The Perfection Premium

This research documents a perfection premium in evaluative judgments wherein individuals disproportionately reward perfection on an attribute compared to near-perfect values on the same attribute. For example, individuals consider a student who earns a perfect score of 36 on the American College Test to be more intelligent than a student who earns a near-perfect 35, and this difference in perceived intelligence is significantly greater than the difference between students whose scores are 35 versus 34. The authors also show that the perfection premium occurs because people spontaneously place perfect items into a separate mental category than other items. As a result of this categorization process, the perceived evaluative distance between perfect and near-perfect items is exaggerated. Four experiments provide evidence in favor of the perfection premium and support for the proposed underlying mechanism in both social cognition and decision-making contexts.

Correlates of Poor Sleep and Subsequent Risk of Misdiagnosis in College Students Presenting with Cognitive Complaints

Objectives To examine the relationships of poor sleep to both subjective and objective cognitive functioning, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms, and mental health variables in college students, controlling for noncredible symptom reporting and noncredible performance. Methods 99 undergraduate students (Mage = 19.9, SD = 1.1), 60% female and 72% first-year students, completed a neuropsychological battery and self-report questionnaires at a single lab visit. 56% of the sample identified as “poor sleepers” (>5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]). Results Poor sleepers reported worse current (college grade point average [GPA]) but not past (high school GPA, American college test [ACT] score) academic performance. Additionally, they reported more mental health concerns, including depression and stress, but not anxiety. Poor sleepers reported more functional impairment and subjective cognitive concerns, including more Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, more SCT symptoms, and more executive dysfunction, even when controlling for depressive symptoms. However, poor sleepers did not differ from good sleepers on measures of objective cognition. Conclusions ADHD and SCT symptoms and concerns in college students may be related to poor sleep, which can lead to misdiagnosis for individuals presenting with ADHD-like complaints for the first time in college. Sleep difficulties may be modifiable with empirically supported sleep interventions; thus, in assessment for either of these presentations, a careful sleep history should be taken.

Success of Students Screened as Twice-Exceptional as a Function of Major Selection and Academic Strength

In this study, the success of 6,054 college students screened as twice-exceptional (2e; i.e., those with significantly discrepant math vs. reading scores on the ACT [formerly, American College Test] or SAT [formerly, Scholastic Aptitude Test]) was examined based on major selection and type of potential learning disability using a screening technique proposed by McCallum et al. There were no differences in high school grade point average, college grade point average, or first-year retention rates between students screened as 2e who had a major in line with their academic strength versus those who did not ( p > .05). However, students screened as 2e based on an exceptionally high math score but a lower reading score yielded statistically significantly higher rates of retention ( p < .05) than students screened as 2e with the reverse pattern of scores (i.e., gifted in reading with a potential learning disability in math). Implications for screening 2e students are discussed.

To Vaccinate or Not: The Relative Impact of Attitudes toward Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Ability to Interpret Scientific Information on Vaccination Decisions

Background. This pilot study investigated vaccine decision making, i.e., the relationships between knowledge and attitudes towards autism spectrum disorders (ASD), scientific literacy, attitudes toward the (MMR) vaccine, and children’s MMR vaccination status. Methods. A sample of 132 parents and expectant parents (mean age 38.40 years; >60% with university education) participated in a survey where they were asked about their knowledge of ASD, attitudes towards ASD and MMR, and their children’s MMR vaccine status. The participants also completed a standardized science test (The American College Test) to test their scientific literacy. Results. Knowledge of ASD was positively correlated with attitudes towards ASD. Attitudes towards ASD were positively correlated with scientific literacy and attitudes towards MMR. Attitudes towards MMR were positively correlated with MMR vaccine status (i.e., vaccination decision). Discussion. Factors other than scientific literacy seem to contribute towards children’s MMR vaccine status such as attitudes towards MMR. However, these are preliminary findings and need to be interpreted with caution.

