Mutualistic coupling of vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning in children with and without language disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Louise Griffiths ◽  
Rogier Kievit ◽  
Courtenay Norbury
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Change Score ◽  
Developmental Theory ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Verbal Reasoning ◽  
Coupling Parameters ◽  
Rates Of Growth

Mutualism is a developmental theory that posits positive reciprocal relationships between distinct cognitive abilities during development. It predicts that abilities such as language and reasoning will influence each other’s rates of growth. This may explain why children with Language Disorders also tend to have lower than average non-verbal cognitive abilities, as poor language would limit the rate of growth of other cognitive skills. The current study tests whether language and non-verbal reasoning show mutualistic coupling in children with and without language disorder using three waves of data from a longitudinal cohort study that over-sampled children with poor language at school entry (N = 501, 7-13 years). Bivariate Latent Change Score models were used to determine whether early receptive vocabulary predicted change in non-verbal reasoning and vice-versa. Models that included mutualistic coupling parameters between vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning showed superior fit to models without these parameters, replicating previous findings. Specifically, children with higher initial language abilities showed greater improvement in non-verbal ability and vice versa. Multi-group models suggested that coupling between language and non-verbal reasoning was equally strong in children with language disorder and those without. This indicates that language has downstream effects on other cognitive abilities, challenging the existence of selective language impairments. Future intervention studies should test whether improving language skills in children with language disorder has positive impacts on other cognitive abilities (and vice versa), and low non-verbal IQ should not be a barrier to accessing such intervention.

scholarly journals Path Learning in Individuals With Down Syndrome: The Challenge of Learning Condition and Cognitive Abilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Meneghetti ◽  
Enrico Toffalini ◽  
Silvia Lanfranchi ◽  
Maja Roch ◽  
Barbara Carretti
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Observation Condition ◽  
Visuospatial Abilities ◽  
Learning Conditions

Analyzing navigational abilities and related aspects in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) is of considerable interest because of its relevance to everyday life. This study investigates path learning, the conditions favoring it, and the cognitive abilities involved. A group of 30 adults with DS and 32 typically-developing (TD) children matched on receptive vocabulary were shown a 4 × 4 Floor Matrix and asked to repeat increasingly long sequences of steps by walking on the grid. The sequences were presented under two learning conditions, one called Oral instructions (participants received verbal instructions such as “turn right” or “turn left”), the other Observation (participants watched the experimenter's moves). Participants were also assessed on verbal and visuospatial cognitive measures. The results showed a similarly better performance in both groups when the Floor Matrix task was administered in the Observation as opposed to the Oral instructions condition. As for the relation with cognitive abilities, in the Floor Matrix task in the Oral instructions condition, individuals with DS showed an effect of both verbal and visuospatial abilities, which was only positive for verbal ability. The effect of verbal and visuospatial abilities was negligible in the TD group. In the Observation condition, performance was predicted by sequential working memory in both groups. Overall, these results shed light on path learning in individuals with DS, showing that they benefited from the Observation condition, and that the involvement of their cognitive abilities depended on the learning condition.

scholarly journals Extended parenting and the evolution of cognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1803) ◽  
pp. 20190495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Uomini ◽  
Joanna Fairlie ◽  
Russell D. Gray ◽  
Michael Griesser
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cultural Learning

