Thesis--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-57).

In children with confirmed brain damage, neuropsychological research has established that evidence of lateralized (right or left hand) impairment on fine motor tests can be used to help infer dysfunction of the contralateral (opposite) cerebral hemisphere and its associated cognitive skills (e.g., verbal and visuospatial skills). In neuropsychological assessments of children with subjected brain dysfunction (such as learning disabilities and/or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), fine motor tests are often used for much the same purpose. This constitutes an example of what is referred to in neuropsychology as the "Comparison of the Left and Right Sides of the Body" inferential method. However, its use for children with suspected brain dysfunction is not supported by the existing research literature. Furthermore, a recent series of studies on children with left hand motor impairment ("extreme right-handers") and no confirmed brain damage has produced results which are inconsistent with those that would be predicted based on traditional neuropsychological theory. It appears possible that previous studies found little relationship between lateralized motor impairment and distinctive cognitive deficits in children with suspected brain dysfunction largely due to the specific motor tests that they used (i.e., ones that rely more heavily on visuospatial/right hemisphere skills than verbal/left hemisphere skills). The Name Printing Test (Joschko & Bailey, 1996) was proposed to be a motor test that involves the skills of both cerebral hemispheres. It was therefore hypothesized to account for a significant amount of unique variance in performance on measures of both verbal and visuospatial cognitive skill, above and beyond that accounted for by the Grooved Pegboard and Finger Tapping Tests, in a sample of 77 right-handed children with suspected brain dysfunction. Left hand motor test scores were hypothesized to account for the greatest amount of variance in visuospatial cognitive skill, while right hand scores were hypothesized to account for the greatest amount of variance in verbal cognitive skill. The WlSC-III Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization 6ctor scores were used as the measures of verbal and visuospatial cognitive skill, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression was the primary method of analysis used to test the research hypotheses. The results provided little support for these hypotheses. Specifically, right and left hand motor test scores were found to be about equal in predicting verbal and visuospatial cognitive skills. Furthermore, only Grooved Pegboard scores accounted for a significant amount of unique variance in visuospatial cognitive skill, while no motor test score was a significant predictor of verbal cognitive ability. Little support was found for the use of the "Comparison of the Left and Right Sides of the Body" inferential method in this clinical group, and it was suggested that such methods of inference require more extensive validation. The Name Printing Test and Grooved Pegboard were found to be sensitive indicators of psychomotor impairment in children with suspected brain dysfunction, while the Finger Tapping Test was not. / Graduate

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Bibliography: leaves [120]-123.

M.A. (Psychology) / Minimal brain dysfunction as a diagnostic category with specific manifestations in terms of decreased scholastic ability, deficits in perseptual-motor and attentional functioning, has received a great deal of attention over the past ten years. However, the precise nature of this condition is still unclear, especially with regards to children diagnosed as having minimal brain dysfunction's response to remedial treatment and medication. From a literature survey it was concluded that there are two groups of children with minimal brain dysfunction. These groups comply with the definitions made by Kenny, (1980) of a hiperkinotaxic group and a pseudohiperkinotaxic group where the former appear to be a group of children who do not respond to any form of training or treatment without the addition of stimulant medication. The pseudohiperkinotaxic group respond to educational remedial and psychological treatment without stimulant medication, where stimulant medication may even decrease their functional ability. It was hypothesized that because of certain neuro-chemical factors hiperkinotaxic children are less conditionable without stimulant medication, than the pseudohiperkintoxic chirdren. In order to investigate this hypothesis three groups of children were isolated, a control group with no sign of minimal. brain dysfunction, an experimental group with minimal brain dysfunction who responded psychological and educational treatment only with the addition of stimulant medication...

M.A. (Psychology) / The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between social competence and the recognition of emotional expressions in children with minimal brain dysfunction. For this purpose a scale that assessed recognition of emotional expressions. was constructed and validated. Subsequently a group of 26 children with minimal brain dysfunction that satisfied certain selection criteria were selected as an experimental group and were paired off with a group of normal children. The groups were thereafter compared with each other in respect of social competence and recognition of emotions. Results revealed that children with minimal brain dysfunction made significantly more errors in the recognition of emotional expressions and that behavioural predispositions or traits such as aggression, assertiveness, and submission differed significantly between normal children and those with minimal brain dysfunction.

The present study sought to alleviate the response cost inefficiency of the behavioral approach to controlling classroom hyperactivity by increasing the observer-student ratio via behavioral-electronic technology. A portable, integrated-circuit, counting and timing device was developed to enable immediate time-sequenced data recording and reinforcing of eight target behaviors by a single observer. A multiple-baseline design, across matched individuals was utilized to demonstrate the reinforcing effects. The results indicated a significant increase over mean baseline frequency in attention-to-task behavior for the group of eight students. It was concluded that by utilizing the behavioral-technological intervention strategy applied in this study, one observer could accurately monitor and reinforce eight students simultaneously and subsequently increase task attentiveness.

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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The usefulness of frontal lobe (FL) dysfunction as a conceptual model for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was investigated. Twenty-four ADHD and 24 normal control (NC) children were tested using tasks sensitive to FL deficits in motor control and problem solving skills and memory tasks sensitive to temporal lobe (TL) dysfunction. ADHD children differed significantly from NCs on measures of FL function, but not on tests of TL functions. Wherever norms were available for normal children on the same FL tests, ADHD subjects performed like 6 to 7 year olds, in spite of their mean age of 10 years and minimum age of 8 years. The differential performance of ADHD children on tasks sensitive to FL and TL damage supports the conceptualization of ADHD deficits as analogous to FL dysfunction and implies that deficits are not explained by reference to generalized impairment.