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Individual differences in cognitive abilities and the identification of those differences have been of interest to the field of school psychology. As such, different theoretical perspectives and corresponding assessment instruments have been developed over the years as a way to assess. A growing interest in the field of school psychology has been to assess more than just general cognitive ability but to identify cognitive strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this study was to examine the Woodcock-Johnson Normative-Update (WJ-NU; Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2007) using the standardization sample in relation to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were conducted across six age groups to include individuals as young as 4 years to those above 40 years of age. This study investigated three models of cognitive ability (i.e., General Intelligence, Two-Stratum, and Three-Stratum models) though to portray the structure of cognitive ability. Results of the CFAs revealed that, across all age groups, cognitive ability was best interpreted by the Three-Stratum model. Analyses indicated that the General Intelligence model, compared to the other three models was the least likely model to fit cognitive ability. The Two-Stratum model provided acceptable model fit values but was not able to identify all seven CHC abilities to an equal degree. Included are implications regarding future efforts of assessment and intervention targeted to lesser developed cognitive abilities. Limitations to internal and external validity are included.

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We report an experiment to consider the emotional correlates of prudent decision making. In the experiment, we present subjects with lotteries and measure their emotional response with facial recognition software. They then make binary choices between risky lotteries that distinguish prudent from imprudent individuals. They also perform tasks to measure their cognitive ability and a number of personality characteristics. We find that a more negative emotional state correlates with greater prudence. Higher cognitive ability and less conscientiousness is also associated with greater prudence.

As humans age, specific mental faculties deteriorate even in the absence of dementia. Age related cognitive decline affects quality of life, and has significant implications from a socio-economic perspective; however not everyone declines to equal degrees, at equal rates, or from the same baseline. This PhD examined a large sample of community-dwelling older adults called the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, most of whom completed an intelligence test at age 11 years, and again around age 73 as part of a detailed assessment that also included detailed brain magnetic resonance imaging (N range = 700-866). I investigated the independent effects of two linked genetic loci which have been associated with greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease – the APOE ε haplotype (commonly ‘genotype’) and a poly-T repeat in the TOMM40 gene. Are 'risk' variants in these loci associated with specific measures of cognitive ageing and brain structure - specifically white matter microstructural integrity, hippocampal volumes, white matter lesions or cerebral microbleeds – in this sample? Firstly, a pilot study aimed to replicate significant associations between the ADRB2 gene and brain imaging/cognitive phenotypes, that had previously been reported in a smaller subsample of the cohort that had by that time undergone MRI (n = 132). Previously reported significant associations were not significant in the larger, full LBC1936 sample (n = 700-866), but novel significant associations were found (P < 0.05). Specifically, integrity of the left arcuate fasciculus white matter tract significantly mediated part of the association between specific genetic variations at ADRB2, and the Digit Symbol Coding task of information processing speed. These findings indicated that this approach – testing three-way genetic/brain imaging/cognitive associations for mediation - was viable for the main APOE/TOMM40 analyses. Results in the main APOE/TOMM40 analyses showed that specific variants in the APOE and TOMM40 gene loci were statistically significantly associated (at raw P value <0.05) with white matter tract microstructural integrity, but not white matter lesions, hippocampal volume or cerebral microbleeds. Inconsistencies with previous, positive reports showing significant associations between APOE ε and these latter phenotypes may reflect a degree of type 1 error or more study-specific discrepancies (which are detailed throughout). APOE ε was significantly associated with average scores on a large proportion of cognitive tests, independent of age 11 intelligence (i.e. ‘cognitive ageing’; Deary et al., 2004). These associations were partly – but not completely – mediated by white matter tract microstructural integrity. TOMM40 poly-T repeat genotype was associated with cognitive ageing to a much lesser extent. A range of brain phenotypes may form the anatomical basis for significant associations between APOE genotype and cognitive ageing, among which includes white matter tract microstructural integrity.

Human population-based studies have shown that cognitive ability and negative emotions are associated with later health outcomes. Part of this association might be due to shared genetic influences. The present thesis has two main objectives. The first is to examine the shared genetic aetiology between cognitive ability and mental and physical health. The second is to examine the shared genetic aetiology between the tendency to experience negative emotions and mental and physical health. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 provide an introductory overview of the field of individual differences in psychology, with the first Chapter focussing on cognitive ability and the second on personality (especially neuroticism). Each of these Chapters provide an historical overview of the two traits, followed by the associations with health outcomes, and finish by exploring the genetic aetiology of both cognitive ability and negative emotions and the potential genetic overlap with health outcomes. Chapter 3 focusses on the main cohort analysed in this thesis, the UK Biobank. This Chapter outlines the study population and its demographics, and provides a detailed account of the main variables examined in this thesis. Chapters 4 to 7 present the empirical work and are split in two parts; the first part (Chapters 4 and 5), focusses on cognitive ability. The second part (Chapters 6 and 7) focusses on negative emotions. Chapter 4 presents two studies, examining the shared genetic aetiology between cognitive ability and mental and physical health using linkage disequilibrium score regression and polygenic profile analysis; Mendelian Randomization is used to test for direction of effect between cognitive ability and physical health. The results indicate a substantially shared genetic aetiology between cognitive ability and both physical and mental health. No evidence was found for a causal association between cognitive ability and physical health. Chapter 5 examines the genetic aetiology of a test of executive cognitive function, the Trail- Making test, which has been closely associated with other cognitive abilities. This Chapter also examines the shared genetic aetiology between the Trail-Making test, general cognitive ability, processing speed, and memory, using a range of molecular genetic techniques. The results provide heritability estimates ranging from 7% to 22% for the different Trail-Making test measures, and there are new genetic associations with the Trail-Making test. A considerable degree of genetic overlap is found between the Trail-Making test and general cognitive function and processing speed in particular. Chapter 6 explores the shared genetic aetiology between the personality trait of neuroticism and mental and physical health using Linkage Disequilibrium Score Regression and polygenic profile analysis. The results show significant genetic correlations between neuroticism and major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and anorexia. Polygenic profile scores for multiple mental health traits, as well as body mass index, coronary artery disease, and smoking status are predictive of neuroticism. Chapter 7 examines the genetic contributions to self-reported tiredness, a trait strongly related to the tendency to experience negative emotions; it also examines the genetic overlap with health outcomes using Linkage Disequilibrium Score Regression and polygenic profile analysis. The results demonstrate a significant heritability estimate of 8% for self-reported tiredness. Extensive genetic overlap is identified between self-reported tiredness and mental and physical health, and particularly with the trait of neuroticism. Finally, Chapter 8 summarizes the empirical findings presented in Chapters 4 to 7. This Chapter discusses limitations of the methods used in this thesis, and offers suggestions for future research in the field of genetic epidemiology, especially as applied to health and psychological differences.

