Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Article Alert: Sharing Neuropsychological test performance of Spanish speakers: Is performance different across different Spanish-speaking subgroups? via BrowZine

Neuropsychological test performance of Spanish speakers: Is performance different across different Spanish-speaking subgroups?
Buré-Reyes, Annelly; Hidalgo-Ruzzante, Natalia; Vilar-López, Raquel; Gontier, Javier; Sánchez, Laura; Pérez-García, Miguel; Puente, Antonio E.
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, Vol. 35 Issue 4 – 2013: 404 - 412

10.1080/13803395.2013.778232

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13803395.2013.778232

Accessed with BrowZine, supported by University of Minnesota.
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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Smart Enough to Die: In 2002, the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for mentally retarded defendants. Still, Texas finds a way. - News - The Austin Chronicle

More from Texas and especially the Briseno factors.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2013-04-19/smart-enough-to-die/

Research byte: New Flynn effect article from Sweden

> Title:
> Secular trends in cognitive test performance: Swedish conscript data 1970-1993
>
> Authors:
> Ronnlund, M; Carlstedt, B; Blomstedt, Y; Nilsson, LG; Weinehall, L
>
> Source:
> *INTELLIGENCE*, 41 (1):19-24; JAN-FEB 2013
>
> Abstract:
> We investigated time-related patterns in levels of cognitive performance
> during the period from 1970 to 1993 based on data from Swedish draft
> boards. The conscripts, including more than a million 18-19-year old
> men, had taken one of two versions of the Swedish enlistment battery
> (SEB67; 1970-1979 or SEB80; 1980-1993), each composed of four subtests.
> The results revealed significant Flynn effects, with estimated gains of
> 1.2-1.5 IQ-units per decade. The effect seem to hold across ability
> levels, even though tendencies of more pronounced effects in the lower
> half of the ability distribution was observed. The largest gains were
> for visuospatial tests (Paper Form Board and Metal Folding), with little
> change, even slight losses during the second sub-period, for tests of
> verbal knowledge (Concept Discrimination and Synonyms) and a mixed
> pattern for a test of technical comprehension (losses followed by
> gains). Finally, comparisons of trends in cognitive performance and in
> standing height show that the gains in cognitive performance over the
> years from 1980 to 1993 occurred in the absence of overall gains in
> height which speaks against nutrition as the cause of the Flynn effects.
> (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
>
>