The purpose of this study was to explore the construct validity of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II; Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004a) and the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Third Edition (WJ-III COG; Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) with a sample of 200 preschool children, ranging in age from 4 years, 0 months to 5 years, 1 1 months, and attending preschool and daycare programs in and around a Midwestern city. This study attempted to determine if the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) factor structure represented on these tests can be identified with young children. Individual confirmatory factor analyses were conducted separately with the KABC-II and WJ-III COG. Moreover, a joint confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using both the KABC-II and WJ-III COG. The results of the individual KABC-II factor analyses indicated a two-tiered Gf Gc model provided the best fit to the data, although the three-tiered CHC model also fit the data well. This suggests the underlying factor structure of the KABC-II is well represented by the CHC theory. The WJ-III COG was best represented by an alternative CHC model, in which the Gf factor and subtests had been removed, indicating not all CHC constructs represented on the WJ-III COG can be reliably identified among young children. The joint confirmatory factor analysis indicated the strongest measures of the shared CHC factors on the KABCII and WJ-III COG, which can help to guide cross-battery assessment with preschool children. Overall, the results confirmed multiple CHC abilities can be assessed with young children, implying clinicians should be using preschool tests that provide scores for several cognitive abilities. This study also revealed the constructs of the CHC theory may be represented somewhat differently on preschool tests due to developmental influences. Strong correlations were evident between unrelated tasks, primarily because the verbal and linguistic demands of many subtests caused them to load unexpectedly on the Gc factor. Suggestions for future research include conducting the same study using preschool children with suspected disabilities, as well as with older children, examining other instruments that include a Gf factor, and conducting exploratory factor analysis with subtests from the KABC-II and WJ-III COG that contain significant components of more than one ability. / Department of Educational Psychology

Individual differences in human intellectual abilities and the measurement of those differences have been of great interest to the field of school psychology. As such, different theoretical perspectives and corresponding test batteries have evolved over the years as a way to explain and measure these abilities. A growing interest in the field of school psychology has been to use more than one intelligence test in a "cross-battery" assessment in hopes of measuring a wider range (or a more in-depth but selective range) of cognitive abilities. Additionally, interest in assessing intelligence began to focus on preschool-aged children because of initiatives to intervene early with at-risk children. The purpose of this study was to examine the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB-V) and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II) in relation to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence using a population of 200 preschool children. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted with these two tests individually as well as in conjunction with one another. Different variations of the CHC model were examined to determine which provided the best representation of the underlying CHC constructs measured by these tests. Results of the CFAs with the SBV revealed that it was best interpreted from a two-stratum model, although results with the KABC-II indicated that the three-stratum CHC model was the best overall design. Finally, results from the joint CFA did not provide support for a cross-battery assessment with these two particular tests.3 / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among measures of cognitive functioning, adaptive behavior, and language acquisition for a referred preschool population. The subjects were 115 preschoolers (75 boys and 40 girls) under the age of 6 years who had received a psychoeducational battery of tests for either suspected learning difficulties, emotional problems, or attention disorders. This data was collected from the archival records in a children's hospital.Pearson product moment correlations were used to examine the relationship among measures of cognitive functioning, adaptive behavior, and language acquisition. Correlation matrices were formulated to investigate the relationship.Three groups were delineated dependent on the instrument used to assess the preschoolers: Group 1 received the Bayley Intelligence Scale for Children and the Wisconsin Adaptive Behavior Scale; Group 2 received the Bayley Intelligence Scale for Children and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale; and Group 3 received the Stanford-Binet LM, the Vineland, and the Preschool Language Scale.The correlations obtained in Group 1 were all statistically significant (p<.01); these correlations for cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior were the highest of all the three groups. In fact, considerably higher than might be predicted after the review of the literature that contends that cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior are separate yet related constructs. Moderate correlations between cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior were found for the other two groups in alignment with earlier studies.In examining cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior for this referred preschool population it seems that the relationship changes as the child gets older. This study was not longitudinal; however, a greater separation of the constructs of cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior existed for the older child in this sample.In addition to examining the relationship between cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior, this study also looked at language acquisition in relationship to cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior. Statistically significantly high correlations were found for cognitive functioning and language acquisition for this study. The Preschool Language Scale Expressive subdomain was slightly more highly correlated with the Stanford-Binet LM than the Preschool Language Scale Receptive subdomain. This is consistent with the Vineland's Expressive subdomain correlating higher with the Stanford-Binet LM than the Vineland's Receptive subdomain. This suggests the age of the child has something to do with measuring language acquisition in the areas of receptive and expressive language.Given the moderate to high correlations for cognitive functioning, adaptive behavior, and language acquisition for this referred preschool population, it was concluded that measures of adaptive behavior and language acquisition assess constructs similar, yet distinct to cognitive functioning. Therefore, they are both valuable components in comprehensive assessment especially of children "at-risk". / Department of Educational Psychology

