Sample records for language aptitude test

  1. "When Music Speaks": Auditory Cortex Morphology as a Neuroanatomical Marker of Language Aptitude and Musicality.

    PubMed

    Turker, Sabrina; Reiterer, Susanne M; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie; Schneider, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Recent research has shown that the morphology of certain brain regions may indeed correlate with a number of cognitive skills such as musicality or language ability. The main aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which foreign language aptitude, in particular phonetic coding ability, is influenced by the morphology of Heschl's gyrus (HG; auditory cortex), working memory capacity, and musical ability. In this study, the auditory cortices of German-speaking individuals ( N = 30; 13 males/17 females; aged 20-40 years) with high and low scores in a number of language aptitude tests were compared. The subjects' language aptitude was measured by three different tests, namely a Hindi speech imitation task (phonetic coding ability), an English pronunciation assessment, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Furthermore, working memory capacity and musical ability were assessed to reveal their relationship with foreign language aptitude. On the behavioral level, significant correlations were found between phonetic coding ability, English pronunciation skills, musical experience, and language aptitude as measured by the MLAT. Parts of all three tests measuring language aptitude correlated positively and significantly with each other, supporting their validity for measuring components of language aptitude. Remarkably, the number of instruments played by subjects showed significant correlations with all language aptitude measures and musicality, whereas, the number of foreign languages did not show any correlations. With regard to the neuroanatomy of auditory cortex, adults with very high scores in the Hindi testing and the musicality test (AMMA) demonstrated a clear predominance of complete posterior HG duplications in the right hemisphere. This may reignite the discussion of the importance of the right hemisphere for language processing, especially when linked or common resources are involved, such as the inter-dependency between phonetic and musical aptitude.

  2. “When Music Speaks”: Auditory Cortex Morphology as a Neuroanatomical Marker of Language Aptitude and Musicality

    PubMed Central

    Turker, Sabrina; Reiterer, Susanne M.; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie; Schneider, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Recent research has shown that the morphology of certain brain regions may indeed correlate with a number of cognitive skills such as musicality or language ability. The main aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which foreign language aptitude, in particular phonetic coding ability, is influenced by the morphology of Heschl’s gyrus (HG; auditory cortex), working memory capacity, and musical ability. In this study, the auditory cortices of German-speaking individuals (N = 30; 13 males/17 females; aged 20–40 years) with high and low scores in a number of language aptitude tests were compared. The subjects’ language aptitude was measured by three different tests, namely a Hindi speech imitation task (phonetic coding ability), an English pronunciation assessment, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Furthermore, working memory capacity and musical ability were assessed to reveal their relationship with foreign language aptitude. On the behavioral level, significant correlations were found between phonetic coding ability, English pronunciation skills, musical experience, and language aptitude as measured by the MLAT. Parts of all three tests measuring language aptitude correlated positively and significantly with each other, supporting their validity for measuring components of language aptitude. Remarkably, the number of instruments played by subjects showed significant correlations with all language aptitude measures and musicality, whereas, the number of foreign languages did not show any correlations. With regard to the neuroanatomy of auditory cortex, adults with very high scores in the Hindi testing and the musicality test (AMMA) demonstrated a clear predominance of complete posterior HG duplications in the right hemisphere. This may reignite the discussion of the importance of the right hemisphere for language processing, especially when linked or common resources are involved, such as the inter-dependency between phonetic and musical aptitude. PMID:29250017

  3. Attitudine Linguistica e Memoria. Alcune Considerazioni sul MLAT. (Modern Language Aptitude Test). (Linguistic Aptitude and Memory. Some Considerations on the MLAT).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sorace, Antonella

    1982-01-01

    Examines the Modern Language Aptitude Test and identifies as the lowest common denominator in three of its four parts an individual's short-term Memory capability. Concludes that this test cannot indicate an individual's linguistic aptitude because it does not take into consideration the role of two key aspects of language learning: long-term…

  4. Equating the Scales of the Spanish-Language Prueba de Aptitude Academic and the English-Language Scholastic Aptitude Test of the College Entrance Examination Board.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Angoff, William H.; Modu, Christopher C.

    The purpose of this study was to establish score equivalencies between the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and its Spanish language equivalent, the College Board Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA). For the first phase, two sets of items, one originally appearing in Spanish and the other in English, were chosen; and each set was…

  5. Attitudine Linguistica e Acquisizione della Competenza. Un Progetto di Ricerca (Linguistic Aptitude and Acquisition of Competence. A Research Project).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sorace, Antonella

    1982-01-01

    Subjects were 45 Italians who were studying English as a second language. They were administered the Modern Language Aptitude Test and a cloze test and were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their language study. The researcher then analyzed the interrelationships among the subjects' linguistic aptitude, language study history, and level…

  6. An Investigation Into Second Language Aptitude for Advanced Chinese Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Winke, Paula

    2013-01-01

    In this study I examine the construct of aptitude in learning Chinese as a second language (L2) to an advanced level. I test 2 hypotheses: first, that L2 aptitude comprises 4 components--working memory, rote memory, grammatical sensitivity, and phonemic coding ability--and second, that L2 aptitude affects learning both directly and indirectly…

  7. Interagency Language Roundtable Invitational Symposium on Language Aptitude Testing (Rosslyn, Virginia, September 14-16, 1988).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stansfield, Charles W.; Kenyon, Dorry Mann

    The report of the Interagency Language Roundtable's invitational symposium on language aptitude testing consists of a description of the project and appendixes which include the following: (1) the symposium program and abstracts of papers; (2) a list of participants; and (3) summaries of the discussions of three working groups (on applications,…

  8. Prueba de Aptitud para el Aprendizaje de Lenguas Extranjeras (PAPALE) Language Aptitude Test (LAT) (First and Second Versions). English for Special Purposes. Emergency Care Attendant.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muro, Gertrude

    This book contains two versions of the Language Aptitude Test. It is part of a package of materials developed for use in an English for Special Purposes project, which offers classes in reading, grammar, and emergency care attendant training for limited English proficient students. Introductory material describes the parts of two versions and…

  9. Subcomponents of Second-Language Aptitude and Second-Language Proficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sparks, Richard L.; Humbach, Nancy; Patton, Jon; Ganschow, Leonore

    2011-01-01

    A factor analysis of a test battery that included early first-language (L1) achievement, L1 cognitive ability, second-language (L2) aptitude, and L2 affective measures to predict oral and written L2 proficiency was conducted. The analysis yielded 4 factors that were labeled Language Analysis, composed of L1 and L2 language comprehension, grammar,…

  10. Effects of Sound, Vocabulary, and Grammar Learning Aptitude on Adult Second Language Speech Attainment in Foreign Language Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saito, Kazuya

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between different types of language learning aptitude (measured via the LLAMA test) and adult second language (L2) learners' attainment in speech production in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classrooms. Picture descriptions elicited from 50 Japanese EFL learners from varied proficiency levels were analyzed…

  11. Non-Verbal Aptitude. Annotated Bibliography of Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ. Test Collection.

    The 50 nonverbal tests in this bibliography assess aptitude and cognitive skills using various nonverbal means, such as pictures, symbols, or figures. They are useful in testing those who may have reading difficulties or those for whom English is not the primary language. Not included are aptitude measure that have both verbal and nonverbal…

  12. Correlating Aptitude with Oral Proficiency: A Quantitative Study of DLAB and OPI Scores across Four Language Categories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santizo, Isabelle Poupard

    2017-01-01

    This quantitative study focuses on the relationship between foreign language learners' aptitude and proficiency test scores. Four groups of 136 beginning students received six months of Initial Acquisition Training (IAT) in four different language categories, according to the level of complexity for an English speaker: French (Category I),…

  13. Foreign Language Pronunciation Skills and Musical Aptitude: A Study of Finnish Adults with Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milovanov, Riia; Pietila, Paivi; Tervaniemi, Mari; Esquef, Paulo A. A.

    2010-01-01

    The main aim of this study was to examine second language production and discrimination skills in the light of musical aptitude. Our study was conducted in university settings in south-western Finland. English was used as a model for the second language due to its popularity among young adults. There were three types of tests used in this study: a…

  14. TECHNICAL REPORT ON STANDARDIZATION OF THE GENERAL APTITUDE TEST BATTERY, GENERAL WORKING POPULATION NORMS STUDY FOR PUERTO RICO.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bureau of Employment Security (DOL), Washington, DC.

    THE POSSIBILITY OF PREDICTIVE ERROR WHEN APPLYING U.S. MAINLAND NORMS FOR THE GENERAL APTITUDE TEST BATTERY TO THE EMPLOYMENT COUNSELING AND SELECTION PROCESS IN PUERTO RICO, PROMPTED A STUDY TO ESTABLISH LOCAL NORMS FOR THE SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSION, BATERIA GENERAL DE PRUEBAS DE APTITUD. A STRATIFIED QUOTA SAMPLE OF 1,500 PERSONS WAS SELECTED…

  15. Aptitude for Learning a Foreign Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sparks, Richard; Ganschow, Leonore

    2001-01-01

    Review research on foreign language aptitude and its measurement prior to 1990. Describes research areas in the 1990s, including affective variables, language learning strategies, learning styles as contributors to aptitude and aptitude as a cognitive construct affected by language variables. Reviews research on individual differences and the…

  16. Revisiting Problems with Foreign Language Aptitude

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Safar, Anna; Kormos, Judit

    2008-01-01

    This study investigated three of the issues recently raised in connection with the traditional concept of foreign language aptitude: the relationship between foreign language aptitude and working memory and phonological short-term memory capacity, the role of foreign language aptitude in predicting success in the framework of focus-on-form foreign…

  17. The Relationship among Beginning and Advanced American Sign Language Students and Credentialed Interpreters across Two Domains of Visual Imagery: Vividness and Manipulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stauffer, Linda K.

    2010-01-01

    Given the visual-gestural nature of ASL it is reasonable to assume that visualization abilities may be one predictor of aptitude for learning ASL. This study tested a hypothesis that visualization abilities are a foundational aptitude for learning a signed language and that measurements of these skills will increase as students progress from…

  18. Manual for the Bateria de Examenes de Aptitud General (BEAG). Section II. Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Employment of Training Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. Office of Research and Development.

    The development and norming of a Spanish language edition of the United States Employment Service (USES) General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) is described. The new edition, called the Bateria de Examenes de Aptitud General (BEAG), was designed to replace an earlier translation, the BGPA, prepared for use in Puerto Rico. Forms A and B were…

  19. Language Aptitude: Desirable Trait or Acquirable Attribute?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singleton, David

    2017-01-01

    The traditional definition of language aptitude sees it as "an individual's initial state of readiness and capacity for learning a foreign language, and probable facility in doing so given the presence of motivation and opportunity" (Carroll, 1981, p. 86). This conception portrays language aptitude as a trait, in the sense of exhibiting…

  20. Foreign Language Aptitude Theory: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wen, Zhisheng; Biedron, Adriana; Skehan, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Foreign language (FL) aptitude generally refers to a specific talent for learning a foreign or second language (L2). After experiencing a long period of marginalized interest, FL aptitude research in recent years has witnessed renewed enthusiasm across the disciplines of educational psychology, second language acquisition (SLA) and cognitive…

  1. Aptitude and Language Learning of FBI Special Agents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Marijke; And Others

    This study investigated the relationship between aptitude, as measured by Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) scores, and oral proficiency as measured by the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) scores of 72 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents who completed basic foreign language training at the Defense Language Institute (DLI).…

  2. The Structural Connectivity Underpinning Language Aptitude, Working Memory, and IQ in the Perisylvian Language Network

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xiang, Huadong; Dediu, Dan; Roberts, Leah; van Oort, Erik; Norris, David G.; Hagoort, Peter

    2012-01-01

    In this article, we report the results of a study on the relationship between individual differences in language learning aptitude and the structural connectivity of language pathways in the adult brain, the first of its kind. We measured four components of language aptitude ("vocabulary learning"; "sound recognition"; "sound-symbol…

  3. Use of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test with Children in England and Wales and the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mason, H. L.

    1991-01-01

    An 18-month study of the use of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test at schools for visually impaired children in England and Wales found the test to be culturally fair and appropriate for use with children for whom English is a second language. Scores are compared with standardization data for visually impaired children in the United States.…

  4. The Relationship between Phonological Awareness and Music Aptitude

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Culp, Mara E.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between phonological awareness and music aptitude. I administered the Intermediate Measures of Music Audiation (IMMA) to second-grade students in a rural school in Pennsylvania (N = 17). Speech-language specialists administered a hearing screening and The Phonological Awareness Test 2…

  5. Language Aptitude in First Language Attrition: A Study on Late Spanish-Swedish Bilinguals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bylund, Emanuel; Ramírez-Galan, Pedro

    2016-01-01

    Language aptitude remains one of the most understudied predictor variables in L1 attrition research. The current study seeks to address this gap by investigating the effects of language aptitude on L1 retention in late attriters. Forty L1 Spanish-L2 Swedish bilinguals living in Sweden participated in the study, along with 20 functionally…

  6. Una Ricerca sull'Applicazione del TALB (Test di Attitudine Linguistica per Bambini) nella Scola Elementare [Research on the Application of the TALB (A Test for Linguistic Aptitude for Children) in Elementary School].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Acone, Ilario

    1992-01-01

    Discusses the administration of the Test di Attitudine Linguistica per Bambini (TALB) to students 7-9 years of age. Correlations between the TALB and achievement tests administered at the end of the course were very high. It is concluded that aptitude is a main factor in successful learning of a second language. (16 references) (LET)

  7. Linking Scores from Tests of Similar Content Given in Different Languages: An Illustration Involving Methodological Alternatives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cascallar, Alicia S.; Dorans, Neil J.

    2005-01-01

    This study compares two methods commonly used (concordance and prediction) to establish linkages between scores from tests of similar content given in different languages. Score linkages between the Verbal and Math sections of the SAT I and the corresponding sections of the Spanish-language admissions test, the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA),…

  8. Age Differences and Cognitive Aptitudes for Implicit and Explicit Learning in Ultimate Second Language Attainment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Granena, Gisela

    2012-01-01

    Very high-level, functional ability in foreign languages is increasingly important in many walks of life. It is also very rare, and likely requires an early start and/or a special aptitude. This study investigated the extent to which aptitude for explicit learning, defined as "analytic ability" and aptitude for implicit learning, defined…

  9. A CLOSE LOOK AT THE IMPORTANCE AND PLACE OF TESTING IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BARRUTIA, RICHARD

    TESTING IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS BECAUSE THE NATURE OF AUDIOLINGUAL TEACHING REQUIRES GREAT AMOUNTS OF FEEDBACK, REINFORCEMENT, AND VERIFICATION. TESTS CAN MEASURE APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT, CAN DIAGNOSE, AND, MOST IMPORTANT, CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHING TOOL. MANY TEACHING TECHNIQUES ARE EXCELLENT FOR TESTING AND SOME…

  10. A Mozart is not a Pavarotti: singers outperform instrumentalists on foreign accent imitation

    PubMed Central

    Christiner, Markus; Reiterer, Susanne Maria

    2015-01-01

    Recent findings have shown that people with higher musical aptitude were also better in oral language imitation tasks. However, whether singing capacity and instrument playing contribute differently to the imitation of speech has been ignored so far. Research has just recently started to understand that instrumentalists develop quite distinct skills when compared to vocalists. In the same vein the role of the vocal motor system in language acquisition processes has poorly been investigated as most investigations (neurobiological and behavioral) favor to examine speech perception. We set out to test whether the vocal motor system can influence an ability to learn, produce and perceive new languages by contrasting instrumentalists and vocalists. Therefore, we investigated 96 participants, 27 instrumentalists, 33 vocalists and 36 non-musicians/non-singers. They were tested for their abilities to imitate foreign speech: unknown language (Hindi), second language (English) and their musical aptitude. Results revealed that both instrumentalists and vocalists have a higher ability to imitate unintelligible speech and foreign accents than non-musicians/non-singers. Within the musician group, vocalists outperformed instrumentalists significantly. Conclusion: First, adaptive plasticity for speech imitation is not reliant on audition alone but also on vocal-motor induced processes. Second, vocal flexibility of singers goes together with higher speech imitation aptitude. Third, vocal motor training, as of singers, may speed up foreign language acquisition processes. PMID:26379537

  11. A Mozart is not a Pavarotti: singers outperform instrumentalists on foreign accent imitation.

    PubMed

    Christiner, Markus; Reiterer, Susanne Maria

    2015-01-01

    Recent findings have shown that people with higher musical aptitude were also better in oral language imitation tasks. However, whether singing capacity and instrument playing contribute differently to the imitation of speech has been ignored so far. Research has just recently started to understand that instrumentalists develop quite distinct skills when compared to vocalists. In the same vein the role of the vocal motor system in language acquisition processes has poorly been investigated as most investigations (neurobiological and behavioral) favor to examine speech perception. We set out to test whether the vocal motor system can influence an ability to learn, produce and perceive new languages by contrasting instrumentalists and vocalists. Therefore, we investigated 96 participants, 27 instrumentalists, 33 vocalists and 36 non-musicians/non-singers. They were tested for their abilities to imitate foreign speech: unknown language (Hindi), second language (English) and their musical aptitude. Results revealed that both instrumentalists and vocalists have a higher ability to imitate unintelligible speech and foreign accents than non-musicians/non-singers. Within the musician group, vocalists outperformed instrumentalists significantly. First, adaptive plasticity for speech imitation is not reliant on audition alone but also on vocal-motor induced processes. Second, vocal flexibility of singers goes together with higher speech imitation aptitude. Third, vocal motor training, as of singers, may speed up foreign language acquisition processes.

  12. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Writing and Their Relations to Language and Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olson, Richard K.; Hulslander, Jacqueline; Christopher, Micaela; Keenan, Janice M.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Pennington, Bruce F.; DeFries, John C.

    2013-01-01

    Identical and fraternal twins (N = 540, age 8 to 18 years) were tested on three different measures of writing (Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement--Writing Samples and Writing Fluency; Handwriting Copy from the Group Diagnostic Reading and Aptitude Achievement Tests), three different language skills (phonological awareness, rapid naming, and…

  13. The role of musical aptitude and language skills in preattentive duration processing in school-aged children.

    PubMed

    Milovanov, Riia; Huotilainen, Minna; Esquef, Paulo A A; Alku, Paavo; Välimäki, Vesa; Tervaniemi, Mari

    2009-08-28

    We examined 10-12-year old elementary school children's ability to preattentively process sound durations in music and speech stimuli. In total, 40 children had either advanced foreign language production skills and higher musical aptitude or less advanced results in both musicality and linguistic tests. Event-related potential (ERP) recordings of the mismatch negativity (MMN) show that the duration changes in musical sounds are more prominently and accurately processed than changes in speech sounds. Moreover, children with advanced pronunciation and musicality skills displayed enhanced MMNs to duration changes in both speech and musical sounds. Thus, our study provides further evidence for the claim that musical aptitude and linguistic skills are interconnected and the musical features of the stimuli could have a preponderant role in preattentive duration processing.

  14. Multi-Population Invariance with Dichotomous Measures: Combining Multi-Group and MIMIC Methodologies in Evaluating the General Aptitude Test in the Arabic Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sideridis, Georgios D.; Tsaousis, Ioannis; Al-harbi, Khaleel A.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to extend the model of measurement invariance by simultaneously estimating invariance across multiple populations in the dichotomous instrument case using multi-group confirmatory factor analytic and multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) methodologies. Using the Arabic version of the General Aptitude Test…

  15. The Effects of Musical Aptitude and Musical Training on Phonological Production in Foreign Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pei, Zhengwei; Wu, Yidi; Xiang, Xiaocui; Qian, Huimin

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates 128 Chinese college students to examine the effects of their musical aptitude and musical training on phonological production in four foreign languages. Results show that musically-trained students remarkably possessed stronger musical aptitude than those without musical training and performed better than their counterpart…

  16. Results of the ESA study on psychological selection of astronaut applicants for Columbus missions I: Aptitude testing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fassbender, Christoph; Goeters, Klaus-Martin

    European participation in the Space Station Freedom brought about new challenges for the psychological selection of astronaut candidates, particularly in respect to specific demands of long duration space flights. For this reason existing selection criteria and methods were reassessed. On these grounds a study was undertaken applying a unique composition of aptitude tests to a group of 97 ESA scientists and engineers who are highly comparable to the expected astronaut applicants with respect to age and education. The tests assessed operational aptitudes such as logical reasoning, memory function, perception, spatial orientation, attention, psychomotor function, and multiple task capacity. The study goals were: 1) Verification of psychometric qualities and applicability of tests in a normative group; 2) Search for culture-fair tests by which multi-national groups can be examined; 3) Identification of test methods which consider general and special operational demands of long duration space flights. Based on the empirical findings a test battery was arranged for use in the selection of ESA astronaut applicants. Results showed that 16 out of the 18 employed tests have good psychometric qualities and differentiate reliably in the special group of testees. The meta structure of the test battery as described by a factorial analysis is presented. Applicability of tests was generally high. Tests were culture-fair, however, a relation between English language skills and test results was identified. Since most item material was language-free, this was explained with the importance of English language skills for the understanding of test instructions. Solutions to this effect are suggested.

  17. The Effects of Multisensory Structured Language Instruction on Native Language and Foreign Language Aptitude Skills of At-Risk High School Foreign Language Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sparks, Richard; And Others

    1992-01-01

    A multisensory structured language (MSL) approach was utilized with two groups of at-risk high school students (n=63), taught in either English and Spanish (MSL/ES) or Spanish only. Foreign language aptitude improved for both groups and native language skills for the MSL/ES group. A group receiving traditional foreign language instruction showed…

  18. Language aptitude for pronunciation in advanced second language (L2) learners: behavioural predictors and neural substrates.

    PubMed

    Hu, Xiaochen; Ackermann, Hermann; Martin, Jason A; Erb, Michael; Winkler, Susanne; Reiterer, Susanne M

    2013-12-01

    Individual differences in second language (L2) aptitude have been assumed to depend upon a variety of cognitive and personality factors. Especially, the cognitive factor phonological working memory has been conceptualised as language learning device. However, strong associations between phonological working memory and L2 aptitude have been previously found in early-stage learners only, not in advanced learners. The current study aimed at investigating the behavioural and neurobiological predictors of advanced L2 learning. Our behavioural results showed that phonetic coding ability and empathy, but not phonological working memory, predict L2 pronunciation aptitude in advanced learners. Second, functional neuroimaging revealed this behavioural trait to be correlated with hemodynamic responses of the cerebral network of speech motor control and auditory-perceptual areas. We suggest that the acquisition of L2 pronunciation aptitude is a dynamic process, requiring a variety of neural resources at different processing stages over time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Pitch Ability as an Aptitude for Tone Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowles, Anita R.; Chang, Charles B.; Karuzis, Valerie P.

    2016-01-01

    Tone languages such as Mandarin use voice pitch to signal lexical contrasts, presenting a challenge for second/foreign language (L2) learners whose native languages do not use pitch in this manner. The present study examined components of an aptitude for mastering L2 lexical tone. Native English speakers with no previous tone language experience…

  20. System. A Newsletter for Educational Technology and Language Learning Systems. Vol. 2, No. 3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davies, Norman F., Ed.; Allen, John R., Ed.

    This issue begins with an editorial comment on the journal's areas of interest. The articles are concerned with the following topics: (1) English composition and the use of the computer (Peter Zoller); (2) the teacher and the language laboratory (L. Ross and B. D. Sadler); (3) language aptitude tests in the language laboratory (in German, Peter…

  1. Musical aptitude and second language pronunciation skills in school-aged children: neural and behavioral evidence.

    PubMed

    Milovanov, Riia; Huotilainen, Minna; Välimäki, Vesa; Esquef, Paulo A A; Tervaniemi, Mari

    2008-02-15

    The main focus of this study was to examine the relationship between musical aptitude and second language pronunciation skills. We investigated whether children with superior performance in foreign language production represent musical sound features more readily in the preattentive level of neural processing compared with children with less-advanced production skills. Sound processing accuracy was examined in elementary school children by means of event-related potential (ERP) recordings and behavioral measures. Children with good linguistic skills had better musical skills as measured by the Seashore musicality test than children with less accurate linguistic skills. The ERP data accompany the results of the behavioral tests: children with good linguistic skills showed more pronounced sound-change evoked activation with the music stimuli than children with less accurate linguistic skills. Taken together, the results imply that musical and linguistic skills could partly be based on shared neural mechanisms.

  2. Language Aptitude and Grammatical Difficulty: An EFL Classroom-Based Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yalçin, Sebnem; Spada, Nina

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates the relationship between foreign language aptitude and the learning of two English structures defined as easy or difficult to learn. Using a quasiexperimental design, 66 secondary-level learners of English as a foreign language from three intact classes were provided with four hours of instruction on the "passive"…

  3. Melodies That Help: The Relation between Language Aptitude and Musical Intelligence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fonseca-Mora, M. C.; Toscano-Fuentes, C.; Wermke, K.

    2011-01-01

    Music and rhythm have been defined as powerful aids to language learning, memory, and recall. But is this due to structural and motivational properties of instrumental music and songs, or is there a relation between learners' language aptitude and musical intelligence? It seems that everyone who feels motivated to do it is able to learn other…

  4. Computer-Based Internet-Hosted Assessment of L2 Literacy: Computerizing and Administering of the Oxford Quick Placement Test in ExamView and Moodle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meurant, Robert C.

    Sorting of Korean English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) university students by Second Language (L2) aptitude allocates students to classes of compatible ability level, and was here used to screen candidates for interview. Paper-and-pen versions of the Oxford Quick Placement Test were adapted to computer-based testing via online hosting using FSCreations ExamView. Problems with their online hosting site led to conversion to the popular computer-based learning management system Moodle, hosted on www.ninehub.com. 317 sophomores were tested online to encourage L2 digital literacy. Strategies for effective hybrid implementation of Learning Management Systems in L2 tertiary education include computer-based Internet-hosted L2 aptitude tests. These potentially provide a convenient measure of student progress in developing L2 fluency, and offer a more objective and relevant means of teacher- and course-assessment than student evaluations, which tend to confuse entertainment value and teacher popularity with academic credibility and pedagogical effectiveness.

  5. Neurology of Foreign Language Aptitude

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biedron, Adriana

    2015-01-01

    This state-of-the art paper focuses on the poorly explored issue of foreign language aptitude, attempting to present the latest developments in this field and reconceptualizations of the construct from the perspective of neuroscience. In accordance with this goal, it first discusses general directions in neurolinguistic research on foreign…

  6. The Construct Validity of Language Aptitude: A Meta-Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Shaofeng

    2016-01-01

    A meta-analysis was conducted to examine the construct validity of language aptitude by synthesizing the existing research that has been accumulated over the past five decades. The study aimed to provide a thorough understanding of the construct by aggregating the data reported in the primary research on its correlations with other individual…

  7. Students classified as LD who received course substitutions for the college foreign language requirement: a replication study.

