Spearman's Law of Diminishing Returns in Normative Samples for the WISC-IV and WAIS-III

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald H. Saklofske ◽  
Zhiming Yang ◽  
Jianjun Zhu ◽  
Elizabeth J. Austin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Ability Level ◽  
Diminishing Returns ◽  
Ability Tests ◽  
Intelligence Test Scores

In order to explain observed variations in intelligence test scores, Spearman (1927 ) proposed the “law of diminishing returns” (SLODR). It states that the g saturation of cognitive ability tests decreases as a function of ability or age. Published studies have shown mixed results. However, a recent review ( Hartmann & Nyborg, 2004 ) suggests that there is evidence for differences in g saturation by ability level, but that observed age effects on g saturation are most likely to be a consequence of the ability effect. The current study analyzed the standardization data of the most recent Wechsler scales for both children and adults from several different countries. This study did not find evidence to support either the ability or age version of SLODR by using large normative samples for the WISC-IV from the United States, Canada, and Australia, and for the WAIS-III from the same three countries and also from The Netherlands.

scholarly journals Why is Mini-Mental state examination performance correlated with estimated premorbid cognitive ability?

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 2647-2654 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Dykiert ◽  
G. Der ◽  
J. M. Starr ◽  
I. J. Deary
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Mini Mental State Examination ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Reading Tests ◽  
Adult Reading ◽  
Intelligence Test Scores ◽  
State Examination

BackgroundTests requiring the pronunciation of irregular words are used to estimate premorbid cognitive ability in patients with clinical diagnoses, and prior cognitive ability in normal ageing. However, scores on these word-reading tests correlate with scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a widely used screening test for possible cognitive pathology. This study aimed to test whether the word-reading tests’ correlations with MMSE scores in healthy older people are explained by childhood IQ or education.MethodWechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), National Adult Reading Test (NART), MMSE scores and information about education were obtained from 1024 70-year-olds, for whom childhood intelligence test scores were available.ResultsWTAR and NART were positively correlated with the MMSE (r ≈ 0.40, p < 0.001). The shared variance of WTAR and NART with MMSE was significantly attenuated by ~70% after controlling for childhood intelligence test scores. Education explained little additional variance in the association between the reading tests and the MMSE.ConclusionsMMSE, which is often used to index cognitive impairment, is associated with prior cognitive ability. MMSE score is related to scores on WTAR and NART largely due to their shared association with prior ability. Obtained MMSE scores should be interpreted in the context of prior ability (or WTAR/NART score as its proxy).

Education Inspectorate Systems in New Zealand and the Netherlands

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen F. Ladd
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Inspection ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Inspection Systems ◽  
Student Test

The United States is an outlier with respect to its heavy emphasis on student test scores for the purposes of school accountability. Many other countries instead use school inspection systems that pay more attention to a school's internal processes and practices. This policy note focuses on the school inspection systems of New Zealand and the Netherlands, with the goal of drawing lessons for the United States. It addresses three main policy issues: For what should individual schools be held accountable? Should inspectors be more like coaches or more like judges? And how independent should they be of policy-making bodies?

Cognitive Development of Children with Birthweights Under 1500 Grams: Intelligence Test Scores and Socioeconomic Status

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne J. Dezoete ◽  
Barton A. Macarthur
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Preterm Birth ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Intelligence Test Scores ◽  
Parental Socioeconomic Status

ABSTRACTThis study of 123 children who weighed under 1500 grams at birth examined cognitive ability and behaviour at 4 years of age, in conjunction with two categories of birthweight and parental socioeconomic status, respectively. Analysis revealed a number of significant differences between the two birthweight groups, with children under 1000 grams performing less well on some WPPSI Scales. These effects of preterm birth, in turn, appeared to be further influenced by socioeconomic status.

Maternal Age and Children's Ability

1978 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 815-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Zybert ◽  
Zena Stein ◽  
Lillian Belmont
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Spacing Interval ◽  
Intelligence Test Scores ◽  
Age At Birth

Associations of maternal age at birth and subsequent intelligence test scores of children were examined in a series of over 1500 young men from the Netherlands. All subjects were members of 2-child families and were resident in Amsterdam at age 19 yr. Possible confounding by birth order, spacing interval, social class and sex of sibling were considered. Significant correlations between maternal age and child's ability remained in three of the four possible birth order/social class combinations.

Understanding Terminal Decline in Cognition and Risk of Death

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Rabbitt ◽  
Mary Lunn ◽  
Danny Wong
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Intelligence Test ◽  
Practice Effects ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Risk Of Mortality ◽  
Impending Death ◽  
Intelligence Test Scores ◽  
Reduced Risk

There is new empirical evidence that the effects of impending death on cognition have been miscalculated because of neglect of the incidence of dropout and of practice gains during longitudinal studies. When these are taken into consideration, amounts and rates of cognitive declines preceding death and dropout are seen to be almost identical, and participants aged 49 to 93 years who neither dropout nor die show little or no decline during a 20-year longitudinal study. Practice effects are theoretically informative. Positive gains are greater for young and more intelligent participants and at all levels of intelligence and durations of practice; declines in scores of 10% or more between successive quadrennial test sessions are risk factors for mortality. Higher baseline intelligence test scores are also associated with reduced risk of mortality, even when demographics and socioeconomic advantage have been taken into consideration.

scholarly journals A perfect symbiosis: Curaçao, the Netherlands and financial offshore services, 1951–2013

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Tijn van Beurden ◽  
Joost Jonker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tax Treaties ◽  
Gradual Decline ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Financial Centre ◽  
The One

Analysing Curaçao as an offshore financial centre from its inception to its gradual decline, we find that it originated and evolved in close concert with the demand for such services from Western countries. Dutch banks and multinationals spearheaded the creation of institutions on the island facilitating tax avoidance. In this they were aided and abetted by their government, which firmly supported the Antilles in getting access to bilateral tax treaties, notably the one with the United States. Until the mid 1980s Curaçao flourished, but then found it increasingly difficult to keep a competitive advantage over other offshore centres. Meanwhile the Curaçao connection had enabled the Netherlands to turn itself into a hub for international revenue flows that today still feed both Dutch tax income and specialised financial, legal and accounting services.

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