Bender‐Gestalt II differential item functioning across Caucasian and African American examinees

Performance on figure copying tasks is empirically linked to the school readiness, learning, cognition, and neuropsychological functioning. These nonverbal tasks are frequently used to evaluate children from diverse backgrounds to minimize bias due to factors such as language, ethnicity, culture, or socioeconomic status on test performance. The current study examined the possible Differential Item Functioning across African American and Caucasian groups, ages 4 to 7 years, in Bender Motor Gestalt Test, Second Edition (BG‐II) visual‐motor scores. Results indicated that in general the BG‐II can be considered invariant across these ethnic groups in this age range.     

Reliability of the Draw‐a‐man Test

The study reported in this paper was designed to examine three reliability characteristics of the Harris revision of the Goodenough ‘Draw‐a‐man’ Test when used with five‐year‐old school entrants. The test was individually administered to each of 90 children on two occasions, with an average time‐separation of two weeks. Three persons undertook the administration and scoring of the drawings, and the investigation examined the reliability coefficients associated with i) temporal stability (same tester); ii) temporal stability (different testers); iii) marker error. The results indicate that when experienced testers are used, the reliability of the ‘Draw‐a‐man’ scale is of the same magnitude as that reported in previous studies involving older children as subjects. It is also suggested that with school entrants, the influence of different trained testers on the final rank order of scores is probably quite small. The present study shows too, that with the drawings of five‐year‐old children there is less likelihood of the scorer developing a consistent subjective marking standard than is the case with the drawings of older children. Scoring errors tended to be random rather than systematic due probably to the relatively greater number of occasions when uncertainty exists over the interpretation or naming of basic features of immature drawings. It is suggested that the test is more useful for the comparison of groups rather than individual school entrants.     

The revised test of visual-motor integration: Its relation to the test of visual-motor integration and bender visual-motor gestalt test for regular education students

Comparisons were made among three tests of visual-motor integration: The Revised Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI-R), the Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), and the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test (BG). BG age equivalent scores were significantly higher than those obtained for either the VMI-R or VMI. Although the BG age scores were greater than the respective chronological age, such was not the case when CA was compared to either the VMI-R or VMI. The VMI-R yielded higher scores than did the VMI. Highly significant correlations were found among all variables.     

THE LIFE SPAN: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS (2nd Ed.)

The purpose of the present study was to investigate attitudes toward old age in an Israeli population, compared with attitudes toward youth and middle age, among individuals representing these same ages. Global concepts “Youth,” “Adult,” and “Old person” were rated in comparison with the “Ideal Person.”

Representatives of 62 three‐generation families participated in the study. A semantic differential consisting of 21 bipolar adjective pairs in 7‐point scale format was used to measure attitudes toward the four concepts. Results indicated that the concept “Old Person” was rated lowest in relation to the “Ideal Person,” as a global concept as well as on three cut of four dimensions derived from the global concept. This pattern was found among all three groups of raters, including the elderly themselves. The elderly, however, rated themselves significantly more favorably than did the other groups.     

Mathematical thinking intervention programmes for preschool children with normal and low number sense

This study investigated the possibility of enhancing the level of preschoolers’ number sense by introducing two intervention programmes, Let’s think! and Young children with special educational needs count, too! .Forty‐five preschoolers, mean age 66.4 months, were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received instruction twice a week, for half an hour, and for a period of nine months. Pretest–postest comparison revealed that the experimental group showed enhanced number‐sense performance immediately after the instruction ended, but the between‐group difference faded after six months. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in general mathematical thinking abilities (transfer tasks) after the intervention.     

Improving the Use of a Group Counseling Scale and Related Model to Teach Theory and Skills Integration

This study tested the Skilled Group Counseling Training Model (SGCTM) and a related instrument, the Skilled Group Counseling Scale. Retraining of raters and later rescoring of data from a previous study resulted in an improvement of interrater reliability; a factor‐analytic study of the scale revealed a single, global factor; and students in a group counseling class who were trained in the model used at least 80% of the SGCTM skills during three videotaped, simulated group counseling sessions. During these sessions, the students adhered to one of three counseling theories (Person‐Centered, Gestalt, and Rational‐Emotive Behavioral Therapy).     

