Another good resource on false confessions

At link below

http://forensicpsychologist.blogspot.com/2010/11/another-good-resource-on-false.html

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Educational Psychologist

Revised Joint Psych testing standards: Comments being sought

Just received the following announcement from APA via the measurement division listserv.

COMMENTS TO BE SOUGHT ON REVISED STANDARDS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING

The Joint Committee for the Revision of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing is anticipating release of a revised draft of the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME) during the week of January 10, 2011. The revised draft Standards will be posted at http://www.teststandards.net. An on-line template will allow individuals and organizations to review and comment on the draft document. All comments and recommendations concerning the draft Standards must be submitted to the Joint Committee through this website, and will be due by April 20, 2011. Please share this announcement with organizations and groups interested in professional and scientific issues concerning testing and assessment.

































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iPost: Gallup: Death Penalty Support Steady

Info at link below

http://www.crimeandconsequences.com/crimblog/2010/11/gallup-death-penalty-support-s.html

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iPost: Intellectual disabilities and depression: How to adapt psychological assessment and intervention.

Abstract at link below

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apa-journals-cap/~3/i-XQP4hiChM/185

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Educational Psychologist

Research brief: Taxometric analysis of adjudicative competence

Adjudicative competence: Evidence that impairment in “rational understanding” is taxonic. Marcus, David K.; Poythress, Norman G.; Edens, John F.; Lilienfeld, Scott O. Psychological Assessment, Vol 22(3), Sep 2010, 716-722. doi: 10.1037/a0020131


Abstract

In Dusky v. United States (1960), the U.S. Supreme Court articulated 3 abilities that determine a criminal defendant's competence to stand trial: He or she must be able to consult with counsel, have a factual understanding of the proceedings, and have a rational understanding of the proceedings. Although the legal determination of a defendant's competence involves a dichotomous judgment, the latent structures of the constructs that underlie the abilities articulated in Dusky are unknown. The current study focused on the rational understanding prong of the Dusky standard. We hypothesized that, whereas factual knowledge of the legal system and ability to assist counsel may fall on a continuum, plausible (i.e., rational) beliefs about legal proceedings may be dichotomous in nature. Taxometric analyses of the Appreciation scale of the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool—Criminal Adjudication, with a sample of 721 defendants, provided support for a taxonic structure.

intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA Ajudicative competence Competence to stand trial


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iPost: Top-Ten Recent SSRN Downloads

Top-Ten Recent SSRN Downloads

CrimProf Blog

are here. The usual disclaimers apply. Rank Downloads Paper Title 1 248 Good Faith, New Law, and the Scope of the Exclusionary Rule Orin S. Kerr, George Washington University - Law School, Date posted to database: September 11, 2010 [new...

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Dr. Detterman's intelligence bytes: Testing standards

Another in the Dr. Detterman's Intelligence Bytes series


Testing has become a highly professional activity and carefully specified standards for tests and testing have been developed. The most widely used standard was developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. These standards provide guidelines for the construction of tests, specify who should use them, what they should be used for, and how results should be interpreted. Within professions that use tests, test use is frequently regulated by professional associations. Improper use can be sanctioned by the association or licensing boards.

In addition to test standards, the use of tests is controlled by an increasing body of legal decisions specifying how tests may be used in hiring, educational decisions, and other applications including determining who should get the death penalty in the U.S.. There are also “fairness in testing” laws designed to protect the test taker. Increasingly, tests are used to make important decisions about people: if they will get into kindergarten, where they go to college, if they will be hired, etc. It is incumbent on those who use tests to appreciate the importance a test can have to an individual and to fully understand what a test can and cannot do. It is not difficult to give a test but correct interpretation of the meaning of the score requires substantial knowledge about tests.