Significant evidence from the legislation, medical/clinical, or professional practice perspective all points to the advantages and necessity of conducting comprehensive assessment of cognitive abilities, especially in young children, to identify cognitive deficits, arrive at an accurate diagnosis, and establish bases for developing interventions and recommending services. Cross-battery assessment approach provides school psychologists a useful tool to strengthen their preferred cognitive battery by adopting and comparing subtests from other batteries to build up a comprehensive and theoretically sound evaluation of an individual’s cognitive profile to increase the validity of test interpretation. Using joint confirmatory factor analysis, this study explored the combined underlying construct validity of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, Third Edition (WJ-III COG) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5) with an independent sample of preschool children. Seven models were examined and the results showed that relatively, the underlying construct of the two tests was best represented by a threestratum alternative CHC model in which the Gf factor and subtests had been removed. This indicates that not all the CHC constructs shared by both tests can be reliably identified among young children. Constructs of the CHC theory may be represented differently on preschool cognitive batteries due to developmental influences. Although WJ-III COG and SB5 tests as a whole did not demonstrate good results for purposes of cross-battery assessment, certain subtests (e.g., subtests representing crystallized intelligence) from each battery offer interpretative value for individual broad ability factors, providing school psychologists an in-depth understanding of a preschooler’s crystallized knowledge. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted with subtests from WJ-III COG and SB5 representing the four shared broad factors (Gc, Gf, Gv, and Gsm). Results revealed that a 4-factor solution is a better model fit to the data. Future research includes recruiting young children with disabilities or special needs to explore best representative underlying construct of combined WJ-III COG and SB5, allowing for cross-battery assessment. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

Both children and adults share a common, culturally distinct view of what it means to be male or female. These gender stereotypes are pervasive in society and daily social interactions, and influence all aspects of gender development (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). The inherent physical differences of boys and girls may have triggered the speculation and accompanying myths surrounding the existence of gender differences in childhood development. Many people believe that boys and girls follow a different developmental path that lead to gender differences in intellectual ability. An up-to-date and integrative review of theory and research on gender indicates two opposing perspectives on the topic, with substantial information supporting each view. However, this is the first study to examine and compare a sample of South African pre-school boys and girls from a truly holistic developmental perspective on the recently released Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Developmental theorists have emphasized the profound impact early childhood development has on subsequent development, as it shapes the course of an individual’s life. Contemporary cognitive developmental theories, such as Demetriou’s (2000; 2004) developmental model of cognitive development, advance that child development does not progress in a fixed and predictable manner. Instead, Demetriou proposes that development occurs in a wave-like fashion, where the processes and functions of the various levels of the mind may be at differing points in their cycle of development. When one function progresses to a higher level, it unlocks the possibility for another function to advance to a different point in its cycle (Demetriou et al., 2002). As the significance of understanding the process of early childhood development more fully increases, so does the need to establish with more confidence the value and role of developmental assessment in the early identification of problems. The overall purpose of this study was to generate comparative information regarding the general development of a sample of 5- and 6-year-old South African pre-school boys and girls. Specifically, the study aimed to explore and describe the developmental profiles of pre-school boys and girls within the abovementioned age group with respect to their overall performance on the GMDS-ER as well as their performance on the six Subscales. Then, the mean General Quotients (GQ) and developmental profiles of the pre-school boys and girls obtained on the GMDS-ER were compared. An exploratory-descriptive quantitative research method was used. The sample (N = 64) was selected through a combination of non-probability, purposive and convenience xiii sampling. Within this framework, a between-subjects design in which matching was used to control extraneous variables, was employed. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests to compare the GQs of the gender groups. A Hotellings T2 was used to compare the Subscale profiles. No significant gender differences were found when comparing the overall developmental and Subscale profiles of the boys and girls on the GMDS-ER. However, certain interesting trends did emerge from a review of the findings when compared to the literature review and previous studies. The information generated from this study has contributed to our knowledge base of the performance of South African children on the recently released GMDS-ER.