Early College Credit Programs Positively Impact Student Success

This article presents an exploratory case study examining the effects of different early college credit programs on time to baccalaureate degree attainment at a metropolitan Midwestern United States land grant university. We developed a Cox proportional hazards regression model of a students’ time to degree attainment as a function of their participation in different early college credit programs while controlling for each student’s preenrollment grade point average (GPA), American College Test (ACT) test score, gender, part or full-time enrollment status, ethnicity, and seasonal (Fall, Spring, or Summer) semester of initial matriculation. The most noteworthy finding of our analysis was that each early college credit program appeared to have a positive and statistically significant impact on reducing the time to degree attainment with all other factors being equal. However, the mechanisms through which these programs affect the time to degree attainment appeared to be differentiated by program.

The Impact of School Nurses in Kentucky Public High Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school nurse presence and graduation rates, absenteeism, and American College Test (ACT) scores. A state-wide survey of all public high schools was undertaken (participation rate of 99.1%). Survey data obtained from individual high schools provided information on the employment status of school nurses. In addition to nurse presence determined by the survey, open-access electronic databases were used to determine graduation rates, absenteeism, ACT scores, money spent per pupil, gender, race–ethnicity proportion, and incarceration data. Study findings showed a possible relationship between students attending schools with a full-time nurse and significantly higher graduation rates, lower absenteeism, and higher ACT scores. The study results suggest that school nurses may contribute not just to health outcomes but to improved academic and economic outcomes as well. Of course, future work is needed to confirm these assertions.

Assessing the Validity of College Success Indicators for the At-Risk Student: Toward Developing a Best-Practice Model

This study assessed the feasibility of using precollege success indicators to identify at-risk students at a large 4-year public research university in the Midwest. Retention data from students who participated in an established student success program were examined. The findings affirm that the initial admissions assessment identifying at-risk students is a feasible predictor of academic success, including high school (HS) grade point average (GPA) could predict student success over and above the variance accounted for by American College Test alone; the semester in which students are admitted is a predictor of success; first-semester college GPA can predict academic success over and above chance; there is a significant positive relationship between cognitive ability (i.e., American College Test × HS GPA) and SUCCESS; HS GPA could be used as the single best predictor of student success; and using all three variables to identify student success appears warranted. A PASS model is offered to assist in the development of interventions and success programs.

Performance and Persistence Outcomes of GEAR UP Students: Leveling the Playing Field in Higher Education

Given the major investment in the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant, rising postsecondary access, trends in poor persistence and retention rates, and the ongoing accountability measures in higher education, it is critical to examine factors related to postsecondary performance and persistence of GEAR UP students in comparison to their peers. College performance and persistence of 298 State GEAR UP students were compared with other first-time, first-year students (1,841) who entered a moderately selective, medium-sized public research university in Fall 2012. The GEAR UP students were more likely to be from disadvantaged, underrepresented backgrounds; despite less advantageous beginnings, they entered college with similar high school grade point average and Scholastic Assessment Test scores, though lower American College Test scores. Also, students’ first-term grade point average and credit loads served as predictors of persistence. Most importantly, GEAR UP students were just as likely to perform and persist as their peers.

Differential Gender and Ethnic Differences in Math Performance

The present research investigates the role of self-regulatory mechanisms in the context of gender and ethnic differences (between African Americans and Caucasians) in math test performance. Building on two basic notions proposed in regulatory focus theory, it is argued that gender and ethnic differences in math performance are particularly pronounced under conditions where prevention-focused self-regulation is activated (by emphasizing point deductions for mistakes). This assumption refers to a specific mechanism documented in previous research on regulatory focus theory: The differential-sensitivity mechanism according to which a prevention focus renders individuals particularly sensitive with regard to negative information (such as negative performance expectancies). Results of an archival data analysis document a substantial differential gender and ethnic gap in math performance as a function of test instruction (involving point deductions for mistakes or not) supporting the proposed differential gender and ethnic-gap hypothesis. The gap between women and men as well as the gap between African-American and Caucasian test takers is substantially larger in the Scholastic Aptitude Test for math (which involves point deductions for mistakes) than in the corresponding American College Test.