Growth curve analysis of ability means and variances in measures of fluid intelligence of older adults

This article is concerned with an application of growth curve analysis to modeling test performance changes demonstrated by older adults following cognitive training or based on experience with repeatedly presented fluid intelligence measures. Group differences and invariance in change over time in ability means and indices of interindividual differences at the ability level in a 2‐group cognitive intervention study (Baltes, Dittmann‐Kohli, & Kliegl, 1986) are examined using 3 latent curve analysis (Meredith & Tisak, 1990) models. The results indicate (a) group equivalence in the pattern of temporal development of ability variances and (b) training effects in the experimental group that are stronger than the practice/experience effects in the control group, whereby both types of effects are maintained over the 6‐month testing period. The findings provide further suggestive evidence for plasticity in fluid intelligence of elderly adults (cf. Baltes et al., 1986; Raykov, 1995, 1996).     

NO ONE LEFT TO PUSH: THE PUBLIC POLICY OF AGING AND BLINDNESS

The decline in psychometric measures of general intelligence (g) and performance of similar laboratory-based tasks has been pivotal in shaping psychogerontology's views of the aging intellect, and by extension, the ability to learn. However, parallel to this is the consideration that the motivation and intellectual needs of older adults may change. The study presented here found that levels of need for cognition are closely related to older adults' performance on Piagetian tasks, indicating an intellectual lifestyle preference that operates alongside, and interactively with, performance on traditional intellectual measures. The implications of this are discussed.     

PHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF STRESS AND INTELLECTUAL PERFORMANCE AMONG ANXIOUS OLDER ADULTS

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance in older adults. We asked 27 older adults, self‐selected on the basis of their concerns about decrements in intellectual functioning, to perform a series of cognitive tasks to assess crystallized (Gc) and fluid (Gf) intellectual abilities. Volunteers also completed questionnaires concerning their beliefs about their task performance specific to each ability, as well as measures of both generalized and intellectual self‐efficacy, everyday cognitive failures, and concerns about illness and aging. Cortisol was measured as an indicator of anxiety and Epstein‐Barr virus levels were assessed to determine nonspecific physiological changes. Results indicated that in the self‐selected “anxious” sample, there was a significant negative correlation between cortisol and self‐efficacy related to the most difficult measure of Gf. The only other significant (negative) correlation was between cortisol and generalized self‐efficacy. As expected, EBV levels were not correlated with any of the performance or self‐efficacy measures taken. Possible explanations of these findings are discussed as they relate to varying levels of performance and concerns about the loss of skills among older adults.     

CLERGY REQUEST LINKAGES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING MINISTRY WITH OLDER ADULTS

In this study, 159 volunteers aged 50 years and older were grouped into age decades (i.e., those in their 50s, 60s, etc.) and tested on measures of spelling, fluid intelligence, and crystallized intelligence. The younger subjects had significantly higher spelling test scores. Statistically removing the effects of crystallized intelligence and length of education by analyses of covariance had no effect on the difference, but removing the effect of fluid intelligence reduced the difference to nonsignificant levels. This implies that in older people spelling, although intuitively considered to be a crystallized skill, relies heavily on fluid intelligence.     

Modeling complexity and difficulty in measures of fluid intelligence

This article applies structural equation modeling to the simultaneous study of task complexity and difficulty in measures of fluid intelligence. The interrelation between 3 tests of fluid intelligence, 2 experimental tasks, and age is examined. Each experimental task is decomposed into 4 subtasks, with the most intellectually demanding ones being measures of fluid intelligence, and the remaining 3 levels constructed to be gradually simpler. The findings suggest that the experimental manipulations produced systematic changes in 3 sets of parameters. These are: (a) the mean intercept parameters of the structural equation model—interpreted as “pure test difficulties” reflecting task‐specific demands placed on elementary cognitive processes of the “same kind” (b) factor loadings on 2 subtask‐specific narrow factors (SWAPS and TRIPLETS) that reflect demands placed on processes of “similar kinds,” that is, processes common to variations within the same experimental task; and (c) factor loadings on a fluid intelligence factor (Gf) that reflect demands placed on processes of “diverse kinds,” which are common to measures of a broad range of different cognitive tasks. The results indicate that as task requirements become more demanding, cognitive processes of the same kind, which are involved in solving the easier subtasks, are no longer critical to performance, but the demand on processes of similar and diverse kinds is increased. It is suggested that for human subjects, increase in task complexity may be associated with lapses of attention in the course of carrying out a series of interconnected steps.     

