outcomes than students whose spoken language comprehension parallels or exceeds their comprehension of speech + sign. Overall, the language results obtained from these teenagers with more than 10 yrs of CI experience reflect substantial improvement over the verbal skills exhibited by adolescents with similar levels of hearing loss before the advent of CIs. These optimistic results were observed in teenagers who were among the first in the United States and Canada to receive a CI. We anticipate that the use of improved technology that is being initiated at even younger ages should lead to age-appropriate language levels in an even larger proportion of children with CIs.