    PubMed

    Sparks, Richard L; Philips, Lois G; Javorsky, James

    2002-01-01

    This replication study examined whether 158 college students classified as learning disabled (LD) who were granted course substitutions for the foreign language (FL) requirement would display significant cognitive and academic achievement differences when grouped by levels of IQ-achievement and achievement-achievement discrepancy and by level of performance on an FL aptitude test (Modern Language Aptitude Test; MLAT), phonological/orthographic processing measures, and in FL courses. The results showed that there were few differences among groups with differing levels of IQ-achievement or achievement-achievement discrepancy (i.e., < 1.0 SD, 1.0-1.49 SD, and > 1.50 SD) on MLAT and American College Testing (ACT) scores, graduating grade point average (GPA), or college FL GPA. The results also showed that between groups who scored at or above versus below the 15th percentile (i.e., < 1.0 SD) on the MLAT, there were no differences on measures of graduating GPA, college FL GPA, native language skill, ACT score, and Verbal IQ. Demographic findings showed that 44% of these petition students met a minimum IQ-achievement discrepancy criterion (> or = 1.0 SD) for classification as LD. These findings suggest that many traditional assumptions about LD and FL learning are likely to be false.

  8. Explaining academic-track boys' underachievement in language grades: Not a lack of aptitude but students' motivational beliefs and parents' perceptions?

    PubMed

    Heyder, Anke; Kessels, Ursula; Steinmayr, Ricarda

    2017-06-01

    Boys earn lower grades in languages than girls. The expectancy-value model by Eccles et al. (, A series of books in psychology. Achievement and achievement motives. Psychological and sociological approaches, W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, CA, 76) is a comprehensive theoretical model for explaining gender differences in educational outcomes. In the past, most studies have focused on girls' disadvantage in math and science and on the role of the students' motivational beliefs. We aimed to explain boys' lower language grades by applying the expectancy-value model while taking into account students' motivational beliefs as well as their aptitude, prior achievement, and socializers' beliefs. In addition, we aimed at exploring the incremental contribution of each potential mediator. Five hundred and twenty German students (age M = 17 years; 58% female) and 374 parents (age M = 47 years). Student-reported ability self-concept (ASC) and task values, parents' perceptions of students' ability, students' prior achievement as reported by schools, and students' verbal intelligence test scores were all tested as mediators of the effect of gender on grades in German while controlling for parents' socioeconomic status. Single-mediator models and a multiple-mediator model were estimated using structural equation modelling. All variables proved to be relevant for explaining boys' underachievement in language grades. Whereas students' ASC, task values, prior achievement, and parents' perceptions mediated the gender effect, verbal intelligence was identified as a suppressor variable increasing the gender effect. Our results challenge the stereotypic belief that boys' lower grades are due to lower verbal aptitude. Rather, students' motivational beliefs and parents' perceptions seem critical factors. Implications for both future research and practice are discussed. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

  9. Preschool Preposition Test and Classroom Behavior Description: Eighth Grade Follow-Up of Head Start Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aaronson, May; And Others

    Head Start children tested at 4 years of age on the Preschool Preposition Test (PPT) and the Classroom Behavior Description checklist (CBD) were assessed for academic achievement and scholastic aptitude at the third- and eighth-grade levels. The PPT is a receptive language test which examines the comprehension of verbal directions by using spatial…

  10. A Summary of an Assessment of Fourth and Sixth Grade Basic Skills.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CTB / McGraw-Hill, Monterey, CA.

    A comprehensive assessment was made of the status of elementary education in Missouri in reading, mathematics, language, and study skills. The Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (CTBS) and the Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude (SFTAA) were administered to a sample of Missouri fourth and sixth graders. For each curricular area, Missouri…

  11. Enhanced musical rhythmic perception in Turkish early and late learners of German

    PubMed Central

    Roncaglia-Denissen, M. Paula; Schmidt-Kassow, Maren; Heine, Angela; Vuust, Peter; Kotz, Sonja A.

    2013-01-01

    As language rhythm relies partly on general acoustic properties, such as intensity and duration, mastering two languages with distinct rhythmic properties (i.e., stress position) may enhance musical rhythm perception. We investigated whether competence in a second language (L2) with different rhythmic properties than a L1 affects musical rhythm aptitude. Turkish early (TELG) and late learners (TLLG) of German were compared to German late L2 learners of English (GLE) regarding their musical rhythmic aptitude. While Turkish and German present distinct linguistic rhythm and metric properties, German and English are rather similar in this regard. To account for inter-individual differences, we measured participants' short-term and working memory (WM) capacity, melodic aptitude, and time they spent listening to music. Both groups of Turkish L2 learners of German perceived rhythmic variations significantly better than German L2 learners of English. No differences were found between early and late learners' performance. Our findings suggest that mastering two languages with different rhythmic properties enhances musical rhythm perception, providing further evidence of shared cognitive resources between language and music. PMID:24065946

  12. Contract for Manpower and Personnel Research and Studies II (COMPRS-II) Annual Report - Year Four

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-10-01

    Wonderlic and the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA) will be evaluated in the pilot "Foreign Language Recruiting Initiative" project. Starting in October...Spanish Wonderlic and the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA) will be evaluated in the pilot "Foreign Language Recruiting Initiative" project. Starting...implemented by linear programming software , which optimizes the Army’s enlisted personnel classification system, while accounting for realistic

  13. MANUAL FOR THE GENERAL APTITUDE TEST BATTERY. SECTION II, NORMS, OCCUPATIONAL APTITUDE PATTERN STRUCTURE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bureau of Employment Security (DOL), Washington, DC.

    THE NINE APTITUDES MEASURED BY THE GENERAL APTITUDE TEST BATTERY ARE INTELLIGENCE, VERBAL APTITUDE, NUMERICAL APTITUDE, SPATIAL APTITUDE, FORM PERCEPTION, CLERICAL PERCEPTION, MOTOR COORDINATION, FINGER DEXTERITY, AND MANUAL DEXTERITY. THIS MANUAL PRESENTS (1) PERCENTILE EQUIVALENTS OF APTITUDE OR STANDARD SCORES FOR ADULTS, 10TH GRADERS, AND 9TH…

  14. A Study of a "Model of School Learning." Monograph Number 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, John B.; Spearritt, Donald

    A booklet of a programmed-instruction type was developed to obtain the measures needed to test Carroll's model of school learning, including ability, aptitude, quality of instruction, opportunity for learning, perserverance, and time criterion. Simple rules in an artificial foreign language were taught by means of the booklet to sixth-grade…

  15. The heritability of aptitude and exceptional talent across different domains in adolescents and young adults.

    PubMed

    Vinkhuyzen, Anna A E; van der Sluis, Sophie; Posthuma, Danielle; Boomsma, Dorret I

    2009-07-01

    The origin of individual differences in aptitude, defined as a domain-specific skill within the normal ability range, and talent, defined as a domain specific skill of exceptional quality, is under debate. The nature of the variation in aptitudes and exceptional talents across different domains was investigated in a population based twin sample. Self-report data from 1,685 twin pairs (12-24 years) were analyzed for Music, Arts, Writing, Language, Chess, Mathematics, Sports, Memory, and Knowledge. The influence of shared environment was small for both aptitude and talent. Additive and non-additive genetic effects explained the major part of the substantial familial clustering in the aptitude measures with heritability estimates ranging between .32 and .71. Heritability estimates for talents were higher and ranged between .50 and .92. In general, the genetic architecture for aptitude and talent was similar in men and women. Genetic factors contribute to a large extent to variation in aptitude and talent across different domains of intellectual, creative, and sports abilities.

  16. History of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) 1974-1980

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-03-01

    the high school equivalent form to ASVAB-3 being used operationally by the Air Force and Marine Corps). A counterbalanced design , in ... , 11. ,,󈧒...National Lcartudinal Survev of Youth made use of three Independent probability samples. Two of these samples were designed to cover the non ...literacy, but non -language tests were also introduced for service qualifica- tion. After service entry, the primary test instruments for assignment

  17. Correlation between musical aptitude and learning foreign languages: an epidemiological study in secondary school Italian students

    PubMed Central

    PICCIOTTI, P.M.; BUSSU, F.; CALò, L.; GALLUS, R.; SCARANO, E.; DI CINTIO, G.; CASSARÀ, F.; D’ALATRI, L.

    2018-01-01

    SUMMARY The aim of this study was to assess if a correlation exists between language learning skills and musical aptitude through the analysis of scholarly outcomes concerning the study of foreign languages and music. We enrolled 502 students from a secondary Italian school (10-14 years old), attending both traditional courses (2 hours/week of music classes scheduled) and special courses (six hours). For statistical analysis, we considered grades in English, French and Music. Our results showed a significant correlation between grades in the two foreign languages and in music, both in the traditional courses and in special courses, and better results in French than for special courses. These results are discussed and interpreted through the literature about neuroanatomical and physiological mechanisms of foreign language learning and music perception. PMID:29756615

  18. Detecting signatures of positive selection associated with musical aptitude in the human genome

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Xuanyao; Kanduri, Chakravarthi; Oikkonen, Jaana; Karma, Kai; Raijas, Pirre; Ukkola-Vuoti, Liisa; Teo, Yik-Ying; Järvelä, Irma

    2016-01-01

    Abilities related to musical aptitude appear to have a long history in human evolution. To elucidate the molecular and evolutionary background of musical aptitude, we compared genome-wide genotyping data (641 K SNPs) of 148 Finnish individuals characterized for musical aptitude. We assigned signatures of positive selection in a case-control setting using three selection methods: haploPS, XP-EHH and FST. Gene ontology classification revealed that the positive selection regions contained genes affecting inner-ear development. Additionally, literature survey has shown that several of the identified genes were known to be involved in auditory perception (e.g. GPR98, USH2A), cognition and memory (e.g. GRIN2B, IL1A, IL1B, RAPGEF5), reward mechanisms (RGS9), and song perception and production of songbirds (e.g. FOXP1, RGS9, GPR98, GRIN2B). Interestingly, genes related to inner-ear development and cognition were also detected in a previous genome-wide association study of musical aptitude. However, the candidate genes detected in this study were not reported earlier in studies of musical abilities. Identification of genes related to language development (FOXP1 and VLDLR) support the popular hypothesis that music and language share a common genetic and evolutionary background. The findings are consistent with the evolutionary conservation of genes related to auditory processes in other species and provide first empirical evidence for signatures of positive selection for abilities that contribute to musical aptitude. PMID:26879527

  19. Detecting signatures of positive selection associated with musical aptitude in the human genome.

    PubMed

    Liu, Xuanyao; Kanduri, Chakravarthi; Oikkonen, Jaana; Karma, Kai; Raijas, Pirre; Ukkola-Vuoti, Liisa; Teo, Yik-Ying; Järvelä, Irma

    2016-02-16

    Abilities related to musical aptitude appear to have a long history in human evolution. To elucidate the molecular and evolutionary background of musical aptitude, we compared genome-wide genotyping data (641 K SNPs) of 148 Finnish individuals characterized for musical aptitude. We assigned signatures of positive selection in a case-control setting using three selection methods: haploPS, XP-EHH and FST. Gene ontology classification revealed that the positive selection regions contained genes affecting inner-ear development. Additionally, literature survey has shown that several of the identified genes were known to be involved in auditory perception (e.g. GPR98, USH2A), cognition and memory (e.g. GRIN2B, IL1A, IL1B, RAPGEF5), reward mechanisms (RGS9), and song perception and production of songbirds (e.g. FOXP1, RGS9, GPR98, GRIN2B). Interestingly, genes related to inner-ear development and cognition were also detected in a previous genome-wide association study of musical aptitude. However, the candidate genes detected in this study were not reported earlier in studies of musical abilities. Identification of genes related to language development (FOXP1 and VLDLR) support the popular hypothesis that music and language share a common genetic and evolutionary background. The findings are consistent with the evolutionary conservation of genes related to auditory processes in other species and provide first empirical evidence for signatures of positive selection for abilities that contribute to musical aptitude.

  20. Learning Computerese: The Role of Second Language Learning Aptitude in Technology Acceptance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warner, Janis A.; Koufteros, Xenophon; Verghese, Anto

    2014-01-01

    This article introduces a new construct coined as Computer User Learning Aptitude (CULA). To establish construct validity, CULA is embedded in a nomological network that extends the technology acceptance model (TAM). Specifically, CULA is posited to affect perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, the two underlying TAM constructs.…

  1. Stripper (print. & pub.) 971.381--Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  2. Beliefs about Learning English as a Second Language among Native Groups in Rural Sabah, Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krishnasamy, Hariharan N.; Veloo, Arsaythamby; Lu, Ho Fui

    2013-01-01

    This paper identifies differences between the three ethnic groups, namely, Kadazans/Dusuns, Bajaus, and other minority ethnic groups on the beliefs about learning English as a second language based on the five variables, that is, language aptitude, language learning difficulty, language learning and communicating strategies, nature of language…

  3. Special Operations Forces Language and Culture Needs Assessment Project: Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB): Perspectives from the Field

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-09-29

    facilities (the room was 100 degrees in the middle of a hot North Carolina summer) and because our drill sergeants did not let us get enough sleep the...inadquate facilities (the room was 100 degrees in the middle of a hot North Carolina summer) and because our drill sergeants did not let us get enough ...environment was too hot. Furthermore, some operators reported they did not receive adequate sleep the night before the test due to other training

  4. Correlation between musical aptitude and learning foreign languages: an epidemiological study in secondary school Italian students.

    PubMed

    Picciotti, P M; Bussu, F; Calò, L; Gallus, R; Scarano, E; DI Cintio, G; Cassarà, F; D'Alatri, L

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study was to assess if a correlation exists between language learning skills and musical aptitude through the analysis of scholarly outcomes concerning the study of foreign languages and music. We enrolled 502 students from a secondary Italian school (10-14 years old), attending both traditional courses (2 hours/week of music classes scheduled) and special courses (six hours). For statistical analysis, we considered grades in English, French and Music. Our results showed a significant correlation between grades in the two foreign languages and in music, both in the traditional courses and in special courses, and better results in French than for special courses. These results are discussed and interpreted through the literature about neuroanatomical and physiological mechanisms of foreign language learning and music perception. Copyright © 2018 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringologia e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Rome, Italy.

  5. Welder, Arc (welding) 810.884--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  6. Autoclave Operator (chem.) 4-52.711--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  7. Tomato Peeler (can. & preserv.) 529.887 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  8. Encoder (Banking) 1-25.911-Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  9. Carding Machine Operator 8-27.77 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  10. Plasterer (const.) 5-29.100--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  11. Fireworks Assembler (Fireworks) 737.887 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  12. Cable Maker (elec. equip.; electronics) 726.884--Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  13. Assembler, Accessories (elec. equip.; electronics) 729.887--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  14. Firesetter (elec. equip; electronics) 692.380--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  15. Electric Toothbrush Assembler (elec. equip.) 723.884--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  16. Capacitor Winder (elec. equip.) 726.884--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  17. Resistor Winder (elec. equip.) 724.884--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  18. Turret-Lathe Operator 4-78.021 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  19. Cook (hotel & rest.) 313.381--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  20. Waitress (hotel & rest.) 2-27.12--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  1. Cook, Short Order (Hotel & rest.) 314.381--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  2. Furniture Upholsterer 780.381 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  3. Stripper, Hand (tobacco) 3-12.10 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  4. Bomb-Fuse Parts Assembler (Ammunition) 6-54.052 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  5. Compression-Molding-Machine Tender (fabric. plastics prod.) 556.885--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  6. Injection-Molding-Machine Tender (fabric-plastics prod.) 556.885--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  7. Cutting-and-Creasing Pressman (paper goods) 649.782--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  8. Knitting-Machine Fixer, Socks (hosiery) 689.280 -- Technical Report on Development of the USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  9. Tricot-Knitting-Machine Operator (knit goods) 685.885--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  10. Salesman, Construction Machinery (whole tr.) 1-86.26--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  11. Routeman, Bakery Products (ret. tr.; whole tr.) 1-80.06--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  12. Twister-Tender (asbestos prod; glass mfg.; synthetic fibers; textile) 681.885--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  13. Blown Plastic Container Machine Operator (fabric. plastic prod.) 556.885--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  14. Finisher I (fabric. plastics prod.) 9-10.10--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  15. Extruder Operator (plastics mat.) 6-51.468--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  16. Inspector (dental equip.) 712.887; Inspector, Plastic (dental equip.) 712.687--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  17. Plaster Trimmer (dental equip.) 712.887; Inserter (dental equip.) 712.884--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  18. Stitcher, Machine (boot & shoe) 6-61.211--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  19. Mushroom Inspector (can. & preserv.) 9-68.60--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  20. Structural-Steel Lay-Out Man (any ind.) 809.381-030--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  1. Various Occupations in the Iron and Steel Industry. Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Batteries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  2. Insulation-Blanket Maker (aircraft mfg) 809.884 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  3. Shrimp Picker (can. & Preserv.) 8-04.10--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  4. Peeling-and-Coring-Machine Operator 529.886 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  5. Aircraft-and-Engine Mechanic (aircraft mfg; air trans.) 621.281 -- Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  6. Aptitude Tests and Successful College Students: The Predictive Validity of the General Aptitude Test (GAT) in Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alnahdi, Ghaleb Hamad

    2015-01-01

    Aptitude tests should predict student success at the university level. This study examined the predictive validity of the General Aptitude Test (GAT) in Saudi Arabia. Data for 27420 students enrolled at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University were analyzed. Of these students, 17565 were male students, and 9855 were female students. Multiple…

  7. Baser (elec. equip.) 7-00.070; Threader (electronics) 7-00.024 -- Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  8. Assembler (elec. equip.) 826.884, Assembler, Electrical (elec. equip.) 826.884--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  9. Inspector, Mechanical and Electrical (elec. equip.) 6-99.435--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  10. Electric-Cord Assembler II (elec. equip.) 9-00.91--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  11. Tube-Machine Operator (elec. equip.) 7-00.216--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  12. Coil Assembler (elec. equip.; electronics) I 6-99.161--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  13. Coil Winder II (elec. equip.) 724.884--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  14. Braiding-Machine Operator (cot. small wares; textiles) 6-19.986--Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  15. Metal-Chair Assembler (furn.) II 6-36.275--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  16. Processor, Solid Propellant (chem.) 6-52.773--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  17. Manager, Restaurant or Coffee Shop (hotel & rest.) 187.168--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  18. Food-Service Supervisor (hotel and rest.) 319.138-010--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  19. Room Clerk (hotel and rest.) 1-07.60--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  20. Dietary Aid (hotel & rest.; medical ser.) 317.877-010--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  1. Tire Builder, Automobile (rubber tire & tube) 750.884--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  2. Power Lawn Mower Assembler (agric. equip.) 6-94.352--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  3. Policy Evaluation: Use of the PSB-Aptitude Test as an Admission Requirement for the LVN Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Firstman, Aranga

    A study was conducted to assess the use of the Psychological Services Bureau's Aptitude Test for Practical Nursing (PSB Aptitude Test) as an entrance requirement for the licensed vocational nurse (LVN) program at College of the Sequoias. The study sought to determine whether the PSB Aptitude Test was a valid indicator of success in the LVN…

  4. Conveyor-Loader Plastic Toy Parts (toys and games) 9-13.01--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  5. Ornamental-Iron Worker (const.) 4-84.020; Structural-Steel Worker (const.) 4-84-010--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  6. Asparagus Sorter (agric.; can. & preserv.; whole tr.) 529.687 (8-04.10)--Technical Report on Development of USES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  7. A Historical Perspective on the Content of the SAT®. Research Report No. 2003-3. ETS RR-03-10

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawrence, Ida M.; Rigol, Gretchen W.; Van Essen, Thomas; Jackson, Carol A.

    2003-01-01

    This paper provides an historical perspective on the content of the SAT. The review begins at the beginning, when the first College Board SAT (the Scholastic Aptitude Test) was administered to 8,040 students on June 23, 1926. At that time, the SAT consisted of nine subtests: Definitions, Arithmetical Problems, Classification, Artificial Language,…

  8. Condenser Winder (electronics) 6-98.070; Stamper II (electronics) 9-68.20; Welder, Spot (electronics) 6-85.060--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  9. Food Service Worker II (hotel & rest.) 317.884; Food Service Worker (medical ser.) 2-29.16--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  10. Countergirl 2-27.13; Counterman, Lunchroom or Coffee Shop (hotel and rest.) 2-27.13--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  11. Fourdrinier-Machine Tender (paper & pulp, wallboard) 539.782; Back Tender, Paper Machine (paper & pulp) 534.782--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  12. Pressman (rubber goods; rubber tire & tube) 559.885; Pressman, O-Rings (rubber goods) 559.885--Technical Report on Development of the USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  13. Fancy Stitcher (boot and shoe) 690.782; Top Stitcher (boot and shoe) 690.782; Vamp Stitcher (boot and shoe) 690.782--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  14. Gasoline-Engine Assembler (engine & turbine) 806.781; Internal-Combustion-Engine-Assembler (engine & turbine) 806.781; Outboard-Motor Assembler (engine & turbine) 806.781--Technical Report on Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  15. Paster (brick and tile) 773.884; Tile Placer (brick and tile) 573.687; Tile Sorter (brick and tile) 573.887 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  16. Casing Tier 529.887-020; Sausage Packer; Skin Peeler 525.884-050; Sliced-Bacon Packer II; Packer 920.887-114 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  17. Adult Psychosocial Outcomes of Children with Specific Language Impairment, Pragmatic Language Impairment and Autism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitehouse, Andrew J. O.; Watt, Helen J.; Line, E. A.; Bishop, Dorothy V. M.

    2009-01-01

    Background: The few studies that have tracked children with developmental language disorder to adulthood have found that these individuals experience considerable difficulties with psychosocial adjustment (for example, academic, vocational and social aptitude). Evidence that some children also develop autistic symptomatology over time has raised…

  18. Neurological Research on Language and the Implications for Teaching Bilingual Children to Read. Occasional Papers on Linguistics, No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giordano, Gerard

    Neurological data indicate that the universal aptitude for functional language is biologically based, species specific, and developmental. The universality of functional oral speech is indisputable. Everyone, however, does not exhibit similar expertise in processing oral and visual language. Many people can speak two languages functionally but…

  19. Predictive validity of pre-admission assessments on medical student performance.

    PubMed

    Dabaliz, Al-Awwab; Kaadan, Samy; Dabbagh, M Marwan; Barakat, Abdulaziz; Shareef, Mohammad Abrar; Al-Tannir, Mohamad; Obeidat, Akef; Mohamed, Ayman

    2017-11-24

    To examine the predictive validity of pre-admission variables on students' performance in a medical school in Saudi Arabia. In this retrospective study, we collected admission and college performance data for 737 students in preclinical and clinical years. Data included high school scores and other standardized test scores, such as those of the National Achievement Test and the General Aptitude Test. Additionally, we included the scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams. Those datasets were then compared with college performance indicators, namely the cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) and progress test, using multivariate linear regression analysis. In preclinical years, both the National Achievement Test (p=0.04, B=0.08) and TOEFL (p=0.017, B=0.01) scores were positive predictors of cGPA, whereas the General Aptitude Test (p=0.048, B=-0.05) negatively predicted cGPA. Moreover, none of the pre-admission variables were predictive of progress test performance in the same group. On the other hand, none of the pre-admission variables were predictive of cGPA in clinical years. Overall, cGPA strongly predict-ed students' progress test performance (p<0.001 and B=19.02). Only the National Achievement Test and TOEFL significantly predicted performance in preclinical years. However, these variables do not predict progress test performance, meaning that they do not predict the functional knowledge reflected in the progress test. We report various strengths and deficiencies in the current medical college admission criteria, and call for employing more sensitive and valid ones that predict student performance and functional knowledge, especially in the clinical years.

  20. Predictive validity of pre-admission assessments on medical student performance

    PubMed Central

    Dabaliz, Al-Awwab; Kaadan, Samy; Dabbagh, M. Marwan; Barakat, Abdulaziz; Shareef, Mohammad Abrar; Al-Tannir, Mohamad; Obeidat, Akef

    2017-01-01

    Objectives To examine the predictive validity of pre-admission variables on students’ performance in a medical school in Saudi Arabia.  Methods In this retrospective study, we collected admission and college performance data for 737 students in preclinical and clinical years. Data included high school scores and other standardized test scores, such as those of the National Achievement Test and the General Aptitude Test. Additionally, we included the scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams. Those datasets were then compared with college performance indicators, namely the cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) and progress test, using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results In preclinical years, both the National Achievement Test (p=0.04, B=0.08) and TOEFL (p=0.017, B=0.01) scores were positive predictors of cGPA, whereas the General Aptitude Test (p=0.048, B=-0.05) negatively predicted cGPA. Moreover, none of the pre-admission variables were predictive of progress test performance in the same group. On the other hand, none of the pre-admission variables were predictive of cGPA in clinical years. Overall, cGPA strongly predict-ed students’ progress test performance (p<0.001 and B=19.02). Conclusions Only the National Achievement Test and TOEFL significantly predicted performance in preclinical years. However, these variables do not predict progress test performance, meaning that they do not predict the functional knowledge reflected in the progress test. We report various strengths and deficiencies in the current medical college admission criteria, and call for employing more sensitive and valid ones that predict student performance and functional knowledge, especially in the clinical years. PMID:29176032

  1. Manual for the USES General Aptitude Test Battery. Section IV: Norms, Specific Occupations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC.

    Adult norms are shown as cutting scores for each of the aptitudes judged significant for a given occupation. Tables for converting adult scores to their ninth and tenth grade equivalents are included. The standard error of measurement is reported for each of the nine aptitudes of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB): intelligence, verbal…

  2. Finisher, Hand (toys & games) 9-13.01; Gluer (toys & games) 9-13.01; Laborer (toys & games) 9-13.01; Plastic-Toy Assembler (toys & games) 7-13.012; Toy Assembler (toys & games) 7-13.012--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  3. Considerations psycho-socio-linguistiques sur la conception des programmes de cours pour etudiants etrangers (Psycholinguistic and Sociolinguistic Considerations on the Development of Language Programs for Foreign Students).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    James, Ken

    1981-01-01

    Discusses psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic questions relevant to the development of language programs for foreigners, such as student motivation, language aptitude, learning styles, cultural differences, language styles, and communicative competence. Focuses particularly on the cultural problems faced by a foreigner, as a student, client, and…

  4. Social and Individual Frame Factors in L2 Learning: Comparative Aspects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekstrand, Lars H.

    A large number of factors are considered in their role in second language learning. Individual factors include language aptitude, personality, attitudes and motivation, and the role of the speaker's native language. Teacher factors involve the method of instruction, the sex of the teacher, and a teacher's training and competence, while…

  5. Characterization of good teleoperators - What aptitudes, interests, and experience correlate with measures of teleoperator performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yorchak, J. P.; Hartley, C. S.; Hinman, E.

    1985-01-01

    The use of aptitude tests and questionnaries to evaluate an individuals aptitude for teleoperation is studied. The Raven Progressive Matrices Test and Differential Aptitude Tests, and a 16-item questionnaire for assessing the subject's interests, academic background, and previous experience are described. The Proto-Flight Manipulator Arm, cameras, console, hand controller, and task board utilized by the 17 engineers are examined. The correlation between aptitude scores and questionnaire responses, and operator performance is investigated. Multiple regression data reveal that the eight predictor variables are not individually significant for evaluating operator performance; however, the complete test battery is applicable for predicting 49 percent of subject variance on the criterion task.