Temperament and the Cognitive Modifiability of Academically Superior Black Adolescents in South Africa

TEMPERAMENT is characterised as the relatively stable dimension of human functioning, while intelligence is increasingly seen as a dynamic process. This study investigated the relationship between temperament and cognitive modifiability in an academically successful but disadvantaged South African population. For 92 adolescents in the Soweto Gifted Child Programme, the relationship was determined between their ratings on the Teacher Temperament Questionnaire and their performance on the Learning Potential Assessment Device and other measures of cognitive ability and learning. The Task Orientation and Personal‐Social Flexibility temperament dimensions were directly related to learning, academic performance and cognitive change. A more complex relationship was suggested for the Reactivity dimension, in that more intense and reactive subjects tended to perform better in unstimulating situations, while under more facilitative learning conditions, a higher performance level tended to be associated with a lower reactivity level. The findings support the possibility of an interaction between temperament and cognitive growth and demonstrate the usefulness of considering these individual difference variables in combination with each other.     

Educational Guidance‐‐Technical Education: STUDENT GUIDANCE IN TECHNICAL EDUCATION

It is contended that present assumptions regarding the relationship of creativity to curriculum structure are inadequately supported by both experimental findings and theoretical rationale. There are two main issues requiring further elucidation: the first concerns the influence of school environment on creativity directly: the second comprises an examination of the interrelationships of creativity, intelligence and curriculum structure.

The evidence presented demonstrates that school environments have a perceptible influence upon creativity but the generally held assumption that progressive environments are more favourable is shown to require careful qualification.The findings also suggest that the interrelationships of creativity, intelligence and curriculum structure are highly complex. Structure does not seem to affect creativity‐intelligence correlations to any great extent: the major influences here would appear to be largely dependent upon the average intelligence of the groups and the extent to which the creativity tasks require school learning and especially verbal skills for their performance.     

Proofreading as an index of crystallised intelligence

This paper reports on four studies that were all concerned with cognitive and non‐cognitive correlates of proofreading (PR) ability. A new, five‐minute PR test was devised and piloted. In the first pilot study (N = 191) it was correlated with a verbal reasoning test. In the second study (N = 103) PR scores were regressed onto measures of personality: approach to learning, general and fluid intelligence (verbal reasoning) as well as a test of general knowledge. All three cognitive ability measures were significant predictors of PR but when entered together, general knowledge alone remained significant and accounted for a third of the variance. The third study (N = 95) was similar, except it also included a measure of typical intellectual engagement. Fluid intelligence (verbal reasoning) and openness were the only significant predictors of PR. In the fourth study (N = 249) participants completed four tests: PR, fluid intelligence (verbal reasoning), vocabulary and spelling. PR was consistently correlated with verbal reasoning but more strongly correlated with measures of crystallised intelligence, namely general knowledge and vocabulary. Implications and limitations are considered.     

Cognitive training for children: Effects on inductive reasoning,deductive reasoning,and mathematics achievement in an Australian school setting

Inductive reasoning is a core cognitive process of fluid intelligence, predicting a variety of educational outcomes. The Cognitive Training for Children (CTC) program is an educational intervention designed to develop children's inductive reasoning skills, with previous investigations finding substantial effects of the program on both inductive reasoning ability and classroom learning. The present study assessed both individual and small‐group CTC training against a no‐treatment control condition to investigate the effects on inductive and deductive reasoning and mathematics achievement in a primary school‐aged Australian cohort. Students who received individual training outperformed those in the control condition on measures of inductive and deductive reasoning, and those in the small‐group condition also outperformed the control condition on a measure of inductive reasoning 3 months following training. However, hypotheses regarding transfer effects to mathematics achievement were not supported. Directions for future research, focusing on extended longitudinal studies and motivational variables, are discussed.     

KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARD AGING IN YOUNG,MIDDLE‐AGED,AND OLDER COLLEGE STUDENTS: A COMPARISON OF TWO MEASURES OF KNOWLEDGE OF AGING

Scores on two measures of knowledge of aging were compared and correlated with direct and indirect measures of attitudes toward aging. Knowledge scores were not strongly related (r = .2‐.3) to either indirect or direct measures of attitudes toward older adults, and scores on the knowledge tests were not strongly correlated with each other (r = .25). In general, older subjects had higher knowledge scores and more positive attitude scores than did younger subjects. The age effect for knowledge remained after attitude was controlled. Suggestions for improving tests of general knowledge of aging are offered.     

ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTIONS OF WISDOM: AN ONION‐PEELING EXERCISE

Contexualistic and integrative approaches to the concept of wisdom are discussed. The evolution of the concept of wisdom from an independent construct of intelligence to a component of intelligence (i.e., practical intelligence) is presented. It is argued that wisdom can be operationalized as the ability to integrate cognition and affect. In other words, both logical, rational and affective, experiential modes of knowing are recognized as equally valid and taken into consideration in social reasoning contexts. A methodological illustration of the integrative approach is presented in the form of an ongoing study investigating real‐world problem solving in adolescents as well as young, middle‐aged, and older adults. Implications for adult education are discussed.     

Reading‐retarded Icelandic Children: the discriminant validity of psychological tests

Discriminant validity of several psychological tests was investigated for a sample of reading‐retarded and normal Icelandic fifth grade children. Differentiation was greatest on verbal intelligence, accounting for 40% of the variation, and on various other verbal tests accounting for almost 40% of the remaining variation. Benton Visual Retention Test was the only visual‐spatial test that discriminated between the two groups. Apart from verbal intelligence the Expressive scale of the Luria‐Nebraska Neuropsychogical Battery discriminated most highly between the groups and was the only measure with incremental validity over the intelligence measures. Cluster analysis revealed two reading‐retarded subgroups. One was an undifferenti‐ated group characterized by lowered level of performance on all measures and heterogeneous individual profiles. The second cluster was very compact with specific delay on verbal measures, possibly indicating sequencing difficulties. The results indicate the need for an adequate intelligence measure in Iceland and the development of refined measures of specific verbal skills.

     

FLUID ABILITY TRAINING WITH AGED PEOPLE: A PAST WITH A FUTURE?

In an effort to define a future research agenda for gerontologically oriented cognitive training investigators, a number of issues crucial to the efficacy and utility of fluid (Gf) ability training with the aged are discussed. These issues involve (a) underlying mechanisms for fluid ability training, (b) individual differences in response to training, (c) practice effects in Gf performance, and (d) ecological validity. It is argued that these concerns have yet to be adequately understood as they bear on the modification of intellectual performance in elderly people and on the aging of intelligence.     

Working Memory and School Achievement in the Ninth Form

Two experiments explored the relationship between 15‐16‐year‐old ninth‐formers’ working memory (WM) capacity and school achievement. In the first experiment, WM capacity was measured administering complex WM span tests on 107 subjects. These measures correlated highly significantly with performance in four school subjects: mathematics, foreign language, Finnish (native language) and geography. In the second experiment, additional WM tasks were used to measure two WM components: the phonological loop and the central executive component as suggested by Baddeley (1986). The tasks that were assumed to measure the central executive were strongly linked to performance in school subjects. Maximally, they shared 31 % of the variance with school achievement. Partial correlations showed that digit span correlated, independently of the central executive measures, with performance in foreign language. This result suggested that the phonological loop is specifically related to foreign language learning. The relationship between WM and the general intelligence factor g is discussed.     

MEMORY,SELF‐EFFICACY,AND ADAPTABILITY IN KOREAN AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS: A COLLECTIVE STUDY OF FOUR CASES

Currently influential educational theories emphasize a causal and linear relationship among memory self‐efficacy, psychological well‐being, and memory performance. That model, however, does not consider an important mediating variable: the adaptability of the aging self. This collective study of four cases (four Korean American older adults) was conducted to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the interrelationships among these variables, with the expectation that useful insights might be gained through the in‐depth study of specific cases. Each case showed a unique pattern of the interplay of these cognitive and affective variables. The findings suggest that perceptions of memory functioning and psychological well‐being are mitigated by the adaptability of the aging self, rather than being directly related to the experiences of age‐related losses or to actual memory perfor‐     

DOES VOCABULARY DECLINE QUALITATIVELY IN OLD AGE?