Doug Detterman Dr. Dettermans intelligence bytes intelligence individual differences psychology school psychology cognitive psychology neuropsychology ISIR forensic psychology IQ IQ differences



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Court Decision: Sasser v Hobbs (AR, 2010)

Sasser v Hobbs (AR, 2010) Atkins court decision is now posted in the Court Decisions blogroll. Given that I served as an expert witness in this case, I will recuse (I've always wanted to use that word) myself from further comment.

intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability Sasser v Hobbs Sasser v AR ASVAB Flynn Effect

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iPost: NEW FROM DPIC: Video Excerpts from the International Police Forum on the Death Penalty

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-dpic-video-excerpts-international-police-forum-death-penalty

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Educational Psychologist

iPost: Call for Papers is Now Available for the AAIDD 2011 Annual Meeting

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Educational Psychologist

Begin forwarded message:

 

AAIDD 135th Annual Meeting
Inclusive Communities: Pathways to Realizing the Vision
June 5 – 9, 2011
The Twin Cities, Minnesota

Submission Deadline:  December 15, 2010

 

Dear AAIDD members and friends,

The AAIDD 135th Annual Meeting, Inclusive Communities:  Pathways to Realizing the Vision, will provide leading practitioners, researchers, teaching faculty, policymakers, funders, and advocates with effective and emerging practices, cutting edge research, and valuable information on important policy initiatives.  The conference will feature plenary sessions, panel and poster presentations, interactive cafés, task force and special interest group meetings, and networking events. Pre- and post-conference workshops will address special topics in depth.

The Theme  
The notion of inclusion has, in some form, been a motivating force for reform in the field of developmental and intellectual disabilities for the past 25 years.  Conceptually, inclusion has evolved from an aspiration linked to "a place" to one invested in participation, choice, and relationships. In inclusive communities, rather than focusing on services provided by agencies, the emphasis is placed on supporting an individual's involvement in typical community activities based on their needs and choices.  The primary role of professionals in this context is to support individuals with disabilities to be fully included in school, work, and the community.
 
The conference will create a forum for sharing expertise and ideas relevant to creating inclusive communities—a sharing that will continue past the actual dates of the conference.  To that end, proposals might consider—but are not limited to—addressing inclusion or promoting inclusion in the following areas:

• Aging
• Civil Rights 
• Community Access 
• Community Participation
• Employment
• Education
• Faith Communities
• Friendships and Relationships
• Health and Wellness
• Housing
• Person Centered Supports 
• Positive Behavior Support
• Public Policy 
• Quality of Life
• Research 
• Self Determination
• Supports that Foster Inclusion
• Use of Technology 
 
If we have missed key topics, please feel free to submit on a topic you feel is important to creating inclusive communities. 

Proposals Sought
Proposals are sought for the following types of presentations.  Proposals will be competitively reviewed—not all proposals are accepted, and, due to space limitations, some authors may be offered presentation opportunities in forums other than what they proposed.

Early career professionals and students are strongly encouraged to submit proposals. The conference provides a unique opportunity to become involved in the field and develop leadership in the areas of research, practice, policy, and advocacy.  A limited number of student scholarships are available on a competitive basis—to be considered for a scholarship, a student must be the first author on a poster proposal and indicate that they would like to be considered for a scholarship on the proposal submission form.

Breakout Sessions
Individuals or small groups of authors are encouraged to submit proposals for presentation whose content could be conveyed in 20 minutes or less. Among the proposals accepted for inclusion, AAIDD will assemble panels of up to 3 presentations per breakout session that are topically or thematically linked. 

Poster Presentations
Individuals or groups of authors are encouraged to submit proposals for interactive poster presentations in which they can to discuss their work with conference participants.

Media and Resource Presentations
Individuals or groups of authors are encouraged to submit proposals to display and discuss videos/films of any length, electronic resources, and other materials in an interactive forum.

Academy Sessions
All proposals for research oriented sessions must submit presentations as described above.

Note that plenary sessions, preconference sessions, and post-conference workshops are invited presentations and are not managed through this call for papers process.

Submission Guidelines
All proposals must be submitted online no later than December 15, 2010.  Proposals will be peer reviewed, and authors will be notified of the decision on their submission by the end of January 2011.  At minimum, the lead author of each accepted proposal is expected to attend and present at the conference.  All presenters must pay the conference registration fee and fees associated with their AV requirements.

