Rationing of Raven's Matrices Scale for Emotional Intelligence to Students

The purpose of this study is to modify "Raven's Matrices" scale of emotional intelligence to the students of Al al-Bayt University in Jordan, as this scale has some features such as the deliverance of the influence of culture and language. The scale was applied to a sample of (526) students at Al al-Bayt University in Al Mafraq. To researcher used statistical analysis to answer the questions of the study in order to check the effectiveness of the items of the scale through the extraction of difficulty and differentiation factors of the different levels of the general point average and total sample. The researcher extracted the reliability using Kr20  equation to calculate the internal consistency between the items, the validity of the scale also was measured using formative validity through differentiation rates by tracking the increase in the means and standard deviations of the thirteen  categories of the  general point average (GPA ). The results of the study showed the effectiveness of the scale paragraphs has been proven  in terms of difficulty and differentiation coefficients, and Raven's Matrices scale has got high psychometric characteristics (reliability, validity) In a sign that the scale is suitable for application with a university education students in Jordan. Key words: Raven's Matrices scale, emotional intelligenc

A psychometric investigation of group differences in mean and variability as measured by the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices Plus

Researchers and the general public alike continue to debate ‘which is the smarter sex?’ Research to date suggests that males outperform females, females outperform males, while others find no differences in mean or variance. These inconsistent results are thought to occur for two reasons. First, studies rely on opportunity samples rather than samples that represent the general population. Second, researchers have not availed themselves of advances in psychometrics that allow for identification of bias in test items and the reliable evaluation of group differences. This dissertation addresses these two identified needs in the literature. Using a large representative U.K. sample, 926 seven to 18 year olds were assessed with the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices Plus (SPM+), a measure considered to be one of the best measures of general intelligence. In assessing a one-factor model of general intelligence, four research aims were addressed. First, confirmatory factor analyses and assessment of measurement invariance revealed that the SPM+ is not biased to either sex. Second, multiple group confirmatory factor analyses revealed there to be no significant differences between males and females in either mean or variance. Third, analyses revealed no significant sex differences in mean or variability in younger or older participants. Finally, method effects of Gestalt and Visuospatial answering strategies explained some of the residual variance in the model. For the overall sample, males were significantly disadvantaged by the visuospatial element of some of the items. For older participants, the influence of the methods effects was equivalent. It can generally be concluded that there are no significant sex differences in mean or variability on the SPM+ suggesting that there is no sex difference in general intelligence. Future research should employ representative samples and robust statistical methodologies to assess sex differences on the Raven’s from a multiple factor perspective

Auditory inspection time and intelligence

This thesis studied the association between auditory inspection time (AIT) and psychometric measures of verbal and non-verbal cognitive abilities. I review attempts to search for basic information processing components that predict intelligence (Chapter 1), attempts to relate auditory processing speed to intelligence (Chapter 2), and attempts to relate acuity of sensory discrimination to intelligence (Chapter 3). These reviews establish certain essential requirements for a plan of research on auditory inspection time. Chapter 4 described the development of a modified AIT test. In a study of 120 undergraduates, the modified AIT test showed improved subject performance characteristics over previous AIT tasks, and AIT thresholds had low to moderate correlations with visual IT thresholds and with verbal and non-verbal cognitive ability scores. Chapter 5 described two studies. Study 1 included 84 undergraduates and showed that the AIT test had a very high split-half reliability and that about two-thirds of subjects who could perform the AIT task had response performance curves which fitted a cumulative normal ogive. The association between AIT and verbal ability appeared stronger than the AIT-non-verbal ability association in 34 of the subjects; this was also found in Study 2 which tested 119 11-year-olds. Unspeeded pitch discrimination showed a small but significant association with verbal ability in children but not in undergraduates. Results from neither study supported the suggestion that pitch discrimination was the basis for the AIT-cognitive ability association. Chapters 6 and 7 examined the associations among AIT, unspeeded pitch discrimination and an auditory backward masking recognition task which was dubbed the 'Raz' task. It was found that all three tasks were reliable, prone to practice effects and showed high intercorrelations. The AIT and Raz tasks appeared to share common variance not related to pitch discrimination. In a confirmatory factor analysis of over 100 13-year-olds latent variables from the three auditory tests representing auditory processing speed and pitch discrimination both had significant associations with a factor common to verbal and non-verbal intelligence, though speed was the more important factor. Chapter 8 reported the results of a longitudinal study of AIT and cognitive ability in over 100 children from age 11 to age 13. Using structural modelling techniques to create competing causal models and then testing these for goodness-of-fit to the data, some support was found for the suggestion that auditory processing abilities at age 11 might have a causal influence on later verbal and non-verbal abilities rather than the converse. Chapter 9 provided a thematic resume of the studies conducted in the thesis. It was concluded that the corrected AIT-cognitive ability association was in the region of -0.5, and that some progress had been made in explaining this association. In addition, a strong plea was made for AIT and visual IT to be integrated with other models of auditory and visual information processing which exist. Suggestions were made for future research on auditory and visual processing and intelligence

