An individual's neurodevelopmental and cognitive sequelae to negative early experiences may, in part, be explained by genetic susceptibility. We examined whether extreme differences in the early caregiving environment, defined as exposure to severe psychosocial deprivation associated with institutional care compared to normative rearing,…

Young children removed from institutions and placed into foster care or adoptive homes have been shown to experience significant gains in IQ relative to children who remain in institutions. Less is known about the long-term impact of severe early deprivation on development in late childhood. Data are presented from a follow-up of children at 12…

Neuroscientists have long believed that there are sensitive periods in development during which the effects of experience play a critical role. And developmental psychologists have argued for the importance of early experience in the first years of life as being critical for brain and behavioral development. Most of the neuroscience research…

Background: Many hypotheses have been proposed to address the relationship between sex offenders and neuropsychological functions. Method: The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in executive functions between juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offenders with/without low IQ by using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive…

Using the criteria established by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the assessment procedures for establishing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a previously undiagnosed adjudicated group is detailed. We examined 37 male adolescents adjudicated delinquent for sexual offenses who were sentenced to treatment. Ultimately, 22 (60%) were found to…

Whereas metaanalyses of cross-sectional adoption studies have indicated that there is an impact of early deprivation on adoptee's cognitive ability, these effects generally diminish markedly after upbringing in adoptive homes. Outcomes in terms of scholastic attainment were not quite so positive in a cross-sectional metaanalysis, but the Swedish…

This chapter covers the methods and measures used in the ERA study, with a special focus on age 15 outcomes. First, the authors outline the sample participation rate for the 15-year follow-up--the percentages in all cases referring to the numbers at the time of initial sample contact. They then describe the measures used in this monograph,…

Compared Kennedy and Elder's (1982) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) regression model with Kaufman's (1976) linear equating model. Both the Kennedy and Elder, and the Kaufman abbreviated forms attained a high degree of association, suggesting that both models are equally effective. (Author/BL)

Often regarded as equivalent instruments, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) yielded significantly different Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale scores for intellectually subaverage group, with WAIS-R consistently providing higher scores. This has implications for issues of…

Tested one-, two-, three-, and four-factor models within normal and psychiatric adolescent inpatient groups to confirm the factor structure for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). For both samples, the Kaufman three-factor solution had the best overall fit of the WISC-R subtest covariance structure. Other models were…

Studied (N=40) educably mentally retarded students in an experimental group who were verbally praised after responses to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised). Scaled scores for five of eleven subtests, in addition to the Verbal, Performance and Full Scale indices, were significantly greater under the experimental procedure.…

Studied the relationship between Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) scores obtained through three testing conditions (praise, neutral feedback, and token reinforcement) and previous records of academic achievement for conduct-disordered adolescent girls (N=51). Results showed that regardless of testing conditions, the subtests were…