The purpose of the present study was to determine if African American and Caucasian preschool children displayed similar patterns of performance among the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) factors measured by the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). Specifically, a profile analysis was conducted to determine if African Americans and Caucasians displayed the same patterns of highs and low and scored at the same level on the KABC-II composites and subtests. Forty-nine African American (mean age = 59.14 months) and 49 Caucasian (mean age = 59.39) preschool children from a Midwestern City were included in the study and were matched on age, sex, and level of parental education. Results of a profile analysis found African American and Caucasian preschool children had a similar pattern of highs and lows and performed at the same level on the CHC broad abilities as measured by the KABC-II. Comparison of the overall mean IQ indicated no significant differences between the two groups. The overall mean difference between groups was 1.47 points, the smallest gap seen in the literature. This finding was inconsistent with previous research indicating a one standard deviation difference in IQ between African Americans and Caucasians. A profile analysis of the KABC-II subtests found the African American and Caucasian groups performed at an overall similar level, but did not show the same pattern of highs and lows. Specifically, Caucasians scored significantly higher than African Americans on the Expressive Vocabulary subtest which measures the CHC narrow ability of Lexical Knowledge. Results of this study supported the KABC-II’s authors’ recommendation to make interpretations at the composite level. When developing hypotheses of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in narrow abilities, clinicians should be cautious when interpreting the Expressive Vocabulary subtest with African Americans. Overall, results of this study supported the use of the KABC-II with African American preschool children. When making assessment decisions, clinicians can be more confident in an unbiased assessment with the KABC-II. Future research could further explore the CHC narrow abilities in ethnically diverse populations. Additionally, more research should be conducted with other measures of cognitive ability designed to adhere to the CHC theory, and the appropriateness of those tests with an African American population. Furthermore, future research with the KABC-II could determine if the results of the present study were replicated in other age groups. / Department of Educational Psychology

Despite the concept of twins and twinning being a highly explored area of research for many years, limited research has been conducted on the comparison of first and second born twin development. The nature of twins leads people to believe that twins will present with similar characteristics, however, this study explores the possibility that due to their ordinal position they could in fact present with differing characteristics and could differ developmentally. The early holistic development of a child influences the rest of their lives. Concerning twins, the development of individuality and self-knowledge is especially important. Theorists, such as Piaget (1950), propose that child development takes place in stages and that although the order in which children proceed through these stages is the same, the pace at which this takes place can vary. The necessity of monitoring the child’s journey through these stages highlights the value of child developmental assessment. This form of assessment needs to be holistic, needs to involve a multidisciplinary team of professionals and needs to utilize assessment measures that are valid, reliable, culture-fair and standardized. The Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER) is one such measure. This study, focusing on twin development, aimed to contribute and provide valuable information to a larger research project that is currently under way aiming to increase the applicability of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales-Extended Revised (GMDS-ER) in the South African context. The primary aim of the study, however, was to explore and compare the performance of normal first born and second born twins, aged between 2 and 8 years 4 months old, on the GMDS-ER. The purpose of the study was to generate information on the relationship between first born twins’ general development and second born twins’ general development. An exploratory, descriptive quantitative design was used. Participants were selected through a combination of non-probability purposive, convenience and snowball sampling. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and dependent sample t-tests were employed to compare the General Quotients (GQ’s) of the first and second born twins in the sample. Results showed that no significant differences were found between the first and second born twins’ general development. Information generated from this study contributed to 1) child development research; 2) twin developmental research within a South African context; and 3) a greater group of studies on the GMDS-ER, currently underway in the United Kingdom and South Africa, aiming to contribute to the international credibility of this measure

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished