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For over a century, the structure of intelligence has been dominated by factor analytic methods that presume tests are indicators of latent entities (e.g., general intelligence or g). Recently, psychometric network methods and theories (e.g., process overlap theory; dynamic mutualism) have provided alternatives to g-centric factor models. However, few studies have investigated contemporary cognitive measures using network methods. We apply a Gaussian graphical network model to the age 9–19 standardization sample of the Woodcock–Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability—Fourth Edition. Results support the primary broad abilities from the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) theory and suggest that the working memory–attentional control complex may be central to understanding a CHC network model of intelligence. Supplementary multidimensional scaling analyses indicate the existence of possible higher-order dimensions (PPIK; triadic theory; System I-II cognitive processing) as well as separate learning and retrieval aspects of long-term memory. Overall, the network approach offers a viable alternative to factor models with a g-centric bias (i.e., bifactor models) that have led to erroneous conclusions regarding the utility of broad CHC scores in test interpretation beyond the full-scale IQ, g.

The step-by-step guide to administering, scoring, and interpreting the WJ IV® Tests of Cognitive Abilities Essentials of WJ IV® Cognitive Abilities Assessment provides expert, practical advice on how to administer, score, and interpret the WJ IV COG®. Designed to be an easy-to-use reference, the text goes beyond the information found in the WJ IV® examiner's manual to offer full explanations of the tests and clusters on the WJ IV COG®. This essential guide also explains the meaning of all scores and interpretive features and includes valuable advice on clinical applications and illuminating case studies.

For over a century, the structure of intelligence has been dominated by factor analytic methods that presume tests are indicators of latent entities (e.g., general intelligence or g). Recently, psychometric network methods and theories (e.g., process overlap theory; dynamic mutualism) have provided alternatives to g-centric factor models. However, few studies have investigated contemporary cognitive measures using network methods. We apply a Gaussian graphical network model to the age 9-19 standardization sample of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-Fourth Edition. Results support the primary broad abilities from the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory and suggest that the working memory-attentional control complex may be central to understanding a CHC network model of intelligence. Supplementary multidimensional scaling analyses indicate the existence of possible higher-order dimensions (PPIK; triadic theory; System I-II cognitive processing) as well as separate learning and retrieval aspects of long-term memory. Overall, the network approach offers a viable alternative to factor models with a g-centric bias (i.e., bifactor models) that have led to erroneous conclusions regarding the utility of broad CHC scores in test interpretation beyond the full-scale IQ, g.

Working memory (WM) is one of the key constructs in understanding higher-level cognition. We examined whether patterns of activity in the resting state of individual subjects are correlated with their off-line working and short-term memory capabilities. Participants completed a resting-state fMRI scan and off-line working and short-term memory (STM) tests with both verbal and visual materials. We calculated fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) from the resting state data, and also computed connectivity between seeds placed in frontal and parietal lobes. Correlating fALFF values with behavioral measures showed that the fALFF values in a widespread fronto-parietal network during rest were positively correlated with a combined memory measure. In addition, STM showed a significant correlation with fALFF within the right angular gyrus and left middle occipital gyrus, whereas WM was correlated with fALFF values within the right IPS and left dorsomedial cerebellar cortex. Furthermore, verbal and visuospatial memory capacities were associated with dissociable patterns of low-frequency fluctuations. Seed-based connectivity showed correlations with the verbal WM measure in the left hemisphere, and with the visual WM measure in the right hemisphere. These findings contribute to our understanding of how differences in spontaneous low-frequency fluctuations at rest are correlated with differences in cognitive performance. •Fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFFs) was calculated.•Spontaneous fluctuations in the BOLD signal are associated with memory measures.•Fronto-parietal connectivity strength explains differences in memory capacities.

