This research was an investigation of the relationship between the cognitive processes labeled successive, simultaneous, and planning proposed by Luria and Das (Das, Kirby & Jarman, 1979) and the solution of visual metaphors and the achievement of 6th grade elementary age students from metropolitan schools. A battery of information processing tasks based on previous research with the Luria-Das model was administered to 191 6th grade students, approximately half of whom were Anglo and half of whom were Hispanic. In addition, the Metaphoric Triads Task (MTT), a measure of comprehension of visual metaphors, was administered to the same group and achievement data from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills gathered on the same students. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine whether the Luria-Das model or another model fit the data; and how the information processing variables related to each other, to the Metaphoric Triads task, and to the measures of achievement. A three factor solution consistent with previous research was obtained when confirmatory factor analysis was used to fit the Luria-Das model to the data. For the Anglo group, the factor structures of all three factors were consistent with the Luria-Das model of successive, simultaneous, and planning processes. For the Hispanic group, the factor structure of the simultaneous and planning factors was consistent with previous research, but the factor structure of the successive factor was not the same as that obtained in previous research. The relationship between the academic achievement scores for the whole group and the factors was consistent with the results of previous research with the exception of Spelling. Results of the current research indicate that group administration of the battery can produce results consistent with the Luria-Das model, but further research that includes minority populations is needed. The analysis of the performance of the Anglo and Hispanic groups on the Metaphoric Triads Task indicated that the two groups performed approximately the same but may have employed different processes to solve the metaphors. The results of this study provide important data about information processing styles of 6th grade students that can be useful in educational planning.

The overall purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between two recently revised measures of intelligence (Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Third Edition and Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition) and three shortened measures of intelligence (Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Third Edition Brief Intellectual Ability Score, Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition Abbreviated IQ, and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test IQ Composite). Specifically, this study examined the accuracy of the three shortened scores in their ability to predict giftedness based on children's scores on the two full measures, with the intention of examining the implications of using shortened measures in a screening process for gifted identification.Participants were a group of 202 third-grade students enrolled in a suburban school district located in the Midwest. These students were selected for the study based on high achievement and/or cognitive scores on a state standardized test. The participants ranged in age from 8 years, 4 months to 10 years, 11 months and were assessed during the spring of their third grade year in 2003 and 2004. These children were administered the three measures over a two day period in a counterbalanced order.A set of univariate and multivariate procedures were used to examine hypothesized relationships between full and shortened measures. Significant positive relationships were observed between all five measures examined, although the highest correlations were produced between the full measure scores and their short forms. Discriminant function analyses were conducted to determine the accuracy of the three shortened measures in their prediction of giftedness based on five separate criteria using two full scale measures of intelligence. The results of all five multivariate discriminant function analyses were significant, indicating that the three shortened measures were able to group children accurately as compared to full scale scores, with classification rates ranging between 76.7 and 90.6. These analyses further revealed that the WJ III COG BIA was best able to predict giftedness in most cases, regardless of the criteria used. These results are intended to provide educators with information about the accuracy of three different shortened measures of intelligence so that informed decisions can be made regarding the use of these measures in selection processes for gifted programming. / Department of Educational Psychology

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) is likely to become the most widely used test of intelligence with deaf children, based on the popularity of the previous versions of the test. Because the test was constructed for hearing children who use spoken English, the following major research questions were asked: (a) Does the WISC-III demonstrate adequate construct validity? and (b) Do specific items exhibit differential item functioning (DIF), and does the nature of the content of each item that exhibits DIF imply that the item is biased? The test was translated into sign language and administered to a total of 110 deaf children at three different sites. The deaf children ranged from ages 8 through 16 (M = 13.25, SD = 2.37), had hearing losses identified as severe or worse, were prelingually deaf, used sign language as their primary means of communication, and were not identified as having any additional handicapping conditions. The sample of deaf children was compared to a sample of 110 hearing children similar in age and Performance IQ. Construct validity was examined using a LISREL multi-sample covariance structure analysis. The covariance structures were different (χ ² (91) = 119.42, p =.024). A Rasch Model was used to detect DIF on the following subtests: Picture Completion, Information, Similarities, Arithmetic, Vocabulary, Comprehension. All of these subtests exhibited DIF, and DIF plus the differences in mean logit ability resulted in numerous items that were more difficult for deaf children on the above Verbal subtests. Item bias was judged by examining the contents of items that exhibited DIF. Items were biased due generally to translation issues and differences in the educational curricula. Thus, deaf children are at a distinct disadvantage when taking these WISC-III subtests. Practitioners are urged to consider these findings when assessing deaf children.

