Missing data are a common problem in a variety of measurement settings, including responses to items on both cognitive and affective assessments. Researchers have shown that such missing data may create problems in the estimation of item difficulty parameters in the Item Response Theory (IRT) context, particularly if they are ignored. At the same…

This study investigates the relationships of domain-general cognitive abilities and domain-specific verbal and mathematical abilities to students' educational characteristics when two theoretically grounded, but competing structural models are applied. In the standard model, a single latent ability causes interindividual differences in the…

Full-term and preterm infants who had participated in studies of cross-modal and intramodal transfer at 12 months of age were seen at older ages to assess the predictive validity of these early measures for later cognition. (Author)

Aims to assess relationships between phonological tasks, determine their degree of convergence, and investigate the predictive power of different tasks. Ten phonological awareness tasks were administered to 58 kindergarten children whose reading abilities were assessed one year later. Seven measures were moderately related to reading ability and…

The study provides descriptive data on use of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability with 39 adults with closed head injury. Correlational analyses indicated significant relationships between coma duration and performance on the Perceptual Speed and Memory clusters of the test. Time since injury did not correlate with test results.…

Discusses the problems of using chronometric analysis, a common cognitive psychological method, for educational assessment. Suggests that cognitive assessment has not reached the precision needed to analyze individual differences. (FMW)

The study evaluated the Batelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) with 40 disabled children under 30 months of age. Subjects were also given the Bayley Scales and Vine Scales of Adaptive Behavior. Results indicated high concurrent validity, interrater reliability, and internal consistency for the BDI. (Author/DB)

Chronometric methods of cognitive assessment of learning disabled students which measure speed of response to elementary cognitive tasks requiring minimal prior knowledge are discussed. Chronometric techniques known to correlate with IQ and other indexes of mental efficiency and scholastic proficiency are described. (Author/DB)

Seven techniques for measuring information processing in infants are proposed to aid in the early identification of mental retardation. The techniques are based on conditioning, attentional, and manual exploration paradigms and could be combined into an assessment battery more valid than current infant IQ tests in predicting later disability.…

Describes cognitive style in terms of field dependence-independence, and five tests of cognitive style for young children. Discusses the relationship between cognitive style and academic achievement in young children. (RJC)

Presents study results comparing the cognitive profiles of kindergarten and first-grade Japanese and Canadian students. Explains that the test used measured a full range of individual differences in the development of children's general cognitive skills. Suggests that higher Japanese performance may be related to home-based factors, preschool…

Discusses the impact of computer programing instruction on cognitive skills and suggests two mechanisms of transfer--low road, from practice, and high road, from generalization. Previous research that tried to measure transfer from programing is reviewed, six categories in which transfer might occur are presented, and 71 references are provided.…

Reports the use of a memory load-interference paradigm and the easy-to-hard paradigm as converging operations to study capacity limitations in five- to six-year-old's reasoning. Concludes that transitive inference ability in children is capacity limited. (HOD)

An empirical analysis of the relationship between science reasoning skills and the amount of information acquired during science learning as predicted by a neuromathematical model of information processing is presented. Subjects were 93 adolescents (mean age of 15.4 years old) with a IQ range of 91-142. (Author/JN)

Studies children's use of transformation (as a cognitive process) in identifying altered musical phrases in four phrase songs. Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) software was used to record the children's responses. Includes statistical tables. (MJP)