Rusan Chen

Components of Reading Ability: Multivariate Evidence for a Convergent Skills Model of Reading Development

Elementary and middle school children were given a large battery of tests evaluating reading subskills and reading-related cognitive abilities. These measures were used to define latent representing skills and abilities believed to be important components of reading comprehension. Hypothesized relationships among these constructs were specified within the context of a structural model we call the “Convergent Skills Model of Reading Development,” and developmental differences in the relative contribution made by each construct to reading comprehension performance were assessed through confirmatory factor analysis using the LISREL and AMOS programs. Results provide qualified support for the model and were interpreted as consistent with the major premises of both Gough and Tunmers (1986) “Simple View” and Stichts (1979) “Audread” models of reading.

Cognitive Function in Children With Type 1 Diabetes A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE—To quantify the magnitude and pattern of cognitive difficulties in pediatric type 1 diabetes as well as the effects associated with earlier disease onset and severe hypoglycemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Pediatric studies of cognitive function since 1985 were identified for study inclusion using MEDLINE and PsycInfo. Effect size (ES, Cohens d) between the diabetic and control groups, expressed in SD units, were calculated within cognitive domains to standardize meta-analysis test performance. RESULTS—The meta-analysis sample of 2,144 children consisted of 1,393 study subjects with type 1 diabetes and 751 control subjects from 19 studies. Overall, type 1 diabetes was associated with slightly lower overall cognition (ES −0.13), with small differences compared with control subjects across a broad range of domains, excluding learning and memory, which were similar for both groups. Learning and memory skills, both verbal and visual (−0.28 and −0.25), were more affected for children with early-onset diabetes (EOD) than late-onset diabetes (LOD), along with attention/executive function skills (−0.27). Compared with nondiabetic control subjects, EOD effects were larger, up to one-half SD lower, particularly for learning and memory (−0.49). Generally, seizures were associated with a negligible overall cognition ES of −0.06, with slight and inconsistent cognitive effects found on some measures, possibly reflecting the opposing effects of poorer versus better metabolic control. CONCLUSIONS—Pediatric diabetes generally relates to mildly lower cognitive scores across most cognitive domains. Cognitive effects are most pronounced and pervasive for EOD, with moderately lower performance compared with control subjects. Seizures are generally related to nominal, inconsistent performance differences.

Peer and Parent Influences on School Engagement among Early Adolescents.

Students who are not motivated and do not try to do well are unlikely to achieve consistent with their abilities. This research assesses the relationships over time between school engagement and parenting practices and peer affiliation among sixth to ninth graders using latent growth models. Participants included 2,453 students recruited from seven public middle schools who were assessed five times between fall of sixth and ninth grades as part of a program evaluation study. School engagement and adjustment declined somewhat, whereas substance use, conduct problems, and problem-behaving friends increased and authoritative parenting practices declined. The significant, positive, over-time associations between school engagement and parent involvement, expectations, and monitoring were fully mediated by growth in problem-behaving friends. School adjustment mediated the relationship between school engagement and parent expectations. Findings suggest that authoritative parenting practices may foster school engagement directly and indirectly by discouraging affiliation with problem-behaving friends and facilitating school adjustment.

The Effect of Passengers and Risk-Taking Friends on Risky Driving and Crashes/Near Crashes Among Novice Teenagers

PURPOSE The high crash rates of novice teenage drivers are thought to be caused by inexperience and risky driving behavior, exacerbated by passengers, driving at night, and other complex driving conditions. This study examined factors associated with crash/near crash and risky driving rates among novice teenagers, including driving at night versus day, passenger presence and characteristics, and driver psychosocial factors. METHOD The vehicles of 42 newly licensed teenage drivers were equipped with recording systems that collected data on driving performance and occupant characteristics during their first 18 months of licensure. Survey data were collected at four measurement times. Poisson regression models with random effects were used to analyze crash/near crash and elevated gravitational force event rates (i.e., risky driving); incident rate ratios measured associations with covariates. RESULTS Crash/near crash rates among novice teenagers were 75% lower in the presence of adult passengers and 96% higher among those teenagers with risky friends. Teenage risky driving was 67% lower with adult passengers, 18% lower with teenage passengers; 20% lower during early night than day; and 109% higher among teens with relatively more risky friends. CONCLUSIONS The low rate of risky driving in the presence of adult passengers suggests that teens can drive in a less risky manner. The higher rate of risky driving among those with risky friends suggests that risky driving may be socially influenced.

