Achilles N. Bardos

The Relationship between Young Children's Academic Achievement and Measures of Intelligence.

To test the construct validity of brief measures of intelligence and explore how well these instruments relate to academic performance, the WPPSI-R, the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Scale (K-BIT), Draw-A-Person: Quantitative Scoring System (DAP:QSS), and the K-ABC Achievement Scale were administered to 50 kindergarten and first-grade children. Results indicated that all measures provide similar scores, all in the average range. All brief measures related significantly to academic achievement. Implications of the findings are discussed, and a battery for screening young children is offered.

Identifying Students With Learning Disabilities: Composite Profile Analysis Using the Cognitive Assessment System

The detection of cognitive patterns in children with learning disabilities (LD) has been a priority in the identification process. Subtest profile analysis from traditional cognitive assessment has drawn sharp criticism for inaccurate identification and weak connections to educational planning. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to use a new generation of cognitive tests with megacluster analysis to augment diagnosis and the instructional process.The Cognitive Assessment System uses a contemporary theoretical model in which composite scores, instead of subtest scores, are used for profile analysis. Ten core profiles from a regular education sample (N = 1,692) and 12 profiles from a sample of students with LD (N = 367) were found. The majority of the LD profiles were unique compared with profiles obtained from the general education sample. The implications of this study substantiate the usefulness of profile analysis on composite scores as a critical element in LD determination.

The association between obesity and fluid intelligence impairment is mediated by chronic low-grade inflammation

Published evidence suggests that obesity impairs cognition. Development of chronic low-grade inflammation (CLGI) represents the earliest consequence of obesity. The present study investigated the association between obesity and fluid intelligence impairment and assessed the potential mediating role of CLGI and psychological (depression/anxiety symptoms), lifestyle (exercise) and physiological (metabolic dysfunction indices) factors in this association. Clinically healthy participants (n 188), grouped as per BMI, underwent cognitive (General Ability Measure for Adults), psychological (Beck Depression Inventory-II and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and activity (Godin leisure-time physical activity) measurements. Biochemical parameters included the following: (a) indices of CLGI (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and fibrinogen); (b) insulin resistance (Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance index); (c) adiposity (plasma adiponectin). An inverse association between elevated BMI and fluid intelligence was observed, with obese participants displaying significantly poorer performance compared with age-matched normal-weight peers. Structural equation modelling results were consistent with a negative impact of obesity on cognition that was mediated by CLGI. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that reduced general cognitive ability is associated with obesity, an adverse effect mainly mediated by obesity-associated activation of innate immunity.

Discriminant Validity of the Cognitive Assessment System for Students with Written Expression Disabilities

This study explored the PASS cognitive processing theory in junior high students (aged 11-15 years) with and without written expression disabilities. Ninety-six students with (n = 48) and without (n = 48) written expression disabilities were administered the Das-Naglieri: Cognitive Assessment System (DN:CAS; 1997) and the writing subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT; 1992). Discriminant analyses were utilized to identify the DN:CAS subtests and composites that contributed to group differentiation. The Planning composite was found to be the most significant contributor among the four composite scores. Subsequent efficiency of classification analyses provided strong support for the validity of the obtained discriminant functions in that the four DN:CAS composite scale scores correctly identified 83% of the students as members of their respective groups.

The construct specificity of the continuous performance test: Does inattention relate to behavior and achievement?

A computerized version of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was administered to 104 children, ages 6 to 16 years, referred to a medical center for learning difficulties. The CPT performance of children was examined in relation to the Wide Range Achievement Test‐Revised, the Peabody Individual Achievement Test‐Revised Reading Comprehension subtest, the ADD‐H Comprehensive Teachers Rating Scale, and the Conners Parent Rating Scale. Correlations were computed to evaluate the relation between the CPT and all psychometric measures. Results indicated that the CPT was unrelated to academic functioning, but CPT commission errors correlated with behavioral measures: Commission errors were related to oppositional behavior and the Conners hyperactivity index, providing further evidence for the diagnostic utility of the CPT. Implications for clinical neuropsychology practitioners were discussed.

