Meadow Schroeder

Causal or spurious? The relationship of knowledge and attitudes to trust in science and technology

Survey data on 1217 adults living in Alberta, Canada were collected by Ipsos Reid Public Affairs and made available to us for analysis. The survey questioned participants on issues related to science including their perceived knowledge of science, attitudes toward science, and trust in science and technology. We developed a structural equation model to account for the causal relations implied by the correlations among the variables in the data set. Results show that trust in generalized science and technology is a large determiner of trust in specific technologies, but that trust in specific technologies is not a determinant of overall trust in science and technology. We also found that attitudes towards science have an effect on trust in generalized science and technology whereas perceived knowledge does not. Education and gender contribute to attitudes supporting an increased personal attachment to science, which was the strongest predictor of trust in our model.

What Comes Before Report Writing? Attending to Clinical Reasoning and Thinking Errors in School Psychology

Psychoeducational assessment involves collecting, organizing, and interpreting a large amount of data from various sources. Drawing upon psychological and medical literature, we review two main approaches to clinical reasoning (deductive and inductive) and how they synergistically guide diagnostic decision-making. In addition, we discuss how the use of both mental shortcuts (i.e., heuristics) and cognitive biases, which we collectively refer to as thinking errors, can lead to errors in judgment when analyzing data. In particular, we highlight where and how common thinking errors may interfere with school psychologists’ reasoning throughout the assessment process. Last, we make suggestions on how to reduce errors in judgment and improve clinical reasoning skills by focusing on training, supported clinical practice, and personal strategies.

Gender differences in preschoolers’ understanding of the concept of life

This study investigated gender differences in North American preschoolers’ biological reasoning about the concept of ‘life’. Four-year-olds (M = 4.6, SD = 3.3 months) and five-year-olds (M = 5.6, SD = 3.8 months) were asked about the function of 13 body parts, organs, and bodily processes. Results indicated that the likelihood of mentioning the importance of body parts, organs, and bodily processes for maintaining life or preventing death was predicted by age. A concept of life was more likely to occur in boys rather than girls. Although boys had a greater understanding of life they did not outperform girls in their responses to organ/ body part function. The results demonstrate that gender differences in biological reasoning emerge during the preschool years. Implications for early science education are discussed.

teaching preschoolers about inheritance

This study aimed to promote advanced reasoning about biological inheritance in four-and five-year-olds. A total of 78 preschoolers (Experimental n = 40; Comparison n = 38) completed pre-and post-test versions of two biological reasoning tasks. The Experimental condition received 15 lessons on biological inheritance, whereas the Comparison condition received regular story time activities. The results showed that the Experimental group outperformed the Comparison group at posttest. Overall, the results are an encouraging indication that an increased understanding of biological inheritance can be effectively supported in preschool years.

Canadian Innovation A Brief History of Canada’s First Online School Psychology Graduate Program

This article presents a brief historical review and survey of the current landscape of online graduate psychology programs within the Canadian context. Specific focus is given to outlining the establishment and evolution of the first Canadian online professional specialization program in school psychology. The article argues that given the virtual absence of online graduate school psychology programs until recently, there have been limited opportunities to critically examine such approaches to teaching professional psychology. With the establishment in 2007 of the University of Calgary’s online graduate school psychology program, among the first in the world, a critically significant analysis is now possible. The purpose of this article is to document both the history of the program and to highlight the possible significance of this event to the profession. The article is intended to foster much-needed discussion at the national level concerning the future development and implementation of online graduate programs.

The messiness of LD identification: Contributions of diagnostic criteria and clinical judgment.

To make a diagnosis, clinicians rely on both diagnostic criteria and clinical reasoning. In the case of learning disabilities (LDs), reliance on the latter (clinical reasoning) is likely to be heightened, given the current absence of a consistent LD diagnostic approach or definition. This study investigated the agreement between diagnostic decisions of reading LD (RLD) made by clinicians and those produced from strict adherence to 3 commonly employed diagnostic models (i.e., low achievement, ability-achievement discrepancy, processing strengths and weakness). Using a clinical sample of 313 elementary-aged children, the level of agreement between clinician and models was determined using kappa. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th ed.: Canadian; WISC-IVCDN; Wechsler, 2003) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (3rd ed.: Canadian; WIAT-IIICDN; Wechsler, 2010) were used in the comparisons. Overall, the results indicate varying levels of agreement between: (a) clinician and model identification of reading disabilities, and (b) model-model agreement. The strongest agreement was between the clinician and low achievement model (LAM)—the model with the broadest LD definition. Clinicians should carefully consider the rationale for their diagnostic approach and be mindful of additional factors influencing their clinical judgment. Résumé Pour établir un diagnostic, les cliniciens se fondent sur des critères diagnostics et sur le raisonnement clinique. Dans le cas des troubles d’apprentissage, il est probable que l’on se fonde davantage sur le raisonnement clinique pour poser un diagnostic, en raison de l’absence actuelle d’une approche ou d’une définition homogène de ces troubles. Cette étude s’est penchée sur la concordance entre l’établissement de diagnostics de trouble d’apprentissage de lecture par des cliniciens et les diagnostics établis grâce au recours à trois modèles couramment utilisés, à savoir : le modèle de performance sous le seuil de réussite (low achievement model), le modèle des différences entre aptitudes et réussite (ability achievement discrepancy) et les points forts et les points faibles des processus cognitifs (processing strengths and weakness). Se fondant sur un échantillon clinique de 313 enfants de l’âge du primaire, le niveau de concordance entre le diagnostic clinique et les modèles a été évalué selon le test de concordance Kappa. L’échelle d’intelligence de Wechsler destinée aux enfants (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; 4th ed.: Canadian; WISC-IVCDN; Wechsler, 2003) et le test de rendement individuel de Wechsler (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; 3rd ed.: Canadian; WIAT-IIICDN; Wechsler, 2010) ont été utilisés pour établir les comparaisons. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats montrent des niveaux variés de concordance entre : (a) l’identification clinique et à l’aide de modèles des difficultés de lecture, ainsi qu’entre (b) les divers modèles. La meilleure concordance s’observe entre le diagnostic clinique et l’identification à l’aide du modèle de faible réussite, soit celui qui propose la définition la plus vaste des troubles d’apprentissage. Les cliniciens devraient évaluer soigneusement la justification de leur approche diagnostique et tenir compte des autres facteurs pouvant influer sur leur jugement clinique.