MENTAL STATUS AS A PREDICTOR OF RESPONSE TO MEMORY TRAINING IN OLDER ADULTS

The present study assessed the association between rated mental status and response to a memory‐training program. A commonly used general measure of cognitive impairment, the Mini‐Mental State Exam (MMSE), was administered to 102 elderly participants enrolled in a 2‐week memory‐training program. The program used two visual‐imagery mnemonics (name‐face recall and list learning by the “method of loci"). The MMSE scores were positively related to improvement in recall performance. Individuals with relatively mild deficits (those scoring below 29) showed less improvement than those scoring 29 and 30. Differences in ability to benefit from training were also noted between the two mnemonic devices, suggesting a more rapid fall off in ability to benefit from training with a more complex mnemonic, the method of loci.     

ABSOLUTE VERSUS RELATIVE INTENSITY CLASSIFICATION OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY

A major issue in evaluating the success of educational programs intended to improve public participation in physical activity is how to classify the intensity of activities performed. Currently, there are at least two approaches to estimating intensity of leisure time physical activity (LTPA), based on relative and absolute scales. We examined the impact of using relative versus absolute criteria on reaching physical activity goals set by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM; 2000) and the Surgeon General (United States Department of Health and Human Services, USDHHS, 1996). Subjects were healthy men (n = 619) and women (n = 497) aged 18-95 who were participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The percentage of subjects meeting the Surgeon General's recommendations for moderate and high intensity LTPA declined with age under the absolute classification system but increased with age when a relative intensity scale was used. Using ACSM recommendations, aging was associated with a decline in high absolute intensity LTPA. However, when a relative classification system was used, high relative intensity LTPA appeared to increase with age, inverting the relationship between high-intensity LTPA and cardiorespiratory fitness. The use of relative intensity LTPA criteria suggests that older subjects are meeting national standards for physical activity, raising questions about the appropriateness of such a scale to motivate older adults to improve their fitness.     

Word Prediction Programs with Phonetic Spelling Support: Performance Comparisons and Impact on Journal Writing for Students with Writing Difficulties

This investigation examined the effects of currently available word prediction software programs that support phonetic/inventive spelling on the quality of journal writing by six students with severe writing and/or spelling difficulties in grades three through six during a month‐long summer writing program. A changing conditions single‐subject research design was used and replicated across the participants. Using a daily writing prompt, students alternated between Co:Writer, WordQ, and WriteAssist word prediction programs. The results provided evidence for the effectiveness of various word prediction programs over word processing, and demonstrated improvements in spelling accuracy across conditions. Relative gains in the total number of words and composition rate were modest for the majority of the participants and should be interpreted with caution due to several methodological issues. The social validity interviews revealed that all students enjoyed the word prediction programs and found them beneficial. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Evaluating the geography of gendered achievement using large-scale assessment data from the primary school system of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

This study analyzed the spatial distribution of gender differentials in Mathematics and Language Arts on national assessments of educational achievement in the primary school system of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The findings indicate statistically significant medium-sized differences favouring females on Language Arts primarily in the rural regions of east Trinidad and in the island of Tobago and statistically significant, negligible to small differences on Mathematics nationwide. Individual schools reporting medium-sized gender differences were more common in rural, low-performing education districts, where reported poverty was also higher. This pattern of early gendered achievement in language within low-achieving, poor and rural geographic locations points towards the need for placed-based education policies and focused interventions.