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No description available.

This study proposed to evaluate the appropriateness of selected subtests of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition (SB:FE) for use with severely to profoundly hearing impaired children. The subjects used in this study were enrolled in a residential/day school for the deaf whose educational methodology was Total Communication. The subjects were tested on both the SB:FE nonverbal selected subtests and the Performance Scale of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R PIQ). To assess appropriateness, several procedures were employed comparing data gathered from the hearing impaired sample with data reported for the standardized population of the SB:FE. Correlations were computed between the WISC-R and the SB:FE and comparisons of the total composite scores for each measure were made to detect any systematic differences. The results indicated that the correlations reported for the hearing impaired sample are generally similar to the correlations reported for the standardized sample of the SB:FE. The analysis performed between the Area Scores of the SB:FE and the WISC-R PIQ to detect systematic differences revealed a difference of one standard deviation between these two instruments, with the. SB:FE results being lower than the WISC-R PIQ results. It was concluded that the selected subtests of the SB:FE and the WISC-R PIQ could not be used interchangeably. Further research into this area was advised before using this measure to estimate general cognitive ability for hearing impaired children whose levels of language development may be delayed. Further research was also encouraged to confirm the suggestion of greater predictive validity of the SB:FE with academic measures. It was suggested that these findings indicated that the use of language as a cognitive tool may be important in acquiring certain problem solving skills. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Administration of nonverbal tests of intelligence to deaf or hard of hearing and Native Indian children has been problematic. Communication difficulties between examiner and examinee have resulted in modifications to the administration of the test. A standard method of test administration has not been reported in the literature. The current study investigated the use of pantomime instruction to administer performance scales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition (WISC-IlI) and the Stanford Binet: Fourth Edition (SB:FE). Subjects included a group of otitis prone Native Indian children (n=87) and hearing peers (n=80). Subjects in the hearing peer group were randomly assigned to verbal (n=40) or pantomime instruction (n=40) to compare verbal and pantomime administration of the tests. T-test and ANOVAs were used to investigate comparisons between verbal administration method (hearing peer) and between groups receiving pantomime instruction (otitis prone and hearing peer). Multiple regression analyses were used to determine whether nonverbal tests of intelligence were predictors of academic achievement. Results demonstrated pantomime instruction gave subjects information required to complete test and subtest tasks of the WISC-lll and SB:FE. There was not a significant difference between verbal and pantomime instruction for the hearing peer group. When the otitis prone group and the hearing peer group were compared there was no significant differences between groups for the WISC-lll. Item analysis provided additional support to pantomime instruction giving adequate information to understand tasks. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that nonverbal measures of intelligence should not be used to predict math or reading achievement for this population. Language measures administered yielded very low scores across all three groups. Although this was expected for the otitis prone group, low scores were not expected for the hearing peer group. The short term memory subtests for the SB:FE were also very low indicating another area of weakness for all three groups which was not expected. Results of the present study provides evidence to indicate pantomime instruction is a viable method of administration when used with otitis prone and hearing Native children. Further research is necessary to determine if standard pantomime administration can be utilized to administer nonverbal measures of intelligence to other groups of children with delayed language skills or communication difficulties.