A complete proposal consists of the following:
1. Completed Presentation Submission Form
2. 500-word Summary: detailed description of presentation that will evaluated by reviewers
3. 50-75 word Abstract: brief summary of presentation used for the conference program

Click here to submit your abstract

 

Sharon C. Gomez
AAIDD Conference Chair

Court decision: Maldonado v Thaler (2010) 5th circuit decision

On October 29 the Federal Appeals Court (5th Circuit) decided Virgilio Maldonado's Atkins appeal on Oct. 29 (click here to view) The district court opinion has previously been posted at the ICDP blog. In August, the appeals court granted a certificate of appeal on the intellectual disability issue, which it disposed of on the 29th. Interestingly, the court spent significant time discussing a psychologists credibility that was noted in a prior ICDP discussion of "voodoo psychometrics." However, in the end, the court concluded that even if Dr. Denkowski's testimony was tossed out.... “we conclude that Maldonado could not, with the evidence that would remain, meet his burden for obtaining federal habeas relief."

Again, the Flynn Effect was in play. Testimony indicated that all experts accepted the validity of the Flynn Effect phenomena, but differed on whether it should be used the adjust an individuals IQ score, which seems to be the central point of the debate of the Flynn Effect (aka norm obsolescence) in many Atkins cases. The final decision relied on a Texas case law which called the Flynn Effect an "unexamined scientific concept".

Finally, this decision made frequent reference to the case of Wiley v Epps (2009, 2010).

intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability Flynn effect Maldonado v Texas Maldonado v Thaler


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Court decision: Wiley v Epps (MS, 2009, 2010)

FYI update Atkins decision on Wiley vs Epps (MS, 2009) can be found here (Wiley v Epps, 2010)

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Research brief: DSM-5 and malingering--proposal by Berry & Nelson (2010)

Berry, D. & Nelson, N. (2010). DSM-5 and Malingering: a Modest Proposal. Psychol. Inj. and Law. DOI 10.1007/s12207-010-9087-7


Abstract

The DSM criteria for identifying malingering are reviewed and found to be flawed on both conceptual and practical grounds. Alternative models for diagnosing feigned psychiatric, physical, and neuropsychological symptoms are presented. A number of useful features of these systems are highlighted for potential contributions to modified DSM criteria. It is recommended that the present DSM text on malingering be replaced with feigned psychiatric, physical, or neuropsychological symptoms and suggestions for developing criteria for this condition are made

intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability malingering DSM DSM-V American Psychiatric Association

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Research brief: Neldson-Denny Reading Test may overestimate reading comprehension

The Nelson-Denny Ready Test is a popular test used to assess reading comprehension in college-aged adults. The test requires examinees to read passages and then answer multiple-point comprehension questions. Of course, any time there is a multiple-answer response format one needs to be concerned about guessing.

A new study (Coleman et al, 2010) raises significant concerns about the accuracy of the NDRT. In university students with reading problems and students at-risk, it was found that without even reading the passages, individuals could correctly answer many of the comprehension questions above chance guessing.

On the NDRT there is a 20% chance of individuals correctly guessing the correct answer from among the multiple point answers. In this study individuals were able to answer the questions (depending on the form) successfully at 30% to 50% levels---well above the 20% chance level of guessing. The study highlights the problem of passage dependent/independent answers to reading tests using a multiple choice format. The results also suggest that the NDRT may tend to provide an overestimate of an individuals reading comprehension.

psychology school psychology neuropsychology Forensic ppsychology reading comprehension Nelson-Denny Reading Test NDRT special education reading disabilities dyslexia


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iPost: Top-Ten Recent SSRN Downloads

Top-Ten Recent SSRN Downloads

CrimProf Blog

are here. The usual disclaimers apply. Rank Downloads Paper Title 1 200 The Diplomacy of Universal Jurisdiction: The Regulating Role of the Political Branches in the Transnational Prosecution of International Crimes Maximo Langer, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) -...

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Research brief: Global support for the death penalty?

Unnever, J. (2010). Global support for the death penalty. Punishment & Society International Journal of Penology, 12(4), 463-484.

Abstract

The recently released Gallup International 2000 Millennium Survey Poll collected data from individuals residing in 59 countries. The focus of this research was to analyze these data to examine whether the abolition movement has ushered in a new ‘collective sensibility’ about the death penalty or whether global attitudes toward capital punishment are characterized by deep divisions. The research assumes that the long-term stability of abolition will be assured when the vast majority of the citizens of the world oppose the use of the death penalty. The findings reveal that there are deep cleavages in worldwide support for capital punishment. The article highlights five divides in support for capital punishment and then separately discusses the results from the human rights and minority group threat analyses.

Forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment


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iPost: Robinson on LWOP and Modern Theories of Punishment

Robinson on LWOP and Modern Theories of Punishment

CrimProf Blog

Paul H. Robinson (University of Pennsylvania Law School) has posted 'Life Without Parole' Under Modern Theories of Punishment on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Life without parole seems an attractive and logical punishment under the modern coercive crime-control principles of...

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Educational Psychologist

Dr. Detterman's Intelligence Bytes: Why do we often fail to recognize the full range of differences in human intelligence?

Another in the Dr. Detterman's Intelligence Bytes series



The study of human intelligence is the study of differences among people. Few
realize what considerable differences in human ability there are. This unawareness is probably due to at least three reasons. First, we are seldom exposed to the full range of human ability. Societies are probably more segregated by intelligence than by any other characteristic. There are few places where the full range of ability is observable. In their daily life, most people are exposed to people who have intellectual ability very similar to their own. There are also few situations where a person can actually gauge the intelligence of others. Most of life's situations do not require the application of intelligence to any substantial or observable degree.

Doug Detterman Dr. Dettermans intelligence bytes intelligence individual differences psychology school psychology cognitive psychology neuropsychology ISIR forensic psychology IQ IQ differences
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Research brief: Cultural and Linguistic Matrix (C-LIM) method for interpreting cognitive test data has limited supporting empirical evidence

Kranzler, J., Flores, C., & Coady, M. (2010). Examination of the Cross-Battery Approach for the Cognitive Assessment of Children and Youth From Diverse Linguistic and Cultural Backgrounds. School Psychology Review; 2010, 39(3), 431-446,

Abstract

Flanagan, Ortiz, and Alfonso (2007) recently developed the Culture-Language Interpretive Matrices (C-LIMs) for the cognitive assessment of children and youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. To examine the utility of this new approach, we administered the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities to a sample of students receiving English as a second language services in public school settings who had not been referred for special education services. Results of within-subjects analyses of the predicted effects of linguistic demand and of cultural loading on subtest scores in the C-LIM were nonsignificant. Although a statistically significant (decreasing) trend was observed for the effect of linguistic demand and cultural loading combined, post hoc analyses revealed that this finding was attributable to a significantly higher score on one subtest and did not reflect significant differences among all three subtests in this contrast. Moreover, only 13% of the sample had a pattern of test scores that was consistent with Flanagan et al.'s C-LIM predictions of the pattern of subtest scores predicted for children and youth from diverse backgrounds. In sum, results of our study suggest that further research is needed to substantiate the use of C-LIMs for diagnostic purposes with diverse populations.

intelligence IQ tests IQ scores cultural diversity linguistic demands ESL WJ III C-LIM cross-battery assessment psychology school psychology special education neuropsychology forensic psychology


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Humor break

iPost: Redding & Murrie on Judicial Decision Making About Forensic Mental Health Evidence

Redding & Murrie on Judicial Decision Making About Forensic Mental Health Evidence

CrimProf Blog

Richard E. Redding (pictured) and Daniel C. Murrie (Chapman University - School of Law and affiliation not provided to SSRN) have posted Judicial Decision Making About Forensic Mental Health Evidence (SPECIAL TOPICS IN FORENSIC PRACTICE, Chapter 26, p. 683, 2010)...

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Court Decision: Schoenwetter v FL (2010) - an attempt to leap the Atkins "slippery slope"

Here is a very interesting attempt to move the "slippery slope" of Atkins a long way---more of an attempt to leap the entire slope in one huge step.

The case is Schoenwetter v FL (2010). This was a combination case - an appeal and a separate petition for a state writ of habeas corpus. The relevant discussion begins on page 49. Schoenwetter argued that under both Atkins and Roper, that his execution would be unconstitutional. Based on a quick skim there would appear to be two obvious problems. First he wasn't under 18 (Roper decision) at the time of the crime. Second his Full Scale IQ was 123---50+ IQ points above the generally accepted MR/ID cut score of 70 (plus or minus 5 pts for SEM). This might be the highest IQ-Atkins claim seen to date.