Expanded Koppitz scoring system of the bender gestalt visual-motor test for adolescents: A pilot study

The current research represented a pilot study to assess the use of the Bender Gestalt Visual-Motor Test with school-age adolescents over 11 years of age. Research regarding the accuracy of the hypothesis that visual-motor integration functioning is normally intact by age 11 was presented. In addition, initial data to extend the Koppitz scoring system of the Bender for ages 11 years, 6 months through 15 years, 11 months was proposed. Mean error scores from the pilot study suggested that visual-motor development is not maturationally complete by age 11 years, 11 months. Additional research focusing on extending the normative sample or developing a new scoring system for adolescents is suggested.     

The Development of Occupational Sex‐role Stereotypes,Occupational Preferences and Academic Subject Preferences in Children at Ages 8, 12 and 16

This paper reports data from a questionnaire‐based UK study aimed at examining occupational sex‐role stereotypes and occupational preferences of male and female pupils at three ages. Data were collected from 594 children in total (108 8‐year‐olds, 307 12‐year‐olds and 177 16‐year‐olds) who responded to questions that asked for their views on who (males, females or both) should perform certain occupations and how much they would like to have each of the occupations as their career. The children were also asked to indicate their favourite school subject. Analysis indicated that the youngest age group held significantly more stereotyped views regarding who should perform certain jobs than the older children and that, generally, boys sex‐typed appropriateness of occupations to a significantly greater degree than girls, although this difference was not significant in the youngest age group. Furthermore, analysis of the occupational preference ratings revealed significant differences between male and female subjects for many occupations, with higher ratings generally being awarded to stereo‐typically gender‐appropriate careers. Significant differences between the three age groups were also observed in the preference ratings for many occupations, with a tendency for the majority of occupations to be perceived less favourably with increasing age of respondent. Finally, school subject preferences were considered. No consistent or stable pattern of preference emerged for males and females across age‐groups, confirming recent suggestions that gender stereotyping of school subjects is weakening.     

An Evaluation of a Children's Safety Training Programme

This paper reports an experimental evaluation of a children's safety training programme,Kidscape, which aims to increase primary school children's ability to deal with four types of potentially unsafe situation: being bullied, being approached by a stranger, being subject to inappropriate intimacy from a known adult and to pressure from such adults to keep such intimacy secret. Assessments of children's safety awareness were carried out in three schools which used the programme, and in three matched control schools which did not, with children at two age levels, 6 years and 10 years. These assessments of children's awareness were made on three occasions: before, immediately after and 2‐3 months after the training programme for the experimental sample (60 children) and on corresponding occasions for the control sample (60 children). The results revealed a significant improvement in the safety awareness of the experimental (trained) group after training and also a significant difference between the groups, in favour of the trained group. However, an improved performance of the control (untrained) group suggests that factors other than the Kidscape programme itself may influence these differences. Age differences in children's wariness of the four safety situations are also discussed.     

Sensitivity of Four Subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch) to Stimulant Medication in Children with ADHD

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined on four subtests of the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch) when on and off stimulant medication. Performance was assessed relative to 18 individually age‐matched controls. Children with ADHD performed significantly worse on TEA‐Ch measures when off compared to when on stimulant medication. This was found in both predominantly inattentive (n = 6) and combined inattentive and hyperactive‐impulsive (n = 12) subtypes. The age‐matched controls significantly improved with repeated testing on most TEA‐Ch measures. Significant differences were found between the unmedicated children with ADHD and age‐matched controls on sustained attention (Score! and Walk Don’t Walk) and attention control measures (Same and Opposite Worlds). When the ADHD group was on stimulant medication, with the exception of the Walk Don’t Walk subtest, no significant differences were found between them and the age‐matched controls. Unlike the TEA‐Ch subtests, the significant differences between the two groups on the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) subtests remained when attentional status was altered in the children with ADHD. The study supports further investigations of the TEA‐Ch as a measure sensitive to changes in stimulant medication in children with ADHD.     