Latent growth curve analyses of peer and parent influences on smoking progression among early adolescents

Social influences on smoking uptake were examined in latent growth curve analyses of data from 1,320 youths assessed 5 times during 6th to 9th grade. Initial smoking stage predicted increases in number of friends who smoked, indicating selection; however, initial number of friends who smoked did not predict smoking stage progression, indicating no significant effect of socialization. Associations over time among smoking stage progression, affiliation with friends who smoke, and parenting behaviors were significant, suggesting dynamic, reciprocal relationships. Parental involvement, monitoring, and expectations provided direct protective effects against smoking progression as well as indirect effects, by limiting increases in number of friends who smoke. These results are consistent with the peer selection hypothesis, confirm the powerful association over time of social influences with smoking, and provide the first evidence that parenting behavior may protect against smoking progression by limiting increases in number of friends who smoke.

Prediction of Reading Ability: A Cross-Validation Study of the Simple View of Reading

The Simple View of Reading, as originally articulated by Gough and Tunmer (1986), proposes that reading comprehension ability can be predicted by the product term of two components: decoding and listening comprehension (R = D × L). Based on a longitudinal study evaluating developmental reading in bilingual children, Hoover and Gough (1990) reported results providing initial support for the model. The present study attempted to cross-validate the Simple View of Reading using a sample of children with English as their first language. Results support the idea that reading comprehension ability can be decomposed into decoding and listening comprehension abilities, but they do not support the assumption that all or most of the substantive variance in reading comprehension can be explained by the multiplicative combination of decoding and listening comprehension. They do, however, support a more complicated version of the model, which requires the inclusion of both the linear and the product terms in predicting reading comprehension from decoding and language comprehension (R = D + L + D × L).

Multimethod assessment of psychopathology among DSM-IV subtypes of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: self-, parent, and teacher reports.

Using data based on self-, parent, and teacher reports, we assessed various aspects of psychopathology in a large sample of control children and those with ADHD. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to extract response bias from latent constructs of aggression, anxiety, attention problems, depression, conduct disorder, and hyperactivity. These latent constructs were then entered into logistic regression equations to predict membership in control versus ADHD groups, and to discriminate between ADHD subtypes. Results of the regression equations showed that higher levels of attention problems and aggression were the best predictors of membership in the ADHD group relative to controls. Logistic regression also indicated that a higher degree of aggression was the only significant predictor of membership in the ADHD-Combined group compared to the ADHD-Inattentive group. However, when comorbid diagnoses of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder were controlled for in the logistic regression, greater hyperactivity rather than aggression was the sole variable with which to distinguish the ADHD-Combined from the ADHD-Inattentive subtype. Results are discussed in the context of the DSM-IV ADHD nosology and the role of instrument and source bias in the diagnosis of ADHD.

Generic and Diabetes-specific Parent–Child Behaviors and Quality of Life Among Youth with Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To evaluate associations among parent-child behaviors and generic and diabetes-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a multi-site sample of youth with type 1 diabetes. METHOD One hundred and twenty-one youth and their primary caregivers completed measures of parent-child behaviors, child HRQOL, and participated in an observed family interaction task. RESULTS Diabetes-specific parent-child variables were associated significantly with both generic and diabetes-specific HRQOL above and beyond the contributions of demographic and generic parent-child variables, accounting for between 13% and 31% of the variance in HRQOL. Diabetes-specific family conflict and negative diabetes-specific family communication were associated with lower HRQOL. Collaborative parent involvement in diabetes care was associated with higher levels of HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS Interventions that target diabetes-specific family interactions will be beneficial to the quality of life of children with type 1 diabetes.

The Effects of the Going Places Program on Early Adolescent Substance Use and Antisocial Behavior

This study evaluated the effects of a school-based intervention on growth trajectories of smoking, drinking, and antisocial behavior among early adolescents. Seven middle schools were randomized to intervention or comparison conditions and students in two successive cohorts (n = 1484) provided five waves of data from sixth to ninth grade. The Going Places Program, included classroom curricula, parent education, and school environment components. Latent growth curve analyses demonstrated significant treatment group effects, including reducing increases in friends who smoke, outcome expectations for smoking, and smoking progression, but had non-significant effects on drinking or antisocial behavior. The Going Places Program was effective in preventing increases in smoking progression, but its efficacy as a more cross-cutting problem behavior preventive intervention was not confirmed.

Skew reduces test-retest reliability

This article demonstrates that skew will reduce the test-retest reliability of otherwise normal data. Furthermore, the greater the skew the greater the decrease in reliability. In the first section, equations are derived for the test-retest reliability of lognormal data, a skewed distribution that can be retumed to normality by the log transformation. The second analytic treatment derives equations for reliability with power transformations (x a ) that will produce skew in originally normal data. Finally, analysis of test-retest correlations of actual skewed measures confirmed that if skew was minimized by transformation toward symmetry, the reliabilities increased; the increase in reliability was related to the extent of skew. Researchers are cautioned to consider transforming data that are skewed to obtain greater symmetry and, thus, improve the test-retest reliability of the resulting measure