Two fifth grade measures of the ability to deal with symbolic relationships were developed for use in future factor analytic research concerning the nature of intelligence. Circle Reasoning was adopted from an adult level test by modifying the number of symbols and the nature of the principles on which the items were based. Item analysis results…

Article discusses strategies used by subjects and the role of Gestalt perception and operational thought in style sensitivity. (Editor)

College undergraduates were given Zelniker and Jeffrey's modification of the Matching Familiar Figures Test to assess its psychometric credibility and construct validity for adult problem solvers. The modified test has improved internal consistency and stability over the original. The construct's possible correlation with general problem solving…

With 40 young adults tested, extent of lateral eye movement correlated positively with rod-and-frame test scores and negatively with WAIS Block Design and Similarities subtest scores. Maximum extent of eye movement may be a simple and useful index of cognitive style. (Author/SJL)

Examined the effects of premature birth on ninety 11-year-olds' memory and processing speed, using the new Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT). Found that preterm subjects performed more poorly than their full-term counterparts on all CAT memory tasks, and that preterms were also slower on selected aspects of processing speed but not on motor speed.…

Younger (n=13) and older (n=18) adults received training in working-memory tasks. Training on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task did not influence overall workload ratings. Training on attention-switching and response-inhibition tasks resulted in age-related differences in ratings. Effect of training on workload ratings was age and task…

Multiple regression analysis of data from 127 public school teachers and 126 journalists indicated that negative affect did not completely explain the relationship of cognitive appraisal of stress and degree of distress. Both cognitive processes and trait negative affectivity contributed to the negative emotional reactions to occupational stress.…

Sex differences in variability of performance on cognitive tests were previously examined by calculating the ratios of males' variances to females' variances. Reasons why variance ratios were summarized by medians are discussed. (SLD)

Review of three research studies shows that some African Americans have negative perceptions of cognitive ability tests, including concerns that they may substantiate stereotypes. These attitudes may influence motivation, anxiety, and test performance. Training in test-taking skills and use of alternative testing formats are possible solutions.…

Studied a possible convergence in the structure of cognitive abilities as specified by classical psychometric theory and two neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development by administering a large test battery to 120 children aged 7 to 10. Results support the integration of several theories of intelligence into a comprehensive system. (SLD)

A majority of studies on learning disabilities have focused on elementary grades. Although problems with learning disabilities are life-affecting only a few studies focus on deficits in adults. In this study adults with isolated mathematical disabilities (n = 101) and adults with combined mathematical and reading disabilities (n = 130) solved…

There is comparatively little information about premorbid maturational brain abnormalities in schizophrenia (SCZ). We investigated whether a history of childhood enuresis, a well-established marker of neurodevelopmental delay, is associated with SCZ and with measures of brain abnormalities also associated with SCZ. A Diagnostic and Statistical…

Objective: To test the hypothesis that young girls and boys with autism exhibit different profiles of neuroanatomical abnormality relative to each other and relative to typically developing children. Method: Structural magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure gray and white matter volumes (whole cerebrum, cerebral lobes, and cerebellum) and…

Competitive Scrabble players spend a mean of 4.5 hr a week memorizing words from the official Scrabble dictionary. When asked if they learn word meanings when studying word lists, only 6.4% replied "always," with the rest split between "sometimes" and "rarely or never." Number of years of play correlated positively with expertise ratings,…