Objectives: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the associations between childhood cognitive abilities assessed at age 8 and health and socioeconomic outcomes at age 29-36 in extremely low birth weight survivors (ELBW, <1000g). Methods: Using data from the McMaster Extremely Low Birth Weight Cohort Study, Study 1 explores the influence of overall intelligence, fluid intelligence, and language abilities on the prevalence of lifetime major depressive disorder in ELBW survivors and normal birth weight comparison subjects. Study 2 examines the mediating role of overall intelligence, fluid intelligence, language abilities, quantitative reasoning, and academic achievement on the association between being born at ELBW and socioeconomic outcomes at age 29-36. The final study examines the moderating role of childhood cognitive functioning on links between postnatal psychosocial adversity and adult personal earnings in ELBW survivors. Results: Results from Study 1 suggest that childhood cognitive abilities do not influence the onset of major depressive disorder in ELBW survivors, but are protective against depression in normal birth weight individuals. Study 2 suggests that childhood cognitive abilities partially mediate the association between being born at ELBW and income attainment in adulthood, but not full time employment. Further, Study 2 suggests that this association is stronger in ELBW survivors who have neurosensory impairments. Results of Study 3 suggest that enhanced childhood cognitive functioning is not protective against postnatal psychological adversity in influencing income attainment, as those ELBW survivors with higher childhood intelligence and who suffered psychological adversity reported lower annual income at age 30. Conclusions: This thesis suggests that overall and specific cognitive abilities significantly influence adult outcomes in ELBW survivors and normal birth weight individuals. However, while cognitive reserve may not be protective against psychological adversity in ELBW survivors, early cognitive abilities are a critical indicator of socioeconomic attainment in this vulnerable population. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The following thesis explores the predictive role of childhood cognitive abilities on adult health and socioeconomic outcomes in extremely low birth weight survivors at age 29-36. Study 1 explores the influence of overall intelligence, fluid intelligence, and language abilities assessed at age 8 on the prevalence of lifetime major depressive disorder in extremely low birth weight survivors and normal birth weight comparison participants. Study 2 examines the mediating role of overall intelligence, fluid intelligence, language abilities, quantitative reasoning, and academic achievement on the association between being born at extremely low birth weight and socioeconomic outcomes at age 29-36. The final study examines the moderating role of childhood cognition on the association between postnatal psychosocial adversity and personal income attainment at age 30 in extremely low birth weight survivors. Overall, this body of work suggests that childhood cognitive abilities are an important contributor to adult outcomes in preterm survivors.

The available literature supports the fact that some students experience difficulty learning object-oriented design (OOD) principles. Previously explored predictors of OOD learning difficulties include student characteristics (cognitive activities, self-efficacy), teaching methodologies (teacher centered, course complexity), and student experiences (prior programming experience). Yet, within an extensive body of literature devoted to OOD, two explanations of student difficulty remain largely unexplored: (1) varying conceptualizations of the underlying principles/strategies of OOD, and (2) preparedness or readiness to learn OOD. This research also investigated the extent to which individual differences impacted DRAS and OOD performance. The individual difference measures of interest in this study included college grade point average, prior programming experience, cognitive abilities (spatial orientation, visualization, logical reasoning, flexibility, perceptual style), and design readiness. In addition, OOD performance was measured using two constructs: course grade (exams, labs, programs, overall), and a specially constructed design task. Participants selected from the CS2 course from two southeastern state universities were used within this study, resulting in a sample size of 161 (School A, n = 76; School B, n = 85). School A is a mid-sized comprehensive university and School B is a large research-intensive university. If was found that the schools significantly differed on all measures of prior computer science experience and cognitive abilities. Path analysis was conducted to determine which individual differences were related to design readiness and OOD performance. In summary, this research identified that instructors can not ignore individual differences when teaching OOD. It was found that the cognitive ability visualization, prior OO experience, and overall college grade point average should be considered when teaching OOD. As it stands, without identifying specific teaching strategies used at the schools within this study, this research implies that OOD may require a certain level of practical computer experience before OOD is introduced into the curriculum. The cognitive ability visualization was found to have a significant indirect relationship with overall course grade through the mediating variable design readiness. Further, the results suggest that the DRAS may serve as a viable instrument in identifying successful OOD students as well as students that require supplemental OOD instruction. / Ph. D.