It has been asserted that standard scoring criteria of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) vocabulary subtest may be insufficiently sensitive to differentiate between qualitatively superior and inferior responses of younger and older adults (Botwinick & Storandt, 1974). Alternative “qualitative” criteria, based upon the premise that a synonym response is superior to other forms of definition such as an explanation or illustration of word use, have been used in several previous studies which demonstrated apparent decline in vocabulary skills of older adults. The present research uses the proposed new qualitative criteria, testing both superior and average‐ability subjects from contrasting educational settings: a selective private university and a two‐year public college with an “open‐door” admissions policy. Within both educationally balanced groups of subjects older adults performed significantly better than the young, judged by either standard or qualitative criteria. Variables such as lifestyle, occupational history, and choice of college major appear to be related to variations in scoring patterns     

TRAINING OLDER AND YOUNGER ADULTS TO USE SOFTWARE

Forty‐six subjects (22 young, 24 old) received three training sessions with software (Borland's “Sidekick"). Each session lasted a maximum of S h. The fourth session was a test. Subjects were randomly assigned to two learning environments, partnered or individual, and half were given a computer “jargon” sheet before training. All instructions were written, learning was self‐paced, and tasks were formulated according to discovery‐method guidelines. Attitudes toward computers were measured before Session 1 and on completion of Session 3. The results showed that older adults took twice as long as younger ones but achieved nearly equal performance levels, exceeding young adults in one condition but falling slightly below them in others. Older adults requested help two to three times as frequently. Session 3 attitude scores were positively correlated with the mark achieved on the final test, and changes in attitudes were related to training conditions.     

Impact of Learned Resourcefulness and Theories of Intelligence on Academic Achievement of University Students: An integrated approach

This was the first study to integrate Rosenbaum's concept of learned resourcefulness with Dweck's implicit theories of intelligence in predicting university students' academic self‐control behaviour and year‐end grades. Rosenbaum highlights the prominent role that learned resourcefulness skills play in promoting mastery responses and goal attainment during difficult situations. Dweck, on the other hand, describes how students' beliefs about intelligence direct their goal‐setting preferences and correspondent reactions to disappointing performance outcomes. Students completed self‐report measures assessing their learned resourcefulness skills, academic self‐control skills, academic self‐efficacy, theories of intelligence, goal orientation, and attributions for academic failure. Our findings supported the integrated approach to understanding academic goal attainment. Students who reported engaging in academic self‐control behaviours possessed a better‐developed repertoire of general self‐control skills, believed in their academic ability to succeed, applied more effort in response to academic setbacks, valued learning something new in class more than merely getting good grades, and actually obtained higher grades. Theories of intelligence had an indirect association with academic self‐control through ability attributions. Directions for future research are noted.     

ADULT AGE DIFFERENCES IN SPEED AND ACCURACY OF MATCHING VERBAL AND PICTORIAL SIGNS

Young (mean age of 19 years) and older (mean age of 69 years) adults participated in a two‐choice, matching‐to‐sample reaction time experiment. Young adults responded more quickly than older adults; all subjects responded more quickly to a verbal standard sign than to a pictorial standard. However, there was an age difference in speed of performance only for those subjects in the stimulus order condition receiving first pictorial standards and then verbal standards. These data are interpreted within a model of dual memory processing systems (verbal and nonverbal). During adulthood there is an increasing tendency for verbal codes to elicit more general associations of both a verbal and a pictorial symbolic nature, while a pictorial code continues to activate only other pictorial stimuli. More generally, the implications of such a model for understanding aging and educational gerontology are discussed.     

Intelligence and the tuning-in of brain networks

The phase-synchronization of Gamma-band oscillations has been postulated as a mechanism of “network binding” and implicated in various aspects of perception, memory, and cognition. The current study investigates a possible link between Gamma synchrony and individual differences in intelligence within the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence, with due reference to Hebbian theory. The hypothesis is that there are significant correlations between cognitive performance and synchronous Gamma activity across diverse brain regions. EEG data were recorded from 35 healthy participants, and the peak magnitude and latency of early and late Gamma Synchrony were extracted using a method for quantifying phase synchronization across multiple sites. Participants also completed 11 diverse cognitive ability tests tapping fluid and crystallized intelligence. Overall, moderate-sized correlations were obtained between accuracy and speed composite scores, derived from the ability tests, and magnitude and latency indices of Gamma synchrony. Phase-synchronous Gamma activity provides a plausible physiological mechanism that might account for individual differences in cognitive abilities.