Schoenwetter apparently suffered from Asperger's, ADHD and some type of frontal lobe brain dysfunction. But, as with the other cases that have attempted to morph Atkins to some other condition(s), the court rejected the argument.

I will be adding this case to the ICDP Court Decisions blogroll, along with a few others I've promised, this morning. Thanks again to Kevin Foley for forwarding this very interesting decision to my attention.

intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology forensice psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability Aspergers ADHD Schoenwetter v Florida


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Court Decision: Lewis v Thaler (TX,2010)--an update

An update (without comment) regarding Rickey Lewis case in Texas that was blogged about previously. On 10-19-10 his Atkins motion was denied. Court Decisions blogroll will be updated in the next few days.

Intelligence Atkins cases death penalty capital punishment ICDP blog intelligence IQ tests IQ scores Psychology forensic psychology neuropsychology Criminal justice ABA

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iPost: Podcast of John Temple author of "The Last Lawyer"

John Temple (@johntemplebooks) 10/26/10 6:58 PM Podcast of recent appearance on WYEP in Pittsburgh: http://bit.ly/alip1v

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Court Decision: Ramirez v Ryan (AZ, 2010)---follow up FYI

In the previous "So close, yet so far away--Or how the burden of proof matters" guest post by Kevin Foley the Atkins case of Ramirez v AZ raised a number of significant issues such as IQ practice effects, the Flynn effect, the burden of proof, preponderance of the evidence standard, etc (see prior post for more details). 

This past month a decision was made in the Ramirez v Ryan (AZ, 2010) federal habeas corpus case in the  Arizona District Court.  The decision outlines the complexity of a number of interesting and recurring issues (e.g., the Flynn Effect; practice effect) in Atkins cases, and the difficulty possed to the courts by dueling experts with differing opinions.    Due to a lack of time I will not make any additional comments.  This is an FYI post.

Technorati Tags: psychology, forensic psychology, forensic psychiatry, neuropsychology, intelligence, school psychology, psychometrics, educational psychology, IQ, IQ tests, IQ scores, adaptive behavior, adaptive functioning, intellectual disability, mental retardation, MR, ID, criminal psychology, criminal defense, criminal justice, ABA, Atkins cases, Atkins death penalty, American Bar Association, Atkins cases, death penalty, capital punishment, AAIDD, Atkins MR/ID listserv, ICDP blog, psychiatry, psychiatry and criminal justice, Flynn effect, IQ practice effect, Wechsler IQ test, RIAS, Ramirez v AZ (2010), Ramirez v Ryan (2010)

CHC theory tipping point passed: Inroads in mainstream intelligence research

In 2005 I unilaterally claimed that the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities had reached the "tipping point" in school psychology--it had become the consensus psychometric framework from which new intelligence tests are developed, old ones are revised, and non-CHC batteries are analyzed. Later in 2007 I again revisited my "tipping point" claim by analyzing the use of keywords in the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) general service listserv. At that time I concluded that the actual tipping point occurred (in school psychology) sometime between 2001 and 2003.

Today I decided to see if the school psychology CHC tipping point had spilled over and gained traction in more mainstream psychology. In particular, I was interested in how often the terms "CHC" or "Cattell-Horn-Carroll" were present in articles in THE premiere journal outlet for the heavy hitters in the field of intelligence research--the journal Intelligence.

So...I went to the journal's web page and used the above two terms/phrases and asked for a search of "all fields" for the journal. Below is what I found.

Prior to 2004 there was NOT ONE article in Intelligence that mentioned CHC or Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory. However, since 2004 there have been at least 21 publications that reference this model of intelligence.

It is my opinion that CHC theory clearly reached a tipping point somewhere between 2001-2003 and it is now making strong inroads as one of the most supported models of the structure of human intelligence in the field of intelligence research.

Don't you just love good data? [If the images below look small--double click on them and they should eventually become larger in your browser]















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Court Decision: Smith v TN (2010)

Still "cleanin' out my in box."