Objective:The increasing incidence rates of concussive injuries, specifically among the youth age demographic, has led to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to classify these injuries as a “silent epidemic.” While symptoms from concussion typically remit within four weeks, many experience symptoms that persist beyond what is typically expected. For children, the persistence of symptoms can have damaging side-effects that impact daily functioning and the progression through developmental and educational milestones. Recent research highlights factors that modify the nature of outcomes after a concussive injury. For youth-aged individuals, one such factor is the presence of premorbid conditions. A growing body of research suggests children with learning disorders (LDs) may be more susceptible to negative symptom outcomes across neuropsychological domains. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to further examine the influence of developmental learning disorders on concussion outcomes among youths.Participants and Methods:Youths between 7 and 19 years of age that sought care at a concussion specialty clinic were screened for inclusion in the current study. The final sample of included 54 patients who reported having a neurodevelopmental LD between the ages of 8 and 17 and 54 patients without LDs matched on age, race/ethnicity, and gender to serve as paired case-controls. Measures of post-concussive physical symptoms (Modified Balance Error Scoring System; Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders: Neuro-QoL-SD, Neuro-QoL-F), emotional state (BAI, BDI), parent report measure of behavioral manifestations of cognitive functioning (Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function), and select measures from the CogState automated test battery (i.e., One-Back, Two-Back, Groton Maze Learning, and Groton Maze Recall) were administered during the patient’s first examination at the clinic. Patients were instructed by the provider to follow-up at the clinic between two-three weeks for a repeat examination. The current study examined concussion outcome variables via two (group: LD, control) by two (time: initial examination, follow-up examination) repeated measures ANCOVAs where time between injury and the first examination was included as a covariate to control for the duration of elapsed days since injury.Results:Regarding cognitive symptoms, parent reported behaviors associated with executive functioning symptoms increased over time to reach clinically significant levels for the LD group, while symptoms decreased and remained within normal limits for the control group. Performance-based measures of cognition revealed no significant interactions or group/time differences. Additionally, the LD group showed more intense balance problems compared to the control group and symptom trends suggest LD participants may be more susceptible to prolonged, clinically significant, balance problems. With respect to sleep disturbances and fatigue, symptoms remained within normal limits across groups and time. Depression and anxiety symptoms remained within normal limits across groups and time as well.Conclusions:Results highlight more intense balance problems and parent-reported executive dysfunction following concussion for youths with LDs compared to those without LDs. Additionally, though not significantly differentthan the control group, results reveal several symptom domains in which the level of dysfunction meets clinical significance for the LD group participants only. As such, this study highlights the continued need for the scientific study of risk factors for vulnerable populations to aid in assessment and prevention efforts, especially for youths with LD.

Introduction: Learning disabilities are a complex problem facing our society and educational system. Dyslexia, or reading disability, is one of the most common learning disabilities, impacting children and adults adversely in a myriad of ways. Traditional programs designed to teach reading enhancement are largely ineffective or require intensive therapy over long periods of time. Method: Forty-two school-aged participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received qEEG-guided, individuallytailored, two-channel coherence neurofeedback over the left hemisphere. This included two sessions per week for a total of 20 sessions. The control group received typical resource room instruction. All participants received pre- and post-educational measures focused on reading abilities. Results: Following the intervention period, the experimental group enhanced their reading scores, while the control group did not. Coherence neurofeedback led to an average enhancement of 1.2 grade levels in reading scores, but resource room instruction led to no such improvement at all. Conclusion: Coherence-based neurofeedback would appear to show promise and led to significant gains in reading that outpace those of traditional reading programs and most types of neurofeedback studied in the past. Future clinical and research work in this understudied area is recommended.

Although the empirical relationship between general intelligence and academic achievement is well established, that between specific cognitive abilities and achievement is less so. This study investigated the relationships between specific Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) cognitive abilities and reading comprehension across a large sample of children ( N  = 835) at different periods of reading development (grades 1–5). Results suggest select cognitive variables predict reading comprehension above and beyond basic reading skills. However, the relative importance of specific cognitive abilities in predicting reading comprehension differs across grade levels. Further analyses using mediation models found specific cognitive abilities mediated the effects of basic reading skills on reading comprehension. Implications for the important and dynamic role of cognitive abilities in predicting reading comprehension across development are discussed.