White matter integrity in dyskinetic cerebral palsy: Relationship with intelligence quotient and executive function

Background: Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most disabling motor types of CP and has been classically associated with injury to the basal ganglia and thalamus. Although cognitive dysfunction is common in CP, there is a paucity of published quantitative analyses investigating the relationship between white matter (WM) microstructure and cognition in this CP type. Aims: This study aims (1) to compare brain WM microstructure between people with dyskinetic CP and healthy controls, (2) to identify brain regions where WM microstructure is related to intelligence and (3) to identify brain regions where WM microstructure is related to executive function in people with dyskinetic CP and (4) to identify brain regions where the correlations are different between controls and people with CP in IQ and executive functions. Patients and methods: Thirty-three participants with dyskinetic CP (mean +/- SD age: 24.42 +/- 12.61, 15 female) were age and sex matched with 33 controls. Participants underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to assess intelligence quotient (IQ) and four executive function domains (attentional control, cognitive flexibility, goal setting and information processing). Diffusion weighted MRI scans were acquired at 3T. Voxel-based whole brain groupwise analyses were used to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) and of the CP group to the matched controls using a general lineal model. Further general linear models were used to identify regions where white matter FA correlated with IQ and each of the executive function domains. Results: White matter FA was significantly reduced in the CP group in all cerebral lobes, predominantly in regions connected with the parietal and to a lesser extent the temporal lobes. There was no significant correlation between IQ or any of the four executive function domains and WM microstructure in the control group. In participants with CP, lower IQ was associated with lower FA in all cerebral lobes, predominantly in locations that also showed reduced FA compared to controls. Attentional control, goal setting and information processing did not correlate with WM microstructure in the CP group. Cognitive flexibility was associated with FA in regions known to contain connections with the frontal lobe (such as the superior longitudinal fasciculus and cingulum) as well as regions not known to contain tracts directly connected with the frontal lobe (such as the posterior corona radiata, posterior thalamic radiation, retrolenticular part of internal capsule, tapetum, body and splenium of corpus callosum). Conclusion: The widespread loss in the integrity of WM tissue is mainly located in the parietal lobe and related to IQ in dyskinetic CP. Unexpectedly, executive functions are only related with WM microstructure in regions containing fronto-cortical and posterior cortico-subcortical pathways, and not being specifically related to the state of fronto-striatal pathways which might be due to brain reorganization. Further studies of this nature may improve our understanding of the neurobiological bases of cognitive impairments after early brain insult

Cardiovascular diseases, risk factors and cognitive decline in the general population