Traditional attempts to understand the evolution of human cognition compare humans with other primates. This research showed that relative brain size covaries with cognitive skills, while adaptations that buffer the developmental and energetic costs of large brains (e.g. allomaternal care), and ecological or social benefits of cognitive abilities, are critical for their evolution. To understand the drivers of cognitive adaptations, it is profitable to consider distant lineages with convergently evolved cognitions. Here, we examine the facilitators of cognitive evolution in corvid birds, where some species display cultural learning, with an emphasis on family life. We propose that extended parenting (protracted parent–offspring association) is pivotal in the evolution of cognition: it combines critical life-history, social and ecological conditions allowing for the development and maintenance of cognitive skillsets that confer fitness benefits to individuals. This novel hypothesis complements the extended childhood idea by considering the parents' role in juvenile development. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses, we show that corvids have larger body sizes, longer development times, extended parenting and larger relative brain sizes than other passerines. Case studies from two corvid species with different ecologies and social systems highlight the critical role of life-history features on juveniles’ cognitive development: extended parenting provides a safe haven, access to tolerant role models, reliable learning opportunities and food, resulting in higher survival. The benefits of extended juvenile learning periods, over evolutionary time, lead to selection for expanded cognitive skillsets. Similarly, in our ancestors, cooperative breeding and increased group sizes facilitated learning and teaching. Our analyses highlight the critical role of life-history, ecological and social factors that underlie both extended parenting and expanded cognitive skillsets. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Life history and learning: how childhood, caregiving and old age shape cognition and culture in humans and other animals’.

scholarly journals The dynamic association between body mass index and cognition from midlife through late-life, and the effect of sex and genetic influences

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida K. Karlsson ◽  
Margaret Gatz ◽  
Thalida Em Arpawong ◽  
Anna K. Dahl Aslan ◽  
Chandra A. Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Genetic Predisposition ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Change Score ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Dynamic Relationship

AbstractBody mass index (BMI) is associated with cognitive abilities, but the nature of the relationship remains largely unexplored. We aimed to investigate the bidirectional relationship from midlife through late-life, while considering sex differences and genetic predisposition to higher BMI. We used data from 23,892 individuals of European ancestry from the Health and Retirement Study, with longitudinal data on BMI and three established cognitive indices: mental status, episodic memory, and their sum, called total cognition. To investigate the dynamic relationship between BMI and cognitive abilities, we applied dual change score models of change from age 50 through 89, with a breakpoint at age 65 or 70. Models were further stratified by sex and genetic predisposition to higher BMI using tertiles of a polygenic score for BMI (PGSBMI). We demonstrated bidirectional effects between BMI and all three cognitive indices, with higher BMI contributing to steeper decline in cognitive abilities in both midlife and late-life, and higher cognitive abilities contributing to less decline in BMI in late-life. The effects of BMI on change in cognitive abilities were more evident in men compared to women, and among those in the lowest tertile of the PGSBMI compared to those in the highest tertile, while the effects of cognition on BMI were similar across groups. In conclusion, these findings highlight a reciprocal relationship between BMI and cognitive abilities, indicating that the negative effects of a higher BMI persist from midlife through late-life, and that weight-loss in late-life may be driven by cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Efficacy of the Treatment of Developmental Language Disorder: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 407
Author(s):  
Sara Rinaldi ◽  
Maria Cristina Caselli ◽  
Valentina Cofelice ◽  
Simonetta D’Amico ◽  
Anna Giulia De Cagno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Disorder ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Developmental Language Disorder ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Phonological Skills ◽  
Syntactic Skills ◽  
Positive Effect

Background. Language disorder is the most frequent developmental disorder in childhood and it has a significant negative impact on children’s development. The goal of the present review was to systematically analyze the effectiveness of interventions in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) from an evidence-based perspective. Methods. We considered systematic reviews, meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), control group cohort studies on any type of intervention aimed at improving children’s skills in the phono-articulatory, phonological, semantic-lexical, and morpho-syntactic fields in preschool and primary school children (up to eight years of age) that were diagnosed with DLD. We identified 27 full-length studies, 26 RCT and one review. Results. Early intensive intervention in three- and four-year-old children has a positive effect on phonological expressive and receptive skills and acquisitions are maintained in the medium term. Less evidence is available on the treatment of expressive vocabulary (and no evidence on receptive vocabulary). Intervention on morphological and syntactic skills has effective results on expressive (but not receptive) skills; however, a number of inconsistent results have also been reported. Only one study reports a positive effect of treatment on inferential narrative skills. Limited evidence is also available on the treatment of meta-phonological skills. More studies investigated the effectiveness of interventions on general language skills, which now appears as a promising area of investigation, even though results are not all consistent. Conclusions. The effectiveness of interventions over expressive and receptive phonological skills, morpho-syntactic skills, as well as inferential skills in narrative context underscores the importance that these trainings be implemented in children with DLD.

