Progressive Matrices (progressive + matrix)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Criminal cognitions and personality: what does the PICTS really measure?

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2000
Dr Vincent Egan
Introduction The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) is a measure of the criminal cognitions and thinking styles that maintain offending. The scale comprises 8 a priori thinking styles and two validation scales, the validation scales having been found to be unreliable. Owing to the large amount of apparently shared variance in the original validation study, this data matrix needs re-analysis. Results from the PICTS were examined in relation to general measures of individual differences, in order to link the PICTS to the broader literature on the characteristics of offenders. Method The original PICTS data-matrix was re-analysed using a more parsimonious method of analysis. The PICYS was also given to 54 detained, mentally disordered offenders along with the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS), the Attention Deficit Scales for Adults (ADSA) and, as a measure of general intelligence, the Standard Progressive Matrices. Results Principal components analysis suggested that the PICTS really comprised two factors: a lack of thoughtfulness (i.e. lack of attention to one's experience), and wilful hostility, with the first factor being most well defined. Intelligence was not associated with any factor of criminal thinking style. High scores on the ADSA and Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility subscales of the SSS were associated with much greater endorsement of criminal sentiments; high Neuroticism, low Extroversion, and low Agreeableness were slightly lower correlates. Discussion The issues involved in criminogenic cognitions need clarification and to be linked to the broader literature on cognitive distortions and personality. Interventions targeted at dismantling impulsive destructive behaviour, whether it be thoughtlessness or wilful hostility, may be effected by increasing thinking skills, so breaking down the cognitions that maintain criminal behaviour. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]


The antecedents of non-affective psychosis in a birth-cohort, with a focus on measures related to cognitive ability, attentional dysfunction and speech problems

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 4 2010
J. Welham
Welham J, Scott J, Williams GM, Najman JM, Bor W, O'Callaghan M, McGrath J. The antecedents of non-affective psychosis in a birth-cohort, with a focus on measures related to cognitive ability, attentional dysfunction, and speech problems. Objective:, Adults with non-affective psychosis show subtle deviations in a range of developmental trajectories as children and adolescents. Method:, Based on a birth-cohort (n = 3801), we examined the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPTV) at age 5, and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) and Wide Range Achievement Test reading scale (WRAT-R) at age 14. Items related to speech problems and attentional dysfunction were available from maternal- or self-report. At age 21, we identified 60 cohort members who were screen-positive for non-affective psychosis (SP-NAP). Results:, Impaired performance on the PPVT and RSPM (but not WRAT-R) predicted SP-NAP for males only. Male cohort members in the highest quartile for attentional dysfunction at ages 5 and 14 were about 5,8 times more likely to develop SP-NAP. SP-NAP in males was significantly associated with speech problems at age 14. Conclusion:, Males who develop non-affective psychoses have subtle impairments in cognitive capacity prior to the development of their psychotic disorder. [source]


The Frequency Accrual Speed Test (FAST): psychometric intelligence and personality correlates

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2001
Ulrich Ettinger
Performance on a putative psychophysical measure of information processing related to intelligence (Vickers' 1995 Frequency Accrual Speed Test, FAST) was assessed in relation to two psychometric measures of intelligence (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices and the Mill Hill vocabulary test). Participants (N,=,57) completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire , Revised (EPQ-R), and performed the FAST task under either low (70 dB) or high (90 dB) levels of white noise. FAST correlated with Raven's (r,=,0.56) and Mill Hill (r,=,0.28), as expected. FAST total scores were not affected by personality or personality-by-noise interactions. However, a measure of consistency of FAST performance (i.e. the standard deviation) was correlated negatively with total FAST scores (r,=,,0.37) and positively with (EPQ-R) extraversion (r,=,0.34). The results are discussed in terms of the validity of the FAST to explicate the information processing variables in psychometric intelligence. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The effect of chronic benzodiazepine use on cognitive functioning in older persons: good, bad or indifferent?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 12 2007
E. J. M. Bierman
Abstract Objective This study investigates the effects of benzodiazepine (BZ) use on cognitive performance in elderly persons in a longitudinal design. Study design and setting Data were obtained from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), in the Netherlands. 2,105 respondents (,62 years of age) were included and had repeated measurements over a period of 9 years. For all BZs the type, dosage, frequency and duration of use was measured. The equivalent of a dose of diazepam was determined with regard to type and dosage and a cumulative dosage was calculated. General cognitive functioning was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination, information processing speed was measured with the coding task, fluid intelligence with Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and episodic memory with the Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Multilevel analyses were used to investigate the relationship between BZ use and cognitive decline. Results A negative effect of BZ use on cognitive performance was found. However, the effect sizes were very small. Conclusion This study suggests that both duration and cumulative exposure to BZ has a small negative effect on the long-term cognitive functioning of elderly people in the community. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Positive Presentation Management and Intelligence and the Personality Differentiation by Intelligence Hypothesis in Job Applicants