Millions of custodial suspects waive their rights each year without the benefit of legal counsel. The question posed to psychologists in disputed Miranda waivers is whether this waiver decision was, knowing, intelligent, and voluntary. Mental health professionals must be aware of potential barriers to Miranda comprehension to provide expert opinions regarding a defendant's competency to waive rights. The current study examined how Miranda warning reading level, length, and method of administration affects Miranda comprehension. Recently arrested detainees at Grayson County Jail were administered oral and written Miranda warnings from the Miranda Statements Scale (MSS; Rogers, 2005) to measure their comprehension of the warnings. Surprisingly low levels of Miranda comprehension were found for most warnings. For all warnings at or above 8th grade, a substantial minority (27.1% - 39.6%) of defendants exhibited failed (i.e., < 50% understanding) Miranda comprehension. Regardless of other variables, oral administrations resulted in a substantially larger number of defendants with failed Miranda comprehension. Implications for public policy and clinical practice are discussed.

This thesis deals with the relationship between Working Memory, Working Memory Span tasks and general factor g and Broad cognitive abilities. Measured constructs are introduced in the theoretical part, with their evolution, various methods of their measurement and studies investigating the relation between them. The empirical part of the research has been conducted to verify the relationship between Working Memory and general intelligence factor g. It has been done to reveal the relationship between Working Memory Span tasks and Broad cognitive abilities as well. The question concerning the influence of the use of strategy while performing the automatic version of Working Memory Span tasks has been investigated as well.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-22T17:27:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 stefania teixira.pdf: 1306756 bytes, checksum: 58a6655f06083a2f39d1590a4c8945cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-10 / Objective: The aim of this study is to correlate the cognitive impairment with a severity symptoms in young adults with mood disorder, as well, to analyze the difference between the groups with diagnostic and healthy controls population- based. Methods: Cross-sectional study with young adults of 21 to 30 years old who participated from a population-base sample. The impairment cognitive were assessed using Wechsler Scale of Intelligence (WAIS-III). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), while the manic symptoms were assessed using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Results: The total sample consisted of 83 participants which were distributed in: 13 with bipolar disorder, 34 with depressive symptoms and 36 healthy controls. The cognitive performance was not associated with severity of mood symptoms. In this sample of young adults, it was also found cognitive impairment between subjects with bipolar disorder and major depression when compared the controls. Conclusion: The results suggest that the young adults with bipolar disorder or depression don t come up with cognitive impairment when measured at WAIS III / Objetivo: Correlacionar o desempenho cognitivo com a severidade de sintomas maníacos e depressivos em adultos jovens com transtornos de humor, bem como, verificar a diferença entre os grupos com diagnóstico e controles populacionais. Método: Estudo transversal aninhado a um estudo de base populacional com jovens de 21 a 30 anos. Para avaliação do desempenho cognitivo foi utilizado a Escala Wechsler de Inteligência para Adultos (WAIS-III). Os sintomas depressivos foram avaliados através da Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), enquanto os sintomas maníacos por meio da Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Resultados: A amostra total contou com 83 participantes, os quais estavam distribuídos em: 13 com transtorno bipolar, 34 com sintomas depressivos e 36 controles saudáveis. O desempenho cognitivo não foi associado à severidade dos sintomas de humor. Nesta amostra de adultos jovens, também não foi encontrado prejuízo cognitivo entre os indivíduos com diagnóstico de transtorno bipolar e depressão quando comparados aos controles. Conclusão: Os achados sugerem que adultos jovens com transtorno bipolar ou depressão não apresentam comprometimento cognitivo quando mensurado pelo WAIS III