This study investigated the relationship of tactile abilities within the framework of a hierarchical structure of mental abilities. Data were analysed from 229 participants who were administered tactile measures from the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery along with a battery of conormed cognitive measures representative of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence. Multiple measures of tactile performance were used including Palm Writing and Object Identification, and each measure included a lateralized measure (i.e., right/left). Factor analytic results suggest tactile measures have a significant relationship with measures of cognitive ability. In this study, tactile measures involving object identification were more related to cognitive measures of visual processing-speed and overall processing speed; whereas, tactile measures involving the recognition of numbers written on the palm of the hand produced high loadings on a separate factor. Results from this study suggest different tactile measures may differentially load on cognitive factors depending on the common processing demands of the tactile and cognitive measures. Suggestions for differentiating common processing demands between tactile and cognitive measures are discussed. Cette étude porte sur la relation entre les habiletés tactiles dans le cadre d'une structure hiérarchique des habiletés mentales. Les données de 229 participants ayant complété les mesures tactiles de la Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery et une batterie conormalisée de mesures cognitives représentatives du modèle d'intelligence de Cattel-Horn-Carrol (CHC) ont été analysées. Plusieurs mesures de performance tactile ont été utilisées, incluant l'Écriture dans la Paume et l'Identification d'Objet, et chaque mesure incluait une mesure latéralisée (c.-à-d., droite/gauche). Les résultats de l'analyse factorielle suggèrent que les mesures tactiles sont significativement liées aux mesures d'habiletés cognitives. Dans cette étude, les mesures tactiles concernant l'identification d'objet étaient plus liées aux mesures cognitives de vitesse de traitement visuel et de vitesse de traitement en général; par ailleurs, les mesures tactiles concernant la reconnaissance de nombres écrits sur la paume de la main ont produit une forte saturation sur un facteur séparé. Les résultats de cette étude suggèrent que les différentes mesures tactiles peuvent être liées différemment avec les facteurs cognitifs, selon que les mesures tactiles et cognitives sollicitent les mêmes demandes de traitement. Des suggestions pour différencier les demandes de traitement communes aux mesures tactiles et cognitives sont discutées.

Working memory (WM) measures are routinely integrated into comprehensive diagnostic evaluations. However, there is little research regarding the underlying components of WM and their developmental trajectories. The current study examined the developmental trajectories of distinct WM components in a sample of 303 individuals ages 6 through 25 years. Consistent with previous research, results indicated an overall linear trajectory from childhood to adolescence; however, trajectories differed across specific content domains. Verbal working memory scores continued to increase linearly through at least early adulthood, and static visual-spatial working memory tapered off in late adolescence or early adulthood. In addition, dynamic visual-spatial working memory showed a slight decline in mid-adolescence before increasing again in early adulthood. The current findings regarding different trajectories for static vs. dynamic visual-spatial working memory provide suggestive evidence for expanding WM conceptualizations and assessments beyond verbal and visual tests. Applications of expanded WM assessments, including separate static and dynamic visual-spatial working memory measures in the comprehensive assessment, are discussed.

Executive functions (EF) are known to be a multidimensional construct in adults; however, the underlying dimensions of EF in early childhood are unclear. Theoretical models of EF have generally suggested the importance of language, attention, and inhibition abilities as developmental foundations for EF abilities. This study investigated the construct validity of EF by administering a diverse battery of measures of EF along with cognitive measures representing different theoretical models of EF (language, attention, and inhibition) to 70 preschool children. The EF battery included measures of working memory (verbal and nonverbal), set shifting, and problem solving. A maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblimin rotation resulted in a three factor model; however, only two factors (language and inhibition) were related to EF measures. Results from the current study suggest language and behavioral inhibition are two foundational latent abilities for the development of EF abilities in early childhood. Attention, although important in many EF theories, may also be important for cognitive development but appears to be less important for EF abilities in preschool children. Results from this study suggest executive functions in early childhood consist of multiple distinct but inter-related components that are associated with underlying cognitive foundations.