Distribution across Age of Raw and Scaled Intelligence Scores - the DARSIS model

The mean raw score on intelligence tests rises steeply in childhood before stabilizing for adolescents and adults, Little is known however about how the different percentiles, let alone the entire raw score distribution, changes from early childhood to adulthood. This study will show that there is a regular, mathematical relationship between age, raw scores and scaled scores on intelligence test subtests with a high g-loading. Using the norm tables from 60 subtests from 19 different intelligence tests normed in 5 different countries between 1984-2020, a relatively simple model with three coefficients and a variable ’difficulty’ parameter is shown to explain almost all of the variance in the norm tables. Smaller errors are found for the mean of norm tables, and for higher performance, but not for greater age. The year in which a test was normed also did not appear to influence the fit of the model. Possible applications of the DARSIS model, such as the creation of norms for above-level testing, creating extended norms, a reduced parameter space when norming new intelligence tests and calculating reference ages are discussed.

Perfil neuropsicológico de um adolescente com síndrome de potocki-lupski (duplicação 17p11. 2 p11. 2): estudo de caso

A síndrome de Potocki-Lupski (PTLS), ou trissomia 17p11.2, caracteriza-se por microduplicação da banda 11.2 do cromossomo 17. Trata-se de uma síndrome recém descoberta, associada à síndrome de Smith-Magenis - SMS e caracteriza-se pela presença de sintomas dos transtornos do espectro do autismo, comprometimentos cognitivos, dificuldades na fala e aprendizagem, hipotonia e alterações cardíacas congênitas. O objetivo desse estudo foi estabelecer o perfil cognitivo de um adolescente diagnosticado com PTLS. O participante, do sexo masculino, tinha 19 anos, cursando o nono ano do ensino fundamental, e foi diagnosticado nesta mesma idade, antes desta avaliação, solicitada devido às suas dificuldades de aprendizagem. Foram realizadas entrevista anamnésica, entrevista semi-estruturada com o adolescente, cinco sessões em que foram administrados testes de inteligência (WAIS-III, Raven), de habilidades cognitivas (RAVLT, TDE, D2, FAS) e de personalidade (HTP) e, ao final, realizou-se a entrevista devolutiva com o adolescente e a mãe. Identificaram-se prejuízos importantes de atenção e funções executivas e déficits relacionados à linguagem, com relativa preservação da organização perceptiva-visual e da velocidade de processamento. O atraso cognitivo e as dificuldades de aprendizagem, sobretudo relacionadas à aquisição de habilidades escolares, corroboram dados da literatura. Por outro lado, foram observadas pontuações próximas à média em provas de inteligência, o que não reflete sua real funcionalidade, indicando que resultados majorados em testes padronizados podem ser efeito de supertreino ou podem refletir os déficits executivos, usualmente não identificáveis em testes de inteligência. A avaliação neuropsicológica possibilitou o estabelecimento do perfil cognitivo, indicando forças e fraquezas, fornecendo subsídios ao projeto terapêutico no âmbito clínico e educacional. Introduction: Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS), or trisomy 17p11.2, is characterized by microduplication of band 11.2 of chromosome 17. It is a newly discovered syndrome, associated with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) and presents symptoms of the autism spectrum disorders, cognitive impairments, speech and learning difficulties, hypotonia and congenital heart alterations. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the cognitive profile of an adolescent with PTLS. Method: The male participant was 19 years of age, enrolled in the ninth year of elementary education, and was diagnosed at this age, prior to this evaluation, due to his learning difficulties. An anamnesis interview, a semi-structured interview, five sessions in which intelligence tests (WAIS-III, Raven), cognitive ability tests (RAVLT, TDE, D2, FAS) and personality tests (HTP) were administered, and a return interview with the adolescent and the mother were carried out. Results: Significant impairments in attention and executive functions and language-related deficits were identified, with relative preservation of the perceptual-visual organization and processing speed. The cognitive delay and learning difficulties, especially related to the acquisition of academic skills, corroborate data from the literature. Scores close to the average in intelligence tests were observed, which did not reflect the real functionality. Conclusions: Higher scores in the standardized tests may have been an effect of intensive training or may reflect executive deficits that are usually unidentifiable in intelligence tests. The neuropsychological evaluation established the cognitive profile, indicating strengths and weaknesses, providing support for the therapeutic project in the clinical and educational context.

Two Cheers for the Cognitive Irregulars: Intelligence’s Contributions to Ageing Well and Staying Alive

Here, intelligence is taken to mean scores from psychometric tests of cognitive functions. This essay describes how cognitive tests offer assessments of brain functioning—an otherwise difficult-to-assess organ—that have proved enduringly useful in the field of health and medicine. The two “consequential world problems” (the phrase used by the inviters of this essay) addressed in this article are (i) the ageing of modern societies (and the resulting increase in the numbers of people with ageing-related cognitive decrements and dementias) and (ii) health inequalities, including mortality. Cognitive tests have an ubiquitous place in both of these topics, i.e., the important fields of cognitive ageing and cognitive epidemiology, respectively. The cognitive tests that have sprouted in these fields are often brief and not mainstream, large psychometric test batteries; I refer to them as ‘irregulars’. These two problems are not separate, because results found with mental/cognitive/intelligence tests have produced a growing understanding that intelligence and health have a reciprocal, life-long relationship. Intelligence tests contribute to the applied research that is trying to help people to stay sharp, stay healthy, and stay alive.

STEAM learning approach: realizing 21st century skills through increasing compound intelligence of class x students

This classroom action research aims to improve students' multiple intelligences through the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) learning approach in class X TKJ at SMK Kristen Tagari with 31 students as research subjects. The classroom action research consisted of three cycles and each cycle consisted of six actions. Collecting data using the method of observation, interviews, multiple intelligence tests, and documentation. The data analysis technique uses the average value and the percentage of multiple intelligence test results. The results showed an increase in all constructs of multiple intelligence in subjects as evidenced by the results of the average score of the first intelligence test 28.19, the second test 28.93, the third test 29.49 while the average percentage change in multiple intelligence scores on the first test to the second test amounted to 2.62%, the second test to the third test 1.96% and the first test to the third test of 4.62%. It is recommended for further research to conduct classroom action research using the STEAM learning approach, students' multiple intelligence tests by learning problems experienced in class.

Evaluation of Environmental Policy with Q Methodology

Environmental policy is often characterized by differences of opinion and polarized perceptions. This holds for all groups involved in lobbying, creating, implementing, and researching policy. Q methodology is a technique originally developed by William Stephenson in the 1930s for work in psychology as an alternative to R methodology, which was dominant at the time. R methodology involves gathering scores from subjects being analyzed, such as those generated by intelligence tests, and then correlating the scores with factors such as gender or ethnicity. Obviously, the scores are heavily dependent on the choice of questions set by the researcher in the tests. In contrast, Q methodology commonly uses statements generated by the participants of the study, and it is these that the subjects are asked to score. This helps to avoid the type of bias that might result from a researcher formulating the statements presented to the subjects, though it is important to note that researcher bias is also present in Q methodology through selection of the statements and the type of quantitative analysis used. In studies involving evaluation of environmental policy, Q methodology is typically used to elicit opinions from subjects by scoring participant statements obtained from interviews or statements from secondary sources such as written reports, news articles, or images. These scores are then correlated using factor analysis, and statements that group together are compiled to create discourses about different aspects of the environmental policy under evaluation.