Normal Variation in Reading Acquisition

1986 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 691-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Wise Berninger
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Normal Variation ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
Linguistic Skills ◽  
Whole Word ◽  
Reading And Spelling

Visual, linguistic, reading, and spelling tests were administered to the same 45 children at the end of kindergarten and of first grade. Normal variation, i.e., diversity not related to pathology, was found in the visual and linguistic skills and was shown to be related to reading and spelling achievement for a sample of suburban children of similar socioeconomic status. Individual differences in three visual skills—selective attention to letter information (RT), memory for a component letter (accuracy), and memory for a whole word (accuracy)—and two linguistic skills—phonemic analysis and vocabulary understanding—were reliable over the first year of formal reading instruction and had concurrent validity in that they were correlated with achievement in word decoding/encoding at the end of kindergarten and of first grade. Of these five skills, phonemic analysis accounted for more variance in achievement (52% to 64%, depending upon achievement measure) than any other single skill. Significantly mote variance in achievement was accounted for when both a visual skill (memory for a sequence) and a linguistic skill (phonemic analysis) were considered than when either alone was at end of first grade. The predictive validity of quantitatively defined “disabilities” (at or more than a standard deviation below the mean) was investigated; disabilities in both visual and linguistic skills at the end of kindergarten were associated with low achievement in word decoding/encoding at the end of first grade. Two pairs of identical twin girls (each co-twin taught by a different teacher) were not mote congruent on several achievement measures than two pairs of unrelated girls, taught by the same teacher and matched to each other and a twin pair on verbal ability and age. Normal variation in acquisition of word decoding/encoding probably results from an interaction between genetic individual differences in cognitive skills and the processes of assimilation and accommodation during environmental transactions proposed by Piaget.

scholarly journals Detecting the significance of changes in performance on the Stroop Color-Word Test, Rey's Verbal Learning Test, and the Letter Digit Substitution Test: The regression-based change approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
WIM VAN DER ELST ◽  
MARTIN P.J. VAN BOXTEL ◽  
GERARD J.P. VAN BREUKELEN ◽  
JELLE JOLLES
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Color Word ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Change Score ◽  
Total Recall ◽  
Word Test ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Stroop Color Word Test ◽  
Learning Test

Serial neuropsychological assessment is often conducted to monitor changes in the cognitive abilities of individuals over time. Because practice effects occur and the reliability of test scores is less than perfect, it is difficult to judge whether varying test results should be attributed to chance trends or to real changes in underlying cognitive abilities. In a large sample of adults (age range, 49–81 years), we evaluated the influence of age, gender, and education on test–retest changes in performance after 3 years on Rey's Verbal Learning Test (VLT), the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT), and the Letter Digit Substitution Test (LDST). A new statistical method was applied to assess the significance of changes in test performance (i.e., the regression-based change method). The results showed that test–retest changes differed as a function of age for the VLT Total recall 1–3, VLT Total recall 1–5, VLT Delayed recall, and LDST measures. An age × gender interaction was found for the SCWT Interference change score, suggesting that the age-related decline in executive functioning after 3 years was more pronounced for males than for females. A normative change table with appropriate corrections for the relevant independent variables was established. (JINS, 2008,14, 71–80.)

scholarly journals Meta-analysis of epigenome-wide associations between DNA methylation at birth and childhood cognitive skills

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doretta Caramaschi ◽  
Alexander Neumann ◽  
Andres Cardenas ◽  
Gwen Tindula ◽  
Silvia Alemany ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACTCognitive skills are a strong predictor of a wide range of later life outcomes. Genetic and epigenetic associations across the genome explain some of the variation in general cognitive abilities in the general population and it is plausible that epigenetic associations might arise from prenatal environmental exposures and/or genetic variation early in life. We investigated the association between cord blood DNA methylation at birth and cognitive skills assessed in children from eight pregnancy cohorts (N=2196-3798) within the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium across overall, verbal and non-verbal cognitive scores. The associations at single CpG sites were weak for all of the cognitive domains investigated. One region near DUSP22 on chromosome 6 was associated with non-verbal cognition in a model adjusted for maternal IQ. We conclude that there is little evidence to support the idea that cord blood DNA methylation at single CpGs can predict cognitive skills and further studies are needed to confirm regional differences.