Cognitive function constitutes a critical dimension of the health status of elderly individuals. Age-associated decline in cognitive function may partly be attributed to the negative effects of systemic medical diseases and related factors, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and vascular risk factors. Cognitive decline has been an understudied outcome in cardiovascular epidemiological research. Few reports have comprehensively examined cognitive function in relation to clinical manifestations of systemic atherosclerotic disease in different arterial beds. Inconsistent findings are common in the literature and these arc likely to reflect the vast differences between studies regarding the choice of population under study, the methods applied for measuring and defining CVD, the types and timing of administration of protocols used for assessing cognitive function, and the paths taken in the analysis of data.The principal aim of the present study was to examine the longitudinal change in cognitive test performance in relation to major clinical CVDs and vascular risk factors in a population-based sample of older people. The administration of a battery of neuropsychological tests on two separate occasions facilitated the study of actual change in both general cognition and across different cognitive abilities according to an objectively-determined CVD status. A valid estimation of peak prior cognitive ability allowed the exploration of the impact of CVD and risk factors on the imputed decline from best-ever level of cognitive function to that measured in old age.The analysis is based on a cohort of 809 men and 783 women aged 55-74 years which in 1987/8 was randomly selected from the general population of Edinburgh. A comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of major CVDs and vascular risk factors was held at baseline and during two follow-up examinations. Since baseline, the study sample has been followed up to determine the incidence of angina pectoris, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. Cognitive testing was first held in 1998/9 when the mean age of the surviving cohort (n=1209) was 73.1 years (SD=5.0) and subsequently about four years later using the same test protocol. The present investigation is based on the 452 study participants who attended follow-up cognitive testing in 2002/3.Both general cognition, as indexed by a general cognitive factor representing the variance common to all the cognitive tests used, and most individual cognitive measures were negatively affected in participants with CVD but no evidence of stroke relative to non-vascular controls. Of the specific CVD manifestations, stroke was significantly associated with a steeper four-year decline in both general cognitive function and verbal memory. When decline was estimated from peak, prior cognitive level, stroke was related to a greater decline in both general cognition and verbal fluency. In the absence of stroke, MI was associated with an accelerated fouryear decline in non-verbal reasoning ability but the presence of angina was not related to cognitive decline in this study. Symptomatic PAD also independently predicted faster decline in both general cognition and verbal memory over the fouryear follow-up. Several potentially modifiable vascular risk factors, including education, body mass index, smoking, diastolic blood pressure, inflammatory markers and blood viscosity were also related to decline in general and specific cognitive abilities, independently of age, sex, prior cognitive ability and vascular disease. The associations with decline in specific cognitive measures principally resulted from the impact of atherosclerotic disease and risk factors on general cognitive ability rather than the individual functions per se.The findings from the present study further add to those of previous investigations demonstrating a relationship between CVDs, vascular risk factors, and cognitive decline in older people. Specifically, they reveal that, even in the absence of overt stroke, clinical CVDs are associated with a greater cognitive decline in the elderly, independently of potential confounding by a wide range of vascular risk factors. Also, the relationships between several vascular risk factors and cognitive decline proved to be independent of overt co-existing vascular pathology. Based on these findings, further study is needed to determine the combined effects of CVDs and multiple risk factors on cognitive outcomes in samples of older people. In addition, what the likely pathological mechanisms are underlying cognitive decline associated with atherosclerotic disease and vascular risk factors needs to be addressed in future studies. From a perspective of preventing or delaying vascular based cognitive decline and impairment, more research is required to assess the effectiveness of both individual and population-based strategies targeting vascular disease and risk factors in older age groups. Finally, further investigation is needed to address the potential impact of subtle cognitive deficits on indicators of the quality of life and the capability of self-maintenance of elderly vascular patients, on adherence to medical treatment and rehabilitation, and further cognitive decrements and survival

Relating academic performance to L1 and L2 learners' scores on the SDRT and Raven's SPM

A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Educational Psychology by Coursework and Research Report. Johannesburg, March 2017This research study investigated the relationship between first (L1) and second language (L2) learners’ academic performance and their scores on the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT) and the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM). The inherently different nature of using a verbal assessment and a non-verbal assessment are important to consider in relation to overall academic performance, especially in light of the different language demands of a verbal versus a non-verbal assessment. South Africa has a diverse language landscape, which does pose practical problems for choosing a standard language of learning and teaching, which could create some language issues. The concept of intelligence is unpacked and discussed in relation to both academic performance and reading, which requires careful navigation due to its links to both these concepts. Psychological testing and assessment in South Africa has an encumbered history, which makes research in this area valuable, especially in relation to the unique language diversity in South Africa combined with the lack of South African assessments . Language, reading and intelligence are important to consider in light of the role they to play in relation to overall academic achievement. The results revealed that L1 learners performed better compared to L2 learners on both the SDRT and the RSPM. L1 learners also performed better academically compared to their peers. These results indicated some serious implications showing that L2 learners have not been able to bridge language and learning gaps, after at least five years of being taught in English. The results also revealed that the SDRT was a better predictor of academic performance for both L1 and L2 learners. This highlighted the importance of reading within the South African school system. The under researched area of the exact impact that reading has on overall academic performance showed that South Africa’s curriculum is reading heavy, which does emphasise the importance of reading to achieve academic success.MT 201