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General Cognitive Ability (general + cognitive_ability)
Selected AbstractsADAPTABILITY TO CHANGING TASK CONTEXTS: EFFECTS OF GENERAL COGNITIVE ABILITY, CONSCIENTIOUSNESS, AND OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCEPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2000JEFFREY A. LEPINE We examined the extent to which cognitive ability, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience predict decision-making performance prior to and after unforeseen changes in the task context. Seventy-three undergraduates made decisions on a series of 75 problems during a 3-hour computerized simulation. Unbeknownst to participants, the rules used in determining correct decisions changed after problems 25 and 50. Effects of the individual differences on decision-making performance became significantly stronger after the changes. Only cognitive ability explained variance in prechange performance. Individuals with higher cognitive ability made better decisions. After the change, the cognitive ability effect increased and the effects of Conscientiousness and Openness became statistically significant. As expected, those with high Openness made better decisions. Unexpectedly, those with low Conscientiousness made better decisions. Subsequent analyses revealed that this surprising effect for Conscientiousness was due to the traits reflecting dependability (i.e., order, dutiful-ness, deliberation) rather than volition (i.e., competence, achievement striving, self-discipline). [source] The cognitive phenotype in Klinefelter syndrome: A review of the literature including genetic and hormonal factorsDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Richard Boada Abstract Klinefelter syndrome (KS) or 47,XXY occurs in ,1 in 650 males. Individuals with KS often present with physical characteristics including tall stature, hypogonadism, and fertility problems. In addition to medical findings, the presence of the extra X chromosome can lead to characteristic cognitive and language deficits of varying severity. While a small, but significant downward shift in mean overall IQ has been reported, the general cognitive abilities of patients with KS are not typically in the intellectual disability range. Most studies support that males with KS have an increased risk of language disorders and reading disabilities. Results of other studies investigating the relationship between verbal and nonverbal/spatial cognitive abilities have been mixed, with differing results based on the age and ascertainment method of the cohort studied. Executive function deficits have been identified in children and adults with KS, however, the research in this area is limited and further investigation of the neuropsychological profile is needed. In this article, we review the strengths and weaknesses of previous cognitive and neuropsychological studies in males with KS in childhood and adulthood, provide historical perspective of these studies, and review what is known about how hormonal and genetic factors influence cognitive features in 47,XXY/KS. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Dev Disabil Res Rev 2009;15:284,294. [source] Neuronal cell adhesion molecule deletion induces a cognitive and behavioral phenotype reflective of impulsivityGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2008L. D. Matzel Cell adhesion molecules, such as neuronal cell adhesion molecule (Nr-CAM), mediate cell,cell interactions in both the developing and mature nervous system. Neuronal cell adhesion molecule is believed to play a critical role in cell adhesion and migration, axonal growth, guidance, target recognition and synapse formation. Here, wild-type, heterozygous and Nr-CAM null mice were assessed on a battery of five learning tasks (Lashley maze, odor discrimination, passive avoidance, spatial water maze and fear conditioning) previously developed to characterize the general learning abilities of laboratory mice. Additionally, all animals were tested on 10 measures of sensory/motor function, emotionality and stress reactivity. We report that the Nr-CAM deletion had no impact on four of the learning tasks (fear conditioning, spatial water maze, Lashley maze and odor discrimination). However, Nr-CAM null mice exhibited impaired performance on a task that required animals to suppress movement (passive avoidance). Although Nr-CAM mutants expressed normal levels of general activity and body weights, they did exhibit an increased propensity to enter stressful areas of novel environments (the center of an open field and the lighted side of a dark/light box), exhibited higher sensitivity to pain (hot plate) and were more sensitive to the aversive effects of foot shock (shock-induced freezing). This behavioral phenotype suggests that Nr-CAM does not play a central role in the regulation of general cognitive abilities but may have a critical function in regulating impulsivity and possibly an animal's susceptibility to drug abuse and addiction. [source] The development of arithmetical abilitiesTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 1 2005Brian Butterworth Background:, Arithmetical skills are essential to the effective exercise of citizenship in a numerate society. How these skills are acquired, or fail to be acquired, is of great importance not only to individual children but to the organisation of formal education and its role in society. Method:, The evidence on the normal and abnormal developmental progression of arithmetical abilities is reviewed; in particular, evidence for arithmetical ability arising from innate specific cognitive skills (innate numerosity) vs. general cognitive abilities (the Piagetian view) is compared. Results:, These include evidence from infancy research, neuropsychological studies of developmental dyscalculia, neuroimaging and genetics. The development of arithmetical abilities can be described in terms of the idea of numerosity , the number of objects in a set. Early arithmetic is usually thought of as the effects on numerosity of operations on sets such as set union. The child's concept of numerosity appears to be innate, as infants, even in the first week of life, seem to discriminate visual arrays on the basis of numerosity. Development can be seen in terms of an increasingly sophisticated understanding of numerosity and its implications, and in increasing skill in manipulating numerosities. The impairment in the capacity to learn arithmetic , dyscalculia , can be interpreted in many cases as a deficit in the concept in the child's concept of numerosity. The neuroanatomical bases of arithmetical development and other outstanding issues are discussed. Conclusions:, The evidence broadly supports the idea of an innate specific capacity for acquiring arithmetical skills, but the effects of the content of learning, and the timing of learning in the course of development, requires further investigation. [source] Familial dyslexia: neurocognitive and genetic correlation in a large Finnish familyDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 9 2002Jaana Nopola-Hemmi MD Neuropsychological findings of individuals with dyslexia (n=24) from a large, three-generation Finnish family are presented. We have previously performed whole genome linkage scanning in this family and found that dyslexia in this kindred segregates with a single locus in the pericentromeric area of chromosome 3. Those included in the analyses were carefully evaluated for general cognitive ability, reading and spelling skills, and reading-related neurocognitive skills. The neurocognitive type of dyslexia segregating in