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:29:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dalva Alice Rocha Mol.pdf: 3149572 bytes, checksum: f806553a69f59c46eb1df3caf215be1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-18 / The assessment of cognitive abilities of children who have learning disabilities (slow learners) is a major topic in psychology research. This doctorate thesis investigates the cognitive abilities of schoolchildren who have difficulty learning. Two different groups of informants were analyzed. The first group comprised 60 7- and 8-year-old schoolchildren of both genders 30 slow learners and 30 fast learners from two state schools in the State of S?o Paulo, Brazil. The second group comprised 8 primary school teachers also from two state schools in the State of S?o Paulo. We used Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III) composed of 10 tests, a questionnaire filled out by the teachers and an analysis of the pupils marks in Portuguese, Math and Science. The results from the Multivariate and Univariate Analysis of Variance showed significant differences between the group of slow learners and the group of fast learners. The Pearson Assessments showed the children s performance improved as they moved to higher grades. The children s marks were consistent with the results from the WJ-III. Therefore we concluded that the cognitive abilities are significantly different between fast and slow learners and that WJ-III can be used to analyze learning disabilities. / A avalia??o das habilidades cognitivas de crian?as que apresentam dificuldades de aprendizagem constitui-se um importante campo de investiga??o psicol?gica. Este estudo objetivou investigar as habilidades cognitivas de crian?as com e sem dificuldades de aprendizagem pela Bateria Woodcock-Johnson. Duas amostras foram compostas: a primeira amostra por 60 crian?as de ambos os sexos, sendo 30 participantes sem indica??o de dificuldades de aprendizagem e 30 com indica??o de dificuldades de aprendizagem, que freq?entavam a primeira e segunda s?rie do Ensino Fundamental de duas escolas p?blicas do interior do estado de S?o Paulo. A segunda amostra foi composta por oito professores de primeira e segunda s?ries de duas escolas p?blicas do interior do estado de S?o Paulo. Utilizou-se a Bateria de habilidades cognitivas Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III), composta por 10 testes, um question?rio escolar preenchido pelos professores e as notas escolares obtidas em Portugu?s, Matem?tica e Ci?ncias. As An?lises da Vari?ncia Multivariada e Univariada apontaram os efeitos significativos no tipo de grupo e de s?rie escolar das habilidades cognitivas avaliadas pela WJ III. A correla??o de Pearson mostrou a rela??o entre as habilidades cognitivas e os indicadores de dificuldades de aprendizagem, apontados pelo professor, sobre as crian?as com e sem dificuldades de aprendizagem. As notas escolares tamb?m se associaram significativamente aos resultados da WJ III. Desta forma, concluiu-se que existem diferen?as significativas nas habilidades cognitivas entre crian?as com dificuldades e crian?as sem dificuldades de aprendizagem, e que a WJ III ? uma medida v?lida para avaliar tais dificuldades.

<p><strong><p>Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties and Their Language and Cognitive Abilities</p><p>A Comparison with Children with a Cochlear Implant</p><p>Abstract</p><p>The aim of this study was to examine the cognitive abilities that are important for reading in children with reading disabilities, children with a cochlear implantation and typically developed children. 64 children aged 10-12 years participated in the study. To answer the question at issue we used the following tests: Block Design from WISC III, PPVT III, TOWRE, SL 40 and a few chosen tests out of the SIPS battery. On tests of the lexical access children with reading disabilities performed at the same level as hearing children, while the children with a cochlear implant performed significantly lower. Test of the phonological and complex working memory showed that children with reading disabilities performed significantly higher than children with a cochlear implant, but at the same time lower than typically developed children on the test of phonological working memory. Tests of reading ability showed that children with a cochlear implant performed at the same level as typically developed children, while children with reading disabilities showed lower results. The results indicate that the children with a cochlear implant can develop an adequate reading ability in spite of their phonological difficulties. Phonological skills do not seem to be the only factor influencing reading ability of the examined groups.</p><em><p> </p></em></strong></p>

Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties and Their Language and Cognitive Abilities A Comparison with Children with a Cochlear Implant Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the cognitive abilities that are important for reading in children with reading disabilities, children with a cochlear implantation and typically developed children. 64 children aged 10-12 years participated in the study. To answer the question at issue we used the following tests: Block Design from WISC III, PPVT III, TOWRE, SL 40 and a few chosen tests out of the SIPS battery. On tests of the lexical access children with reading disabilities performed at the same level as hearing children, while the children with a cochlear implant performed significantly lower. Test of the phonological and complex working memory showed that children with reading disabilities performed significantly higher than children with a cochlear implant, but at the same time lower than typically developed children on the test of phonological working memory. Tests of reading ability showed that children with a cochlear implant performed at the same level as typically developed children, while children with reading disabilities showed lower results. The results indicate that the children with a cochlear implant can develop an adequate reading ability in spite of their phonological difficulties. Phonological skills do not seem to be the only factor influencing reading ability of the examined groups.

