Teresa Hutchens

An Investigation of Big Five Personality Traits and Career Decidedness Among Early and Middle Adolescents

Big Five personality traits were analyzed in relation to career decidedness among adolescents in middle and high school. Participants were 248 7th-grade, 321 10thgrade, and 282 12th-grade students. As hypothesized, Conscientiousness was positively and significantly correlated with career decidedness in all three grades. Openness and Agreeableness were found to be positively related to career decidedness for these middle and high school students. Emotional Stability was positively, significantly related to career decidedness for the 12th-grade sample. There were no significant differences in correlational results for males versus females. No significant mean differences in career decidedness were observed between the three grades. Results are discussed in terms of implications for future research and career development efforts.

THE EFFECTS OF NEUROFEEDBACK TRAINING IN THE COGNITIVE DIVISION OF THE ANTERIOR CINGULATE GYRUS

This study examines the efficacy of neurofeedback training in the cognitive division of the anterior cingulate gyrus and describes its relationship with cortical regions known to be involved in executive functions. This study was conducted with eight non-clinical students, four male and four female, with a mean age of twenty-two. Learning occurred in the ACcd at significant levels over sessions and in the anterior regions that receive projections from the AC. There appears to be a multidimensional executive circuit that increases in the same frequency in apparent synchrony with the AC and it may be possible to train this sub-cortical region using LNFB.

Differentiating a Network of Executive Attention: Loreta Neurofeedback in Anterior Cingulate and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortices

Introduction: This study examines the differential effects of space-specific neuro-operant learning, utilizing low-resolution electromagnetic tomographic (LORETA) neurofeedback in three regions of training (ROTs), namely, the anterior cingulate gyrus (AC) and right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (RPFC and LPFC respectively). Methods: This study was conducted with 14 nonclinical students with a mean age of 22. We utilized electrophysiological measurements and subtests of the WAIS-III for premeasures and postmeasures. Results: The data indicate that the AC shares a significant association with the RPFC and LPFC; however, each of the ROTs exhibits different cortical effects in all frequencies when trained exclusively. Discussion: LORETA neurofeedback (LNFB) appears to enhance the functioning and strengthening of networks of cortical units physiologically related to each ROT; moreover, significant changes are mapped for each frequency domain, showing the associations within this possible attentional network.

Cross-validation of the discriminative effectiveness of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for learning disabled adolescents.

This study was a cross-validation of the discriminative effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB). Subjects were a group of 31 LD adolescents and a matched group of 31 non-learning disabled students whose achievement fell within the low average to average range. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) confirmed that the LNNB was sensitive to group differences in analyses with either the basic or localization scales. Discriminant function analyses with 12 basic scales yielded overall rates of diagnostic accuracy ranging from 87.1% to 98.4%. A classification rule, based on the number of basic scale elevations, yielded 95% overall accuracy. Rates of overall accuracy for the eight localization scales ranged from 82.26% to 85.48% in discriminant function analyses. A classification rule, basedon the number of localization scale elevations, yielded 81% overall accuracy. The significance and accuracy of various indicators of dysfunction were investigated. Implications for the diagnosis of learning disability are discussed

The Effects of Vocal Intonation in Digit Span Testing

”Digit Span” subtests appear on many individual measures of intellectual and cognitive functioning and typically are interpreted as a reflection of individual skills. However, variations in the presentation of stimuli may affect results on these measures. Intonation, the drop in pitch of the examiners voice, may influence performance by serving to signal the end of a digit series and to cue initiation of recall strategies. Eighty-two normal adults responded to two equivalent digit span sets. The recorded sets differed in presentation: continued monotone vs. a drop in pitch for final digits. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a main effect for the experimental condition of intonation. The level of recall was significantly greater in the presence of a drop in voice at the end of a digit series (p < .0006). A comparison of marginal means revealed significantly better performance on digits forward vs. reversed (p < .0001). Precision in assessment practices and implications for the significance of cuing in intervention strategies are discussed.

Identification of Learning Disabilities: Accuracy of Aptitudeachievement Discrepancy Criteria vs. The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery

This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of current LD criteria (using the simple difference method) as well as the accuracy of a neuropsychological battery for a group of 31 LD adolescents and a matched group of 31 low-average to average achieving non-LD students. Measures included the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB), WISC-R, TOWL, and selected subtests from the PIAT, WRAT-R, and TOAL. The simple difference method of quantifying a severe discrepancy failed to differentiate between groups and generated a high rate of misclassification in the false positive direction (97%). The LNNB was found to be highly accurate for the LD diagnosis. Overall rates of accuracy were high using a rule for interpreting test profile data (95%) or discriminant function analysis (87.1%). Additionally, the LNNB generated relatively low false positive rates by either method (9.7% and 12.9%, respectively). The adjunctive diagnosticutility of the LNNB and implications of findings for LD diagnosis are discussed.