this family consisted of deficits in phonological awareness, verbal short-term memory, and rapid naming. Severe dyslexia also seemed to be connected with a general language difficulty and was most common in the eldest generation. [source] Replication study of candidate genes for cognitive abilities: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936GENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2009L. M. Houlihan As the proportion of older people in societies has increased, research into the determinants of cognitive ageing has risen in importance. Genetic influences account for over 50% of the variance in adult cognitive abilities. Previous studies on cognition and illnesses with cognitive impairments have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within candidate genes that might influence cognition or age-related cognitive change. This study investigated 10 candidate genes in over 1000 Scots: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936). These participants were tested on general cognitive ability (Scottish Mental Survey 1947) at age 11. At mean age 70, they completed the same general cognitive ability test and a battery of diverse cognitive tests. Nineteen SNPs in 10 genes previously associated with cognition, Alzheimer's disease or autism were genotyped in 1063 individuals. The genes include BDNF, COMT, DISC1, KL, NCSTN, PPP1R1B, PRNP, SHANK3, SORL1 and WRN. Linear regression analysis investigated the additive effect of each SNP on the cognitive variables, covarying for gender and age. Childhood cognitive ability was also included as a covariate to identify associations specifically with cognitive ageing. Certain SNPs reached the conventional significance threshold for association with cognitive traits or cognitive ageing in LBC1936 (P < 0.05). No SNPs reached the Bonferroni-level of significance (all P > 0.0015). Of the 10 genes, we discuss that COMT, KL, PRNP, PPP1R1B, SORL1 and WRN especially merit further attention for association with cognitive ability and/or age-related cognitive change. All results are also presented so that they are valuable for future meta-analyses of candidate genes for cognition. [source] Additive effect of BDNF and REST polymorphisms is associated with improved general cognitive abilityGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 7 2008F. Miyajima Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a pleiotropic protein involved in neuronal proliferation, differentiation, synaptic plasticity and survival. Independent studies investigating association between the functional BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and cognitive abilities have reported some conflicting findings, which may reflect inadequate sample size, variation in testing methods, population stratification or the confounding effects of other genes. To test the latter hypothesis, we screened and genotyped polymorphisms in the RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) gene whose function includes the downregulation of BDNF expression. We identified an exon 4 hexadecapeptide variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) with either four or five copies that was located within a proline-rich domain and investigated a further five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using a cohort of 746 community-dwelling older volunteers, we analysed REST genotype data both independently and in combination with the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. A haplotype within the REST gene containing the four copy VNTR and a non-synonymous SNP showed a weak but significant association with a higher score of general intelligence (P = 0.05). Analysis of this haplotype and the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in combination showed a significant interaction (global P -value = 0.0003) with an additive increase in cognitive performance for those possessing the BDNF Val66 allele and the REST haplotype containing the four copy repeat (P = 0.004). The REST haplotypes in combination with the BDNF Met66 polymorphism did not reduce cognitive performance more than the independent influence of the Met66 allele. Our results suggest that investigation of a common REST polymorphism may be necessary to help reduce contrasting reports based around BDNF Val66Met and cognition. [source] Factorial validity of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales for referred studentsPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 10 2009A. Alexander Beaujean The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) is a recently developed, individually administered psychometric instrument designed to measure general cognitive ability, as well as verbal (crystallized) intelligence, nonverbal (fluid) intelligence, and memory. Test reviewers have recommended the use of the RIAS despite the fact that, although the RIAS has been in circulation for more than four years, there is a paucity of independent research published about its psychometric properties. The purpose of the current study was to examine the factor structure of the RIAS across three samples of school-age children: the RIAS norming sample; the data reported by Nelson, Canivez, Lindstrom, and Hatt; and a new, independent sample of students referred for special education services. Using confirmatory factor analytic techniques, this study found that a two-factor model, positing verbal and nonverbal factors, fit all three data sets better than a one-factor model. Furthermore, the two-factor model demonstrated partial measurement invariance across the three samples, although the verbal factor showed much stronger invariance, construct reliability, and overall interpretability than did the nonverbal factor. Implications of this study for practitioners are discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] A behavioural genomic analysis of DNA markers associated with general cognitive ability in 7-year-oldsTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 10 2005Nicole Harlaar Background:, Five DNA markers (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) have recently been found to be associated with general cognitive ability (,g') in a sample of 7414 7-year-old twins. These children have also been studied at 2, 3, 4, and 7 years of age on measures of cognitive and language development and behaviour problems; family environment was also assessed. Methods:, We used these data to conduct a behavioural genomic analysis of the five SNPs and a composite of them (,SNP set') that explored developmental, multivariate, and genotype,environment (GE) issues. Results:, The ,g' SNP set identified at 7 years yielded significant associations with ,g' as early as 2 years. In multivariate analyses at 7 years, the ,g' SNP set was more strongly associated with verbal than nonverbal ability and with reading more than mathematics performance. GE correlations were found between the SNP set for ,g' at 7 years and preschool proximal measures of the family environment (chaos and discipline) rather than distal measures (maternal education and father's occupational class), suggesting evocative rather than passive GE correlation. Significant GE interactions were found for discipline, education and occupation in which the association between the SNP set and ,g' at 7 years is stronger in low-risk environments. Conclusions:, Although the effect sizes of the five SNP associations are very small, behavioural genomic analyses using a ,g' SNP set illustrate how developmental, multivariate and GE questions can be addressed as more DNA associations are identified for complex traits such as ,g'. [source] | |||||||||||||