  6. Aptitude-treatment interactions revisited: effect of metacognitive intervention on subtypes of written expression in elementary school students.

    PubMed

    Hooper, Stephen R; Wakely, Melissa B; de Kruif, Renee E L; Swartz, Carl W

    2006-01-01

    We examined the effectiveness of a metacognitive intervention for written language performance, based on the Hayes model of written expression, for 73 fourth-grade (n = 38) and fifth-grade (n = 35) students. The intervention consisted of twenty 45-min writing lessons designed to improve their awareness of writing as a problem-solving process. Each of the lessons addressed some aspect of planning, translating, and reflecting on written products; their self-regulation of these processes; and actual writing practice. All instruction was conducted in intact classrooms. Prior to the intervention, all students received a battery of neurocognitive tests measuring executive functions, attention, and language. In addition, preintervention writing samples were obtained and analyzed holistically and for errors in syntax, semantics, and spelling. Following the intervention, the writing tasks were readministered and cluster analysis of the neurocognitive data was conducted. Cluster analytic procedures yielded 7 reliable clusters: 4 normal variants, 1 Problem Solving weakness, 1 Problem Solving Language weaknesses, and 1 Problem Solving strength. The response to the single treatment by these various subtypes revealed positive but modest findings. Significant group differences were noted for improvement in syntax errors and spelling, with only spelling showing differential improvement for the Problem Solving Language subtype. In addition, there was a marginally significant group effect for holistic ratings. These findings provide initial evidence that Writing Aptitude (subtype) x Single Treatment interactions exist in writing, but further research is needed with other classification schemes and interventions.

  7. Relationship of L1 Skills and L2 Aptitude to L2 Anxiety on the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sparks, Richard L.; Patton, Jon

    2013-01-01

    The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) has been challenged on the grounds that it may also assess language learning skills. In this study, 128 students who had been administered measures of first language (L1) skills in elementary school were followed from 1st to 10th grade. Fifty-three students had completed second language (L2)…

  8. Aptitude Level and the Acquisition of Skills and Knowledges in a Variety of Military Training Tasks.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Wayne L.; And Others

    To assess the effects of wide aptitude differences on the acquisition of military knowledges and skills, a sample of 183 Army recruits was divided into three maximally distant aptitude groups on the basis of Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT) scores: high aptitude (AFQT 90-99); middle aptitude (AFQT 45-55); low aptitude (AFQT 10-21). Recruits…

  9. Are Stress and Coping Associated with Aptitude and Achievement Testing Performance among Children? A Preliminary Investigation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plante, Thomas G.; And Others

    1993-01-01

    Examined association of stress and coping variables with aptitude and achievement testing among children (n=100) aged 6 to 16 referred for multidisciplinary diagnostic testing. Stress and coping were significantly associated with performance on aptitude and achievement tests. Specific stress of physical and/or sexual abuse as well as parental…

  10. Measuring Language Mindsets and Modeling Their Relations with Goal Orientations and Emotional and Behavioral Responses in Failure Situations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lou, Nigel Mantou; Noels, Kimberly A.

    2017-01-01

    Some people ascribe successful language learning to an innate aptitude that cannot be further developed, at least after a certain young age (i.e., an entity mindset), while other people believe that language learning ability can be improved (i.e., an incremental mindset). The purpose of this research is to (a) introduce the Language Mindsets…

  11. Individual Differences in Sequence Learning Ability and Second Language Acquisition in Early Childhood and Adulthood

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Granena, Gisela

    2013-01-01

    Language aptitude has been hypothesized as a factor that can compensate for postcritical period effects in language learning capacity. However, previous research has primarily focused on instructed contexts and rarely on acquisition-rich learning environments where there is a potential for massive amounts of input. In addition, the studies…

  12. Air traffic aptitude test measures of military and FAA controller trainees.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1971-10-01

    The study concerns the experimental use of seven commercially published aptitude tests at the Keesler AFB and Clynco NAS air traffic control (ATC) training schools, the determination of relationships between the aptitude scores and training-course pe...

  13. Knitting-Machine Operator (knit goods) 4-14.061--Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  14. Factor Structure and Incremental Validity of the Enhanced Computer- Administered Tests

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-07-01

    performance in the mechanical maintenance specialties. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Aptitude tests, ASVAB (Armed services vocational aptitude battery), CAT ...Code 11) Attn: Dir, Personnel Systems (Code 12) Attn: Dir, Testing Systems (Code 13) Attn: CAT /ASVABPMO FJB1 COMNAVCRUITCOM FT1 CNET V8 CG MCRD...test, a computerized adaptive testing version of the ASVAB ( CAT -ASVAB), the psychomotor portion of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), and the

  15. Crusher Inspector (Iron and Steel) 631.381; Mill-End Inspector (Iron and Steel) 619.381; Mill Inspector (Iron and Steel) 619.381; Pipe and Coupling Sizer (Iron and Steel) 619.381; Pipe Walker (Iron and Steel) 619.381; Thread Inspector (Iron and Steel) 619.687 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  16. Fruit Sorter (agric.; can. & preserv.; whole tr.) 9-68.60; Cherry Sorter 9-68.60; Olive Sorter 9-68.60; Packer (agric.) 9-68.35; Apple Packer 9-68.35; Cherry Packer 9-68.35; Citrus-Fruit Packer 9-68.35; Plum Packer 9-68.35 -- Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  17. The Multilingual/Bilingual Dichotomy: An Exploration of Individual Differences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Amy S.

    2009-01-01

    Bilingualism (Sanz, 2000), motivation (Pintrich, 1989), and language aptitude (Grigorenko, Sternberg, and Ehrman, 2000) are crucial individual differences that contribute to successful adult language learning. Since Gardner's (1985) seminal work on motivation, many studies have shown that motivation is dynamic and that it affects language…

  18. The influence of linguistic and musical experience on Cantonese word learning.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Angela; Wang, Yue

    2012-06-01

    Adult non-native speech perception is subject to influence from multiple factors, including linguistic and extralinguistic experience such as musical training. The present research examines how linguistic and musical factors influence non-native word identification and lexical tone perception. Groups of native tone language (Thai) and non-tone language listeners (English), each subdivided into musician and non-musician groups, engaged in Cantonese tone word training. Participants learned to identify words minimally distinguished by five Cantonese tones during training, also completing musical aptitude and phonemic tone identification tasks. First, the findings suggest that either musical experience or a tone language background leads to significantly better non-native word learning proficiency, as compared to those with neither musical training nor tone language experience. Moreover, the combination of tone language and musical experience did not provide an additional advantage for Thai musicians above and beyond either experience alone. Musicianship was found to be more advantageous than a tone language background for tone identification. Finally, tone identification and musical aptitude scores were significantly correlated with word learning success for English but not Thai listeners. These findings point to a dynamic influence of musical and linguistic experience, both at the tone dentification level and at the word learning stage.

  19. INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT, MOTOR APTITUDE AND INTELLECTUAL PERFORMANCE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    GRUBER, J.J.; ISMAIL, A.H.

    THE RELATIONSHIP OF MOVEMENT RESPONSES TO LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT WERE INVESTIGATED (1) TO IDENTIFY FACTORS CLAIMED TO MEASURE MOTOR APTITUDE AND INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN PRE-ADOLESCENTS, (2) TO DEVELOP MOTOR APTITUDE TEST BATTERIES FOR PREDICTING INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENT, (3) TO STUDY RELATIONSHIPS OF COORDINATION AND BALANCE TEST ITEMS IN…

  20. Genomics studies on musical aptitude, music perception, and practice.

    PubMed

    Järvelä, Irma

    2018-03-23

    When searching for genetic markers inherited together with musical aptitude, genes affecting inner ear development and brain function were identified. The alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA), located in the most significant linkage region of musical aptitude, was overexpressed when listening and performing music. The GATA-binding protein 2 gene (GATA2) was located in the best associated region of musical aptitude and regulates SNCA in dopaminergic neurons, thus linking DNA- and RNA-based studies of music-related traits together. In addition to SNCA, several other genes were linked to dopamine metabolism. Mutations in SNCA predispose to Lewy-body dementia and cause Parkinson disease in humans and affect song production in songbirds. Several other birdsong genes were found in transcriptome analysis, suggesting a common evolutionary background of sound perception and production in humans and songbirds. Regions of positive selection with musical aptitude contained genes affecting auditory perception, cognitive performance, memory, human language development, and song perception and production of songbirds. The data support the role of dopaminergic pathway and their link to the reward mechanism as a molecular determinant in positive selection of music. Integration of gene-level data from the literature across multiple species prioritized activity-dependent immediate early genes as candidate genes in musical aptitude and listening to and performing music. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

  1. Individual Differences in Digit Span, Susceptibility to Proactive Interference, and Aptitude/Achievement Test Scores.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dempster, Frank N.; Cooney, John B.

    1982-01-01

    Individual differences in digit span, susceptibility to proactive interference, and various aptitude/achievement test scores were investigated in two experiments with college students. Results indicated that digit span was strongly correlated with aptitude/achievement scores, but did not indicate that susceptibility to proactive interference…

  2. Coil Opener and Down Ender Operator (iron & steel) 7-88.305; Conveyor Man (iron & steel) 7-88.300; Cooling Conveyor Operator (iron & steel) 7-88.241; Tester Conveyor Operator (iron & steel) 7-88.241; Thread Entry Conveyor Operator (iron & steel) 7-88.241; Yard Transfer Conveyor Operator (iron & steel) 7-88.241--Technical Report on Standardization of the General Aptitude Test Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  3. Notetaking, Verbal Aptitude, & Listening Span: Factors Involved in Learning from Lectures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walbaum, Sharlene D.

    Three variables (verbal aptitude, listening ability, and notetaking) that may mediate how much college students learn from a lecture were studied. Verbal aptitude was operationalized as a Verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test (VSAT) score. Listening ability was measured as the score on an auditory short-term memory task, using the serial running memory…

  4. The Classroom Ratio of High- and Low-aptitude Students and Its Effect on Achievement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beckerman, Terrill M.; Good, Thomas L.

    1981-01-01

    This study examined the effect of the ratio of high-aptitude to low-aptitude students in a classroom upon mathematics achievement. The hypothesis tested was that both high- and low-aptitude students in "more favorable" classrooms would outperform similar students in "less favorable" classrooms. (Author/GK)

  5. Differential Gains in Oral Proficiency during Study Abroad: The Role of Language Learning Aptitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Sheri Lynn

    2012-01-01

    This inquiry analyzed the relationships between individual differences and gains made in oral proficiency of adult, second language learners of Spanish during one semester studying abroad. Oral proficiency was measured using a pre/post-SA Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument (COPI, CAL, 2009). Gain scores were correlated with two cognitive…

  6. Childhood Bilingualism and Adult Language Learning Aptitude, CUNY Forum, No. 3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenstein, Miriam

    This paper investigates the influence childhood bilingualism has on adult foreign language learning ability. Early research exploring the influence of bilingualism on general intelligence is mentioned as well as recent studies that present more favorable results. It is hypothesized that childhood bilingualism will have a positive effect on adult…

  7. Do Foreign Language Learning, Cognitive, and Affective Variables Differ as a Function of Exceptionality Status and Gender?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bell, Sherry Mee; McCallum, R. Steve

    2012-01-01

    Relationships between foreign language learning and four characteristics--anxiety, aptitude, attitudes and attributions for success--were investigated for 95 students enrolled in introductory level Spanish classes at a large, southeastern university in the United States. Examination grades resulted in significantly positive correlation with an…

  8. A Theory of Sex Differences in Technical Aptitude and Some Supporting Evidence.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, Frank L

    2011-11-01

    In this article, I present a theory that explains the origin of sex differences in technical aptitudes. The theory takes as proven that there are no sex differences in general mental ability (GMA), and it postulates that sex differences in technical aptitude (TA) stem from differences in experience in technical areas, which is in turn based on sex differences in technical interests. Using a large data set, I tested and found support for four predictions made by this theory: (a) the construct level correlation between technical aptitude and GMA is larger for females than males, (b) the observed and true score variability of technical aptitude is greater among males than females, (c) at every level of GMA females have lower levels of technical aptitude, and (d) technical aptitude measures used as estimates of GMA for decision purposes would result in underestimation of GMA levels for girls and women. Given that GMA carries the weight of prediction of job performance, the support found for this last prediction suggests that, for many jobs, technical aptitude tests may underpredict the job performance of female applicants and employees. Future research should examine this question. © Association for Psychological Science 2011.

  9. Finding the Key to Successful L2 Learning in Groups and Individuals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lowie, Wander; van Dijk, Marijn; Chan, Huiping; Verspoor, Marjolijn

    2017-01-01

    A large body studies into individual differences in second language learning has shown that success in second language learning is strongly affected by a set of relevant learner characteristics ranging from the age of onset to motivation, aptitude, and personality. Most studies have concentrated on a limited number of learner characteristics and…

  10. Hi-LAB: A New Measure of Aptitude for High-Level Language Proficiency

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linck, Jared A.; Hughes, Meredith M.; Campbell, Susan G.; Silbert, Noah H.; Tare, Medha; Jackson, Scott R.; Smith, Benjamin K.; Bunting, Michael F.; Doughty, Catherine J.

    2013-01-01

    Few adult second language (L2) learners successfully attain high-level proficiency. Although decades of research on beginning to intermediate stages of L2 learning have identified a number of predictors of the rate of acquisition, little research has examined factors relevant to predicting very high levels of L2 proficiency. The current study,…

  11. Reaching English Language Learners in Every Classroom: Energizers for Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arechiga, Debbie

    2012-01-01

    Reach all of your English language learners with the effective and engaging approaches in this book. It's filled with practical tools, strategies, and real-world vignettes that will help you teach reading and writing to a diverse student population. The book features "Mental Energizers," aptitudes that will help sustain your commitment as you work…

  12. Psychometric Features of the General Aptitude Test-Verbal Part (GAT-V): A Large-Scale Assessment of High School Graduates in Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dimitrov, Dimiter M.; Shamrani, Abdul Rahman

    2015-01-01

    This study examines the psychometric features of a General Aptitude Test-Verbal Part, which is used with assessments of high school graduates in Saudi Arabia. The data supported a bifactor model, with one general factor and three content domains (Analogy, Sentence Completion, and Reading Comprehension) as latent aspects of verbal aptitude.

  13. Equivalent-Groups versus Single-Group Equating Designs for the Accelerated CAT-ASVAB (Computerized Adaptive Test-Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) Project.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-01-01

    DESIGNS FOR THE ACCELERATED CAT -ASVAB * PROJECT Peter H. Stoloff DTIC’- , " SELECTE -NOV 2 3 987 A Division of Hudson Institute CENTER FOR NAVAL ANALYSES...65153M C0031 SI TITLE (Include Security Classification) Equivalent-Groups Versus Single-Group Equating Designs For The Accelerated CAT -ASVAB Project...GROUP ACAP (Accelerated CAT -ASVAB Program), Aptitude tests, ASVAB (Armed 05 10 Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), CAT (Computerized Adaptive Test

  14. Multiple Aptitude Normative Intelligence Testing that Distinguishes U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator Sensor Operators from Peers in the Civilian General Population and AC-130 Gunship Sensor Operators

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-07-01

    intellectual ability. It is fashioned after the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Ref 11), which is the most widely used, individually administered test...Multidimensional Aptitude Battery-II Manual, Sigma Assessment Systems Inc., London, 2003. 11. Wechsler D, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale® – Third...AFRL-SA-WP-TR-2011-0006 MULTIPLE APTITUDE NORMATIVE INTELLIGENCE TESTING THAT DISTINGUISHES U.S. AIR FORCE MQ-1 PREDATOR SENSOR

  15. Development of new selection tests for air traffic controllers.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1977-12-01

    This report describes the development of a new Multiplex Controller Aptitude Test for initial screening of FAA Air Traffic Controller applicants. Its content includes the traditional types of aptitude test items used for today's screening. In additio...

  16. Multidimensional Aptitude Battery-Second Edition Intelligence Testing of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Training Candidates Compared with Manned Airframe Training Candidates

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-01

    assessing the general intelligence and neuropsychological aptitudes of USAF RPA pilot training candidates. Chappelle et al. obtained comprehensive...computer-based intelligence testing (Multidimensional Aptitude Battery-Second Edition [MAB-II]) and neuropsychological screening (MicroCog) on USAF MQ-1... schizophrenia , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorders) and not on very high functioning populations such as aviators

  17. APTITUDES AND PERSONALITY MEASURES RELATED TO CREATIVITY IN SEVENTH-GRADE CHILDREN. STUDIES OF APTITUDES OF HIGH-LEVEL PERSONNEL.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MERRIFIELD, P.R.; AND OTHERS

    SEVENTH GRADE PUPILS IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA WERE INCLUDED IN A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS OF APTITUDE AND TRAIT MEASURES TO TEACHER RATINGS OF BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF CREATIVITY. ALL 443 CHILDREN HAD AN IQ OF 90 OR GREATER. EIGHT APTITUDE SCORES WERE USED AS MEASURES OF DIVERGENT THINKING IN SEMANTIC CONTENT. A SERIES OF TESTS WAS DEVISED TO…

  18. Survey of Expert Opinion on Intelligence and Aptitude Testing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snyderman, Mark; Rothman, Stanley

    1987-01-01

    Psychologists and educational specialists with expertise in areas related to intelligence testing responded to a questionnaire dealing with possible racial and socioeconomic bias of IQ tests. Overall, experts hold positive attitudes about the validity and usefulness of intelligence and aptitude tests. (Author/LHW)

  19. Explaining Academic-Track Boys' Underachievement in Language Grades: Not a Lack of Aptitude but Students' Motivational Beliefs and Parents' Perceptions?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heyder, Anke; Kessels, Ursula; Steinmayr, Ricarda

    2017-01-01

    Background: Boys earn lower grades in languages than girls. The expectancy-value model by Eccles" et al." (1983, "A series of books in psychology. Achievement and achievement motives. Psychological and sociological approaches," W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, CA, 76) is a comprehensive theoretical model for explaining gender…

  20. The effect of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 antibody status on military applicant aptitude test scores.

    PubMed

    Arday, D R; Brundage, J F; Gardner, L I; Goldenbaum, M; Wann, F; Wright, S

    1991-06-15

    The authors conducted a population-based study to attempt to estimate the effect of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) seropositivity on Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test scores in otherwise healthy individuals with early HIV-1 infection. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is a 10-test written multiple aptitude battery administered to all civilian applicants for military enlistment prior to serologic screening for HIV-1 antibodies. A total of 975,489 induction testing records containing both Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and HIV-1 results from October 1985 through March 1987 were examined. An analysis data set (n = 7,698) was constructed by choosing five controls for each of the 1,283 HIV-1-positive cases, matched on five-digit ZIP code, and a multiple linear regression analysis was performed to control for demographic and other factors that might influence test scores. Years of education was the strongest predictor of test scores, raising an applicant's score on a composite test nearly 0.16 standard deviation per year. The HIV-1-positive effect on the composite score was -0.09 standard deviation (99% confidence interval -0.17 to -0.02). Separate regressions on each component test within the battery showed HIV-1 effects between -0.39 and +0.06 standard deviation. The two Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery component tests felt a priori to be the most sensitive to HIV-1-positive status showed the least decrease with seropositivity. Much of the variability in test scores was not predicted by either HIV-1 serostatus or the demographic and other factors included in the model. There appeared to be little evidence of a strong HIV-1 effect.

  1. Validity of the Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment Aptitude Scores.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Janikowski, Timothy P.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Examined validity of Microcomputer Evaluation Screening and Assessment (MESA) aptitude scores relative to General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) using multitrait-multimethod correlational analyses. Findings from 54 rehabilitation clients and 29 displaced workers revealed no evidence to support the construct validity of the MESA. (Author/NB)

  2. Scholastic Aptitude Test Preparation for the Adolescent Dyslexic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothschild, Lois H.

    1987-01-01

    Scholastic Aptitude Test skills of dyslexics can be enhanced through use of special test administration arrangements and a structured program of vocabulary development, test-taking strategies, and a pattern of analysis to improve reading comprehension. Two case studies illustrate the impact of drill and reinforcement, multimodal imagery…

  3. Personality, Cognitive Style, Motivation, and Aptitude Predict Systematic Trends in Analytic Forecasting Behavior.

    PubMed

    Poore, Joshua C; Forlines, Clifton L; Miller, Sarah M; Regan, John R; Irvine, John M

    2014-12-01

    The decision sciences are increasingly challenged to advance methods for modeling analysts, accounting for both analytic strengths and weaknesses, to improve inferences taken from increasingly large and complex sources of data. We examine whether psychometric measures-personality, cognitive style, motivated cognition-predict analytic performance and whether psychometric measures are competitive with aptitude measures (i.e., SAT scores) as analyst sample selection criteria. A heterogeneous, national sample of 927 participants completed an extensive battery of psychometric measures and aptitude tests and was asked 129 geopolitical forecasting questions over the course of 1 year. Factor analysis reveals four dimensions among psychometric measures; dimensions characterized by differently motivated "top-down" cognitive styles predicted distinctive patterns in aptitude and forecasting behavior. These dimensions were not better predictors of forecasting accuracy than aptitude measures. However, multiple regression and mediation analysis reveals that these dimensions influenced forecasting accuracy primarily through bias in forecasting confidence. We also found that these facets were competitive with aptitude tests as forecast sampling criteria designed to mitigate biases in forecasting confidence while maximizing accuracy. These findings inform the understanding of individual difference dimensions at the intersection of analytic aptitude and demonstrate that they wield predictive power in applied, analytic domains.

  4. Personality, Cognitive Style, Motivation, and Aptitude Predict Systematic Trends in Analytic Forecasting Behavior

    PubMed Central

    Forlines, Clifton L.; Miller, Sarah M.; Regan, John R.; Irvine, John M.

    2014-01-01

    The decision sciences are increasingly challenged to advance methods for modeling analysts, accounting for both analytic strengths and weaknesses, to improve inferences taken from increasingly large and complex sources of data. We examine whether psychometric measures—personality, cognitive style, motivated cognition—predict analytic performance and whether psychometric measures are competitive with aptitude measures (i.e., SAT scores) as analyst sample selection criteria. A heterogeneous, national sample of 927 participants completed an extensive battery of psychometric measures and aptitude tests and was asked 129 geopolitical forecasting questions over the course of 1 year. Factor analysis reveals four dimensions among psychometric measures; dimensions characterized by differently motivated “top-down” cognitive styles predicted distinctive patterns in aptitude and forecasting behavior. These dimensions were not better predictors of forecasting accuracy than aptitude measures. However, multiple regression and mediation analysis reveals that these dimensions influenced forecasting accuracy primarily through bias in forecasting confidence. We also found that these facets were competitive with aptitude tests as forecast sampling criteria designed to mitigate biases in forecasting confidence while maximizing accuracy. These findings inform the understanding of individual difference dimensions at the intersection of analytic aptitude and demonstrate that they wield predictive power in applied, analytic domains. PMID:25983670

  5. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Writing and their Relations to Language and Reading

    PubMed Central

    Olson, Richard K.; Hulslander, Jacqueline; Christopher, Micaela; Keenan, Janice M.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Pennington, Bruce F.; DeFries, John C.

    2011-01-01

    Identical and fraternal twins (N = 540, age 8 to 18 years) were tested on three different measures of writing (Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement-Writing Samples and Writing Fluency; Handwriting Copy from the Group Diagnostic Reading and Aptitude Achievement Tests), three different language skills (Phonological Awareness, Rapid Naming, and Vocabulary), and three different reading skills (Word Recognition, Spelling, and Reading Comprehension). Substantial genetic influence was found on two of the writing measures, Writing Samples and Handwriting Copy, and all of the language and reading measures. Shared environment influences were generally not significant, except for vocabulary. Non-shared environment estimates, including measurement error, were significant for all variables. Genetic influences among the writing measures were significantly correlated (highest between the speeded measures Writing Fluency and Handwriting Copy), but there were also significant independent genetic influences between Copy and Samples and between Fluency and Samples. Genetic influences on writing were significantly correlated with genetic influences on all of the language and reading skills, but significant independent genetic influences were also found for Copy and Samples, whose genetic correlations were significantly less than 1.0 with the reading and language skills. The genetic correlations varied significantly in strength depending on the overlap between the writing, language, and reading task demands. We discuss implications of our results for education, limitations of the study, and new directions for research on writing and its relations to language and reading. PMID:21842316

  6. A proposed new test for aptitude screening of air traffic controller applicants.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1972-05-01

    The study concerns the development and experimental validation of a novel aptitude test, referred to as 'Directional Headings' (or DHT), for the selection of Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) trainees. The test requires the subject to rapidly int...

  7. Microcomputer Network for Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT). [Final Report, FY81-83].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quan, Baldwin; And Others

    Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) offers the opportunity to replace paper-and-pencil aptitude tests such as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery with shorter, more accurate, and more secure computer-administered tests. Its potential advantages need to be verified by experimental administration of automated tests to military recruit…

  8. Evaluation of the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) 8/ 9/10 Clerical Composite for Predicting Training School Performance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-10-01

    specific predictor such as clerical speed or psychomotor skill , since the AR test would probably predict success equally well in many different areas...to specific occupational skills . Ř? When the aptitude area system was reconstituted in 1958, each composite contained only two tests, one measuring... literacy into each composite was that the composites were highly intercorrelated. The same aptitude composites developed for ACB-73 were also used

  9. The Interface of Explicit and Implicit Knowledge in a Second Language: Insights from Individual Differences in Cognitive Aptitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suzuki, Yuichi; DeKeyser, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Recent research has called for the use of fine-grained measures that distinguish implicit knowledge from automatized explicit knowledge. In the current study, such measures were used to determine how the two systems interact in a naturalistic second language (L2) acquisition context. One hundred advanced L2 speakers of Japanese living in Japan…

  10. Evidence for Multiple Rhythmic Skills

    PubMed Central

    Tierney, Adam; Kraus, Nina

    2015-01-01

    Rhythms, or patterns in time, play a vital role in both speech and music. Proficiency in a number of rhythm skills has been linked to language ability, suggesting that certain rhythmic processes in music and language rely on overlapping resources. However, a lack of understanding about how rhythm skills relate to each other has impeded progress in understanding how language relies on rhythm processing. In particular, it is unknown whether all rhythm skills are linked together, forming a single broad rhythmic competence, or whether there are multiple dissociable rhythm skills. We hypothesized that beat tapping and rhythm memory/sequencing form two separate clusters of rhythm skills. This hypothesis was tested with a battery of two beat tapping and two rhythm memory tests. Here we show that tapping to a metronome and the ability to adjust to a changing tempo while tapping to a metronome are related skills. The ability to remember rhythms and to drum along to repeating rhythmic sequences are also related. However, we found no relationship between beat tapping skills and rhythm memory skills. Thus, beat tapping and rhythm memory are dissociable rhythmic aptitudes. This discovery may inform future research disambiguating how distinct rhythm competencies track with specific language functions. PMID:26376489

  11. Testing Information Sources for Educators. ERIC/TME Report 94.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fabiano, Emily; O'Brien, Nancy

    This guide provides annotated lists of books, journals, indexes, and computer-based services and organizations that are sources of test information. The guide directs educators to test information about assessing academic ability, aptitude, achievement, personality, vocational aptitude, and intelligence, as well as specialized topics such as…

  12. Still under the microscope: can a surgical aptitude test predict otolaryngology resident performance?

    PubMed

    Moore, Eric J; Price, Daniel L; Van Abel, Kathryn M; Carlson, Matthew L

    2015-02-01

    Application to otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency is highly competitive, and the interview process strives to select qualified applicants with a high aptitude for the specialty. Commonly employed criteria for applicant selection have failed to show correlation with proficiency during residency training. We evaluate the correlation between the results of a surgical aptitude test administered to otolaryngology resident applicants and their performance during residency. Retrospective study at an academic otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency program. Between 2007 and 2013, 224 resident applicants participated in a previously described surgical aptitude test administered at a microvascular surgical station. The composite score and attitudinal scores for 24 consecutive residents who matched at our institution were recorded, and their residency performance was analyzed by faculty survey on a five-point scale. The composite and attitudinal scores were analyzed for correlation with residency performance score by regression analysis. Twenty-four residents were evaluated for overall quality as a clinician by eight faculty members who were blinded to the results of surgical aptitude testing. The results of these surveys showed good inter-rater reliability. Both the overall aptitude test scores and the subset attitudinal score showed reliability in predicting performance during residency training. The goal of the residency selection process is to evaluate the candidate's potential for success in residency and beyond. The results of this study suggest that a simple-to-administer clinical skills test may have predictive value for success in residency and clinician quality. 4. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  13. 20 CFR 628.515 - Objective assessment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... aptitudes for nontraditional occupations), attitude towards work, motivation, behavior patterns affecting... appropriate means to measure skills, abilities, attitudes, and interests of the participants. The methods used... and/or attitude inventories, career guidance instruments, aptitude tests, and basic skills tests. (2...