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals rendered a very interesting (perplexing?) ruling recently. I only had time for a quick skim. With that caveat, the decision for Leonard Smith is available here. I will add it to the ICDP Court Decisions blog roll in the next day or so. Thanks again to the ever diligent Kevin Foley for sending this one my way.

Of interest is how the post conviction relief court dealt with a large number of IQ scores from ages 14 thru adulthood---tests that varied from comprehensive intelligence batteries to tests that were quick and limited screening instruments. Present in the document are the following scores. Those based on a comprehensive intellectual battery are designated by asterisks

1975 WISC 80*
1975 Ammons Quick Test 70
1976 Ammons Quick Test 84
1980 Un-named (prison) 88
1984 PPVT 86
1989 WAIS-R 75*
2001 WAIS-III 77*
2002 WAIS- III 65*


One troubling statement is on page 51:

“Specifically, the post-conviction court rejected the IQ scores achieved by [Smith] during his adult years and, apparently referencing the performance IQ achieved in 1975 when he was fourteen years of age, concluded that ‘testing preformed before the ate of eighteen reflects a functional I.Q. of 85.’”

Although there are individual cases were a component or sub-score index score may be the best estimate of a person's general level of intellectual functioning, in general, the overall "full scale" IQ should always be given first priority consideration in Atkins cases. I am baffled that given four different Wechsler Full Scale IQ scores a decision was made to "cherry pick" the Performance Scale IQ of 85 from the WISC administered when Smith was a teenager. How can all the adult scores simply be dismissd without an explanation?

In addition, the appeals court rejected the concepts of the standard error of measurement (SEM) and norm obsolescence (aka, the Flynn Effect) and stuck with the states supreme court and acknowledged, that by taking this approach, persons with MR/ID will be executed in Tennessee. Hmmmm? Atkins claim denied.

In the end, though, Smith got some relief based on his trial attorneys failure to get a judge recused.

Strange twists and turns.

Atkins cases death penalty capital punishment ICDP blog intelligence IQ scores IQ tests Wechsler batteries WISC WAIS WAIS-R WAIS-III screening IQ tests Smith v TN psychology school psychology neuropsychology forensic psychology ABA criminal justice


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Attempt at restoration-to-competence for an Atkins death penalty case--Floyd Brown story

The following information regarding the capital case of Floyd Brown has been sitting in my "to post" inbox for months. I am posting it now as an FYI post...without much in the way of comment. Thanks again to Kevin Foley, a regular guest blogger for ICDP, for bringing the case and related materials to the attention of the ICDP blog.

Floyd Brown is an individual from North Carolina with /MRID who languished in state custody for 14 years "awaiting" doctors' efforts to render him competent to stand trial, and once deemed competent, his trial on murder charges. The story was partially detailed in a story in the Charlotte Observer.

The case highlights the issue of whether someone who is not competent to stand trial due to significant cognitive disabilities can ever be made competent through restoration-of-competency programs. I am not aware of any empirical research that has addressed restoration-of-competency programs with individuals with MR/ID. If any readers are aware of any such literature, please let the blogmaster know.

For those who want additional facts that were not reported by the newspaper a copy of a complaint filed by Brown's guardian can be found by clicking here. The complaint notes that Brown consistently obtained IQ scores in the mid-50's or less (para. 11) and while in school he was in Trainable MR (TMR) classes (para. 13). He was found to be not competent to stand trial on misdemeanor charges in 1991. (para. 206). He was found to be ID and exempt from the death penalty under Atkins. (para. 83)

In June, the states insurance company filed a suit in federal court hoping to have the court say the insurer is not responsible under its policies.

Atkins cases mental retardation intellectual disability capital punishment death penalty restoration to competence competency Floyd Brown ICDP blog

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iPost: From DPIC: New Atlantic Center for Capital Representation

DPIC (@DPInfoCtr) 10/25/10 4:35 PM NEW RESOURCES: The Atlantic Center for Capital Representation http://dlvr.it/7XHpG #deathpenalty

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French WAIS III study supports primary Gq interpretation of Arithmetic in adults

Interesting study with French WAIS III that provides additional support for quantitative knowledge (Gq) being the primary source of variance in understanding the Arithmetic subtest, as well as some processing speed (Gs) in adults. Click here for prior post on this topic.


Rozencwajg, P., Schaeffer, O., & Lefebvre, V. (2010). Arithmetic and aging: Impact of quantitative knowledge and processing speed. Learning and Individual Differences, 20(5), 452-458.

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to examine how quantitative knowledge (Gq in the CHC model) and processing speed (Gs in the CHC model) affect scores on the WAIS-III Arithmetic Subtest (Wechsler, 2000) with aging. Two age groups were compared: 30 young adults and 25 elderly adults. For both age groups, Gq was an important predictor of Arithmetic score variance (R² = 48% and R² = 45%, respectively). However, in line with Salthouse, the results showed that processing speed predicted Arithmetic scores only for the older adults, not for the younger ones (additional 9% of the variance for the elderly vs. 1% of the variance for the young adults). These results can clarify the ambiguous evolution of Arithmetic scores with aging: Arithmetic performance with aging seems to follow an intermediate path between Gc and Gf. This suggests that both Gq and Gs have an impact on Arithmetic in aging.

Additional quotes from the article

Today, “the CHC model (Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory of cognitive abilities) used extensively in applied psychometrics and intelligence testing during the past decade is a consensus model” (McGrew, 2005, p. 149). CHC is a hierarchical model (Fig. 1) with three strata: factor g (Stratum III), broad abilities (Stratum II), and narrow abilities (Stratum I). Broad CHC abilities (Stratum II) include Gf (fluid intelligence/reasoning), Gc (crystallized intelligence/knowledge), Gv (visual–spatial abilities), Gsm (short-term memory), Gs (cognitive processing speed), and Gq (quantitative knowledge). [Click on images to enlarge them]




In contemporary assessments of intelligence (Flanagan & Harrison, 2005), the Cattell–Horn–Carroll Theory (CHC model) plays an important role in interpreting the scores underlying the Wechsler Scale Subtests. There is some controversy, however, as to the constructs measured by each subtest. As stated above, authors disagree on how to classify Arithmetic in this model.

The first hypothesis tested here concerns the role of quantitative knowledge (Gq) in Arithmetic Subtest performance. Gq has been defined as the wealth (breadth and depth) of a person's “acquired store of declarative and procedural quantitative knowledge. Gq is largely acquired through the ‘investment’ of other abilities, primarily during formal educational experiences. It is important to recognize that RQ (narrow ability, Stratum I), which is the ability to reason inductively and deductively when solving quantitative problems, is not included under Gq, but rather is included in the Gf domain (broad ability, Stratum II). Gq represents an individual's store of acquired mathematical knowledge, not reasoning with this knowledge” (McGrew, 2005, p. 156).

Yet when we look at the performance curve with age (see Fig. 2), we can see firstly that the mean scores on Digit Span (Gsm) and Matrix Reasoning – which is a typical test of fluid intelligence (Gf) ([Schroeder and Salthouse, 2004] and [Verhaeghen, 2003]); – start to decline gradually at the age of 25, whereas the mean score on Arithmetic remains stable until age 70. Secondly, the mean score on Vocabulary – which is a typical test of crystallized intelligence (Gc) (Verhaeghen, 2003) – is close to the teenage level (age 16) after the age of 70, whereas performance drops well below that level on Arithmetic. Analyses of age effects on the WAIS-III subtests among American subjects indicate the same phenomena ([Ardila, 2007] and [Ryan et al., 2000]). Finally, Arithmetic performance with aging seems to follow an intermediate path between Gc and Gf (see Fig. 3). This result is similar to that found by Schroeder and Salthouse (2004), see their [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2] p. 399 and 400): “All the factors were also influenced by knowledge (vocabulary), with the largest knowledge effects on the numeric/fluency factor” (p. 400).



.....the high correlations obtained between the scores on the Arithmetic Subtest and the new quantitative test, both for the young and older adults, support the hypothesis that the Arithmetic Subtest belongs to factor Gq in the CHC model ([Flanagan and Harrison, 2005] and [Flanagan and Kaufman, 2004])


CHC theory intelligence Cattell-Horn-Carroll WAIS III French WAIS III Gq Gsm Gs Gf working memory Aging IQs Corner Wechslers School psychology Neuropsychology Cognitive abilities


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