Gender differences on planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive cognitive processing tasks

Abstract The study examined gender differences on the Das-Naglieri planning, attention, simultaneous and successive processing tasks developed following the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive model of cognitive processing. The studys two samples of 434 (Grades 2, 6, and 10) and 110 (combined Grades 4 and 5) children included pupils from several schools in a large midwestern suburban school district. The results indicated that boys and girls performed similarly on simultaneous, successive, and attention measures but girls outperformed boys on measures of planning processes. These differences were significant for the sixth graders in the first sample and for the combined sample of fourth and fifth graders. These results suggest that a broader definition of intelligence, one that includes measures of planning and attention in addition to simultaneous and successive processes, might provide useful information when cognitive differences and similarities of the genders are examined. Implications of these findings are discussed.

The General Ability Measure for Adults

The General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA; Naglieri and Bardos in General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA). National Computer Systems, Minneapolis, 1997) is accessible to persons with a wide variety of backgrounds; it is a nonverbal test that is free of the confounding characteristics of expressive language skills and exposure to a formal English-speaking academic environment. Naglieri and Bardos (1997) stated that the GAMA “evaluates an individual’s overall general ability with items that require the application of reasoning and logic to solve problems that exclusively use abstract designs and shapes” (p. 1). The GAMA does not follow a particular theoretical model but rather attempts to offer an alternative to the measure of general ability after recognizing many inherent problems with tests of general ability that use subtests that have been used as measures of nonverbal ability despite the fact that their administration directions include lengthy and wordy verbal directions (see for example the Wechsler series of tests). It offers an efficient research supported means to estimate a person’s overall cognitive ability. As of the writing of this chapter, the GAMA is undergoing a national re-standardization. In addition to a more recent normative sample, the GAMA-2 will address much of the feedback the GAMA authors received from users in the field.

A Comparison of Learning-Disabled Children's Performance on the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, K-ABC, and WISC-R

The study examined the relationship among the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI), the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) for a sample of learning-disabled children. The results indicated that the TONI score was significantly lower than the K-ABC Simultaneous Processing Scale and the WISC-R Performance and Full Scale IQs. The TONI correlated significantly with the K-ABC Arithmetic and Reading Understanding achievement tests and with the Kamphaus and Reynolds Reading Composite score. The TONIs discriminant validity was examined; implications for practice are discussed.

Relationship between the Kaufman test of educational achievement -brief form and the wide range achievement test- revised level 2 with incarcerated juvenile delinquents

The Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement—Brief Form and the Wide Range Achievement Test—Revised Level 2 were administered in counterbalanced order to 50 male incarcerated juvenile delinquents. The analyses showed the similar subtests on the two tests, i.e., Kaufman Reading test and WRAT—R Reading, were highly correlated. The mean standard scores of the similar subtests were not significantly different from each other. These results contrast with the significantly lower WRAT—R scores found when scores on the WRAT—R Level 1 are compared with those on the Kaufman test.

General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA)

The measurement of intellectual ability is an important component of many psychological assessments conducted by mental health professionals. Psychologists often face the challenge of assessing the cognitive ability of individuals who, for a variety of reasons, are either limited in their ability to understand directions (and therefore the requirements of a test) or have verbal expression difficulties. For example, recent demographics in the United States suggest that the percentage of individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds, language backgrounds, or both is on the rise. Mental health professionals searching for ways to measure the cognitive ability of children and adults have used ability tests typically referred to as nonverbal. These tests assess a person’s intellectual ability using minimal verbal requirements. For example, they include very short verbal directions and minimal-to-nonexistent English language verbal expression skills. These characteristics have made nonverbal intelligence tests very popular among psychologists who need to employ fair assessment techniques in their evaluations. The General Ability Measure for Adults (gama), is a nonverbal test that shares many of the above features. By reducing the effects of item verbal content, the gama is free of the confounding requirements for expressive language skills and overall academic achievement. This assessment approach offers the advantage of providing an instrument that is accessible to a wide variety of persons with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, to those with limited educational experiences or verbal skills, to those with difficulties with verbal communication, and to those who are deaf or hearing impaired. In addition, the gama can be administered in a variety of settings.