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Cognitive Strengths (cognitive + strength)
Selected AbstractsReliability and Attribute-Based Scoring in Cognitive Diagnostic AssessmentJOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, Issue 3 2009Mark J. Gierl The attribute hierarchy method (AHM) is a psychometric procedure for classifying examinees' test item responses into a set of structured attribute patterns associated with different components from a cognitive model of task performance. Results from an AHM analysis yield information on examinees' cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Hence, the AHM can be used for cognitive diagnostic assessment. The purpose of this study is to introduce and evaluate a new concept for assessing attribute reliability using the ratio of true score variance to observed score variance on items that probe specific cognitive attributes. This reliability procedure is evaluated and illustrated using both simulated data and student response data from a sample of algebra items taken from the March 2005 administration of the SAT. The reliability of diagnostic scores and the implications for practice are also discussed. [source] Cognitive profile in a large french cohort of adults with Prader,Willi syndrome: differences between genotypesJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010P. Copet Abstract Background Prader,Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by developmental abnormalities leading to somatic and psychological symptoms. These include dysmorphic features, impaired growth and sexual maturation, hyperphagia, intellectual delay, learning disabilities and maladaptive behaviours. PWS is caused by a lack of expression of maternally imprinted genes situated in the 15q11-13 chromosome region. The origin is a ,de novo' deletion in the paternal chromosome in 70% of the cases and a maternal uniparental disomy in 25%. The two main genotypes show differences, notably regarding cognitive and behavioural features, but the mechanisms are not clear. This study assessed cognitive impairment in a cohort of adults with genetically confirmed PWS, analysed their profiles of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and compared the profiles in terms of genotype. Methods Ninety-nine male and female adults participated, all inpatients on a specialised unit for the multidisciplinary care of PWS. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) was administered to all patients in identical conditions by the same psychologist. Eighty-five patients were able to cope with the test situation. Their scores were analysed with non-parametric statistical tools. The correlations with sex, age and body mass index were explored. Two genotype groups were compared: deletion (n = 57) and non-deletion (n = 27). Results The distribution of intelligence quotients in the total cohort was non-normal, with the following values (medians): Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ): 52.0 (Q1:46.0; Q3:60.0), Verbal Intellectual Quotient (VIQ): 53.0 (Q1:48; Q3:62) and Performance Intellectual Quotient (PIQ): 52.5 (Q1:48; Q3:61). No correlation was found with sex, age or body mass index. Comparison between groups showed no significant difference in FSIQ or VIQ. PIQ scores were significantly better in the deletion group. The total cohort and the deletion group showed the VIQ = PIQ profile, whereas VIQ > PIQ was observed in the non-deletion group. The subtest scores in the two groups showed significant differences, with the deletion group scoring better in three subtests: object assembly, picture arrangement and digit symbol coding. Some relative strengths and weaknesses concerned the total cohort, but others concerned only one genotype. Discussion We documented a global impairment in the intellectual abilities of a large sample of French PWS patients. The scores were slightly lower than those reported in most other studies. Our data confirmed the previously published differences in the cognitive profiles of the two main PWS genotypes and offer new evidence to support this hypothesis. These results could guide future neuropsychological studies to determine the cognitive processing in PWS. This knowledge is essential to improve our understanding of gene-brain-behaviour relationships and to open new perspectives on therapeutic and educational programmes. [source] Learning as Problem Design Versus Problem Solving: Making the Connection Between Cognitive Neuroscience Research and Educational PracticeMIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION, Issue 2 2008Jason L. Ablin ABSTRACT, How can current findings in neuroscience help educators identify particular cognitive strengths in students? In this commentary on Immordino-Yang's research regarding Nico and Brooke, I make 3 primary assertions: (a) the cognitive science community needs to develop an accessible language and mode of communicating applicable research to educators, (b) educators need proper professional development in order to understand and relate current research findings to practice in the classroom, and (c) the specific research on Nico and Brooke clearly suggests that educators need to rethink the classroom as a place not of problem solving but rather problem design in order to further understand and use the cognitive strengths of each individual student. [source] A Tale of Two Cases: Lessons for Education From the Study of Two Boys Living With Half Their BrainsMIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007Mary Helen Immordino-Yang ABSTRACT, In recent years, educators have been looking increasingly to neuroscience to inform their understanding of how children's brain and cognitive development are shaped by their learning experiences. However, while this new interdisciplinary approach presents an unprecedented opportunity to explore and debate the educational implications of neuropsychological research, a good model for this dialogue is lacking. This is in part because relatively little is known about the relationships between cognitive, emotional, and neurological development, in part because of a dearth of research methods designed to rigorously connect issues of learning and development to neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses, and in part because neuropsychological studies are rarely presented in a format that is conducive to meaningful cross-disciplinary dialogue with educators. To begin to address these issues, in this article, I present the complementary cases of Nico and Brooke, two high-functioning adolescents, who have suffered the removal of an entire brain hemisphere (Nico his right and Brooke his left) to control severe epilepsy. Through presenting a neuropsychological study of these rare boys' emotion and affective prosody (vocal intonation) through the developmental lens of an educator, I reinterpret the neuropsychological findings for what they reveal about how the boys leveraged their emotional and cognitive strengths to learn important skills for which they were each missing half of the normally recruited neural hardware. While Nico's and Brooke's results seem on the surface to contradict expectations based on neuropsychological findings with adults, they combine to reveal a compensatory logic that begins to elucidate the active role of the learner as well as the organizing role of emotion in brain development, providing a jumping-off point for discussion between educators and neuroscientists and a model for connecting neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses to learning. [source] Profile of cognitive problems in schizophrenia and implications for vocational functioningAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009Bhing-Leet Tan Aim:,This literature review attempts to profile specific areas of cognition that have shown unique and consistent evidence of dysfunction among people with schizophrenia. In addition, their impact on vocational functioning is illustrated, so as to highlight the importance of managing these cognitive difficulties in vocational rehabilitation. Methods:,Literature search was carried out on seven key cognitive domains identified by the National Institute of Mental Health in the USA. Their impact on vocational function was also reviewed. Results:,It is found that attention, declarative and working memory, reasoning, problem-solving and social cognition are areas of impairment that have great impact on vocational functioning. Attention and memory problems affect learning of new work tasks. Executive function is particularly crucial in determining supported and open employment outcomes, as executive dysfunction cannot be easily compensated. Lastly, social cognition plays a major role in determining the success of workplace social exchanges. Conclusion:,Occupational therapists need to have a good understanding of the profile of cognitive problems among people with schizophrenia, in order to tailor our intervention according to their cognitive strengths and difficulties. Several cognitive remediation strategies and programs have been designed specifically for people with mental illness. Equipping ourselves with skills in conducting such programs will augment our expertise in vocational rehabilitation. [source] | ||||||||||