scholarly journals Predictive context biases binocular rivalry in children and adults with no positive relation to two measures of social cognition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Valuch ◽  
Louisa Kulke
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Binocular Rivalry ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Similar Degree ◽  
Eye Dominance ◽  
Adult Participants

Integration of prior experience and contextual information can help to resolve perceptually ambiguous situations and might support the ability to understand other peoples’ thoughts and intentions, called Theory of Mind. We studied whether the readiness to incorporate contextual information for resolving binocular rivalry is positively associated with Theory-of-Mind-related social cognitive abilities. In children (12 to 13 years) and adults (18 to 25 years), a predictive temporal context reliably modulated the onset of binocular rivalry to a similar degree. In contrast, adult participants scored better on measures of Theory of Mind compared to children. We observed considerable interindividual differences regarding the influence of a predictive context on binocular rivalry, which were associated with differences in sensory eye dominance. The absence of a positive association between predictive effects on perception and Theory of Mind performance suggests that predictive effects on binocular rivalry and higher-level Theory-of-Mind-related abilities stem from different neurocognitive mechanisms. We conclude that the influence of predictive contextual information on basic visual processes is fully developed at an earlier age, whereas social cognitive skills continue to evolve from adolescence to adulthood.

scholarly journals Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition in Vertebrates: Mate Choice Turns Cognition or Cognition Turns Mate Choice?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora Fuss
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating System ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Sex Roles ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Problem Solver

The idea of “smart is sexy,” meaning superior cognition provides competitive benefits in mate choice and, therefore, evolutionary advantages in terms of reproductive fitness, is both exciting and captivating. Cognitively flexible individuals perceive and adapt more dynamically to (unpredictable) environmental changes. The sex roles that females and males adopt within their populations can vary greatly in response to the prevalent mating system. Based on how cognition determines these grossly divergent sex roles, different selection pressures could possibly shape the (progressive) evolution of cognitive abilities, suggesting the potential to induce sexual dimorphisms in superior cognitive abilities. Associations between an individual’s mating success, sexual traits and its cognitive abilities have been found consistently across vertebrate species and taxa, providing evidence that sexual selection may well shape the supporting cognitive prerequisites. Yet, while superior cognitive abilities provide benefits such as higher feeding success, improved antipredator behavior, or more favorable mate choice, they also claim costs such as higher energy levels and metabolic rates, which in turn may reduce fecundity, growth, or immune response. There is compelling evidence in a variety of vertebrate taxa that females appear to prefer skilled problem-solver males, i.e., they prefer those that appear to have better cognitive abilities. Consequently, cognition is also likely to have substantial effects on sexual selection processes. How the choosing sex assesses the cognitive abilities of potential mates has not been explored conclusively yet. Do cognitive skills guide an individual’s mate choice and does learning change an individual’s mate choice decisions? How and to which extent do individuals use their own cognitive skills to assess those of their conspecifics when choosing a mate? How does an individual’s role within a mating system influence the choice of the choosing sex in this context? Drawing on several examples from the vertebrate world, this review aims to elucidate various aspects associated with cognitive sex differences, the different roles of males and females in social and sexual interactions, and the potential influence of cognition on mate choice decisions. Finally, future perspectives aim to identify ways to answer the central question of how the triad of sex, cognition, and mate choice interacts.

scholarly journals STUDENTŲ KŪRYBIŠKUMO IR INTELEKTO GEBĖJIMŲ SĄSAJOS

Psichologija ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 60-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiva Karkockienė ◽  
Giedrë Butkienė
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Weak Links ◽  
Creativity Training ◽  
Intellectual Abilities ◽  
Creative Abilities ◽  
The One ◽  
Experimental Group