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, Issue 2 2006
Filip De Fruyt
Both positive presentation management (PPM) and intelligence are considered as factors influencing the variability of personality self-descriptions. The relationship between PPM and intelligence and the personality differentiation by intelligence hypothesis were examined in a large sample (N=20,183) of job applicants administered the Standard Progressive Matrices and the NEO-PI-R. A composite of 10 NEO-PI-R items served as a PPM marker. Contrary to expectations, PPM and intelligence were not related. Only the variance in openness scores was slightly and linearly associated with IQ, and the variance for neuroticism and extraversion scores was somewhat higher in the IQ range beyond 115. However, congruence and Structural Equation Modelling analyses comparing personality structures for different IQ samples underscored the structural invariance of the NEO-PI-R. It is concluded that the NEO-PI-R keeps its structural properties for individuals across the IQ distribution in selection assessment. [source]


The MTHFR 677C,T polymorphism and behaviors in children with autism: exploratory genotype,phenotype correlations

AUTISM RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009
Robin P. Goin-Kochel
Abstract New evidence suggests that autism may be associated with (a) varied behavioral responses to folate therapy and (b) metabolic anomalies, including those in folate metabolism, that contribute to hypomethylation of DNA. We hypothesized that children with autism who are homozygous for the MTHFR 677 T allele (TT) and, to a lesser extent those with the CT variant, would exhibit more behavioral problems and/or more severe problematic behaviors than homozygous wild-type (CC) individuals because of difficulties in effectively converting 5,10-MTHF to 5-MTHF. Data from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) collection were analyzed for all children who met strict criteria for autism per the Autism Diagnostic Interview,Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and who had been genotyped for the 677 C to T MTHFR polymorphism (n=147). Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and one-way ANOVAs were used to determine whether differences existed among MTHFR genotypes for specific behaviors on the ADI-R and indices for level of functioning. Exploratory results indicated four behaviors from the ADI-R that were more common and problematic (95% CI) among those with at least one copy of the T allele as compared to homozygous wild-type individuals: direct gaze, current complex body movements, a history of self-injurious behavior, and current overactivity (ORs=2.72, 2.33, 2.12, 2.47, respectively). No differences existed among genotypes for level of functioning as measured with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test,Third Edition, Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices, or the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Findings call for further investigation of the relationship between folate metabolism and problem behaviors among children with autism. [source]


Cognitive impairment in patients suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with EDSS , 3.5

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2003
R. M. Ruggieri
Objectives , Previous papers have mainly demonstrated the presence and the frequency of cognitive impairment in patients suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate subjects with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease and mild clinical disability (EDSS , 3.5), so as to quantify this deficit when the illness does not yet interfere with daily living and the ability to work. Methods , Fifty patients and 50 healthy controls were submitted to a wide neuropsychological battery, including Wechsler Memory Scale , I- (WMS), Benton Visual Retention Test , D- (BVRT), Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), Kohs' test (KT), Judgement of Lines Orientation , H- (JLO), Facial Recognition (FR) and Aachner Aphasie Test (AAT). They also underwent Clinical Depression Scale (CDQ) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results , The results show the presence of significant memory impairment on both WMS (P = 0.000) and BVRT (P = 0.000) in patients compared with controls. Patients were also impaired in abstract reasoning and problem-solving deficit (KT P = 0.003; RCPM P = 0.000) and in FR (P = 0.019). Cognitive decline correlated with illness duration (r = 0.761), but was independent of EDSS (r = 0.085). Conclusion , Cognitive decline was present even when physical disability was not yet severe, but it was mild and did not limit patients' ability to work. The cognitive impairment outlined was of the subcortical type and correlated with illness duration. This study emphasizes the importance of cognitive examination in clinical practice. It is suggested that a complete neurological examination include tests on memory and abstract reasoning. [source]


Differential patterns of cortical activation as a function of fluid reasoning complexity

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 2 2009
Bernardo Perfetti
Abstract Fluid intelligence (gf) refers to abstract reasoning and problem solving abilities. It is considered a human higher cognitive factor central to general intelligence (g). The regions of the cortex supporting gf have been revealed by recent bioimaging studies and valuable hypothesis on the neural correlates of individual differences have been proposed. However, little is known about the interaction between individual variability in gf and variation in cortical activity following task complexity increase. To further investigate this, two samples of participants (high-IQ, N = 8; low-IQ, N = 10) with significant differences in gf underwent two reasoning (moderate and complex) tasks and a control task adapted from the Raven progressive matrices. Functional magnetic resonance was used and the recorded signal analyzed between and within the groups. The present study revealed two opposite patterns of neural activity variation which were probably a reflection of the overall differences in cognitive resource modulation: when complexity increased, high-IQ subjects showed a signal enhancement in some frontal and parietal regions, whereas low-IQ subjects revealed a decreased activity in the same areas. Moreover, a direct comparison between the groups' activation patterns revealed a greater neural activity in the low-IQ sample when conducting moderate task, with a strong involvement of medial and lateral frontal regions thus suggesting that the recruitment of executive functioning might be different between the groups. This study provides evidence for neural differences in facing reasoning complexity among subjects with different gf level that are mediated by specific patterns of activation of the underlying fronto-parietal network. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]