Eric E. Pierson

Use of Brief Intelligence Tests in the Identification of Giftedness.

Schools often administer brief intelligence tests as the first step in the identification of students who are cognitively gifted. However, brief measures are often used without consideration of underlying constructs or the psychometric properties of the measures and without regard to the links between screening decisions and educational programming. This article provides an overview of these issues and offers recommendations for using brief intelligence measures particularly when screening children who are cognitively gifted.

Psychosocial and behavioral functioning following pediatric TBI: presentation, assessment, and intervention.

This article reviews the current literature surrounding the emotional and behavioral consequences as a result of traumatic brain injury (TBI) for children and adolescents. The use of a treatment planning model incorporating developmental theory, recovery, and family needs is advocated. The article reviews the current literature for treatment of primary emotional and psychiatric problems associated with TBI. Additional research into the treatment and intervention of psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral problems in children with TBI remains necessary.

The Relationship Between the WAIS-III Digit Symbol Coding and Executive Functioning

The current study examined the performance of college students (N = 63) on the Coding subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition and examined whether differences in performance could in part be explained by performance on the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System Trail-Making Test. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that performance on Coding was correlated most with Letter–Number Sequencing and to a lesser extent with Visual Scanning and with Number Sequencing approaching significance. There was no significant relationship with Letter Sequencing or Motor Speed. The three significant predictor variables were then entered into a stepwise hierarchical regression analysis. Subsequent models using Visual Scanning and Number Sequencing did not improve the predictive value of the model. These results are consistent with other recent reports suggesting that performance on Coding taps cognitive skills and abilities beyond that of simple motor speed or paired-associative learning. The findings also suggest a limited improvement in understanding test performance using a process analysis approach.

A canonical correlation analysis of intelligence and executive functioning.

Executive functioning is one of the most researched and debated topics in neuropsychology. Although neuropsychologists routinely consider executive functioning and intelligence in their assessment process, more information is needed regarding the relationship between these constructs. This study reports the results of a canonical correlation study between the most widely used measure of adult intelligence, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 3rd edition (WAIS-III; Wechsler, 1997), and the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001). The results suggest that, despite considerable shared variability, the measures of executive functioning maintain unique variance that is not encapsulated in the construct of global intelligence.

A Mixture IRT Analysis of Risky Youth Behavior

The study reported in this manuscript used a mixture item response model with data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009 (N = 16,410) to identify subtypes of adolescents at-risk for engaging in unhealthy behaviors, and to find individual survey items that were most effective at identifying such students within each subtype. The goal of the manuscript is twofold: (1) To demonstrate the utility of the mixture item response theory model for identifying subgroups in the population and for highlighting the use of group specific item response parameters and (2) To identify typologies of adolescents based on their propensity for engaging in sexually and substance use risky behaviors. Results indicate that four classes of youth exist in the population, with differences in risky sexual behaviors and substance use. The first group had a greater propensity to engage in risky sexual behavior, while group 2 was more likely to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol. Group 3 was the most likely to use other substances, such as marijuana, methamphetamine, and other mind altering drugs, and group 4 had the lowest propensity for engaging in any of the sexual or substance use behaviors included in the survey. Finally, individual items were identified for each group that can be most effective at identifying individuals at greatest risk. Further proposed directions of research and the contribution of this analysis to the existing literature are discussed.

School-Based Consultation: Training Challenges, Solutions and Building Cultural Competence.

ABSTRACT This is a consensual qualitative research study of the perceptions of university faculty about methods and tools to teach students the professional competency area of school-based psychological consultation, with special attention to cultural competence. The participants (n = 7) included faculty of school psychology programs located in the Northeast, South, Midwest, and Mountain regions of the United States. Participants were from programs serving urban, suburban, and rural settings and represented a wide range of consultation backgrounds, experiences, and theoretical orientation. The analysis revealed three major themes: general coverage of the consultation skills and content, university tension with school setting needs, and specific hurdles and solutions to diversity training. This study also provided ideas on how trainers might overcome some of the barriers to addressing diversity.

Relation of Success and Nontraditional Career Choice to Selection for Dating and Friendship

Women who succeed in traditionally male-dominated fields have previously been found to experience lower social acceptance, both from men in romantic contexts and from women in platonic contexts. The present study examined whether such preferences continue to exist. Participants were 256 university students (110 men, 146 women) with an average age of 21.4 yr. (SD = 3.6). They answered the Bem Sex Role Inventory and the Modern Sexism Scale and also responded to four descriptions of stimulus persons which represented the variables of traditional versus nontraditional field and successful versus nondescribed academic performance. Results indicated that men preferred to date women in traditional careers (independent of their success). This finding was unrelated to mens scores on sex role orientation or egalitarianism and sexism. However, in platonic relationships, women favored women in nontraditional careers as friends.

The Path Ahead: Future Trends in the Assessment and Treatment of TBI in the Pediatric Population

The current article serves as the concluding remarks to this special issue on the assessment and treatment of traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents. The article provides a brief discussion of the changing landscape of clinical and research endeavors within this population and potential directions for the future.