Fysisk aktivitet i undervisningen och dess inverkan på elevers kognitiva förmågor upplever vi som ett väsentligt inslag i grundskolans tidigare år. Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka omfattningen av lärares uppfattningar kring denna inverkan samt deras åsikter kring detta arbetssätt och dess effekter. Metoden som använts har varit kvantitativ med en kvalitativ del och har utgått från en enkät med såväl kvantitativa som kvalitativa frågor. Enkäten delades ut till lärare i nio olika grundskolor i två kommuner i Västra Götalands län. Genom enkäten har vi undersökt utbredningen av lärarnas åsikter kring fysisk aktivitet i undervisningen och även gett dem utrymme att motivera och förklara sina åsikter.Resultatet av studien visar att majoriteten av lärarna anser att fysisk aktivitet i undervisningen har en positiv inverkan på elevers kognitiva förmågor såsom koncentration, minne och lärande. De uttrycker att de upplever arbetssättet som övervägande positivt och ger även uttryck för sina erfarenheter kring vad det är med arbetssättet som resulterar i de effekter det medför. Resultatet visar bland annat att lärarna ser att arbetssättet tillgodoser elevernas behov av att få använda flera sinnen i sitt lärande.Slutligen diskuterar vi resultatet med utgångspunkt i forskning, litteratur och teori.Bland annat diskuterar vi den fysiska aktivitetens placering i undervisningen, om den bör integreras eller fungera som en paus. Vi diskuterar även vikten av ett varierat arbetssätt för att tillgodose elevers olika lärstilar och öppna upp för användande av fler sinnen i undervisningen. / Physical activity in teaching and its impact on students’ cognitive abilities is something we experience as an essential part of primary education. The aim of the study was to examine the extent of teachers’ perceptions of this impact as well as their opinions about this working method and its effects. The method used in the study was quantitative with a qualitative part and was based on a questionnaire with both quantitative and qualitative questions. The questionnaire was handed to teachers in nine different elementary schools in two municipalities in the county of Västra Götaland, Sweden. Through the survey, we investigated the distribution of teachers’ opinions about physical activity in teaching and also gave them space to justify and explain their opinions.The results of the study show that the majority of the teachers think that physical activity in education has a positive impact on students’ cognitive abilities such as concentration, memory and learning. They express that they experience this way of working as mainly positive and also express their experiences concerning what it is about this working method that results in the effects that it brings. The result shows that the teachers perceive that the working method meets pupils’ needs to use multiple senses in learning.Finally, we discuss the results on the basis of research, literature and theory. Among other things, we discuss the physical task's position in teaching, whether it should be integrated or act as a break. We also discuss the importance of a varied approach to meet students' different learning styles, and open up the use of more senses in teaching.

La mention de référents (personnes, objets et évènements) est au coeur du discours. Cette thèse porte sur l’étude de la variation d’emploi des marqueurs de référence, en combinant des indices syntaxiques et prosodiques, produits lors de narrations d’images séquentielles. L’objectif est de déterminer l’effet des paramètres situationnels sur la production des marqueurs syntaxiques et prosodiques. Deux autres objectifs sont également développés, l’un visant à mettre en évidence les compétences (socio)cognitives sous-jacentes et l’autre visant à étudier l’impact du vieillissement. Pour répondre à ces objectifs, une tâche de narration d’images séquentielles a été utilisée pour éliciter la production de marqueurs de référence. Les narrations d’images séquentielles ont été réalisées auprès de deux groupes de participants, l’un constitué de 30 jeunes adultes (19-39 ans) et l’autre de 30 séniors (59-79 ans). L’ensemble des participants a été soumis à des tests (socio)cognitifs afin de caractériser leurs profils.Nos résultats montrent que le marquage référentiel est un processus complexe et influencé par de multiples facteurs situationnels. En effet, les marqueurs syntaxiques et prosodiques varient en fonction des étapes de discours et du contexte référentiel. Selon l’accessibilité cognitive du référent – notamment l’accessibilité cognitive moindre, le marquage référentiel sollicite des compétences (socio)cognitives. Les résultats indiquent également des effets du vieillissement sur le marquage référentiel : l’emploi des marqueurs de référence chez les séniors est différent de l’emploi des jeunes adultes. Compte tenu de l’importance du marquage référentiel lors des conversations, nos résultats pourraient avoir des implications cliniques et théoriques. / Referring to people, objects and events is a cental piece of the Speech. This dissertation studies the variation in the use of referential markers, by combining syntactic and prosodic cues, produced during a storytelling task sequential pictures. The goal is to determine the effect of situational parameters on the production of the syntactic and prosodic markers. Two other goals are also pursued: (i) to highlight the underlying (socio)cognitive abilities and (ii) to study the impact of aging. To meet these objectives, a storytelling task with sequential pictures was used to obtain the production of referential markers. 30 younger (age span:19-39) and 30 older participants (age span : 59-79) undertook this storytelling task. All the participants were submitted to (socio)cognitive tests to characterize their profiles. Our results show that referential marking is a complex process influenced by multiple situational factors. Indeed, the syntactic and prosodic markers vary according to discourse stages and the referential context. Depending on the cognitive accessibility of the referent - in particular the lesser cognitive accessibility, referential marking requires (socio)cognitive abilities. The results also indicate effects of aging on referential marking : the use of referential markers is different in seniors and in younger participants. Given the importance of referential marking during conversations, our results may have some clinical implications.