Assessing Children’s Computational Skills: Validation of an Adapted Version of the Canadian Achievement Test - Second Edition for 10 year olds

This study tested the validity of the mathematic subtest of the Canadian Achievement Test – Second Edition (CAT/2; Canadian Test Centre, 1992) for 10 year olds, adapted from the original version administered at age 8. The analyses showed satisfactory internal consistency of the adapted version at age 10, and slightly higher internal consistency than that of the original version at age 8 (.81 vs .76). The total scores distribution of the age 10 version were slightly negatively skewed, suggesting that the tool is sensitive to assess children with lower mathematic abilities. Using a correlational design, the results showed substantial cross-age convergent validity between the age 8 and age 10 versions (.49, p < .001), and cross-measure convergent and discriminant validity of this adapted version. We conclude that the adapted mathematics subtest of the Canadian Achievement Test could be used to reliably measure children’s computational skills at age 10.

Individual Differences in the Wegner Rebound Effect: Evidence for a Moderator Variable in Thought Rebound following Thought Suppression

Wegner, Schneider, Carter, and White in 1987 found that attempts to suppress thoughts of a white bear produced even greater preoccupation with that stimulus—a rebound effect. This effect was investigated in Exp. 1 using both Wegner's white bear stimulus and a more personally meaningful stimulus (an upcoming test). The rebound effect was not observed with either stimulus. Exp. 2 was conducted to examine the hypothesis that this failure to replicate Wegner, et al.'s rebound effect reflected individual differences in the respective subject pools. A within-subjects design was used to classify subjects as rebounders or nonrebounders by comparing each subject's expression of a thought following suppression to their own baseline expression of that thought. Subjects classified as rebounders had significantly higher ACT Mathematics subtest scores than did the subjects classified as nonrebounders. This suggests that there is a moderator variable related to mathematics ability for the rebound effect.