federicorleone@gmail.com / Evolutionary explanations for geography's influence on complex cognitive ability (CCA) imply virtually immutable components of between-nation IQ differences. Their weight vis-à-vis the weight of situational components was evaluated through an analysis of a 194-country data set. Additive effects of absolute latitude (AL) and longitudinal distance from Homo sapiens' cradle (LDC) explain Northeastern Asian higher, Sub-Saharan African lower CCAs. AL exerts cognitive influence directly and through socioeconomic development and evolutionary genetics whereas LDC does through evolutionary genetics; however, this occurs differently in Africa-Near East- Europe and elsewhere. The findings are understood assuming supremacy of contemporary UVB radiation → hormonal and climatic → socioeconomic mediators of the AL–CCA linkage whose effects are moderated by heterogeneous genetic and cultural adaptations to radiation and climate. Geography's cognitive effects are dynamic and public-policy actions may modify them. / Funds for this researchwere provided by the Vicerrectorado de Investigación through the Research Center at Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL), Lima, Peru. We are indebted to Romain Wacziarg for making available to us the Spolaore- Wacziarg tables on genetic distance and Edvard Avilés for comments to an earlier version of the paper. FRL designed the study, drafted the manuscript, performed part of the analyses, and interpreted the findings. ABL performed the path analyses and approved the manuscript. The data set utilized in the research has been positioned at USIL's Repository and can be accessed through the following link: http://repositorio.usil.edu. pe/jspui/handle/123456789/1038. / Revisión por pares

Thesis (Ed.S.)--Marshall University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains 21 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 20-21).

While previous studies have found that a preterm (PT) birth leads to a higher risk for numerous adverse outcomes, including neurodevelopmental and behavioural problems, few, if any, have investigated the consistency of conceivable behavioural problems over time. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence and the stability of behavioural problems from four to eight years of age in a group of 18 children born PT without diagnosed neurological or developmental morbidity, in comparison to a group of 19 children born full term (FT). Additionally, the effects of gestational age (GA) as well as possible associations between behavioural problems and cognitive ability were investigated. Also, differences related to parents’ level of education were observed. Behavioural problems were evaluated with Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and cognitive ability was assessed at eight years of age by using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Results showed significant differences between the groups regarding cognitive ability where children born PT had lower scores. Contrary to most previous findings, no evident differences between the two groups regarding amount of behavioural problems were found. Children born PT increased in amount of anxiety problems from four to eight years of age, while children born FT decreased, and a lower GA was related to increasing oppositional defiant problems. Generally, the mothers of children born PT had a lower level of education than those of the FT group. Thus, interpretations with caution due to the relatively small number of participants, these initial findings reveal the need for further prospective follow-up studies on the relationship between birth status and the change of behaviour problems in relation to both inter- and intra-effectors over time. / Tidigare forskning har visat att en för tidig födsel leder till en ökad risk för ett antal ofördelaktiga utfall, inklusive neuroutvecklingsrelaterade svårigheter och beteendeproblem. Få studier, om några, har undersökt stabiliteten av potentiella beteendeproblem över tid. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka förekomst och stabilitet av beteendeproblematik mellan fyra till åtta års ålder i en grupp bestående av 18 barn födda för tidigt, utan neurologiska eller utvecklingsrelaterade störningar, jämfört med 19 barn födda fullgångna. Vidare undersöktes effekten av gestationsålder samt möjliga associationer mellan beteendeproblem och kognitiv förmåga. Skillnader i föräldrarnas utbildningsnivå mellan grupperna undersöktes också. Beteendeproblem skattades med Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) och kognitiv förmåga bedömdes vid åtta års ålder med hjälp av Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Resultaten visade signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna gällande kognitiv förmåga, där barn födda för tidigt hade lägre poäng. I motsats till vad flera tidigare studier funnit så visade vår studie inga signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna gällande omfattning av beteendeproblem. Barn födda för tidigt uppvisade en ökning av ångestproblem från fyra till åtta års ålder medan barn fullgånget födda uppvisade en minskning, och lägre gestationsålder korrelerade med ökade trotsproblem. Generellt sett så hade mödrar till barn födda förtidigt en lägre utbildningsnivå än de i den fullgångna gruppen. Med försiktiga tolkningar på grund av det relativt låga antalet deltagare visar resultaten ett behov av vidare uppföljningsstudier av sambanden mellan födelsestatus och förändringen av beteendeproblem i relation till både inter- och intra-påverkande faktorer. / The relation between sensory-motor, behaviour functioning and brain development in preterm born children