Attitudes Toward Retarded Children: Effects of Evaluator's Psychological Adjustment and Age

Gottlieb, J. (1969). Attitudes Toward Retarded Children: Effects of Evaluator's Psychological Adjustment and Age. Scand. J. Educ. Res. 13, 170‐182. Norwegian school children between the ages of 8‐10, 10‐12, 12‐14, and 14‐16 were divided into high and low adjustment groups on the basis of discrepancy scores between their ideal self and self scores on the semantic differential. It was hypothesized that the high adjustment group would report more favorable attitudes toward the retarded than the low adjustment group, and that attitudes would remain relatively stable with increased age. Both hypotheses were confirmed. The results were interpreted as supporting Rogers’ theory. Possible explanations for the over‐all favorable attitudes by the Norwegian Ss were also discussed.     

The Effect on Reasoning,Reading and Number Performance of Computer‐presented Critical Thinking Activities in Five‐year‐old Children

Summary The performance of 64 five‐year‐old children on Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, the Break‐through to Literacy Reading Scheme, and a test of mathematics was noted, and the children were designated as high or low initial performance on each by division at the medians. They were then randomly divided within sexes into two groups. A treatment group worked, over a 13 week period, through 32 computer presented problem‐solving activities while a control group did alternative activities. All the children were then re‐tested. The results showed a significantly greater improvement between the pre‐ and post‐test for the treatment group than for the control group on Raven's Matrices for both high and low initial performance. For reading the low initial attainment treatment subjects improved significantly more than the control. In mathematics there was no significant effect of the treatment. The results were discussed in terms of the skills underlying reading and number work.     

Sensitivity to auditory and visual stimuli during early reading development

An investigation was conducted into the visual and auditory temporal processing profiles of two groups of 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children: pre‐alphabetic children, who showed no alphabetic ability (failing to read any non‐words in a test), and those who demonstrated some alphabetic ability. This alphabetic group showed higher scores in reading and spelling attainment than the pre‐alphabetic group. They were also faster than the pre‐alphabetic group in reacting to the onset and offset of auditory and visual stimuli. However, when age was used as a covariate, only reaction times (RTs) to the offsets of visual stimuli were found to be faster in the alphabetic than the pre‐alphabetic group. This suggests that responses to the offset of visual stimuli are becoming more rapid during the same developmental period when alphabetic ability is beginning to be acquired. Within the alphabetic group, after accounting for age, visual and auditory onset RTs were strongly correlated, whereas within the pre‐alphabetic group there were high correlations between visual and auditory offset RTs. It is therefore suggested that a strong association between RTs to visual and auditory onsets may be beneficial during early alphabetic acquisition, when phoneme–grapheme associations are established. Multiple regression analyses showed visual offset RT as the only variable to account for a significant amount of variance in spelling attainment after age was taken into account, which may relate to Frith's (1985) contention that spelling is important in driving early alphabetic ability.     

Early numeracy in low‐performing young children

The aim of this study was to explore the early numeracy of low‐performing young children. The mean age of the children was six years and four months. The 511 participants belonged to three groups: multi‐language children, children with special educational needs and children with average performance. The results showed that there were significant group differences in early numeracy: the children in the reference group had better relational and counting skills than those with a multi‐language background and those with special educational needs. Some differences were found in counting skills between the children with multi‐language background and those with special educational needs. Finally, (special) educational support for low‐performing children is discussed.     

The Effects of an Age‐appropriate Intervention on Young Children's Understanding of Inheritance

ABSTRACT The present study explored 4(N = 22) and 7‐year‐olds’ (N = 24) under‐Standing of biological inheritance in cows and horses. An intervention technique adapted from Springer (1995) in which children are taught the basic facts of intrauterine development and birth, in story form, was used in an attempt to improve children's conceptual understanding of inheritance. All children were pre‐tested about inheritance and subsequently half were trained using the intervention (the others were controls). All children were post‐tested within a week of pre‐test, and about 4 weeks later completed delayed post‐tests. Results showed that at pre‐test there were significant age differences in both judgements and explanations of inheritance with 7‐year‐olds exhibiting more sophisticated biological reasoning. Surprisingly, there were no significant improvements for either age in judgements or explanations of inheritance as a function of the intervention at post‐test or delayed post‐test. The findings are discussed with reference to theoretical issues surrounding children's theory of inheritance and the implications for training studies.     

