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External Measures (external + measure)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences50%

Selected Abstracts

The development of sentence interpretation: effects of perceptual, attentional and semantic interference

DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 6 2007
Robert Leech
How does the development and consolidation of perceptual, attentional, and higher cognitive abilities interact with language acquisition and processing? We explored children's (ages 5,17) and adults' (ages 18,51) comprehension of morphosyntactically varied sentences under several competing speech conditions that varied in the degree of attentional demands, auditory masking, and semantic interference. We also evaluated the relationship between subjects' syntactic comprehension and their word reading efficiency and general ,speed of processing'. We found that the interactions between perceptual and attentional processes and complex sentence interpretation changed considerably over the course of development. Perceptual masking of the speech signal had an early and lasting impact on comprehension, particularly for more complex sentence structures. In contrast, increased attentional demand in the absence of energetic auditory masking primarily affected younger children's comprehension of difficult sentence types. Finally, the predictability of syntactic comprehension abilities by external measures of development and expertise is contingent upon the perceptual, attentional, and semantic milieu in which language processing takes place. [source]

A neurological examination score for the assessment of spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3)

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2008
C. Kieling
Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are characterized by a heterogeneous set of clinical manifestations. Our aims were to assess the neurological features of SCA3, and to describe and test the feasibility, reliability, and validity of a comprehensive Neurological Examination Score for Spinocerebellar Ataxia (NESSCA). The NESSCA was administered to molecularly diagnosed SCA3 patients at an outpatient neurogenetics clinic. The scale, based on the standardized neurological examination, consisted of 18 items that yielded a total score ranging from 0 to 40. The score's interrater reliability and internal consistency were investigated, and a principal components analysis and a correlation with external measures were performed. Ninety-nine individuals were evaluated. Interrater reliability ranged from 0.8 to 1 across individual items (P < 0.001); internal consistency, indicated by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.77. NESSCA scores were significantly correlated with measures of disease severity: disease stage (rho = 0.76, P < 0.001), duration (rho = 0.56, P < 0.001), and length of CAG repeat (rho = 0.30, P < 0.05). NESSCA was a reliable measure for the assessment of distinct neurological deficits in SCA3 patients. Global scores correlated with all external variables tested, showing NESSCA to be a comprehensive measure of disease severity that is both clinically useful and scientifically valid. [source]

A Diachronic Coherence Model for Language Program Evaluation

LANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 1 2003
Steven J. Ross
Language programs often generate complex date providing a rich source of comparative information about changes in curriculum policies and learning. Historical program archives often reveal how curricula and assessment methods evolve to include increasingly varied components of achievment. This article presents a novel quantitative methodology for assessing the construct of "program coherence" in an English as a Foreign Language context. Revolving panel studies demonstrate criteria for evaluating program coherence and its influence on proficiency gains. Thirty,three panel cohorts are included in a series of six 1,year longitudinal studies relating program,internal assement of achievement to program,external measures of language proficiency. Differences in panel coherence are analyzed in a hierarchical model that gauges the influence of coherence independently individual differences at the learner level. [source]

Pure and mixed manic subtypes: a review of diagnostic classification and validation

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 1p2 2008
Frederick Cassidy
Objective:, To review issues surrounding the diagnosis and validity of bipolar manic states. Methods:, Studies of the manic syndrome and its diagnostic subtypes were reviewed emphasizing historical development, conceptualizations, formal diagnostic proposals, and validation. Results:, Definitions delineating mixed and pure manic states derive some validity from external measures. DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnosis of bipolar mixed states are too rigid and less restrictive definitions can be validated. Anxiety is a symptom often overlooked in diagnosis of manic subtypes and may be relevant to the mixed manic state. The boundary for separation of mixed mania and depression remains unclear. A ,pure' non-psychotic manic state similar to Kraepelin's ,hypomania' has been observed in several independent studies. Conclusions:, Issues surrounding diagnostic subtyping of manic states remain complex and the debates surrounding categorical versus dimensional approaches continue. To the extent that categorical approaches for mixed mania diagnosis are adopted, both DSM-IV and ICD-10 are too rigid. Inclusion of non-specific symptoms in definitions of mixed mania, such as psychomotor agitation, does not facilitate and may hinder the diagnostic separation of pure and mixed mania. The inclusion of a diagnostic seasonal specifier for DSM-IV, which is currently based on seasonal patterns for depression might be expanded to include seasonal patterns for mania. Boundaries between subtypes may be ,fuzzy' rather than crisp, and graded approaches could be considered. With the continued development of new tools, such as imaging and genetics, alternative approaches to diagnosis other than the purely symptom-centric paradigms might be considered. [source]