Tyrimo objektas – studentų kūrybiškumo kognityvinių ir intelekto gebėjimų struktūrinių ypatumų santykis. E. P. Torrance’o testu (TCT verbalinės dalies A forma) ir R. Amthauerio IST-70 B forma ištirta 160 Vilniaus pedagoginio universiteto studentų. Koreliacine analize nustatytas statistiškai reikšmingas sąryšis tarp mąstymo lankstumo bei originalumo ir aukščiausio lygmens kalbinių intelekto gebėjimų, matuojamų BE subtestu, taip pat tarp mąstymo sklandumo, lankstumo bei originalumo ir sakinio papildymo (SP) bei žodžių išrinkimo (ŽI) subtestų įvertinimų. Statistiškai reikšmingos priklausomybės tarp kūrybiškumo kognityvinių gebėjimų pokyčio mokantis pagal specialią kūrybiškumo ugdymo programą ir intelekto struktūros profilio nerasta, tačiau ryški originalumo padidėjimo sąsaja su kalbinių intelekto gebėjimų (BE), konstrukcinio mąstymo (KU) subtestų įvertinimais ir originalumo bei sklandumo pokyčio sąsaja su loginio-algebrinio mąstymo (SE) subtesto įvertinimais.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: kūrybiškumas, divergentinis mąstymas, intelektiniai gebėjimai. SOME RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDENTS’ CREATIVE AND INTELLECTUAL ABILITIESDaiva Karkockienė, Giedrė Butkienė SummaryThe aim of this study was to reveal some interactions between creative and intellectual abilities as well as interactions of creative abilities variation after training of creativity and intellectual abilities.Creativity in this study is understood in terms of cognitive abilities of creative thinking expressed by divergent thinking components as fluency, flexibility and originality (Guilford, 1950; Torrance, 1974; Sternberg and O’Hara, 1999). Divergent thinking is the one component of creative thought understood as the distinct capacity to generate multiple alternative solutions as opposed the one correct solution. Divergent thinking is assessed through open-ended tests such as consequences and alternative uses, where responses are scored for fluency (number of responses), flexibility (category shifts in responses) and originality (uniqueness of response).There were 160 students (mean age 23) from Vilnius Pedagogical University. E. P. Torrance test (verbal, form A, 1974) was used to identify cognitive abilities of creative thinking (fluency, flexibility and originality). R. Amthauer test (IST-70) was used to measure intellectual capabilities. The subjects were randomly assigned to two experimental (n = 80) and control groups (n = 80). The experimental group took part in creativity training program during four months (32 hours).The special program of creativity training was used once a week for four months (32 hours). The program was made-up for the developing cognitive abilities of creative thinking (fluency, flexibility and originality). Special methods (brain storming, ideas generation, drama, divergent tasks etc.) were used to develop students’ creative abilities. The experimental group took part in creativity training program.The study revealed the interactions between creative abilities evaluated by Torrance test (TTCT, verbal A form) and intellectual abilities evaluated by Amthauer IST. Weak interactions were revealed between flexibility and BE subtest of abstract verbal ability (r = 0,24, p < 0,01), as well as originality and BE subtest of abstract verbal ability (r = 0,22, p < 0,01). There are some weak links between all cognitive parameters of creativity (fluency, flexibility and originality) and the results of Sentence Supplement (SP) subtest (r = 0,17, p < 0,05) as well as between fluency, flexibility and ability to percept language meaning (ŽI) subtest (r = 0,18, p < 0,05; r = 0,16; p < 0,05). No such tendency was found between other creative and intellectual abilities.Though there were no significant interactions between increase of creative abilities and intellectual abilities, clear links were found between originality and abstract verbal ability (BE) and spatial imagination (KU) (r 0, BE = 0,41; r 0, KU = 0,38; r 0,05 = 0,53).Keywords: creativity, divergent thinking, intellectual abilities.

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