Arithmetic learning difficulties in children

This study explored the arithmetic skills of 39 children with arithmetic learning difficulties (ALD), compared to two control groups, one consisting of normally achieving children matched to the ALD sample for chronological age (n=28), and another comprising younger normally achieving children matched to the ALD sample for arithmetic level (n=28). To determine the relative contribution of reading impairments to arithmetic performance, the ALD group was further classified according to the presence or absence of reading difficulties into a mixed ALD (n=24) and specific ALD (n=15) group, respectively. The ALD group performed well below their chronological age counterparts in terms of the developmental maturity of their arithmetic problem solving. These children demonstrated a reliance on slow, counting-based procedures to solve arithmetic problems and, in this regard, they performed similarly to their younger, arithmetic-matched normal peers. Children with ALD also employed direct fact retrieval reliably less often than their same-age peers, but did not differ from their younger, arithmetic-matched counterparts. There were few significant differences between ALD children with and without accompanying reading problems. The findings suggest that children with ALD appear to show delayed development of arithmetic skills rather than specific processing deficits or abnormalities when comparison is made with both their chronological age and arithmetic-matched normal peers.     

Children Use Nonverbal Cues to Make Inferences About Social Power

Four studies (N = 192) tested whether young children use nonverbal information to make inferences about differences in social power. Five‐ and six‐year‐old children were able to determine which of two adults was “in charge” in dynamic videotaped conversations (Study 1) and in static photographs (Study 4) using only nonverbal cues. Younger children (3–4 years) were not successful in Study 1 or Study 4. Removing irrelevant linguistic information from conversations did not improve the performance of 3‐ to 4‐year‐old children (Study 3), but including relevant linguistic cues did (Study 2). Thus, at least by 5 years of age, children show sensitivity to some of the same nonverbal cues adults use to determine other people's social roles.     

Characteristics of the street children of Colombia

Psychological characteristics of 56 Colombian male street children, aged 7 to 16, were examined from participant observations and results of three psychological tests given the children. The Kohs Block Design measured their intelligence; and the Human Figure Drawing and the Bender Gestalt measured emotional and neurological functioning. The test data showed the sample to be relatively healthy, intelligent, and emotionally intact. The children's relatively good scores on the tests may be understood by placing their abandonment in a cultural perspective, which includes the children's strong peer support system, their access to adult benefactors, and the fact that the children were developing in an orderly fashion from matrifocal families. The premise is made that by understanding the children more accurately more appropriate help may be given.     

Gifted children and visual-motor development: A comparison of Bender-Gestalt and VMI test performance

A sample of 63 gifted elementary-school students was administered the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration for comparative purposes and to test Koppitz hypothesis that gifted students have advanced visual-motor development. Group results revealed no significant differences between the two tests, that they did correlate significantly, and that younger students in particular had advanced visual-motor development when tested using these two tools.     

Peer Problems and Hyperactivity–Impulsivity Among Norwegian and American Children: The Role of 5‐HTTLPR

Peer problems are linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and the serotonin system is thought to be involved in ADHD‐related behavior. Hence, from a Gene × Environment perspective, the serotonin transporter 5‐HTTLPR may play a moderating role. In two large community samples, the moderating role of 5‐HTTLPR was examined related to more hyperactivity–impulsivity symptoms (HI symptoms) predicted by more peer problems. In Study 1, involving 642 Norwegian children, results indicated that for s‐allele carriers only, caregiver‐reported peer problems at age 4 predicted more parent‐reported HI symptoms at age 6. In Study 2, similar results emerged involving 482 American children. Discussion focuses on differential sensitivity to the adverse effects of poor peer relations.