The purpose of this study was to determine if distinct subgroups of high achieving children could be identified using a recently redeveloped intelligence measure—The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, 3rd edition (WJ-III). Students were referred for further testing based on their scores on the Indiana State Test of Educational Progress (the ISTEP+). Students were included in the study if they scored at or above the 90th percentile on the ISTEP+ Cognitive Skills Index, or the reading and/or math portions. Using these criteria, 202 students were referred for further testing. These students were clustered with Ward's method of cluster analysis using their scores on the seven CHC factors of the WJ-III. Their individual scores on two other intelligence measures (the Stanford-Binet IV and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test), as well as other scores from the WJ-III were used to further describe the clusters that emerged. The following three subgroups were identified: (a) decidedly gifted, (b) problem solvers, and (c) slow-paced achievers. Not all subgroups obtained the gifted score ranges expected on the three measures employed. The clusters were better described as displaying a slight levels effect, in that the groups were most different from one another in terms of the overall intelligence quotient and mean CHC factor scores, with one group scoring in the superior to high average ranges, one in the high average to average ranges, and one in the average range overall. This study provided evidence for the use of intelligence measures in describing gifted individuals' specific strengths and weaknesses. It also has significant implications for the use of intelligence measures in assessing giftedness within an applied setting. This study is useful as a validation study for the three intelligence measures employed. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) test scores in children with Learning Disabilities. Previous research has suggested that some children with Learning Disabilities do not demonstrate the same stability of performance, over time, on the Wechsler as many children in the general population.The sample utilized in this study consisted of 214 children who had been identified as having Learning Disabilities. WISC-III data was collected through archival review of education files.Test-retest stability for the WISC-III over a period of approximately three years was assessed using correlational and t-test data. For the total sample, three year test-retest correlations for the Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, and Full Scale IQ were .67, .73, and .74, respectively. However, Verbal IQ, Full Scale IQ, and Verbal Index scores were observed to drop significantly between testings. Mean score differences for the Verbal IQ and Verbal Comprehension scales were slightly over three points. The mean difference for the Full Scale IQ was slightly less than two points.Analysis of individual scores indicated considerable variability, with some students decreasing as much as 30 or increasing as much as 37 IQ points at the time of retesting. Analysis of distribution of score differences suggested that the children with Learning Disabilities in this sample demonstrated more variability in performance, overall, than might be anticipated in the general population. / Department of Educational Psychology

Measurement of the abilities of gifted children is challenging. Identifying patterns of performance for gifted children has proven elusive. The WJIII COG, a theory-driven measure, purports to provide information about a child's pattern of abilities, including areas previously not measured by other cognitive instruments. Only one study has addressed the relationship between the WJIII COG and gifted children. (Rizza, et al., 2001) The purpose of this study was to examine the WJIII COG's appropriateness for use with gifted children. Interpretive guidance when using the WJIII COG with gifted children was sought. The following question was addressed: Do children of high intellectual ability display distinct patterns of performance on the WJIII COG Stratum II variables. If so, do these patterns qualitatively differ from the performance of children of non-high intellectual ability?The participants for this study were taken from the standardization sample of WJIII COG participants (N= 3,145). The participants were divided into two groups: high intellectual ability, Group 1 (N = 389), and "other," (Group 2) (N = 2756). Group 1 participants had a GIA Standard score of 120 or above. The participants were further divided into three subgroups, determined by age: preschool, school-aged, and collegeaged. Approximately half of the sample was male. White participants were the majority of the sample (77.4 - 87.9%). Most participants were non-Hispanic (91.3 - 94.9%). Means, standard deviations, ranges, minimum values, and maximum values, were obtained. WJIII COG Stratum II variables were paired and compared. The comparisons made were ranges and point differences. Cumulative percentages of point differences were calculated at the 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 point levels.Two primary findings emerged. The first finding was that Group 1 participants scored higher overall than Group 2 participants when averages were compared. The second finding was that no gifted profile emerged for Group 1. Although no gifted pattern emerged, there was a great deal of variability within individual student profiles for both Groups. It was suggested that further research be directed at whether subtypes of students with high abilities could be identified that would have clinical implications congruent with multidimensional theories of giftedness. / Department of Educational Psychology