  14. Subcortical processing of speech regularities underlies reading and music aptitude in children.

    PubMed

    Strait, Dana L; Hornickel, Jane; Kraus, Nina

    2011-10-17

    Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities supports fundamental human behaviors such as hearing in noise and reading. Although the failure to encode acoustic regularities in ongoing speech has been associated with language and literacy deficits, how auditory expertise, such as the expertise that is associated with musical skill, relates to the brainstem processing of speech regularities is unknown. An association between musical skill and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities would not be surprising given the importance of repetition and regularity in music. Here, we aimed to define relationships between the subcortical processing of speech regularities, music aptitude, and reading abilities in children with and without reading impairment. We hypothesized that, in combination with auditory cognitive abilities, neural sensitivity to regularities in ongoing speech provides a common biological mechanism underlying the development of music and reading abilities. We assessed auditory working memory and attention, music aptitude, reading ability, and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities in 42 school-aged children with a wide range of reading ability. Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities was assessed by recording brainstem responses to the same speech sound presented in predictable and variable speech streams. Through correlation analyses and structural equation modeling, we reveal that music aptitude and literacy both relate to the extent of subcortical adaptation to regularities in ongoing speech as well as with auditory working memory and attention. Relationships between music and speech processing are specifically driven by performance on a musical rhythm task, underscoring the importance of rhythmic regularity for both language and music. These data indicate common brain mechanisms underlying reading and music abilities that relate to how the nervous system responds to regularities in auditory input. Definition of common biological underpinnings for music and reading supports the usefulness of music for promoting child literacy, with the potential to improve reading remediation.

  15. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bayroff, Abram G.; Fuchs, Edmund F.

    This study identified Army, Navy, and Air Force classification tests which were interchangeable in terms of abilities and aptitudes measured; and sought to develop shortened forms as an alternative interservice test battery which would not require over 2 1/2 hours. Comparability was determined from test intercorrelations in a consolidated sample…

  16. Evaluation Plan for the Computerized Adaptive Vocational Aptitude Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Bert F.; And Others

    The United States Armed Services are planning to introduce computerized adaptive testing (CAT) into the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which is a major part of the present personnel assessment procedures. Adaptive testing will improve efficiency greatly by assessing each candidate's answers as the test progresses and posing…

  17. Musical plus phonological input for young foreign language readers

    PubMed Central

    Fonseca-Mora, M. C.; Jara-Jiménez, Pilar; Gómez-Domínguez, María

    2015-01-01

    Based on previous studies showing that phonological awareness is related to reading abilities and that music training improves phonological processing, the aim of the present study was to test for the efficiency of a new method for teaching to read in a foreign language. Specifically, we tested the efficacy of a phonological training program, with and without musical support that aimed at improving early reading skills in 7–8-year-old Spanish children (n = 63) learning English as a foreign language. Of interest was also to explore the impact of this training program on working memory and decoding skills. To achieve these goals we tested three groups of children before and after training: a control group, an experimental group with phonological non-musical intervention (active control), and an experimental group with musical intervention. Results clearly point to the beneficial effects of the phonological teaching approach but the further impact of the music support was not demonstrated. Moreover, while children in the music group showed low musical aptitudes before training, they nevertheless performed better than the control group. Therefore, the phonological training program with and without music support seem to have significant effects on early reading skills. PMID:25852604

  18. Musical plus phonological input for young foreign language readers.

    PubMed

    Fonseca-Mora, M C; Jara-Jiménez, Pilar; Gómez-Domínguez, María

    2015-01-01

    Based on previous studies showing that phonological awareness is related to reading abilities and that music training improves phonological processing, the aim of the present study was to test for the efficiency of a new method for teaching to read in a foreign language. Specifically, we tested the efficacy of a phonological training program, with and without musical support that aimed at improving early reading skills in 7-8-year-old Spanish children (n = 63) learning English as a foreign language. Of interest was also to explore the impact of this training program on working memory and decoding skills. To achieve these goals we tested three groups of children before and after training: a control group, an experimental group with phonological non-musical intervention (active control), and an experimental group with musical intervention. Results clearly point to the beneficial effects of the phonological teaching approach but the further impact of the music support was not demonstrated. Moreover, while children in the music group showed low musical aptitudes before training, they nevertheless performed better than the control group. Therefore, the phonological training program with and without music support seem to have significant effects on early reading skills.

  19. Aptitude Level and Performance on Intramodal and Intermodal Form Discrimination Tasks. Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kress, Gary

    The increased number of marginal aptitude trainees inducted into the Army has created the need for adequately and efficiently training these men. This report presents the finding of research that compared high and low aptitude men--classified on the basis of scores from the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT)--on two form discrimination tasks…

  20. Teaching Aptitude of Student Teachers and their Academic Achievements at Graduate Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sajan, K. S.

    2010-01-01

    The present investigation aims at studying teaching aptitude of student teachers with respect to their gender and academic achievement at graduate level examination. The sample for this study is selected by stratified random sampling from the Teacher Education institutions of Malabar area of Kerala. Teaching Aptitude Test Battery (T A T B)…

  1. Sociolinguistic and Measurement Considerations for Construction of Armed Services Selection Batteries.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1977-12-01

    The objective of this study is to identify potential sources of linguistics bias in Armed Forces aptitude tests. General aspects of a sociolinguistic ...conclusion summarizes specific considerations that should be given to sociolinguistic aspects of aptitude tests and suggests ways in which this anlaysis may be followed up by test designers and test interpreters. (Author)

  2. Judged Similarity of Aptitude and Achievement Tests in Mathematics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donlon, Thomas F.

    This study attempts to establish the ability of a panel of five judges with varied mathematics background to distinguish between two types of mathematical tests by separating their component items when they are presented in a mixed pool of aptitude and achievement tests. Typically, the two tests show high correlation. The judges showed about 70%…

  3. Multidimensional Computerized Adaptive Scholastic Aptitude Test Program Used for Grade 9 Students under Different Reviewing Test Conditions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khunkrai, Naruemon; Sawangboon, Tatsirin; Ketchatturat, Jatuphum

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this research is to study the accurate prediction of comparing test information and evaluation result by multidimensional computerized adaptive scholastic aptitude test program used for grade 9 students under different reviewing test conditions. Grade 9 students of the Secondary Educational Service Area Office in the North-east of…

  4. Academic aptitude as a predictor of headache proneness during college: could headache be an outcome of low test scores?

    PubMed

    Hovanitz, Christine A; Thatcher, Dawn Lindsay

    2012-03-01

    Academic work as well as compensated employment has been found adversely associated with frequent headache; headache remains a costly disorder to the person and to society. However, little is known of factors--other than prior headache complaints--that may predict headache frequency over extended periods of time. Based on previous research, effortful task engagement appears to be a contributing factor to headache onset. This suggests that relatively stable attributes that are likely to affect effort expenditure may predict headache frequency over long intervals. The goal of this study was to evaluate the predictability of headache proneness in college-attending students by college aptitude tests administered in high school. Five hundred undergraduate students enrolled in a large public, urban university completed a number of questionnaires. Official admissions records of the college aptitude tests ACT (an acronym for the original test name, the American College Testing), SAT (the Scholastic Aptitude Test), and GPA (grade point average) were obtained and compared to the report of headache frequency. The ACT test mathematics predicted headache proneness in the hypothesized direction, while the ACT English test provided conflicting data; some evidence of gender differences was suggested. While nearly all research on headache and work effectiveness has considered headache to be a cause of reduced efficiency or productivity, this study suggests that a factor which presumably affects the ease of work completion (e.g., scholastic aptitude) may predict headache, at least in some cases within the "work" environment of academia.

  5. The Dental Hygiene Aptitude Tests and the American College Testing Program Tests as Predictors of Scores on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longenbecker, Sueann; Wood, Peter H.

    1984-01-01

    Scores from the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) served as the criterion variable in a comparison of the predictive validity of the Dental Hygiene Aptitude Tests (DHAT) and the ACT Assessment tests. The DHAT-Science and Verbal tests combined to produce the highest multiple correlation with NBDHE scores. (Author/DWH)

  6. Job-Derived Selection: Follow Up Report. Technical Report No. 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormick, Ernest J.; And Others

    A study dealt with the use of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) within a job component validity framework as the basis for estimating aptitude requirements of jobs represented by scores on commercially available tests as contrasted with scores on General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) tests. Procedures generally consisted of the use of job…

  7. An Examination of Teachers' Effects on High, Middle, and Low Aptitude Students' Performance on a Standardized Achievement Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Good, Thomas L.; Beckerman, Terrill M.

    1978-01-01

    Teacher effectiveness was defined by students' mathematics score on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills while achievement was measured by the Cognitive Abilities Test. Relatively effective teachers generally produced achievement gains from all aptitude levels. Similarly, relatively ineffective teachers did not disproportionately depress achievement for…

  8. Effects of psychotropic drugs and psychiatric illness on vocational aptitude and interest assessment.

    PubMed

    Helmes, E; Fekken, G C

    1986-07-01

    This study examined the vocational aptitude and interest scores of 326 inpatients at a large urban psychiatric hospital. The inpatient group performed significantly below the adult normative mean on eight of nine General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) aptitude measures; the single exception was Verbal Aptitude. Further, GATB aptitude scores (adjusted for age and education) were significantly lower for patients who were receiving (N = 210) psychotropic medication than for patients who were not receiving (N = 114) psychotropic medication, again with the exception of Verbal Aptitude. Differentiation of patients into subsamples who were receiving particular drugs or drug combinations indicated that phenothiazines in combination with Anti-Parkinsonians were associated with the poorest GATB performances. Interestingly, self-reported vocational interests were not related in any systematic fashion to receiving medication. A variety of explanations that may account for these findings, including drug side-effects and severity or type of psychiatric disorder, were investigated. Implications for vocational counselors were discussed.

  9. Development and validation of an instrument to measure family physicians' clinical aptitude in metabolic syndrome in Mexico.

    PubMed

    Cabrera-Pivaral, Carlos E; Gutiérrez-Ruvalcaba, Clara Luz; Peralta-Heredia, Irma Concepción; Alonso-Reynoso, Carlos

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to measure family physicians' clinical aptitude for the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic syndrome in a representative sample from six Family Medicine Units (UMF) at the Mexican Institute for Social Security (IMSS), in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. This is a cross-sectional study. A validated and structured instrument was used, with a confidence coefficient (Kuder-Richardson) of 0.95, that was applied to a representative sample of 90 family physicians throughout six UMFs in Guadalajara, between 2003 and 2004. Mann-Whitney's U and Kruskal-Wallis' tests were used to compare two or more groups, and the Perez-Viniegra Test was used to define aptitude development levels. No statistically significant differences were found in aptitude development between the six family medicine units groups and other comparative groups. The generally low level of clinical aptitude, and its indicators, reflects limitations on the part of family physicians at the IMSS in Jalisco to identify and manage metabolic syndrome.

  10. Military Aptitude Testing: The Past Fifty Years

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-06-01

    61 Relationship Between the STP and the Joint-Service Program ............. 64 CHAPTER 4 NORMING AND SCALING MILITARY SELECTION...34* Identify the skills and knowledge that underlie performance in an occupational area. "* Develop experimental tests that may predict performance in...and nuclear technicians.) "* Construct experimental tests that measure the skills , knowledge, and aptitudes needed for success in that occupational

  11. The Construct Validity of HPAT-Ireland for the Selection of Medical Students: Unresolved Issues and Future Research Implications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Maureen E.; O'Flynn, Siun

    2017-01-01

    Aptitude tests are widely used in selection. However, despite certain advantages their use remains controversial. This paper aims to critically appraise five sources of evidence for the construct validity of the Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT)-Ireland, an aptitude test used for selecting undergraduate medical students. The objectives are…

  12. Development of USTES Aptitude Test Battery for Photograph Finisher (Any Industry) I 976.886.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wisconsin State Employment Service, Madison.

    To develop General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) norms for the occupation of photograph finisher, 59 female workers employed as photograph finishers in Wisconsin were administered all 12 tests of the GATB and the Research Questionnaire-Background during July 1969. Supervisory ratings of job proficiency were made at approximately the same time as…

  13. A comparative study of air traffic trainee aptitude-test measures involving Navy, Marine Corps and FAA controllers.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1968-09-01

    The study concerns the experimental use of several commercially-published aptitude tests and a determination of their validity as predictors of training-performance grades for more than 300 Marines and over 600 Naval students who entered a basic air-...

  14. Problems in air traffic management. V., Identification and potential aptitude test measures for selection of tower air traffic controller trainees.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1965-07-01

    A study of over 200 Terminal Air Traffic Control Specialists indicated that their training performance could be well predicted by a composite of four aptitude tests measuring: numerical ability, non-verbal abstract reasoning, ability to solve simplif...

  15. 20 CFR 669.380 - What is the objective assessment that is authorized as an intensive service?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... procedure designed to comprehensively assess the skills, abilities, and interests of each employment and...) Skills and aptitude assessments; (3) Performance assessments (for example, skills or work samples... attitude inventories; (5) Career guidance instruments; (6) Aptitude tests; and (7) Basic skills tests. (b...

  16. 20 CFR 669.380 - What is the objective assessment that is authorized as an intensive service?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... procedure designed to comprehensively assess the skills, abilities, and interests of each employment and...) Skills and aptitude assessments; (3) Performance assessments (for example, skills or work samples... attitude inventories; (5) Career guidance instruments; (6) Aptitude tests; and (7) Basic skills tests. (b...

  17. Differential prediction of FAA Academy performance on the basis of gender and written air traffic control specialist aptitude test scores.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-04-01

    The technical fairness of the written air traffic control specialist (ATCS) aptitude test battery was investigated within the framework of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (29 CFR 1607). First, the adverse impact of using a com...

  18. A Cross-Cultural Test of Sex Bias in the Predictive Validity of Scholastic Aptitude Examinations: Some Israeli Findings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zeidner, Moshe

    1987-01-01

    This study examined the cross-cultural validity of the sex bias contention with respect to standardized aptitude testing, used for academic prediction purposes in Israel. Analyses were based on the grade point average and scores of 1778 Jewish and 1017 Arab students who were administered standardized college entrance test batteries. (Author/LMO)

  19. STABILITY OF ACADEMIC APTITUDE AND READING TEST SCORES OF MOBILE AND NON-MOBILE DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    JUSTMAN, JOSEPH

    CHANGES IN ACADEMIC APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT TEST SCORES OF PUPILS ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN DISADVANTAGED AREAS IN NEW YORK CITY WERE INVESTIGATED. AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO DETERMINE WHETHER VARYING DEGREES OF MOBILITY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH VARIATION IN CHANGES IN TEST SCORES. THE CUMULATIVE RECORD CARDS OF SIXTH-GRADE PUPILS WERE EXAMINED TO…

  20. Do Personality Traits Assessed on Medical School Admission Predict Exit Performance? A UK-Wide Longitudinal Cohort Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacKenzie, R. K.; Dowell, J.; Ayansina, D.; Cleland, J. A.

    2017-01-01

    Traditional methods of assessing personality traits in medical school selection have been heavily criticised. To address this at the point of selection, "non-cognitive" tests were included in the UK Clinical Aptitude Test, the most widely-used aptitude test in UK medical education (UKCAT: http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/). We examined the…

  1. The Utility of the GRE Analytical Score for Selection into a Graduate Program in Educational Psychology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mowsesian, Richard; Hays, William L.

    The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Aptitude Test has been in use since 1938. In 1975 the GRE Aptitude Test was broadened to include an experimental set of items designed to tap a respondent's recognition of logical relationships and consistency of interrelated statements, and to make inferences from abstract relationships. To test the…

  2. A Comparison of Hispanic and White Non-Hispanic Students' Omit Patterns on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivera, Charlene; Schmitt, Alicia P.

    Standardization methodology was used to analyze omitted responses of Hispanic examinees on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Study or focal groups were 2,956 Mexican-Americans, 3,230 Puerto Ricans, and 278,009 White test-takers. Results indicate that both Mexican-Americans and Puerto Rican students omitted fewer items than White students of comparable…

  3. Accelerating language acquisition.

    PubMed

    Fowler, W; Ogston, K; Roberts-Fiati, G; Swenson, A

    1993-01-01

    How much can the development of language and other skills be accelerated in the general population? High correlations between early verbal and mental competencies and parent and teacher language socialization practices suggest enormous potential for widespread improvement. Here we report follow-up research in progress in studies of late adolescent children from diverse ethnic and educational backgrounds who participated in a language enrichment programme during infancy in the home or day-care. In 39 of 44 home-stimulated children located to date (nearly all from college-educated families) 62-93% were: in gifted or advanced programmes, obtaining high grades, avid readers and skilled in writing (over half read before school and wrote creative material independently) and generally highly skilled in verbal, mathematical and other academic domains. They also excelled socially and in sports, and showed intellectual independence. Additional subjects and data (on competence, later experiences and Scholastic Aptitude Test [SAT] scores) are currently being collected. Preliminary data analyses suggest that although early language enrichment can in the short term easily increase competence in all groups well beyond norms generated by current socialization practices, long-term outcomes are a complex function of developmental dynamics between the early, complex, foundation of high skills and motivation for learning, and the interaction with facilitative parental resources.

  4. Cold Saw Operator (iron & steel) 6-88.651; Cold Sizing Mill Operator (iron & steel) 4-88.315; Decambering Mill Operator (iron & steel) 6-88.346; Flying Cut-Off Machine Operator (iron & steel) 6-88.655; Rotary Straightener Operator (iron & steel) 6-88.346; Straightener Machine Operator (iron & steel) 6-88.354; Tube Straightener Operator (iron & steel) 6-88.346; Welder (iron & steel) 4-88.343; Welder, Assistant (iron & steel) 4-88.344--Technical

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manpower Administration (DOL), Washington, DC. U.S. Training and Employment Service.

    The United States Training and Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), first published in 1947, has been included in a continuing program of research to validate the tests against success in many different occupations. The GATB consists of 12 tests which measure nine aptitudes: General Learning Ability; Verbal Aptitude; Numerical…

  5. Learning skills and academic performance in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy.

    PubMed

    Talero-Gutiérrez, C; Sánchez-Torres, J M; Velez-van-Meerbeke, A

    2015-03-01

    Although cognitive and learning disorders have been described in patients with epilepsy, very few studies focus on specific disorders such as absence epilepsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate learning skills and academic performance in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy. Observational case-control study. Cases were chosen from the Central League against Epilepsy's clinic in Bogotá, Colombia. Controls were selected from a private school and matched with cases by age, school year, and sex. Medical history, seizure frequency, antiepileptic treatment, and academic performance were assessed. Academic abilities were tested with Batería de Aptitudes Diferenciales y Generales (BADyG) (a Spanish-language test of differential and general aptitudes). Data were analysed using Student t-test. The sample consisted of 19 cases and 19 controls aged between 7 and 16. In 15 patients, seizures were controlled; all patients had received antiepileptic medication at some point and 78.9% were actively being treated. Although cases had higher rates of academic failure, a greater incidence of grade retention, and more therapeutic interventions than controls, these differences were not significant. Similarly, there were no significant differences on the BADyG test, except for the immediate memory subcategory on which cases scored higher than controls (P=.0006). Children treated pharmacologically for absence epilepsy, whose seizures are controlled, have normal academic abilities and skills for their age. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  6. Individualized Foreign Language Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joint School District No. 1, West Bend, WI.

    A summary of project objectives, procedures, and dissemination is developed in this report of work initiated in June 1968. Programs in French, German, and Spanish for students in junior and senior high schools are evaluated with special reference to attitudes, aptitude, achievement, and program management. A final section reviews procedures and…

  7. An Econometric Model of the Scholastic Aptitude Test Performance of State Educational Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hashway, Robert M.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Nationwide data were partitioned into wealth, fiscal policy, fiscal orientation, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) performance and participation. Largest between-group differences show that low SAT achieving states have a larger percentage of seniors taking the SAT, along with higher per capita income, per pupil expenditures, and teacher…

  8. Aptitude, Achievement and Competence in Medicine: A Latent Variable Path Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collin, V. Terri; Violato, Claudio; Hecker, Kent

    2009-01-01

    To develop and test a latent variable path model of general achievement, aptitude for medicine and competence in medicine employing data from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), pre-medical undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and demographic characteristics for competence in pre-clinical and measures of competence (United States…

  9. Utah Educational Quality Indicators. The Seventh in the Report Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, David E.; Ross, John D.

    This report, the seventh in a series, summarizes information taken from a variety of ongoing and special studies about education in Utah. The first type of information deals with students' academic achievements and aptitudes. This category includes results from the American College Testing Program, the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Preliminary…

  10. The Reliability and Validity of a Performance Task for Evaluating Science Process Skills.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, Cheryll M.; Callahan, Carolyn M.

    1995-01-01

    The Diet Cola Test was designed as a process assessment of science aptitude in intermediate grade students. Investigations of the instrument's reliability and validity indicated that data did not support use of the instrument for identifying individual students' aptitude. However, results suggested the test's appropriateness for evaluating…

  11. An Aptitude-Strategy Interaction in Linear Syllogistic Reading. Technical Report No. 15.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sternberg, Robert J.; Weil, Evelyn M.

    An aptitude-strategy interaction in linear syllogistic reasoning was tested on 144 undergraduate and graduate students of both sexes. It was hypothesized that the efficiency of each of four alternative strategies--control, visual, algorithmic, and mixed--would depend upon the subjects' pattern of verbal and spatial abilities. Two tests of verbal…

  12. The Scholastic Aptitude Test: A Response to Slack and Porter's "Critical Appraisal."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Rex

    1980-01-01

    Responding to allegations about the effect of coaching on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and its predictive validity ("Harvard Educational Review," May 1980), Jackson evaluates Slack and Porter's arguments and addresses the issues of the utility of SAT scores as admissions criteria and the alleged misrepresentation of negative…

  13. Aptitude Tests Versus School Exams as Selection Tools for Higher Education and the Case for Assessing Educational Achievement in Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stringer, Neil

    2008-01-01

    Advocates of using a US-style SAT for university selection claim that it is fairer to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds than achievement tests because it assesses potential, not achievement, and that it allows finer discrimination between top applicants than GCEs. The pros and cons of aptitude tests in principle are discussed, focusing on…

  14. Analysis of Aptitude, Training, and Job Performance Measures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-02-01

    provisions have been made for students with unsatisfactory performance to be " recycled ", that is, to retake a module or part of a course (e.g., 2841, Marine...clear, simple language o questions avoided trivia , and were related to task performance o response choices were parallel and realistic. The assessment

  15. Great Apes' Capacities to Recognize Relational Similarity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haun, Daniel B. M.; Call, Josep

    2009-01-01

    Recognizing relational similarity relies on the ability to understand that defining object properties might not lie in the objects individually, but in the relations of the properties of various object to each other. This aptitude is highly relevant for many important human skills such as language, reasoning, categorization and understanding…

  16. Surgical Skill: Trick or Trait?

    PubMed

    Siska, Van Bruwaene; Ann, Lissens; Gunter, De Win; Bart, Neyrinck; Willy, Lens; Marlies, Schijven; Marc, Miserez

    2015-01-01

    Among other indispensible qualities, a competent surgeon needs to be technically skilled. With the advent of minimally invasive procedures, technical demands on surgeons also increase. Will it be possible for all individuals to meet these technical demands through motivated practice or is there a trait such as "aptitude" that determines ultimate surgical skill? Baseline laparoscopic psychomotor aptitude (on a box trainer), visual-spatial aptitude (Schlauch figures test), and interest in surgery (10-point Likert scale) were measured in our study group. Afterward, study participants attended a 3-hour hands-on laparoscopy training, followed by 2 additional weeks of voluntary practice for those who were motivated to do so. After these 2 weeks, participants were retested using the laparoscopic box trainer. All research was performed in the Center for Surgical Technologies, Leuven. A total of 68 fifth-year medical students without prior experience in laparoscopy from the University of Leuven. Multiple additive regression analysis showed significant effect for psychomotor aptitude (26%), interest in surgery (9%), and voluntary practice (18%) on final box trainer performance. No correlation was found between aptitude and interest in surgery (p = 0.27). No correlation was found between aptitude and amount of voluntary practice. High-aptitude students more frequently applied for surgical disciplines in their final career choice (50% vs 18%, p = 0.01). This study shows that aptitude and motivated practice equally influence final box trainer performance. Students with lower aptitude do not automatically train more. Although the interest in surgery was initially not related to psychomotor aptitude, eventually students with high aptitude apply more frequently for a surgical career. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Print Format Effects on ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) Test Score Performance: Literature Review

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-08-01

    1964), attention should be given to minimizing any adverse effects they may present in terms of test performance and possible distortion of test...was therefore reviewed to take this format difference into account in ASVAB norming. Boyle (1984) noted that the General Aptitude Test Batter , (GATE... cognitive paper-and-penci items such as those comprising the ASVAB. In one of the few articles directly concerned with test item format, Vanderplas and

  18. The impact of verbal capacity on theory of mind in deaf and hard of hearing children.

    PubMed

    Levrez, Clovis; Bourdin, Beatrice; Le Driant, Barbara; D'Arc, Baudouin Forgeot; Vandromme, Luc

    2012-01-01

    Even when they have good language skills, many children with hearing loss lag several years behind hearing children in the ability to grasp beliefs of others. The researchers sought to determine whether this lag results from difficulty with the verbal demands of tasks or from conceptual delays. The researchers related children's performance on a nonverbal theory of mind task to their scores on verbal aptitude tests. Twelve French children (average age about 10 years) with severe to profound hearing loss and 12 French hearing children (average about 7 years) were evaluated. The children with hearing loss showed persistent difficulty with theory of mind tasks, even a nonverbal task, presenting results similar to those of hearing 6-year-olds. Also, the children with hearing loss showed a correlation between language level (lexical and morphosyntactic) and understanding of false beliefs. No such correlation was found in the hearing children.

  19. Subcortical processing of speech regularities underlies reading and music aptitude in children

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities supports fundamental human behaviors such as hearing in noise and reading. Although the failure to encode acoustic regularities in ongoing speech has been associated with language and literacy deficits, how auditory expertise, such as the expertise that is associated with musical skill, relates to the brainstem processing of speech regularities is unknown. An association between musical skill and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities would not be surprising given the importance of repetition and regularity in music. Here, we aimed to define relationships between the subcortical processing of speech regularities, music aptitude, and reading abilities in children with and without reading impairment. We hypothesized that, in combination with auditory cognitive abilities, neural sensitivity to regularities in ongoing speech provides a common biological mechanism underlying the development of music and reading abilities. Methods We assessed auditory working memory and attention, music aptitude, reading ability, and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities in 42 school-aged children with a wide range of reading ability. Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities was assessed by recording brainstem responses to the same speech sound presented in predictable and variable speech streams. Results Through correlation analyses and structural equation modeling, we reveal that music aptitude and literacy both relate to the extent of subcortical adaptation to regularities in ongoing speech as well as with auditory working memory and attention. Relationships between music and speech processing are specifically driven by performance on a musical rhythm task, underscoring the importance of rhythmic regularity for both language and music. Conclusions These data indicate common brain mechanisms underlying reading and music abilities that relate to how the nervous system responds to regularities in auditory input. Definition of common biological underpinnings for music and reading supports the usefulness of music for promoting child literacy, with the potential to improve reading remediation. PMID:22005291

  20. The Epidemiology of Mental Disorders in the U.S. Navy: The Psychoses

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1998-01-01

    discharge from the hospital after a period of observation and often after psychological testing . In any case, diagnoses were important in clinical and...discharge), an aptitude or mental ability variable was created. This mental group variable was derived from either a General Classification Test score or...an Armed Forces Qualification Test score, both general aptitude test scores, converted to a percentile scale and grouped into five categories or

  1. Specific aspects of cognitive and language proficiency account for variability in neural indices of semantic and syntactic processing in children.

    PubMed

    Hampton Wray, Amanda; Weber-Fox, Christine

    2013-07-01

    The neural activity mediating language processing in young children is characterized by large individual variability that is likely related in part to individual strengths and weakness across various cognitive abilities. The current study addresses the following question: How does proficiency in specific cognitive and language functions impact neural indices mediating language processing in children? Thirty typically developing seven- and eight-year-olds were divided into high-normal and low-normal proficiency groups based on performance on nonverbal IQ, auditory word recall, and grammatical morphology tests. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were elicited by semantic anomalies and phrase structure violations in naturally spoken sentences. The proficiency for each of the specific cognitive and language tasks uniquely contributed to specific aspects (e.g., timing and/or resource allocation) of neural indices underlying semantic (N400) and syntactic (P600) processing. These results suggest that distinct aptitudes within broader domains of cognition and language, even within the normal range, influence the neural signatures of semantic and syntactic processing. Furthermore, the current findings have important implications for the design and interpretation of developmental studies of ERPs indexing language processing, and they highlight the need to take into account cognitive abilities both within and outside the classic language domain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The Effects of Tutoring in Preparing Chinese Students for the Scholastic Aptitude Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Li

    2009-01-01

    Scholastic Aptitude Test, called SAT, has an immense influence in Chinese education. Most Chinese students choose to attend tutoring programs outside of the school curriculum to help them prepare. This study explores the tutoring programs both in China and the United States to assess variables that affect the quality of their preparation.…

  3. Implementation of the Computerized Adaptive Version of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curran, Linda T.; Jordan, Linda A.

    In the summer of 1996, the U.S. Armed Services will implement the computerized adaptive testing version of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (CAT-ASVAB). When conversion is completed at the 65 targeted military entrance processing stations, about half the applicants will take this test version. This paper describes the efforts that…

  4. The Relationship Between Selected Subtests of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude and Second Grade Reading Achievement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherwood, Charles; Chambless, Martha

    Relationships between reading achievement and perceptual skills as measured by selected subtests of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude were investigated in a sample of 73 second graders. Verbal opposites, visual memory for designs, and visual attention span for letters were significantly correlated with both word meaning and vocabulary…

  5. Possibilities of the ErgoScope high fidelity work simulator in skill assessment, skill development and vocational aptitude tests of physically disabled persons.

    PubMed

    Izsó, Lajos; Székely, Ildikó; Dános, László

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper - based on the extensive experiences of the authors gained by using one particular work simulator - is to present some promising possibilities of the application of this (and any other similar) work simulator in the field of skill assessment, skill development and vocational aptitude tests of physically disabled persons. During skill assessment and development, as parts of the therapy, the focus is on the disabled functions. During vocational aptitude tests, however, the focus is already on the functions that remained intact and therefore can be the basis of returning to work. Some factual examples are provided to realize the proposed possibilities in practice.

  6. Wire-bending test as a predictor of preclinical performance by dental students.

    PubMed

    Kao, E C; Ngan, P W; Wilson, S; Kunovich, R

    1990-10-01

    Traditional Dental Aptitude Test and academic grade point average have been shown to be poor predictors of clinical performance by dental students. To refine predictors of psychomotor skills, a wire-bending test was given to 105 freshmen at the beginning of their dental education. Grades from seven restorative preclinical courses in their freshman and sophomore years were compared to scores on wire bending and the three traditional predictors: GPA, academic aptitude, and perceptual aptitude scores. Wire-bending scores correlated significantly with six out of seven preclinical restorative courses. The predictive power for preclinical performance was doubled when wire bending was added to traditional predictors in stepwise multiple regression analysis. Wire-bending scores identified students of low performance. These preliminary results suggest that the wire-bending test shows some potential as a screening test for identifying students who may hae psychomotor difficulties, early in their dental education.

  7. Understanding Student Goal Orientation Tendencies to Predict Student Performance: A 2x2 Achievement Goal Orientation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Mark Alan

    2013-01-01

    The study tested the 2X2 model of the Achievement Goal Orientation (AGO) theory in a military technical training environment while using the Air Force Officers Qualifying Test's academic aptitude score to control for the differences in the students' academic aptitude. The study method was quantitative and the design was correlational.…

  8. A Note on the Use of the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude with Deaf Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Betty U.; Goldgar, David E.

    1985-01-01

    Comparing distribution of scores on the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (H-NTLA) with those from the Wechsler Performance Scales for 71 hearing impaired Ss revealed a correlation of .85. However, the H-NTLA yielded more Ss with extreme scores. Findings stress the need for caution in interpreting extreme H-NTLA scores. (CL)

  9. Career Education in the Seventh Grade English Class. Career Development Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becklean, Pat

    The three activities in the unit integrate career education into the English curriculum and provide seventh grade students with opportunities to explore specific occupations, to indicate their vocational interests, to learn the procedures for job application, and to be aware of opportunities related to English language interests or aptitudes.…

  10. Self-Efficacy and IPS: An Empirical Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLeod, Linda P.

    2015-01-01

    The fact that some learners learn language more successfully than others who are at the same level of aptitude and capabilities is inevitable. To understand why, the researcher has focused her attention on individual differences among learners. The ones that have been taken into account in this study are namely called self-efficacy and identity…

  11. The effects of two EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching approaches studied by the cotwin control method: a comparative study of the communicative and the grammatical approaches.

    PubMed

    Ando, J

    1992-01-01

    The present study compared two different types of English-language teaching approaches, the grammatical approach (GA) and the communicative approach (CA), by the cotwin control method. This study has two purposes: to study the effects of teaching approaches and to estimate genetic influences upon learning aptitudes. Seven pairs of identical twins (MZ) and 4 pairs of fraternal twins (DZ) participated in the experiment along with 68 other nontwin fifth graders. Each cotwin was assigned to the GA and CA respectively and received 20 hours of lessons over a 10-day period. The behavioral similarities between MZ cotwins were statistically and descriptively depicted. No major effect of either teaching approach was noted, but the genetic influence upon individual differences of learning achievement was obvious. Furthermore, an interesting interaction between the teaching approaches and intelligence was found, that is, that the GA capitalises on and CA compensates for intelligence. This interactional pattern could be interpreted as an example of genotype-environment interaction. The relationship between genetic factors and learning aptitudes is discussed.

  12. Text generation from Taiwanese Sign Language using a PST-based language model for augmentative communication.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chung-Hsien; Chiu, Yu-Hsien; Guo, Chi-Shiang

    2004-12-01

    This paper proposes a novel approach to the generation of Chinese sentences from ill-formed Taiwanese Sign Language (TSL) for people with hearing impairments. First, a sign icon-based virtual keyboard is constructed to provide a visualized interface to retrieve sign icons from a sign database. A proposed language model (LM), based on a predictive sentence template (PST) tree, integrates a statistical variable n-gram LM and linguistic constraints to deal with the translation problem from ill-formed sign sequences to grammatical written sentences. The PST tree trained by a corpus collected from the deaf schools was used to model the correspondence between signed and written Chinese. In addition, a set of phrase formation rules, based on trigger pair category, was derived for sentence pattern expansion. These approaches improved the efficiency of text generation and the accuracy of word prediction and, therefore, improved the input rate. For the assessment of practical communication aids, a reading-comprehension training program with ten profoundly deaf students was undertaken in a deaf school in Tainan, Taiwan. Evaluation results show that the literacy aptitude test and subjective satisfactory level are significantly improved.

  13. Use of aptitude to understand bachelor of science in nursing student attrition and readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse.

    PubMed

    Newton, Sarah E; Moore, Gary

    2009-01-01

    Attrition is a serious issue among Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students with attrition rates around 50% nationwide. To help minimize BSN student attrition, many nursing programs use commercially available standardized nursing aptitude tests as adjuncts to scholastic aptitude data, usually operationalized as pre-nursing grade point average, to select students for admission. Little is known regarding the usefulness of scholastic and nursing aptitude data for predicting long-term retention in a BSN program and readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the relationships among scholastic aptitude, nursing aptitude, BSN student attrition prior to the final semester of the curriculum, and BSN student readiness for the NCLEX-RN. This study's findings, along with other findings in the literature, suggest the need for a parsimonious explanatory model of BSN student attrition that can be used to guide admission and progression policies, and ensure that students ready for the NCLEX-RN are the ones graduating from BSN programs.

  14. [Anesthesiologist's aptitude for peri-operative detection and treatment of latex allergy].

    PubMed

    Cabrera-Pivaral, Carlos Enrique; Rangel-Ramírez, Angel Alberto; Franco-Chávez, Sergio; Gámez-Nava, Jorge Iván; Riebeling, Carlos; Nava, Arnulfo

    2009-01-01

    Latex allergy is the second cause of perioperative anaphylaxis. Anesthesiologists play a key role in opportune identification of risk factors, as well as clinical diagnosis and therapeutic management. To evaluate the anesthesiologists aptitude to identify and treat latex allergy. Sixty-six anesthesiologists from five general hospitals located at Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, were evaluated. Aptitude was determined by applying a validated structured instrument. Aptitude levels were measured by using an ordinal scale. Comparisons were performed using Mann Whitney U test. Anesthesiologist's global aptitude ranged from -2 to 27 with a median of 8 (from a maximum value in the scale of 40); frequencies by each category of the scale were: Random 48 (72.7%), Very bad 11 (16.7%), Bad 4 (6.1%) and Medium only 3 (4.5%). Both Good and Very good categories registered no anesthesiologist. The relationship of this indicator with other variables did not reach statistical significance (KW 6.478; p = 0.16617). A suboptimal aptitude was identified among anesthesiologists regarding identification of latex allergy. A need to establish new strategies for educative intervention in order to improve this issue was identified.

  15. Automatic item generation implemented for measuring artistic judgment aptitude.

    PubMed

    Bezruczko, Nikolaus

    2014-01-01

    Automatic item generation (AIG) is a broad class of methods that are being developed to address psychometric issues arising from internet and computer-based testing. In general, issues emphasize efficiency, validity, and diagnostic usefulness of large scale mental testing. Rapid prominence of AIG methods and their implicit perspective on mental testing is bringing painful scrutiny to many sacred psychometric assumptions. This report reviews basic AIG ideas, then presents conceptual foundations, image model development, and operational application to artistic judgment aptitude testing.

  16. Schooling Effects on Degree Performance: A Comparison of the Predictive Validity of Aptitude Testing and Secondary School Grades at Oxford University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogg, Tom; Zimdars, Anna; Heath, Anthony

    2009-01-01

    This article examines the cause of school type effects upon gaining a first class degree at Oxford University, whereby for a given level of secondary school performance, private school students perform less well at degree level. We compare the predictive power of an aptitude test and secondary school grades (GCSEs) for final examination…

  17. Students classified as LD and the college foreign language requirement: a quantitative analysis.

    PubMed

    Sparks, R L; Philips, L; Ganschow, L; Javorsky, J

    1999-01-01

    This study was conducted to determine whether students classified as learning disabled (LD) who were permitted to substitute courses for the college foreign language (FL) requirement at one university would display significant cognitive and academic achievement differences when grouped by level of discrepancy between IQ and achievement, by discrepancy between achievement according to different measures, and by level of performance on phonological-orthographic processing measures, on the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and in FL courses. Results showed that there were no differences among students with different levels of discrepancy (i.e., < 1.0 SD, 1.0-1.49 SD, and > 1.50 SD) on MLAT and American College Testing (ACT) scores, graduating grade point average (GPA) or college FL GPA. Results also showed that among students who scored below versus at or above the 25th percentile on phonological-orthographic processing measures, there were no differences on measures of IQ, ACT, MLAT, and GPA, as well as most measures of academic achievement. Implications for the use of the LD label to grant FL course substitutions or waivers, use of the MLAT in the diagnostic and course substitution/waiver process, and the validity and reliability of traditional criteria for the classification as LD are discussed.

  18. Autism Research: Music Aptitude's Effect on Developmental/Academic Gains for Students with Significant Cognitive/Language Delays

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sobol, Elise S.

    2014-01-01

    This research study was built upon findings in neuroscience of the brain's natural ability to physically change itself through cognitive modifiability by creating new pathways and neural connections. The purpose of the research was to investigate instructional music applications for improvement in basic math skills with students who are on the…

  19. The Left, The Better: White-Matter Brain Integrity Predicts Foreign Language Imitation Ability.

    PubMed

    Vaquero, Lucía; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni; Reiterer, Susanne M

    2017-08-01

    Speech imitation is crucial for language acquisition and second-language learning. Interestingly, large individual differences regarding the ability in imitating foreign-language sounds have been observed. The origin of this interindividual diversity remains unknown, although it might be partially explained by structural predispositions. Here we correlated white-matter structural properties of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) with the performance of 52 German-speakers in a Hindi sentence- and word-imitation task. First, a manual reconstruction was performed, permitting us to extract the mean values along the three branches of the AF. We found that a larger lateralization of the AF volume toward the left hemisphere predicted the performance of our participants in the imitation task. Second, an automatic reconstruction was carried out, allowing us to localize the specific region within the AF that exhibited the largest correlation with foreign language imitation. Results of this reconstruction also showed a left lateralization trend: greater fractional anisotropy values in the anterior half of the left AF correlated with the performance in the Hindi-imitation task. From the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that foreign language imitation aptitude is tested using a more ecological imitation task and correlated with DTI tractography, using both a manual and an automatic method. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Training Affects Variability in Training Performance both Within and Across Jobs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-03-01

    was measured by a verbal/ math composite derived from the US military enlistment test, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Training...performance was assessed by written tests of job-related knowledge content. Predictive validity of the verbal/ math composite ranged from .124 to .836...job over several years. Participants were 116,310 enlistees enrolled in 108 US Air Force training specialties. Aptitude was measured by a verbal/ math

  1. Recruiting the Strategic Corporal in the 21st Century (Through the Year 2010)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-01-01

    32 at Columbine High School , he visited a Marine recruiter. During his initial interview, Harris lied about a psychiatric condition which he had...recruited were high school graduates and fewer than 25 percent tested within the upper mental categories of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery... high school diploma, which demonstrated perseverance, and initial test scores, which demonstrated aptitude and trainability. Despite the Marine Corps

  2. Music therapy career aptitude test.

    PubMed

    Lim, Hayoung A

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of the Music Therapy Career Aptitude Test (MTCAT) was to measure the affective domain of music therapy students including their self-awareness as it relates to the music therapy career, value in human development, interest in general therapy, and aptitude for being a professional music therapist. The MTCAT was administered to 113 music therapy students who are currently freshman or sophomores in an undergraduate music therapy program or in the first year of a music therapy master's equivalency program. The results of analysis indicated that the MTCAT is normally distributed and that all 20 questions are significantly correlated with the total test score of the MTCAT. The reliability of the MTCAT was considerably high (Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha=0.8). The criterion-related validity was examined by comparing the MTCAT scores of music therapy students with the scores of 43 professional music therapists. The correlation between the scores of students and professionals was found to be statistically significant. The results suggests that normal distribution, internal consistency, homogeneity of construct, item discrimination, correlation analysis, content validity, and criterion-related validity in the MTCAT may be helpful in predicting music therapy career aptitude and may aid in the career decision making process of college music therapy students.

  3. Protocol Analysis of Aptitude Differences in Figural Analogy Problem Representation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schiano, Diane J.

    Individual differences in performance on figural analogy tests are usually attributed to quantitative differences in processing parameters rather than to qualitative differences in the formation and use of representations. Yet aptitude-related differences in categorizing standardized figural analogy problems between high and low scorers have been…

  4. The relationship between chronological age and aptitude test measures of advanced-level air traffic control trainees.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1971-07-01

    The study examined the interrelationships of age, aptitude measures, and training performance scores for 710 men. They ranged in age from 21 to 52 years, but less than 12 per cent were over 40. Most of the subjects were former military controllers wh...

  5. Personal Audiovisual Aptitude Influences the Interaction Between Landscape and Soundscape Appraisal.

    PubMed

    Sun, Kang; Echevarria Sanchez, Gemma M; De Coensel, Bert; Van Renterghem, Timothy; Talsma, Durk; Botteldooren, Dick

    2018-01-01

    It has been established that there is an interaction between audition and vision in the appraisal of our living environment, and that this appraisal is influenced by personal factors. Here, we test the hypothesis that audiovisual aptitude influences appraisal of our sonic and visual environment. To measure audiovisual aptitude, an auditory deviant detection experiment was conducted in an ecologically valid and complex context. This experiment allows us to distinguish between accurate and less accurate listeners. Additionally, it allows to distinguish between participants that are easily visually distracted and those who are not. To do so, two previously conducted laboratory experiments were re-analyzed. The first experiment focuses on self-reported noise annoyance in a living room context, whereas the second experiment focuses on the perceived pleasantness of using outdoor public spaces. In the first experiment, the influence of visibility of vegetation on self-reported noise annoyance was modified by audiovisual aptitude. In the second one, it was found that the overall appraisal of walking across a bridge is influenced by audiovisual aptitude, in particular when a visually intrusive noise barrier is used to reduce highway traffic noise levels. We conclude that audiovisual aptitude may affect the appraisal of the living environment.

  6. Personal Audiovisual Aptitude Influences the Interaction Between Landscape and Soundscape Appraisal

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Kang; Echevarria Sanchez, Gemma M.; De Coensel, Bert; Van Renterghem, Timothy; Talsma, Durk; Botteldooren, Dick

    2018-01-01

    It has been established that there is an interaction between audition and vision in the appraisal of our living environment, and that this appraisal is influenced by personal factors. Here, we test the hypothesis that audiovisual aptitude influences appraisal of our sonic and visual environment. To measure audiovisual aptitude, an auditory deviant detection experiment was conducted in an ecologically valid and complex context. This experiment allows us to distinguish between accurate and less accurate listeners. Additionally, it allows to distinguish between participants that are easily visually distracted and those who are not. To do so, two previously conducted laboratory experiments were re-analyzed. The first experiment focuses on self-reported noise annoyance in a living room context, whereas the second experiment focuses on the perceived pleasantness of using outdoor public spaces. In the first experiment, the influence of visibility of vegetation on self-reported noise annoyance was modified by audiovisual aptitude. In the second one, it was found that the overall appraisal of walking across a bridge is influenced by audiovisual aptitude, in particular when a visually intrusive noise barrier is used to reduce highway traffic noise levels. We conclude that audiovisual aptitude may affect the appraisal of the living environment. PMID:29910750

  7. Studying Irony Detection Beyond Ironic Criticism: Let's Include Ironic Praise

    PubMed Central

    Bruntsch, Richard; Ruch, Willibald

    2017-01-01

    Studies of irony detection have commonly used ironic criticisms (i.e., mock positive evaluation of negative circumstances) as stimulus materials. Another basic type of verbal irony, ironic praise (i.e., mock negative evaluation of positive circumstances) is largely absent from studies on individuals' aptitude to detect verbal irony. However, it can be argued that ironic praise needs to be considered in order to investigate the detection of irony in the variety of its facets. To explore whether the detection ironic praise has a benefit beyond ironic criticism, three studies were conducted. In Study 1, an instrument (Test of Verbal Irony Detection Aptitude; TOVIDA) was constructed and its factorial structure was tested using N = 311 subjects. The TOVIDA contains 26 scenario-based items and contains two scales for the detection of ironic criticism vs. ironic praise. To validate the measurement method, the two scales of the TOVIDA were experimentally evaluated with N = 154 subjects in Study 2. In Study 3, N = 183 subjects were tested to explore personality and ability correlates of the two TOVIDA scales. Results indicate that the co-variance between the ironic TOVIDA items was organized by two inter-correlated but distinct factors: one representing ironic praise detection aptitude and one representing ironic criticism detection aptitude. Experimental validation showed that the TOVIDA items truly contain irony and that item scores reflect irony detection. Trait bad mood and benevolent humor (as a facet of the sense of humor) were found as joint correlates for both ironic criticism and ironic praise detection scores. In contrast, intelligence, trait cheerfulness, and corrective humor were found as unique correlates of ironic praise detection scores, even when statistically controlling for the aptitude to detect ironic criticism. Our results indicate that the aptitude to detect ironic praise can be seen as distinct from the aptitude to detect ironic criticism. Generating unique variance in irony detection, ironic praise can be postulated as worthwhile to include in future studies—especially when studying the role of mental ability, personality, and humor in irony detection. PMID:28484409

  8. Individual aptitude in Mandarin lexical tone perception predicts effectiveness of high-variability training

    PubMed Central

    Sadakata, Makiko; McQueen, James M.

    2014-01-01

    Although the high-variability training method can enhance learning of non-native speech categories, this can depend on individuals’ aptitude. The current study asked how general the effects of perceptual aptitude are by testing whether they occur with training materials spoken by native speakers and whether they depend on the nature of the to-be-learned material. Forty-five native Dutch listeners took part in a 5-day training procedure in which they identified bisyllabic Mandarin pseudowords (e.g., asa) pronounced with different lexical tone combinations. The training materials were presented to different groups of listeners at three levels of variability: low (many repetitions of a limited set of words recorded by a single speaker), medium (fewer repetitions of a more variable set of words recorded by three speakers), and high (similar to medium but with five speakers). Overall, variability did not influence learning performance, but this was due to an interaction with individuals’ perceptual aptitude: increasing variability hindered improvements in performance for low-aptitude perceivers while it helped improvements in performance for high-aptitude perceivers. These results show that the previously observed interaction between individuals’ aptitude and effects of degree of variability extends to natural tokens of Mandarin speech. This interaction was not found, however, in a closely matched study in which native Dutch listeners were trained on the Japanese geminate/singleton consonant contrast. This may indicate that the effectiveness of high-variability training depends not only on individuals’ aptitude in speech perception but also on the nature of the categories being acquired. PMID:25505434

  9. The Enhanced Musical Rhythmic Perception in Second Language Learners

    PubMed Central

    Roncaglia-Denissen, M. Paula; Roor, Drikus A.; Chen, Ao; Sadakata, Makiko

    2016-01-01

    Previous research suggests that mastering languages with distinct rather than similar rhythmic properties enhances musical rhythmic perception. This study investigates whether learning a second language (L2) contributes to enhanced musical rhythmic perception in general, regardless of first and second languages rhythmic properties. Additionally, we investigated whether this perceptual enhancement could be alternatively explained by exposure to musical rhythmic complexity, such as the use of compound meter in Turkish music. Finally, it investigates if an enhancement of musical rhythmic perception could be observed among L2 learners whose first language relies heavily on pitch information, as is the case with tonal languages. Therefore, we tested Turkish, Dutch and Mandarin L2 learners of English and Turkish monolinguals on their musical rhythmic perception. Participants’ phonological and working memory capacities, melodic aptitude, years of formal musical training and daily exposure to music were assessed to account for cultural and individual differences which could impact their rhythmic ability. Our results suggest that mastering a L2 rather than exposure to musical rhythmic complexity could explain individuals’ enhanced musical rhythmic perception. An even stronger enhancement of musical rhythmic perception was observed for L2 learners whose first and second languages differ regarding their rhythmic properties, as enhanced performance of Turkish in comparison with Dutch L2 learners of English seem to suggest. Such a stronger enhancement of rhythmic perception seems to be found even among L2 learners whose first language relies heavily on pitch information, as the performance of Mandarin L2 learners of English indicates. Our findings provide further support for a cognitive transfer between the language and music domain. PMID:27375469

  10. Mental Aptitude and Comprehension of Time-Compressed and Compressed-Expanded Listening Selections.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sticht, Thomas G.

    The comprehensibility of materials compressed and then expanded by means of an electromechanical process was tested with 280 Army inductees divided into groups of high and low mental aptitude. Three short listening selections relating to military activities were subjected to compression and compression-expansion to produce seven versions. Data…

  11. Relationships Among Job Structural Attributes, Retention, Task Descriptions, Aptitudes, and Work Values. Technical Report No. 3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrett, Gerald V.; And Others

    The report describes field studies involving nonsupervisory Naval maintenance and monitoring electronics personnel. The studies' results indicated that Naval retention was related to a number of individual and job attributes. Extended Naval tenure was associated with lower verbal and clerical aptitudes (Naval Test Battery); higher levels of…

  12. [An instrument for assessing clinical aptitude in cervicovaginitis in the family medicine practice].

    PubMed

    Arrieta-Pérez, Raúl Tomás; Lona-Calixto, Beatriz

    2011-01-01

    the cervicovaginitis is one of the first twelve causes on demand at primary care medicine thus the family physician must be able to identify and treat it. The objective was to validate a constructed instrument for measuring the clinical aptitude on cervicovaginitis. cross-sectional, descriptive, prolective study was carried out. An instrument with five clinical cases was done. It has seven indicators, whose answers were true, false and I do not know. The validity content was done by three family physicians and a Gynecologist, with experience in education. The trustworthiness was determined by means of the test of Kuder-Richardson formula 20 with the results obtained in a pilot test in 50 family medicine residents. the instrument was constituted by five clinical cases with 140 Items distributed in seven indicators with 20 items for each indicator and a total of 70 true answers and 70 false answers; seven categories for the degree of clinical aptitude settled down. The trustworthiness of the instrument was 0.81. the instrument is valid and reliable to identify the clinical aptitude of the family physician on cervicovaginitis.

  13. Examination of Response to Intervention Based upon Teacher Reading Instructional Knowledge in Teaching Struggling Readers and English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drum, Lora B.

    2015-01-01

    Knowledge and understanding of foundational reading skills are critical in teaching both beginning readers and students who continue to struggle with reading in upper elementary grade levels. The purpose of this research study was to examine the essential knowledge and aptitude of teachers and the relationship between this knowledge and the…

  14. Building Global Graduates and Developing Transnational Professional Skills through a Telecollaboration Project in Foreign Language Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guadamillas Gómez, Ma Victoria

    2017-01-01

    The development of e-literacies and e-skills is of primary importance in gaining transferable aptitudes for the job market. Students in higher education need to take part in shared intercultural experiences which allow them to understand and cope with their peers in preparation for their futures. Furthermore, virtual exchange of information,…

  15. Automated Assessment of Non-Native Learner Essays: Investigating the Role of Linguistic Features

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vajjala, Sowmya

    2018-01-01

    Automatic essay scoring (AES) refers to the process of scoring free text responses to given prompts, considering human grader scores as the gold standard. Writing such essays is an essential component of many language and aptitude exams. Hence, AES became an active and established area of research, and there are many proprietary systems used in…

  16. Impact of nutritional status at the onset of elementary school on academic aptitude test achievement at the end of high school in a multicausal approach.

    PubMed

    Ivanovic, Daniza M; Rodríguez, María Del Pilar N; Pérez, Hernán T; Alvear, Jorge A; Almagià, Atilio F; Toro, Triana D; Urrutia, María Soledad C; Cruz, Arturo L; Ivanovic, Rodolfo M

    2009-07-01

    Like in many other countries, few investigations have been carried out in Chile to measure the long-term effects of nutritional status at an early age on scholastic achievement in a multicausal approach. The objectives of the present study were to describe the impact of nutritional, intellectual, family, educational and socio-economic variables at the onset of elementary school in 1987 that may affect achievement on the academic aptitude test (AAT) taken in 1998 at the end of high school, and to quantify the impact of these independent variables on the AAT. The present study comprises two cross-sectional stages: in 1987, a representative sample of 813 elementary school first-grader Chilean children from the Metropolitan Region was randomly chosen; in 1998, 12 years later, 632 school-age children were located and only 351 of them graduated from high school and, from these, 260 students took the AAT. In 1987 nutritional status was assessed through anthropometric parameters, intellectual ability by the Raven's Progressive Matrices Test, scholastic achievement through Spanish language and mathematics tests, and socio-economic status using Graffar's modified scale; family variables were also recorded. Maternal schooling, scholastic achievement, intellectual ability and head circumference-for-age z-score (anthropometric indicator of both nutritional background and brain development) all in 1987 were the independent variables with the greatest explanatory power for AAT variance in 1998 (r2 0.402). These results provide a foundation to identify the risk factors at an early age that affect AAT scores and should be useful to improve nutritional and educational policies.

  17. Family physicians clinical aptitude for the nutritional management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Guadalajara, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Cabrera Pivaral, C E; Gutiérrez Roman, E A; Gonzalez Pérez, G; Gonzalez Reyes, F; Valadez Toscano, F; Gutiérrez Ruvalcaba, C; Rios Riebeling, C D

    2008-02-01

    There are 180,000 new Diabetes Mellitus cases in Mexico each year (1). This chronic, complex and multifactor disease requires an adequate nutritional management plan to be prescribed by family physicians. They should be trained to identify the potential difficulties in the patient's dietary schedule and orientate their management from an integrative point of view. The purpose of this study was to detect and measure family physician's clinical aptitudes for the nutritional management of Type 2 diabetes, in a representative family physician's sample from five Family Medicine Units of the Mexican Institute of Social Security in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. A structured and validated instrument was applied to 117 physicians from a total of 450 in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The main study variable was clinical aptitude for nutritional management of Type 2 diabetes. Aptitude levels were defined by an ordinal scale and related to the other variables using the median, Mann-Whitney's U test and Kruskal Wallis (KW) test. Global results showed a median of 30 points that relates to a low and a very low aptitude level for the 72% of physicians without statistical significance (KW: p>0.05) with the rest of variables. These results reflect family physician's difficulties to orientate the nutritional management of Type 2 diabetes, as well as the lack of work environments that facilitate case reflection and formative educational strategies.

  18. The predictive value of aptitude assessment in laparoscopic surgery: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Kramp, Kelvin H; van Det, Marc J; Hoff, Christiaan; Veeger, Nic J G M; ten Cate Hoedemaker, Henk O; Pierie, Jean-Pierre E N

    2016-04-01

    Current methods of assessing candidates for medical specialties that involve laparoscopic skills suffer from a lack of instruments to assess the ability to work in a minimally invasive surgery environment. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether aptitude assessment can be used to predict variability in the acquisition and performance of laparoscopic skills. PubMed, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were searched to November 2014 for published and unpublished studies reporting the measurement of a form of aptitude for laparoscopic skills. The quality of studies was assessed with QUADAS-2. Summary correlations were calculated using a random-effects model. Thirty-four studies were found to be eligible for inclusion; six of these studies used an operating room performance measurement. Laparoscopic skills correlated significantly with visual-spatial ability (r = 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25-0.39; p < 0.001), perceptual ability (r = 0.31, 95% CI 0.22-0.39; p < 0.001), psychomotor ability (r = 0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.40; p = 0.003) and simulator-based assessment of aptitude (r = 0.64, 95% CI 0.52-0.73; p < 0.001). Three-dimensional dynamic visual-spatial ability showed a significantly higher correlation than intrinsic static visual-spatial ability (p = 0.024). In general, aptitude assessments are associated with laparoscopic skill level. Simulator-based assessment of aptitude appears to have the potential to represent a job sample and to enable the assessment of all forms of aptitude for laparoscopic surgery at once. A laparoscopy aptitude test can be a valuable additional tool in the assessment of candidates for medical specialties that require laparoscopic skills. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Abilities and Aptitudes of Deaf Students Related to Achievement in an Introductory Accounting Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Camardello, Michael F.

    1990-01-01

    Results of a study to examine the degree to which accounting aptitudes and selected Structure-of-Intellect (SI) abilities were predictive of student achievement for deaf accounting and office technologies students in a college accounting course. The SI Operations Sequence and Remembered Relations Tests and the American Institute of Certified…

  20. Relationships between Grades in the Components of Freshman Music Theory and Selected Background Variables.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Carole S.

    1990-01-01

    Determines how academic ability, music experience, and musical aptitude contribute to grade prediction in the written-work, ear-training, sight-singing, and keyboard-harmonics portions of two college freshman music theory courses. Finds Scholastic Aptitude Test mathematics scores the best predictor of grades in written work and ear training.…

  1. Imitation Assessment and Its Utility to the Diagnosis of Autism: Evidence from Consecutive Clinical Preschool Referrals for Suspected Autism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanvuchelen, Marleen; Roeyers, Herbert; De Weerdt, Willy

    2011-01-01

    The present study sought to examine imitation difficulties as a risk factor for autism. Imitation aptitude was examined in 86 preschoolers suspected of autism (1.9-4.5 years) using the Preschool Imitation and Praxis Scale (PIPS). Differences between imitation, language, motor age-equivalents and nonverbal mental age were used to predict the…

  2. Relating the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) to Career Guidance and Occupational Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pastrana, Ronald R.

    The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), developed by the Department of Defense, is a test geared toward career planning. This instrument has proved useful to other populations as well as the military. This is especially true for high school students, who during their final years of school must decide on what educational or…

  3. The Relation of College Student Self-Efficacy toward Writing and Writing Self-Regulation Aptitude: Writing Feedback Perceptions as a Mediating Variable

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekholm, Eric; Zumbrunn, Sharon; Conklin, Sarah

    2015-01-01

    Despite the powerful effect feedback often has on student writing success more research is needed on how students emotionally react to the feedback they receive. This study tested the predictive and mediational roles of college student writing self-efficacy beliefs and feedback perceptions on writing self-regulation aptitude. Results suggested…

  4. Native-language N400 and P600 predict dissociable language-learning abilities in adults

    PubMed Central

    Qi, Zhenghan; Beach, Sara D.; Finn, Amy S.; Minas, Jennifer; Goetz, Calvin; Chan, Brian; Gabrieli, John D.E.

    2018-01-01

    Language learning aptitude during adulthood varies markedly across individuals. An individual’s native-language ability has been associated with success in learning a new language as an adult. However, little is known about how native-language processing affects learning success and what neural markers of native-language processing, if any, are related to success in learning. We therefore related variation in electrophysiology during native-language processing to success in learning a novel artificial language. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while native English speakers judged the acceptability of English sentences prior to learning an artificial language. There was a trend towards a double dissociation between native-language ERPs and their relationships to novel syntax and vocabulary learning. Individuals who exhibited a greater N400 effect when processing English semantics showed better future learning of the artificial language overall. The N400 effect was related to syntax learning via its specific relationship to vocabulary learning. In contrast, the P600 effect size when processing English syntax predicted future syntax learning but not vocabulary learning. These findings show that distinct neural signatures of native-language processing relate to dissociable abilities for learning novel semantic and syntactic information. PMID:27737775

  5. Building and Maintaining Healthy Organizations: The Key to Future Success

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-10-01

    even when the statutes allow us to depersonalize responsibility and ownership under the laws of incorporation, it remains that living, sentient...world becomes more interconnected yet depersonalized , people are looking for an aspect of “community” in their lives. Some find it where they live... undergraduates or MBAs who speak more than one language, have lived or worked abroad, or demonstrate an aptitude for global business. Other approaches include

  6. Review of Non-Resident Language Training for Linguists in the U.S. Army

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-06-01

    How can live satellite broadcasts/telecasts from Eastern Block/ Middle East/ Pacific Basin/Latin America be appropriately integrated in non-resident...schools in CONUS, Central America and the Far East. %Discussion: Every participant who had attended FLICE and was involved in this study had high praise...of instruction, motivation, attitude of the learner’s culture, aptitudes, communicative or sociolinguistic factors, personality type, affect

  7. [New assessment scale based on the type of person desired by an employer].

    PubMed

    Sasaki, Kenichi; Toyoda, Hideki

    2011-10-01

    In many cases, aptitude tests used in the hiring process fail to connect the measurement scale with the emotional type of the person desired by an employer. This experimental study introduced a new measuring method, in which the measurement scale could be adjusted according to the type of person an employer is seeking. Then the effectiveness of this method was verified by comparing the results of an aptitude test utilizing the method and the results of the typical hiring process carried out by the new method in hiring.

  8. The role of mind-wandering in measurements of general aptitude.

    PubMed

    Mrazek, Michael D; Smallwood, Jonathan; Franklin, Michael S; Chin, Jason M; Baird, Benjamin; Schooler, Jonathan W

    2012-11-01

    Tests of working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence (gF) are thought to capture variability in a crucial cognitive capacity that is broadly predictive of success, yet pinpointing the exact nature of this capacity is an area of ongoing controversy. We propose that mind-wandering is associated with performance on tests of WMC and gF, thereby partially explaining both the reliable correlations between these tests and their broad predictive utility. Existing evidence indicates that both WMC and gF are correlated with performance on tasks of attention, yet more decisive evidence requires an assessment of the role of attention and, in particular, mind-wandering during performance of these tests. Four studies employing complementary methodological designs embedded thought sampling into tests of general aptitude and determined that mind-wandering was consistently associated with worse performance on these measures. Collectively, these studies implicate the capacity to avoid mind-wandering during demanding tasks as a potentially important source of success on measures of general aptitude, while also raising important questions about whether the previously documented relationship between WMC and mind-wandering can be exclusively attributed to executive failures preceding mind-wandering (McVay & Kane, 2010b). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

  9. The correlation between fundamental characteristics and first-time performance in laparoscopic tasks.

    PubMed

    Harrington, Cuan M; Bresler, Richard; Ryan, Donncha; Dicker, Patrick; Traynor, Oscar; Kavanagh, Dara O

    2018-04-01

    The ability of characteristics to predict first time performance in laparoscopic tasks is not well described. Videogame experience predicts positive performance in laparoscopic experiences but its mechanism and confounding-association with aptitude remains to be elucidated. This study sought to evaluate for innate predictors of laparoscopic performance in surgically naive individuals with minimal videogame exposure. Participants with no prior laparoscopic exposure and minimal videogaming experience were recruited consecutively from preclinical years at a medical university. Participants completed four visuospatial, one psychomotor aptitude test and an electronic survey, followed by four laparoscopic tasks on a validated Virtual Reality simulator (LAP Mentor™). Twenty eligible individuals participated with a mean age of 20.8 (±3.8) years. Significant intra-aptitude performance correlations were present amongst 75% of the visuospatial tests. These visuospatial aptitudes correlated significantly with multiple laparoscopic task metrics: number of movements of a dominant instrument (r s  ≥ -0.46), accuracy rate of clip placement (r s  ≥ 0.50) and time taken (r s  ≥ -0.47) (p < 0.05). Musical Instrument experience predicted higher average speed of instruments (r s  ≥ 0.47) (p < 0.05). Participant's revised competitive index level predicted lower proficiency in laparoscopic metrics including: pathlength, economy and number of movements of dominant instrument (r s  ≥ 0.46) (p < 0.05). Multiple visuospatial aptitudes and innate competitive level influenced baseline laparoscopic performances across several tasks in surgically naïve individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Long-term effects of severe undernutrition during the first year of life on brain development and learning in Chilean high-school graduates.

    PubMed

    Ivanovic, D M; Leiva, B P; Perez, H T; Inzunza, N B; Almagià, A F; Toro, T D; Urrutia, M S; Cervilla, J O; Bosch, E O

    2000-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the relative impact of undernutrition during the first year of life on brain development, intellectual quotient (IQ), and scholastic achievement (SA) of poor Chilean high-school graduates (mean age = 18.3 +/- 0.9 y). A comparative study of two groups of high-school graduates from a low socioeconomic stratum was carried out. The undernourished group (n = 16), who had suffered from severe undernutrition during the first year of life, was compared with the non-undernourished group (n = 16). The final sample consisted of 32 right-handed high-school graduate students born at term who had no history of alcoholism or symptoms of brain damage, epilepsy, or heart disease and whose mothers had no history of smoking, alcoholism, or drug intake before and during pregnancy. Socioeconomic status was measured by using Graffar's modified method. Birth weight was used as the prenatal nutritional status index, and postnatal nutritional status was assessed by the body mass index, Z score for head circumference, and brachial anthropometry. IQ was determined with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults, and SA was determined with test in language and mathematics with the academic aptitude test. Brain development was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. Statistical analysis included variance tests, Scheffe's test for comparison of means, correlation, and multiple regression. Maternal schooling, brain volume, and undernutrition were the independent variables, with the greatest explanatory power in IQ variance (r(2) = 0.714). Only IQ explained SA variance (r(2) = 0.860); IQ, corpus callosum length, anteroposterior diameter, and maternal schooling were the independent variables, with the greatest explanatory power in the academic aptitude test variance (r(2) = 0.949). Results show that the long-term effects of malnutrition at an early age may affect brain development, IQ, and SA in school-age children. These findings are useful for nutrition and educational planning.

  11. Correlation between perceptual, visuo-spatial, and psychomotor aptitude to duration of training required to reach performance goals on the MIST-VR surgical simulator.

    PubMed

    McClusky, D A; Ritter, E M; Lederman, A B; Gallagher, A G; Smith, C D

    2005-01-01

    Given the dynamic nature of modern surgical education, determining factors that may improve the efficiency of laparoscopic training is warranted. The objective of this study was to analyze whether perceptual, visuo-spatial, or psychomotor aptitude are related to the amount of training required to reach specific performance-based goals on a virtual reality surgical simulator. Sixteen MS4 medical students participated in an elective skills course intended to train laparoscopic skills. All were tested for perceptual, visuo-spatial, and psychomotor aptitude using previously validated psychological tests. Training involved as many instructor-guided 1-hour sessions as needed to reach performance goals on a custom designed MIST-VR manipulation-diathermy task (Mentice AB, Gothenberg, Sweden). Thirteen subjects reached performance goals by the end of the course. Two were excluded from analysis due to previous experience with the MIST-VR (total n = 11). Perceptual ability (r = -0.76, P = 0.007) and psychomotor skills (r = 0.62, P = 0.04) significantly correlated with the number of trials required. Visuo-spatial ability did not significantly correlate with training duration. The number of trials required to train subjects to performance goals on the MIST-VR manipulation diathermy task is significantly related to perceptual and psychomotor aptitude.

  12. Temperamental traits and results of psychoaptitude tests in applicants to become a cadet officer in the Italian Navy.

    PubMed

    Maremmani, Icro; Maremmani, Angelo Giovanni Icro; Leonardi, Annalisa; Rovai, Luca; Bacciardi, Silvia; Rugani, Fabio; Dell'Osso, Liliana; Akiskal, Kareen; Akiskal, S Hagop

    2013-09-05

    Consistently with the involvement of affective temperaments in professional choices, our research team is aiming to outline the temperamental profile of subjects who are applying to enter a military career in the Italian Armed Forces. In this study we aim to verify the importance of temperamental traits not only in choosing the military career as a profession, but also in passing or failing the entrance examinations. We compared the affective temperaments (evaluated by TEMPS-A[P]) of those applying to become a cadet officer in the Italian Navy, divided into various subgroups depending on whether they passed or failed the entrance examination at various levels (high school final test, medical (physical and psychiatric), mathematical examination and aptitude test). We also tested for correlations between grades received and temperamental scores. Higher scores for those with a hyperthymic and lower scores for those with a depressive, cyclothymic or irritable temperament characterized applicants taking medical exams and aptitude tests. Higher scores on the high school final test correlated with lower hyperthymic, cyclothymic and irritable temperament scores. No correlations were found between temperamental traits and mathematical examinations. Multivariate analysis stressed the negative impact of a cyclothymic temperament and the poor discriminant power of temperaments regarding medical and mathematical examinations, and aptitude tests. Conversely, temperaments showed good discriminant power as far as psychiatric examinations are concerned. Hyperthymic temperamental traits appear to be important not only in choosing a profession, but also in passing entrance examinations. Even so, affective temperaments (strong hyperthymic and weak cyclothymic, depressive and irritable traits) are the only successfully predictors of the outcome of psychiatric examinations and, to a lesser extent, medical examinations and aptitude tests. Achieving high school graduation and passing mathematical exams are independent of temperamental traits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. [Critical reading aptitude of clinical research texts in teaching specialist doctors].

    PubMed

    Carranza Lira, Sebastián; Varela, Alejandro

    2007-11-01

    Learning can be divided in two types: the unconscious learning and the significant learning. The critical aptitude for reading clinical research articles is a learning experience that reflects the doctor's active participation in article reading. To know the degree of aptitude for critical reading of clinical research articles in specialists under training. To all the specialist that were under training in the different services of the Hospital, a previous validated evaluation instrument for critical reading of clinical research studies was applied. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney's U test were used for statistical analysis. After the application of the evaluation instrument, it was found that the global score had a median of 42.5 (12-89) points. In the results obtained by indicator it was found that there was a greater score for to interpret, than for to judge and for to propose. In the analysis of domain degrees according to the interpret indicator, the greater proportion was in low level. According to the indicators to judge and to propose, most of the results were in the by chance expected level. The critical reading aptitude it's not developed in specialized physicians that are under training. The development of this aptitude will allow them to have a greater profit in their courses.

  14. Native-language N400 and P600 predict dissociable language-learning abilities in adults.

    PubMed

    Qi, Zhenghan; Beach, Sara D; Finn, Amy S; Minas, Jennifer; Goetz, Calvin; Chan, Brian; Gabrieli, John D E

    2017-04-01

    Language learning aptitude during adulthood varies markedly across individuals. An individual's native-language ability has been associated with success in learning a new language as an adult. However, little is known about how native-language processing affects learning success and what neural markers of native-language processing, if any, are related to success in learning. We therefore related variation in electrophysiology during native-language processing to success in learning a novel artificial language. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while native English speakers judged the acceptability of English sentences prior to learning an artificial language. There was a trend towards a double dissociation between native-language ERPs and their relationships to novel syntax and vocabulary learning. Individuals who exhibited a greater N400 effect when processing English semantics showed better future learning of the artificial language overall. The N400 effect was related to syntax learning via its specific relationship to vocabulary learning. In contrast, the P600 effect size when processing English syntax predicted future syntax learning but not vocabulary learning. These findings show that distinct neural signatures of native-language processing relate to dissociable abilities for learning novel semantic and syntactic information. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Employment Standards for Australian Urban Firefighters: Part 4: Physical Aptitude Tests and Standards.

    PubMed

    Fullagar, Hugh H K; Sampson, John A; Mott, Brendan J; Burdon, Catriona A; Taylor, Nigel A S; Groeller, Herbert

    2015-10-01

    Firefighter physical aptitude tests were administered to unskilled subjects and operational firefighters to evaluate the impact that testing bias associated with gender, age, activity-specific skills, or task familiarity may have upon establishing performance thresholds. These tests were administered in sequence, simulating hazmat incidents, ventilation fan carriage (stairs), motor-vehicle rescues, bushfire incidents, fire attacks, and a firefighter rescue. Participants included two unskilled samples (N = 14 and 22) and 143 firefighters. Firefighter performance was not significantly different from the unskilled subjects. Participants from both genders passed the test, with scores unrelated to performance skill or age; however, familiarization significantly improved performance when the test was repeated. These outcomes confirmed this test to be gender-, age-, and skill-neutral. Familiarization effects could be removed through performing a single, pre-selection trial of the test battery.

  16. The Utility of Job Dimensions Based on Form B of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) in a Job Component Validation Model. Report No. 5.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marquardt, Lloyd D.; McCormick, Ernest J.

    The study involved the use of a structured job analysis instrument called the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) as the direct basis for the establishment of the job component validity of aptitude tests (that is, a procedure for estimating the aptitude requirements for jobs strictly on the basis of job analysis data). The sample of jobs used…

  17. Multiple Aptitude Battery-II Normative Intelligence Test Data That Distinguish U.S. Air Force AC-130 Gunship Sensor Operators

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    common part of an aeromedical evaluation when there is concern regarding an 50’ s general cognitive ability or specific aptitudes related to medica l...specificity and developmental complexity (Guilford, 1988; Horn, 1985; Vernon, 1961). Theories have also evolved from strictly biological approaches (Ha...tapped directly by existing measures of intellectual ability. Wechsler’s theory of intelligence is central to the development of the mostly widely used

  18. The construct validity of HPAT-Ireland for the selection of medical students: unresolved issues and future research implications.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Maureen E; O'Flynn, Siun

    2017-05-01

    Aptitude tests are widely used in selection. However, despite certain advantages their use remains controversial. This paper aims to critically appraise five sources of evidence for the construct validity of the Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT)-Ireland, an aptitude test used for selecting undergraduate medical students. The objectives are to identify gaps in the evidence, draw comparisons with other aptitude tests and outline future research directions. Our appraisal of the literature found that stakeholder feedback indicates that there is reasonable evidence for test content validity for two of the three sections of HPAT-Ireland. By contrast the Non-Verbal Reasoning section is widely criticised as having limited relevance to medical school performance and future clinical practice. In terms of concurrent validity there is a significant small to medium, negative correlation with school exit examinations, but not consistently so across all studies (r = -0.18, -0.28, 0.017). Likewise predictive validity studies vary, from negative to moderate strength correlations with examination performance during early years at medical school. Five studies indicate that HPAT-Ireland is supported in principle by the majority of stakeholders. While one consequence of its introduction is that successful applicants are now coming from more diverse academic backgrounds, there is no evidence that the socio-economic background of medical school entrants has been altered significantly. Negative perceptions of unfairness relating to gender, coaching and socio-economics remain. The evidence to date suggests that while there are slight gender differences, initially favouring males, these vary year on year. In conclusion, the attitudes towards, and performance of, HPAT-Ireland is not unlike that of other aptitude tests widely used internationally. The main justifications for its introduction have been achieved, in that Ireland no longer relies exclusively on a single measure of academic record for selection to medical school. However a number of areas require further research and exploration.

  19. Poor phonetic perceivers are affected by cognitive load when resolving talker variability

    PubMed Central

    Antoniou, Mark; Wong, Patrick C. M.

    2015-01-01

    Speech training paradigms aim to maximise learning outcomes by manipulating external factors such as talker variability. However, not all individuals may benefit from such manipulations because subject-external factors interact with subject-internal ones (e.g., aptitude) to determine speech perception and/or learning success. In a previous tone learning study, high-aptitude individuals benefitted from talker variability, whereas low-aptitude individuals were impaired. Because increases in cognitive load have been shown to hinder speech perception in mixed-talker conditions, it has been proposed that resolving talker variability requires cognitive resources. This proposal leads to the hypothesis that low-aptitude individuals do not use their cognitive resources as efficiently as those with high aptitude. Here, high- and low-aptitude subjects identified pitch contours spoken by multiple talkers under high and low cognitive load conditions established by a secondary task. While high-aptitude listeners outperformed low-aptitude listeners across load conditions, only low-aptitude listeners were impaired by increased cognitive load. The findings suggest that low-aptitude listeners either have fewer available cognitive resources or are poorer at allocating attention to the signal. Therefore, cognitive load is an important factor when considering individual differences in speech perception and training paradigms. PMID:26328675

  20. Poor phonetic perceivers are affected by cognitive load when resolving talker variability.

    PubMed

    Antoniou, Mark; Wong, Patrick C M

    2015-08-01

    Speech training paradigms aim to maximise learning outcomes by manipulating external factors such as talker variability. However, not all individuals may benefit from such manipulations because subject-external factors interact with subject-internal ones (e.g., aptitude) to determine speech perception and/or learning success. In a previous tone learning study, high-aptitude individuals benefitted from talker variability, whereas low-aptitude individuals were impaired. Because increases in cognitive load have been shown to hinder speech perception in mixed-talker conditions, it has been proposed that resolving talker variability requires cognitive resources. This proposal leads to the hypothesis that low-aptitude individuals do not use their cognitive resources as efficiently as those with high aptitude. Here, high- and low-aptitude subjects identified pitch contours spoken by multiple talkers under high and low cognitive load conditions established by a secondary task. While high-aptitude listeners outperformed low-aptitude listeners across load conditions, only low-aptitude listeners were impaired by increased cognitive load. The findings suggest that low-aptitude listeners either have fewer available cognitive resources or are poorer at allocating attention to the signal. Therefore, cognitive load is an important factor when considering individual differences in speech perception and training paradigms.

  1. [Achievements of an educational strategy promoting participation in the development of clinical aptitude and critical reading in cardiology residents, linked to appropriate use of research reports].

    PubMed

    Valencia-Sánchez, Jesús Salvador; Leyva-González, Félix Arturo; Viniegra-Velázquez, Leonardo

    2007-01-01

    To search the reach of educative strategy promoting the participation, to estimate the development of clinical aptitude and critical reading attaching the appropriate use of clinic research in cardiology residents. Prospective study. The instrument of clinical aptitude was constructed with five cases and 170 items and the instrument of critical reading was developed with five summaries of articles of clinical research in cardiology by 120 items. The strategy was performed with activities one a week during six months by two hours per class, in the period: March and September, 2005. Reading guides were delivered to the participants a week before that included a clinical case and clinic research of cardiology. During the activities in class we were promoting the participation and discussion. Both measuring instruments were performed in the first (initial measuring) and final session (final measuring). Non parametric test were used because the variable of the subjects were not normal distribution and the scale was ordinal. The reliability coefficient in both instruments with the Kuder-Richardson was 0.90 and 0.85 respectively. After educative strategy was observed a significant advance in the global calcifications, such as in critical reading and in clinical aptitude (p = 0.001 and 0.5 respectively). Analyzing in an independent manner the components of critical reading we found significant advancement in the indicators interpretation and judgment. In clinical aptitude we found significant progress in the indicators: the suitable use of paraclinics resources, the appropriate use of therapeutics measurement and iatropatogenic decisions for omission. The educative strategy promoting the participation, permitted to get a change in the clinical aptitude and critical reading attaching the appropriate use of sources of investigation in cardiology residents.

  2. Cognitive and motor shifting aptitude disorder in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed Central

    Cools, A R; van den Bercken, J H; Horstink, M W; van Spaendonck, K P; Berger, H J

    1984-01-01

    Eighteen patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and nineteen control subjects, who were matched for age and intelligence, were compared in tests measuring "shifting aptitude" at cognitive and motor levels (word production, sorting blocks or animals, and finger pushing sequences). It was found that Parkinson patients produced fewer different names of animals and professions in one minute than control subjects, needed more trials for detecting a shift in a sorting criterion, and produced fewer finger responses in a change of pushing sequence than control subjects. These results are interpreted as reflecting a central programming deficit that manifests itself in verbal, figural and motor modalities, that is, a diminished "shifting aptitude" characteristic of patients with dysfunctioning basal ganglia. The results are discussed in relation to changes of behaviour organisations in animals with dysfunctioning basal ganglia. PMID:6736974

  3. Parent's Guide to Understanding Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CTB / McGraw-Hill, Monterey, CA.

    This brief introduction to testing is geared to parents. Types of tests are defined, such as standardized tests, achievement tests, norm referenced tests, criterion referenced tests, and aptitude tests. Various types of scores (grade equivalent, percentile rank, and stanine are also defined, and the uses made of tests by administrators, teachers,…

  4. Individual Differences in Audio-Vocal Speech Imitation Aptitude in Late Bilinguals: Functional Neuro-Imaging and Brain Morphology

    PubMed Central

    Reiterer, Susanne Maria; Hu, Xiaochen; Erb, Michael; Rota, Giuseppina; Nardo, Davide; Grodd, Wolfgang; Winkler, Susanne; Ackermann, Hermann

    2011-01-01

    An unanswered question in adult language learning or late bi and multilingualism is why individuals show marked differences in their ability to imitate foreign accents. While recent research acknowledges that more adults than previously assumed can still acquire a “native” foreign accent, very little is known about the neuro-cognitive correlates of this special ability. We investigated 140 German-speaking individuals displaying varying degrees of “mimicking” capacity, based on natural language text, sentence, and word imitations either in their second language English or in Hindi and Tamil, languages they had never been exposed to. The large subject pool was strictly controlled for previous language experience prior to magnetic resonance imaging. The late-onset (around 10 years) bilinguals showed significant individual differences as to how they employed their left-hemisphere speech areas: higher hemodynamic activation in a distinct fronto-parietal network accompanied low ability, while high ability paralleled enhanced gray matter volume in these areas concomitant with decreased hemodynamic responses. Finally and unexpectedly, males were found to be more talented foreign speech mimics. PMID:22059077

  5. [Scope of two educational strategies to develop the clinical aptitude of the family physician].

    PubMed

    Reyes-Ruiz, María Esther; García-Mangas, José Alberto; Pérez-Ilagor, Víctor Manuel

    2014-01-01

    The evaluation of the clinical aptitude is expressed in challenging clinical situations and the scope of learning is conditioned by the quality of the educational strategy. The aim of this study was to value the scope of two different educational approaches, in order to develop the clinical aptitude of 20 family physicians. Quasi experimental design, in which 20 general physicians in training process of Family Medicine were randomized: a teaching-centered strategy (TCS) was applied in 10, and a learning-centered strategy (LCS) in the remaining 10. The application of both strategies lasted 24 hours, and the same content was used on them. While applying TCS, it was employed an exposition with questions (which privileged the transmission of information). While implementing LCS, it was used discussion in small groups (which favored the point of view and the confrontation). To validate the evaluation, it was used the Kuder-Richardson formula 20, with a reliability of 0.91. Before the intervention, TCS group had a median of 124 and LCS group, 105 (p = 0.19). After the intervention, TCS group showed a median of 126, and LCS group of 156 (p = 0.012). Both groups were compared using Mann Whitney U, and the same subjects were also compared with the matched pairs Wilcoxon test. The differences were statistically significant, which it does not differ from earlier studies. The clinical aptitude reaches best development in the LCS when tested against TCS.

  6. Test Collection Bulletin, Vol 10, No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosen, Pamela, Ed.

    This quarterly bulletin provides brief annotations for tests recently acquired by the Educational Testing Service Test Collection grouped under the following types: achievement; aptitude; personality, interests, attitudes, and opinions; miscellaneous, sensory-motor, and unidentified. Entries of interest to those working with young children are…

  7. College Bound Seniors, 1974-75.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    College Entrance Examination Board, New York, NY.

    Some one million college bound students, who were high school seniors during 1974-75 previously participated in the College Board's Admissions Testing Program (ATP), which included the Scholarship Aptitude Test (SAT), the Test of Standard Written English, the Student Descriptive Questionnaire, and the ATP Achievement Tests. These tests created a…

  8. Using Interactive Computing to Expand Intelligence Testing: A Critique and Prospectus.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hunt, Earl; Pellegrino, James

    1985-01-01

    There are economic advantages in using microcomputers as automated testing stations for measuring aptitude and intelligence. Microcomputers also make it possible to expand and modify testing procedures for psychological functions included in conventional tests and to test psychological functions not generally assessed by conventional tests, such…

  9. Executive Function and Reading Aptitude: A Grounded Theory Analysis of Teacher Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nordman, Jenny

    2013-01-01

    This qualitative, grounded theory study investigated teacher perspectives on the relationship between executive function and reading aptitude. The influence of executive function may be underestimated in terms of its impact on reading aptitude, which could have significant implications on how reading aptitude is currently defined. The foundational…

  10. Phonological Awareness and Musical Aptitude.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peynircioglu, Zehra F.; Durgunoglu, Aydyn Y.; Oney-Kusefoglu, Banu

    2002-01-01

    Examines the relationship between phonological awareness and musical aptitude in pre-school Turkish and American children. Finds that children in the high musical aptitude group did much better on all tasks than those in the low musical aptitude group, showing that success in manipulating linguistic sounds was related to awareness of distinct…

  11. [Parental aptitude to prevent child sexual abuse after a participatory education intervention].

    PubMed

    Higareda-Almaraz, Martha Alicia; Higareda-Almaraz, Enrique; Higareda-Almaraz, Irma Reyna; Barrera-de León, Juan Carlos; Gómez-Llamas, Meynardo Alonso; Benites-Godínez, Verónica

    2011-01-01

    To evaluate the aptitude of parents regarding the educational impact of equity education for children to prevent child sexual abuse using participatory strategies. Quasi-experimental design. Ninety-two parents with children in preschool were included in the study. The parents were given a course using participatory educational strategies for one hour daily over a period of 20 days. Prior to the course, a group of experts in child education and sexology prepared a questionnaire with 20 sentences. A Wilcoxon test was used to compare intergroup differences We found statistically significant differences in the parents' responses before and after the educational intervention, with a median (range) of 10(2-12)/18(6-20), p<0.01. A significant change in aptitude was noted when parents attended classes using a participatory strategy to learn about the impact of educational equity for the prevention of child sexual abuse. Thus, it is imperative to continue evaluating different educational strategies.

  12. The Development of English as a Second Language With and Without Specific Language Impairment: Clinical Implications.

    PubMed

    Paradis, Johanne

    2016-02-01

    The purpose of this research forum article is to provide an overview of typical and atypical development of English as a second language (L2) and to present strategies for clinical assessment with English language learners (ELLs). A review of studies examining the lexical, morphological, narrative, and verbal memory abilities of ELLs is organized around 3 topics: timeframe and characteristics of typical English L2 development, comparison of the English L2 development of children with and without specific language impairment (SLI), and strategies for more effective assessment with ELLs. ELLs take longer than 3 years to converge on monolingual norms and approach monolingual norms asynchronously across linguistic subdomains. Individual variation is predicted by age, first language, language learning aptitude, length of exposure to English in school, maternal education, and richness of the English environment outside school. ELLs with SLI acquire English more slowly than ELLs with typical development; their morphological and nonword repetition abilities differentiate them the most. Use of strategies such as parent questionnaires on first language development and ELL norm referencing can result in accurate discrimination of ELLs with SLI. Variability in the language abilities of ELLs presents challenges for clinical practice. Increased knowledge of English language learning development with and without SLI together with evidence-based alternative assessment strategies can assist in overcoming these challenges.

  13. Manual dexterity aptitude testing: a soap carving study.

    PubMed

    Tang, Christopher G; Hilsinger, Raymond L; Cruz, Raul M; Schloegel, Luke J; Byl, Fred M; Rasgon, Barry M

    2014-03-01

    Currently there are few validated metrics for predicting surgical skill among otolaryngology residency applicants. To determine whether manual dexterity aptitude testing in the form of soap carving during otolaryngology residency interviews at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Oakland predicts surgical skill at the time of graduation from otolaryngology residency programs. This study was conducted to determine how applicants with the best and worst soap carvings compared at the time of graduation with respect to various metrics including visuospatial ability and manual dexterity. Over the last 25 years, applicants to the residency program at Kaiser Permanente Oakland were required to carve soap during their residency interview. The 3 best and 3 worst soap carvings from 1990 through 2006 were determined. Of the individuals who carved those soaps, 62 qualified for the study and matriculated into otolaryngology residency programs. Surveys were sent to the 62 individuals' residency programs to evaluate those individuals on a 5-point Likert scale in various categories as well as to rank those individuals as being in the top 50% or bottom 50% of their graduating class. All else being equal, we hypothesized that applicants who had the manual dexterity and visuospatial skills to accurately carve a bar of soap would more likely possess the skills necessary to become a good surgeon. There was no difference between individuals with the best soap carvings and those with the worst soap carvings in all categories: cognitive knowledge, visuospatial ability, manual dexterity, decision making, and overall score (P > .10 for all categories). There was a 95% response rate, with 35 of 37 residency programs responding and 59 of 62 surveys returned. Manual dexterity aptitude testing in the form of soap carving does not appear to correlate with surgical skill at the time of graduation. Further studies need to be conducted to determine the role of manual dexterity and visuospatial aptitude testing in the otolaryngology application process.

  14. Occupational Aptitude Patterns Map: Development and Implications for a Theory of Job Aptitude Requirements.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gottfredson, Linda S.

    1986-01-01

    United States Employment Service data on the cognitive and noncognitive aptitude requirements of different occupations were used to create an occupational classification--the Occupational Aptitude Patterns (OAP) Map. Thirteen job clusters are arrayed according to major differences in overall intellectual difficulty level and in functional focus…

  15. Computerized Adaptive Testing: From Inquiry to Operation [Book Review].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gierl, Mark J.

    1998-01-01

    This book documents the research, development, and implementation efforts that allowed the U.S. Department of Defense to initiate the Computerized Adaptive Testing Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Program for enlistment testing. Traces the history of this program over 30 years. (SLD)

  16. Are Culturally Biased Test Useful?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelley, H. Paul

    1982-01-01

    Whether culturally biased tests are useful depends on what is meant by that phrase and the purpose for which the test is to be used. Keeping the distinction between aptitude and achievement in mind, different definitions of fair use of tests come from different sets of societal values. (Author/CM)

  17. Yes, the SAT Does Help Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanford, George H.

    1985-01-01

    Discusses the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and its importance to colleges in admissions decisions. The author describes the admissions process, the role of test scores, and the relationships of class ranks and SAT scores to outcomes in college. (CT)

  18. Sex Bias in Testing: A Review with Policy Recommendations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tittle, Carol Kehr

    Educational achievement tests, career interest inventories, and aptitude tests are reviewed for examples of sex bias, and changes in policy concerning the use of these tests are suggested. These suggestions are within the authority and responsibility of local and state educational administrators, teachers, counselors, parents, and students. The…

  19. The Computerized Adaptive Testing System Development Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McBride, James R.; Sympson, J. B.

    The Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) project is a joint Armed Services coordinated effort to develop and evaluate a system for automated, adaptive administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The CAT is a system for administering personnel tests that differs from conventional test administration in two major…

  20. 38 CFR 18.413 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test... speaking skills (except when those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure). ...

  1. 38 CFR 18.413 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test... speaking skills (except when those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure). ...

  2. Aptitude-Treatment Interactions during Creativity Training in E-Learning: How Meaning-Making, Self-Regulation, and Knowledge Management Influence Creativity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Yu-chu; Lin, Chun Fu

    2015-01-01

    The goal of aptitude-treatment interactions (ATIs) is to find the interactions between treatments and learners' aptitudes and therefore to achieve optimal learning. This study aimed at understanding whether the aptitudes of meaning-making, self-regulation, and knowledge management (KM) would interact with the treatment of 17-week KM-based training…

  3. A Method for Determining Job Types for Low Aptitude Airmen.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayo, Clyde C.

    An opinion survey method for identifying low aptitude job types was developed and used in a study of 11 Air Force career ladders. Lists of low aptitude tasks were defined by technical advisers. These tasks were then rated on nine factors by Air Force instructors who also described low aptitude job types and gave their opinion concerning the…

  4. 29 CFR 1630.11 - Administration of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... has a disability that impairs sensory, manual or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor of the applicant or employee that the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills of such employee or...

  5. 7 CFR 15b.14 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test... speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure). ...

  6. 29 CFR 1630.11 - Administration of tests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... has a disability that impairs sensory, manual or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor of the applicant or employee that the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills of such employee or...

  7. 7 CFR 15b.14 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test... speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure). ...

  8. 28 CFR 42.512 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results must accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where those...

  9. 24 CFR 8.12 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where...

  10. 24 CFR 8.12 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where...

  11. 28 CFR 42.512 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results must accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where those...

  12. Reference standards to assess physical fitness of children and adolescents of Brazil: an approach to the students of the Lake Itaipú region-Brazil.

    PubMed

    Hobold, Edilson; Pires-Lopes, Vitor; Gómez-Campos, Rossana; de Arruda, Miguel; Andruske, Cynthia Lee; Pacheco-Carrillo, Jaime; Cossio-Bolaños, Marco Antonio

    2017-01-01

    The importance of assessing body fat variables and physical fitness tests plays an important role in monitoring the level of activity and physical fitness of the general population. The objective of this study was to develop reference norms to evaluate the physical fitness aptitudes of children and adolescents based on age and sex from the lake region of Itaipú, Brazil. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with 5,962 students (2,938 males and 3,024 females) with an age range of 6.0 and 17.9 years. Weight (kg), height (cm), and triceps (mm), and sub-scapular skinfolds (mm) were measured. Body Mass Index (BMI kg/m 2 ) was calculated. To evaluate the four physical fitness aptitude dimensions (morphological, muscular strength, flexibility, and cardio-respiratory), the following physical education tests were given to the students: sit-and-reach (cm), push-ups (rep), standing long jump (cm), and 20-m shuttle run (m). Females showed greater flexibility in the sit-and-reach test and greater body fat than the males. No differences were found in BMI. Percentiles were created for the four components for the physical fitness aptitudes, BMI, and skinfolds by using the LMS method based on age and sex. The proposed reference values may be used for detecting talents and promoting health in children and adolescents.

  13. Correlation of physical aptitude; functional capacity, corporal balance and quality of life (QoL) among elderly women submitted to a post-menopausal physical activities program.

    PubMed

    de Souza Santos, César Augusto; Dantas, Estélio Enrique Martin; Moreira, Maria Helena Rodrigues

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of physical activity from the "Menopause in Form" program on physical aptitude, functional capacity, corporal balance and QoL among elderly women. In addition, correlations among these variables were examined. The present work was a longitudinal study that was quasi-experimental and correlational. A total of 323 elderly women (age: 69.0±5.53 years) participated in this study. Subjects were non-institutionalized, post-menopausal individuals residing at the Elderly Care Center in Belém Municipality (Pará, Brazil) and practiced one activity (i.e., dancing or walking) over a 10-month period. The assessment protocols used were the following: the Fullerton functional fitness test battery (physical aptitude); the activities of daily living (ADL) indices (functional capacity); the Tinetti-scale (corporal balance); and the WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire (QoL). The adopted significance level was p<0.05. Results from the Wilcoxon test demonstrated significant differences for the post-test assessment of functional capacity (Δ%=5.63%; p=0.0001) and general QoL (Δ%=9.19%; p=0.001). These results suggest that the physical activities employed during the "Menopause in Form" program resulted in significant improvements in the functional capacity and QoL of post-menopausal elderly women. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Test-Wiseness Cues in the Options of Mathematics Items.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuntz, Patricia

    The quality of mathematics multiple choice items and their susceptibility to test wiseness were examined. Test wiseness was defined as "a subject's capacity to utilize the characteristics and formats of the test and/or test taking situation to receive a high score." The study used results of the Graduate Record Examinations Aptitude Test (GRE) and…

  15. Test Collection Bulletin. A Quarterly Digest of Information on Tests. Vol. 10, Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosen, Pamela, Ed.

    These quarterly bulletins provide brief annotations of tests recently acquired by the Educational Testing Service Test Collection. The tests are grouped into these categories: (1) achievement, (2) aptitude, (3) personality, interest, attitudes, and opinions, (4) sensory-motor and miscellaneous. Entries of particular interest to those working with…

  16. The Hamburg Selection Procedure for Dental Students – Introduction of the HAM-Nat as subject-specific test for study aptitude

    PubMed Central

    Kothe, Christian; Hissbach, Johanna; Hampe, Wolfgang

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: The present study examines the question whether the selection of dental students should be based solely on average school-leaving grades (GPA) or whether it could be improved by using a subject-specific aptitude test. Methods: The HAM-Nat Natural Sciences Test was piloted with freshmen during their first study week in 2006 and 2007. In 2009 and 2010 it was used in the dental student selection process. The sample size in the regression models varies between 32 and 55 students. Results: Used as a supplement to the German GPA, the HAM-Nat test explained up to 12% of the variance in preclinical examination performance. We confirmed the prognostic validity of GPA reported in earlier studies in some, but not all of the individual preclinical examination results. Conclusion: The HAM-Nat test is a reliable selection tool for dental students. Use of the HAM-Nat yielded a significant improvement in prediction of preclinical academic success in dentistry. PMID:24282449

  17. 32 CFR 865.114 - Decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) Awards and decorations. (ix) Educational level. (x) Aptitude test scores. (xi) Incidents of punishment... punishment). (xii) Conviction by court-martial. (xiii) Prior military service and type of discharge received...

  18. 32 CFR 865.114 - Decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) Awards and decorations. (ix) Educational level. (x) Aptitude test scores. (xi) Incidents of punishment... punishment). (xii) Conviction by court-martial. (xiii) Prior military service and type of discharge received...

  19. 32 CFR 865.114 - Decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) Awards and decorations. (ix) Educational level. (x) Aptitude test scores. (xi) Incidents of punishment... punishment). (xii) Conviction by court-martial. (xiii) Prior military service and type of discharge received...

  20. 32 CFR 865.114 - Decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) Awards and decorations. (ix) Educational level. (x) Aptitude test scores. (xi) Incidents of punishment... punishment). (xii) Conviction by court-martial. (xiii) Prior military service and type of discharge received...

  1. Benefits of completing homework for students with different aptitudes in an introductory electricity and magnetism course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kontur, F. J.; de La Harpe, K.; Terry, N. B.

    2015-06-01

    We examine how student aptitudes impact how much students learn from doing graded online and written homework in an introductory electricity and magnetism course. Our analysis examines the correlation between successful homework completion rates and exam performance as well as how changes in homework completion correlate with changes in exam scores for students with different physics aptitudes. On average, successfully completing many homework problems correlated to better exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude. On the other hand, all other students showed zero or even a negative correlation between successful homework completion and exam performance. Low- and medium-aptitude students who did more homework did no better and sometimes scored lower on exams than their low- and medium-aptitude peers who did less homework. Our work also shows that long-term changes in homework completion correlated to long-term changes in exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude, but not for students with medium or low aptitude. We offer several explanations for the disparity in homework learning gains, including cognitive load theory, ineffective homework strategies, and various mismatches between homework and exams. Several solutions are proposed to address these possible deficiencies in graded online and written homework.

  2. Eliminating Standardized Tests in College Admissions: The New Affirmative Action?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zwick, Rebecca

    1999-01-01

    Eliminating the Scholastic Aptitude Test for college admissions might seem a form of covert affirmative action. Although it is possible to design a workable admissions policy that excludes standardized tests (as 15 percent of colleges have done), banishing admissions tests to further a social-policy goal indirectly is unsound policy. (Contains 25…

  3. Summary of Score Changes (in other Tests).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cleary, T. Anne; McCandless, Sam A.

    Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores have declined during the last 14 years. Similar score declines have been observed in many different testing programs, many groups, and tested areas. The declines, while not large in any given year, have been consistent over time, area, and group. The period around 1965 is critical for the interpretation of…

  4. College Admissions: Beyond Conventional Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sternberg, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    Standardized admissions tests such as the SAT (originally stood for "Scholastic Aptitude Test") and the ACT measure only a narrow segment of the skills needed to become an active citizen and possibly a leader who makes a positive, meaningful, and enduring difference to the world. The problem with these tests is that they promised, under…

  5. A Study of Garton's "Test of Musicality" as Applied to College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoder, Vance A.

    1972-01-01

    This investigation showed the Test of Musicality to be especially valuable in distinguishing music majors from nonmusic majors. It is questionable, though, whether the test is actually a measure of music aptitude or potential; rather, a strong case could be made for the test's being an achievement measure. (Author)

  6. Retooling Education: Testing and the Liberal Arts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Robert L.

    2007-01-01

    The motivation and methodology for measuring intelligence have changed repeatedly in the modern history of large-scale student testing. Test makers have always sought to identify raw aptitude for cultivation, but they have never figured out how to promote excellence while preserving equality. They've settled for egalitarianism, which gives rise to…

  7. Gender Differences in Patterns of Spatial Ability, Environmental Cognition, and Math and English Achievement in Late Adolescence.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pearson, Jane L.; Ferguson, Lucy Rau

    1989-01-01

    Explored relationships among three measures of spatial ability--Embedded Figures Test, Mental Rotations Test, and Differential Aptitude Spatial Relations subtest--an environmental cognition task, American College Testing mathematics and English achievement in undergraduates (N=282). Interpreted results as substantiating sex role socialization…

  8. Designing Cognitive Complexity in Mathematical Problem-Solving Items

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniel, Robert C.; Embretson, Susan E.

    2010-01-01

    Cognitive complexity level is important for measuring both aptitude and achievement in large-scale testing. Tests for standards-based assessment of mathematics, for example, often include cognitive complexity level in the test blueprint. However, little research exists on how mathematics items can be designed to vary in cognitive complexity level.…

  9. Coaching for Tests. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wildemuth, Barbara

    The term "coaching" applies to a variety of types of test preparation programs which vary in length, instructional method, and content. Most research on the effectiveness of coaching has examined the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a measure of academic abilities used to predict college performance. This ERIC Digest reviews studies of…

  10. Aptitude of psychiatric nurses: conceptual considerations and measurement difficulties.

    PubMed

    Haspeslagh, M; Delesie, L; Igodt, P

    2008-06-01

    Patient allocation is common practice in psychiatric nursing. This study investigates nurse aptitude, a sub-concept of competence, to validate and refine patient allocation. The focus is on operationalizing aptitude for daily management purposes. Aptitude varies in function of the tasks to be performed and the therapeutic relationship of each psychiatric nurse with her individual patients. Time, job context, socio-cultural context and semantic frame of reference have also to be taken into account when operationalizing aptitude. Self and peer opinions are a basis for aptitude measurement as patient care and its management are shared among a small team of nurses. A meticulous idio-graphic analysis is necessary. These constraints generate several measurement difficulties that are to be dealt with without too many unrealistic assumptions. The research design enabled reliable aggregation of peer 'on' and 'from' opinions. These allowed confrontation of opinions and identification of bias in these. Stepwise explorative experimentation led to gauging and calibrating a specific aptitude questionnaire to the context of psychiatric nursing. The final version is now being applied in practice in 14 wards of 11 hospitals in Flanders.

  11. 32 CFR 724.803 - The decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) Educational level; (xiv) Aptitude test scores; (xv) Incidents of punishment pursuant to Article 15, Uniform Code of Military Justice (including nature and date (YYMMDD) of offense or punishment); (xvi...

  12. 32 CFR 724.803 - The decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) Educational level; (xiv) Aptitude test scores; (xv) Incidents of punishment pursuant to Article 15, Uniform Code of Military Justice (including nature and date (YYMMDD) of offense or punishment); (xvi...

  13. 32 CFR 724.803 - The decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) Educational level; (xiv) Aptitude test scores; (xv) Incidents of punishment pursuant to Article 15, Uniform Code of Military Justice (including nature and date (YYMMDD) of offense or punishment); (xvi...

  14. 32 CFR 724.803 - The decisional document.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) Educational level; (xiv) Aptitude test scores; (xv) Incidents of punishment pursuant to Article 15, Uniform Code of Military Justice (including nature and date (YYMMDD) of offense or punishment); (xvi...

  15. 10 CFR 4.124 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where those skills are the...

  16. 10 CFR 4.124 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor the test purports to measure, rather than reflecting the applicant's or employee's impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (except where those skills are the...

  17. Nursing students' reading and English aptitudes and their relationship to discipline-specific formal writing ability: a descriptive correlational study.

    PubMed

    Newton, Sarah; Moore, Gary

    2010-01-01

    Formal writing assignments are commonly used in nursing education to develop students' critical thinking skills, as well as to enhance their communication abilities. However, writing apprehension is a common phenomenon among nursing students. It has been suggested that reading and English aptitudes are related to formal writing ability, yet neither the reading nor the English aptitudes of undergraduate nursing students have been described in the literature, and the relationships that reading and English aptitude have with formal writing ability have not been explored. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe writing apprehension and to assess the relationships among reading and English aptitude and discipline-specific formal writing ability among undergraduate nursing students. The study sample consisted of 146 sophomores from one baccalaureate nursing program. The results indicated that both reading and English aptitude were related to students' formal writing ability.

  18. Construct-level predictive validity of educational attainment and intellectual aptitude tests in medical student selection: meta-regression of six UK longitudinal studies.

    PubMed

    McManus, I C; Dewberry, Chris; Nicholson, Sandra; Dowell, Jonathan S; Woolf, Katherine; Potts, Henry W W

    2013-11-14

    Measures used for medical student selection should predict future performance during training. A problem for any selection study is that predictor-outcome correlations are known only in those who have been selected, whereas selectors need to know how measures would predict in the entire pool of applicants. That problem of interpretation can be solved by calculating construct-level predictive validity, an estimate of true predictor-outcome correlation across the range of applicant abilities. Construct-level predictive validities were calculated in six cohort studies of medical student selection and training (student entry, 1972 to 2009) for a range of predictors, including A-levels, General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs)/O-levels, and aptitude tests (AH5 and UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)). Outcomes included undergraduate basic medical science and finals assessments, as well as postgraduate measures of Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP(UK)) performance and entry in the Specialist Register. Construct-level predictive validity was calculated with the method of Hunter, Schmidt and Le (2006), adapted to correct for right-censorship of examination results due to grade inflation. Meta-regression analyzed 57 separate predictor-outcome correlations (POCs) and construct-level predictive validities (CLPVs). Mean CLPVs are substantially higher (.450) than mean POCs (.171). Mean CLPVs for first-year examinations, were high for A-levels (.809; CI: .501 to .935), and lower for GCSEs/O-levels (.332; CI: .024 to .583) and UKCAT (mean = .245; CI: .207 to .276). A-levels had higher CLPVs for all undergraduate and postgraduate assessments than did GCSEs/O-levels and intellectual aptitude tests. CLPVs of educational attainment measures decline somewhat during training, but continue to predict postgraduate performance. Intellectual aptitude tests have lower CLPVs than A-levels or GCSEs/O-levels. Educational attainment has strong CLPVs for undergraduate and postgraduate performance, accounting for perhaps 65% of true variance in first year performance. Such CLPVs justify the use of educational attainment measure in selection, but also raise a key theoretical question concerning the remaining 35% of variance (and measurement error, range restriction and right-censorship have been taken into account). Just as in astrophysics, 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' are posited to balance various theoretical equations, so medical student selection must also have its 'dark variance', whose nature is not yet properly characterized, but explains a third of the variation in performance during training. Some variance probably relates to factors which are unpredictable at selection, such as illness or other life events, but some is probably also associated with factors such as personality, motivation or study skills.

  19. Construct-level predictive validity of educational attainment and intellectual aptitude tests in medical student selection: meta-regression of six UK longitudinal studies

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Measures used for medical student selection should predict future performance during training. A problem for any selection study is that predictor-outcome correlations are known only in those who have been selected, whereas selectors need to know how measures would predict in the entire pool of applicants. That problem of interpretation can be solved by calculating construct-level predictive validity, an estimate of true predictor-outcome correlation across the range of applicant abilities. Methods Construct-level predictive validities were calculated in six cohort studies of medical student selection and training (student entry, 1972 to 2009) for a range of predictors, including A-levels, General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs)/O-levels, and aptitude tests (AH5 and UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT)). Outcomes included undergraduate basic medical science and finals assessments, as well as postgraduate measures of Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP(UK)) performance and entry in the Specialist Register. Construct-level predictive validity was calculated with the method of Hunter, Schmidt and Le (2006), adapted to correct for right-censorship of examination results due to grade inflation. Results Meta-regression analyzed 57 separate predictor-outcome correlations (POCs) and construct-level predictive validities (CLPVs). Mean CLPVs are substantially higher (.450) than mean POCs (.171). Mean CLPVs for first-year examinations, were high for A-levels (.809; CI: .501 to .935), and lower for GCSEs/O-levels (.332; CI: .024 to .583) and UKCAT (mean = .245; CI: .207 to .276). A-levels had higher CLPVs for all undergraduate and postgraduate assessments than did GCSEs/O-levels and intellectual aptitude tests. CLPVs of educational attainment measures decline somewhat during training, but continue to predict postgraduate performance. Intellectual aptitude tests have lower CLPVs than A-levels or GCSEs/O-levels. Conclusions Educational attainment has strong CLPVs for undergraduate and postgraduate performance, accounting for perhaps 65% of true variance in first year performance. Such CLPVs justify the use of educational attainment measure in selection, but also raise a key theoretical question concerning the remaining 35% of variance (and measurement error, range restriction and right-censorship have been taken into account). Just as in astrophysics, ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy’ are posited to balance various theoretical equations, so medical student selection must also have its ‘dark variance’, whose nature is not yet properly characterized, but explains a third of the variation in performance during training. Some variance probably relates to factors which are unpredictable at selection, such as illness or other life events, but some is probably also associated with factors such as personality, motivation or study skills. PMID:24229353

  20. Genome-wide linkage scan for loci of musical aptitude in Finnish families: evidence for a major locus at 4q22

    PubMed Central

    Pulli, K; Karma, K; Norio, R; Sistonen, P; Göring, H H H; Järvelä, I

    2008-01-01

    Background: Music perception and performance are comprehensive human cognitive functions and thus provide an excellent model system for studying human behaviour and brain function. However, the molecules involved in mediating music perception and performance are so far uncharacterised. Objective: To unravel the biological background of music perception, using molecular and statistical genetic approaches. Methods: 15 Finnish multigenerational families (with a total of 234 family members) were recruited via a nationwide search. The phenotype of all family members was determined using three tests used in defining musical aptitude: a test for auditory structuring ability (Karma Music test; KMT) commonly used in Finland, and the Seashore pitch and time discrimination subtests (SP and ST respectively) used internationally. We calculated heritabilities and performed a genome-wide variance components-based linkage scan using genotype data for 1113 microsatellite markers. Results: The heritability estimates were 42% for KMT, 57% for SP, 21% for ST and 48% for the combined music test scores. Significant evidence of linkage was obtained on chromosome 4q22 (LOD 3.33) and suggestive evidence of linkage at 8q13-21 (LOD 2.29) with the combined music test scores, using variance component linkage analyses. The major contribution of the 4q22 locus was obtained for the KMT (LOD 2.91). Interestingly, a positive LOD score of 1.69 was shown at 18q, a region previously linked to dyslexia (DYX6) using combined music test scores. Conclusion: Our results show that there is a genetic contribution to musical aptitude that is likely to be regulated by several predisposing genes or variants. PMID:18424507

  1. The Rlationship of Grade Placement to Programming Aptitude and Fortran Programming Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alspaugh, John W.

    1971-01-01

    Assessed was the influence of grade placement on programing aptitude and programing achievement. High school students comprised one group and college students a second group. A significant difference in programing aptitude was found between groups. (FL)

  2. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Military Testing Association (17th, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, September 15-19, 1975).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1975

    The 62 papers presented at the 1975 conference of the Military Testing Association cover almost all areas of military and occupational assessment and evaluation, and are arranged in 19 "common subject-matter groupings": Symposium (on Aptitude Testing), Training Extension Courses, Computerized Testing, Task Validation and Qualification…

  3. Early Morning Challenge: The Potential Effects of Chronobiology on Taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Callan, Roger John

    1995-01-01

    Cites research to support the notion that the time of day in which the SAT is administered has a significant adverse impact on many students taking the test. Suggests that changes in testing procedures (making tests available via computer at any time of the day or year) will serve students. (RS)

  4. Individual Characteristics and Unit Performance: A Review of Research and Methods

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-02-01

    behavioral segments, improves performance. Simu- lation exercises , especially those employing new high-technology devices, provide surrogate...high-technology training simulation exercise MOB Military Occupational Specialty ORTT Operational Readiness Training Test-a field test REALTRAIN A...REAListic TRAINing simulation exercise SAM Surface-to-Air Missile SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test SQT Skill Qualification Test-an Army performance meas

  5. Interpretation and Utilization of Scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Robert E.

    The report summarizes a large body of data relevant to the proper interpretation and use of aptitude scores on the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT). Included are descriptions of the AFOQT testing program and the test itself. Technical data include an extensive sampling of validation studies covering predictors of success in pilot…

  6. Preparing for the SAT: A Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Appelrouth, Jed I.; Zabrucky, Karen M.

    2017-01-01

    In 2016, more than 1.6 million students took the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a standardized college admissions test (College Board 2016a). Researchers have estimated that 33 percent of students who take the SAT participate in some mode of formal test preparation, such as private tutoring or classes, to prepare for the exam (Buchmann, Condron…

  7. Design and Validation of a Straight-Copy Typewriting Prognostic Test Using Kinesthetic Sensitivity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olson, Norma Jean

    1979-01-01

    Describes the development and application of a kinesthetic sensitivity test to determine whether it is a valid and reliable measure of straight-copy typing speed and accuracy. The author states that this kinesthetic sensitivity instrument may be used as a prognostic aptitude test and recommends administration methods. (MF)

  8. Project Eureka: A Program for the Academically Gifted.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weller, L. David

    The Irving, Texas, Independent School District developed and implemented Project Eureka, a 1 year program, with Elementary Secondary Education Act Title IV, Part C monies, for grade 5 middle school gifted students. Of the 1,750 students tested on the School and College Aptitude Test and the Scientific Research Associates Achievement Test, and…

  9. Reflections on a Century of College Admissions Tests. Research & Occasional Paper Series: CSHE.4.09

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkinson, Richard C.; Geiser, Saul

    2009-01-01

    Standardized testing for college admissions has grown exponentially since the first administration of the old "College Boards" in 1901. This paper surveys major developments since then: the introduction of the "Scholastic Aptitude Test" in 1926, designed to tap students' general analytic ability; E.F. Lindquist's creation of…

  10. Branded by a Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Popham, W. James

    2006-01-01

    Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Program (ACT) scores are the main determinants of college entrance in the USA. It is widely assumed that these tests are predictive of success both during college and in later life, but such views are incorrect. Another widely-held view, held by many educators, is that the SAT and ACT are…

  11. Analysis of Frequency of Tests and Varying Feedback Delays in College Mathematics Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Townsend, Neal R.; Wheatley, Grayson H.

    1975-01-01

    Sixteen beginning analytic geometry and calculus classes (442 students) followed eight testing regimes for one academic quarter. Three aptitude subgroups were identified in each class. Classes to which daily quizzes were given achieved significantly higher on a specially constructed test than those which had only a single midterm examination.…

  12. Reaction to Stress as a Predictor of Academic Success.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bentley, Donna Anderson

    Although studies on test anxiety are abundant in the research literature, there are few investigations of the relationship of stress to academic achievement. To test the hypothesis that maladaptive methods of coping with stress are related to academic achievement in greater magnitude than the relationship of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores,…

  13. Cognitive Process Modeling of Spatial Ability: The Assembling Objects Task

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ivie, Jennifer L.; Embretson, Susan E.

    2010-01-01

    Spatial ability tasks appear on many intelligence and aptitude tests. Although the construct validity of spatial ability tests has often been studied through traditional correlational methods, such as factor analysis, less is known about the cognitive processes involved in solving test items. This study examines the cognitive processes involved in…

  14. Significance Testing in Confirmatory Factor Analytic Models.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khattab, Ali-Maher; Hocevar, Dennis

    Traditionally, confirmatory factor analytic models are tested against a null model of total independence. Using randomly generated factors in a matrix of 46 aptitude tests, this approach is shown to be unlikely to reject even random factors. An alternative null model, based on a single general factor, is suggested. In addition, an index of model…

  15. The Spelling Project. Technical Report 1992-2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Kathy E.; Schroeder, David H.

    Results of an analysis of a newly developed spelling test and several related measures are reported. Information about the reliability of a newly developed spelling test; its distribution of scores; its relationship with the standard battery of aptitude tests of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation; and its relationships with sex, age,…

  16. Differential Gender Performance on the Major Field Test-Business

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bielinska-Kwapisz, Agnieszka; Brown, F. William

    2013-01-01

    The Major Field Test in Business (MFT-B), a standardized assessment test of business knowledge among undergraduate business seniors, is widely used to measure student achievement. Many previous studies analyzing scores on the MFT-B report gender differences on the exam even after controlling for student's aptitude, general intellectual ability,…

  17. Selection of the Next Generation of Air Traffic Control Specialists: Aptitude Requirements for the Air Traffic Control Tower Cab in 2018

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-03-01

    Sequencing; and 5) Taxi Routing (with Conformance Monitoring). Third, the impact of these DSTs on tower cab operational activities, sub-activities...keystroke or interface level. Fourth, the impact of the DSTs on aptitudes required of controllers is evaluated. The importance of the following aptitudes...Analysis of Mid-Term NextGen Impact on Aptitudes Required in the ATCT Cab ---------------- 36 Mid-Term DST Impact on Tower Cab Controller Roles

  18. Fallout and SAT Scores: Evidence for Cognitive Damage during Early Infancy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sternglass, Ernest J.; Bell, Steven

    1983-01-01

    Presents new evidence to show that nuclear radiation is associated with impaired cognitive functions. Links changing levels of radiation from U.S. nuclear bomb testing to the long decline--and now the beginnings of a rise--in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. (Author/RW)

  19. Humanizing Assessment Reports with a Computer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathews, Walter M.

    Five computerized narrative assessment reports are discussed. These are: (1) the Teaching Information Processing System Student Report, used for a college economics course; (2) the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) Score Report; (3) the Programmed Composition of Psychological Test Reports employed at the Mayo Clinic for reporting results…

  20. 22 CFR 217.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... administered to an applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever... sensory, manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to...

  1. 22 CFR 217.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... administered to an applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or whatever... sensory, manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to...

  2. Reference standards to assess physical fitness of children and adolescents of Brazil: an approach to the students of the Lake Itaipú region—Brazil

    PubMed Central

    Hobold, Edilson; Pires-Lopes, Vitor; Gómez-Campos, Rossana; de Arruda, Miguel; Andruske, Cynthia Lee; Pacheco-Carrillo, Jaime

    2017-01-01

    Background The importance of assessing body fat variables and physical fitness tests plays an important role in monitoring the level of activity and physical fitness of the general population. The objective of this study was to develop reference norms to evaluate the physical fitness aptitudes of children and adolescents based on age and sex from the lake region of Itaipú, Brazil. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out with 5,962 students (2,938 males and 3,024 females) with an age range of 6.0 and 17.9 years. Weight (kg), height (cm), and triceps (mm), and sub-scapular skinfolds (mm) were measured. Body Mass Index (BMI kg/m2) was calculated. To evaluate the four physical fitness aptitude dimensions (morphological, muscular strength, flexibility, and cardio-respiratory), the following physical education tests were given to the students: sit-and-reach (cm), push-ups (rep), standing long jump (cm), and 20-m shuttle run (m). Results and Discussion Females showed greater flexibility in the sit-and-reach test and greater body fat than the males. No differences were found in BMI. Percentiles were created for the four components for the physical fitness aptitudes, BMI, and skinfolds by using the LMS method based on age and sex. The proposed reference values may be used for detecting talents and promoting health in children and adolescents. PMID:29204319

  3. Wage Distortion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoxby, Caroline M.; Leigh, Andrew

    2005-01-01

    Though exceptions undoubtedly exist, women with higher aptitudes can ordinarily be expected to be more effective classroom teachers than those with lower aptitudes. It is therefore troubling to think that in the United States those entering the teaching profession in recent years have, on average, lower measured aptitudes than their predecessors.…

  4. A New Look at Bias in Aptitude Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scheuneman, Janice Dowd

    1981-01-01

    Statistical bias in measurement and ethnic-group bias in testing are discussed, reviewing predictive and construct validity studies. Item bias is reconceptualized to include distance of item content from respondent's experience. Differing values of mean and standard deviation for bias parameter are analyzed in a simulation. References are…

  5. AN INVESTIGATION OF ITEM BIAS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CLEARY, T. ANNE; HILTON, THOMAS L.

    THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PRELIMINARY SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST PRESENTED A DIFFERENTIAL DIFFICULTY FOR RACIAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS. THE SUBJECTS WERE TWO GROUPS TOTALING 1,410 NEGRO AND WHITE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS IN AN INTEGRATED HIGH SCHOOL WHO HAD TAKEN THE TEST. THEY WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE SOCIOECONOMIC…

  6. Learned Helplessness in the Classroom: Some Good News and Some Bad.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dickens, Wenda J.; Perry, Raymond P.

    The effects of amount of exposure to response/outcome independence and teacher expressiveness on student ratings of the instructor, achievement test performance, and attribution items were studied. University students completed an aptitude test that provided contingent or noncontingent feedback and varied in length (short, medium, or long). All…

  7. HOW TO PASS ARMED FORCES TESTS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cowles Education Corp., New York, NY.

    FOLLOWING THE CONTENT OF THE ARMED FORCES EXAMINATIONS, THIS BOOK IS PROGRAMED WITH STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS, TESTS, AND CORRECT ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS. THE CANDIDATE CAN SIMULATE TAKING THE ACTUAL EXAMS BY ANSWERING THE AUTHENTIC QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS, MARKING THE ANSWER SHEET, AND EVALUATING HIS OWN APTITUDE BY COMPARING HIS ANSWERS WITH THE…

  8. Occupational BAB Norms. Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sung, Yong H.; Dong, Hei-Ki

    The Ball Aptitude Battery (BAB) is a multiple ability test battery of specific work skills. It is designed for use in career counseling and personnel selection. The 14 BAB tests yield 16 ability scores: Clerical, Idea Fluency, Tonal Memory, Pitch Descrimination, Inductive Reasoning, Word Association, Writing Speed, Paper Folding, Vocabulary,…

  9. A Review of Scoring Algorithms for Ability and Aptitude Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chevalier, Shirley A.

    In conventional practice, most educators and educational researchers score cognitive tests using a dichotomous right-wrong scoring system. Although simple and straightforward, this method does not take into consideration other factors, such as partial knowledge or guessing tendencies and abilities. This paper discusses alternative scoring models:…

  10. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  11. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  12. Handicapped Students and the SAT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ragosta, Marjorie

    A pilot study of handicapped students and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was designed to assess the concerns of handicapped students about the SAT, to identify problems specific to certain disabilities or common across disabilities, to alert the College Board and Educational Testing Service (ETS) about the findings, and to make recommendations…

  13. Surviving Without the SAT

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDermott, Ann

    2008-01-01

    Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores still wield a mighty force in American culture and in the psyches of teenagers, even though 760 American colleges and universities have made standardized testing an optional part of the admissions process. Three years ago, after the new writing portion of the SAT was unveiled, the author's college, the College…

  14. Three studies of biographical factors associated with success in air traffic control specialist screening/training at the FAA Academy.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1983-04-01

    The current Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) selection procedure requires that all applicants pass the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) air traffic control aptitude test. In addition to the test scores, applicants may also receive points for...

  15. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  16. 7 CFR 15b.24 - Evaluation and placement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Education § 15b.24 Evaluation and placement. (a) Placement evaluation. A recipient that operates a public... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the student's aptitude or achievement level or..., manual or speaking skills (except where those skills are the factors that the test purports to measure...

  17. Selection for Higher Education in Developing Countries--the Use of Tests in Admission for Pre-Entry Science Upgrading Courses in Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Altink, Wieby M. M.

    The degree of predictive validity and the relationship with previous learning conditions were studied for measures used in admission procedures for upgrading courses in science and mathematics in Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. School results, achievement tests, aptitude tests, and ability tests were evaluated for students leaving secondary…

  18. Teacher Salaries and Teacher Aptitude: An Analysis Using Quantile Regressions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilpin, Gregory A.

    2012-01-01

    This study investigates the relationship between salaries and scholastic aptitude for full-time public high school humanities and mathematics/sciences teachers. For identification, we rely on variation in salaries between adjacent school districts within the same state. The results indicate that teacher aptitude is positively correlated with…

  19. Relationships Between Teacher Aptitudes, Teaching Behaviors, and Pupil Outcomes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekstrom, Ruth B.

    A model of elementary school teacher behavior affecting pupil outcomes is presented, and research based upon that model is discussed. A portion of the model, the relationship between teacher aptitudes and knowledge, teaching behavior, and pupil outcomes is focused upon. Aptitudes considered important included verbal and reasoning ability, memory,…

  20. Qualitative job stress and ego aptitude in male scientific researchers.

    PubMed

    Sakagami, Yu

    2016-11-22

    Job environments have been fundamentally changed by globalization and modern technological innovation. Qualitative workload is expected to increase more than quantitative workload through this rapid technological innovation. Especially, in developed countries, qualitative workload is expected to become a primary job-related stress factor in the near future. Therefore, it is essential to clarify the characteristics of qualitative workload and to determine how to cope with it effectively. Since job stress level and ego aptitude are correlated and qualitative overload increases stress, we examined qualitative overload and ego aptitude among male Japanese cutting-edge science researchers. The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire and the Tokyo University Ego-gram New Version II were distributed to all workers at two Japanese academic institutions. Qualitative overload and adult ego aptitude, representing rationalism, were higher in male researchers than in the Japanese male general sample. In addition, adapted child aptitude, representing obedience, was lower in male researchers. Lack of supervisor support was positively associated with qualitative overload, and nurturing parent ego aptitude was negatively associated with it. Male researchers had higher levels of qualitative overload. Increasing supervisor support is essential in decreasing this qualitative overload. Furthermore, enhancement of nurturing parent ego aptitude (i.e., careful consideration for others) is also important for qualitative overload management.

  1. Some Horsesense about Raising SAT Scores.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hillje, Barbara Brown

    1980-01-01

    Shares some warnings and positive suggestions about preparing students for the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs). Urges teachers to concentrate on improving students' reading and writing skills rather than have students memorize long lists of big words. (RL)

  2. The Impact of Advanced Placement Courses on High School Students Taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, L. M.; Thomas, Suzanne G.

    This obtrusive post-hoc quasi-experimental study investigated Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores of 111 high school students in grades 10 through 12. Fifty-three students were enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course at the time of the study. General factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested for significant differences…

  3. Combining Aptitude and Interest Test Results for Counseling.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lombard, John W.

    A study was conducted using a sample of 13,000 urban high school juniors tested in 1968-69 with both the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey (KOIS) and the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). Students were grouped on the basis of high scores on the various college major scales reported on the KOIS and on the self-expressed interest…

  4. Helping Students Prepare for Qualifying Exams; A Summary of WCRA Institute III.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parmer, Lorraine

    This paper describes several learning laboratory program approaches to teaching students how to prepare for professional school admission exams. That these exams are true aptitude tests is a myth repeatedly deflated when students study for the tests and manage to score significantly higher on a second testing. Factors in addition to intelligence…

  5. [What is the purpose of the German Aptitude Test for Medical Studies (TMS)?].

    PubMed

    Kadmon, Guni; Kirchner, Anna; Duelli, Roman; Resch, Franz; Kadmon, Martina

    2012-01-01

    The German Aptitude Test for Medical Studies (TMS) was implemented in 2007. 12,194 persons registered for this test in 2011, which represents a 91% increase over 2007. The male/female ratio remained constant at 38:62. Its reliability among applicants to Heidelberg Medical Faculty was confirmed by Cronbach's α (≥ 0.75) and inter-item correlation (≥ 0.25, p < 10(-7)). The TMS contains nine items; using factor analysis these were allocated to the two components verbal-mathematical and spatial-figural ability. The verbal-mathematical items moderately correlate with the German Baccalaureate GPA (r = 0.33), while the spatial-figural items do not correlate (r = 0.07). Thus, the TMS is an admission instrument that appraise different cognitive abilities than the GPA. For the admission of students to our faculty their TMS scores are weighted at 39%, which has resulted in a diversification of our student cohorts. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  6. Musical aptitude is associated with AVPR1A-haplotypes.

    PubMed

    Ukkola, Liisa T; Onkamo, Päivi; Raijas, Pirre; Karma, Kai; Järvelä, Irma

    2009-05-20

    Artistic creativity forms the basis of music culture and music industry. Composing, improvising and arranging music are complex creative functions of the human brain, which biological value remains unknown. We hypothesized that practicing music is social communication that needs musical aptitude and even creativity in music. In order to understand the neurobiological basis of music in human evolution and communication we analyzed polymorphisms of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A), serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), catecol-O-methyltranferase (COMT), dopamin receptor D2 (DRD2) and tyrosine hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), genes associated with social bonding and cognitive functions in 19 Finnish families (n = 343 members) with professional musicians and/or active amateurs. All family members were tested for musical aptitude using the auditory structuring ability test (Karma Music test; KMT) and Carl Seashores tests for pitch (SP) and for time (ST). Data on creativity in music (composing, improvising and/or arranging music) was surveyed using a web-based questionnaire. Here we show for the first time that creative functions in music have a strong genetic component (h(2) = .84; composing h(2) = .40; arranging h(2) = .46; improvising h(2) = .62) in Finnish multigenerational families. We also show that high music test scores are significantly associated with creative functions in music (p<.0001). We discovered an overall haplotype association with AVPR1A gene (markers RS1 and RS3) and KMT (p = 0.0008; corrected p = 0.00002), SP (p = 0.0261; corrected p = 0.0072) and combined music test scores (COMB) (p = 0.0056; corrected p = 0.0006). AVPR1A haplotype AVR+RS1 further suggested a positive association with ST (p = 0.0038; corrected p = 0.00184) and COMB (p = 0.0083; corrected p = 0.0040) using haplotype-based association test HBAT. The results suggest that the neurobiology of music perception and production is likely to be related to the pathways affecting intrinsic attachment behavior.

  7. 42 CFR 136.312 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... school students through observations, aptitude or other testing, academic performance, performance in... financial aid and disseminating such information to Indian students, Indians, recruited under programs... employment in health care facilities, programs, or offices of health professionals, (iii) volunteer programs...

  8. 42 CFR 136.312 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... school students through observations, aptitude or other testing, academic performance, performance in... financial aid and disseminating such information to Indian students, Indians, recruited under programs... employment in health care facilities, programs, or offices of health professionals, (iii) volunteer programs...

  9. 42 CFR 136.312 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... school students through observations, aptitude or other testing, academic performance, performance in... financial aid and disseminating such information to Indian students, Indians, recruited under programs... employment in health care facilities, programs, or offices of health professionals, (iii) volunteer programs...

  10. Affirmative Action: The New Look.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hacker, Andrew

    1989-01-01

    Reviews eight recently published reports focusing on affirmative action in higher education. Discusses the following topics: (1) college admission policies; (2) minority student performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT); (3) school desegregation; and (4) minority group teachers. (FMW)

  11. Choking under social pressure: social monitoring among the lonely.

    PubMed

    Knowles, Megan L; Lucas, Gale M; Baumeister, Roy F; Gardner, Wendi L

    2015-06-01

    Lonely individuals may decode social cues well but have difficulty putting such skills to use precisely when they need them--in social situations. In four studies, we examined whether lonely people choke under social pressure by asking participants to complete social sensitivity tasks framed as diagnostic of social skills or nonsocial skills. Across studies, lonely participants performed worse than nonlonely participants on social sensitivity tasks framed as tests of social aptitude, but they performed just as well or better than the nonlonely when the same tasks were framed as tests of academic aptitude. Mediational analyses in Study 3 and misattribution effects in Study 4 indicate that anxiety plays an important role in this choking effect. This research suggests that lonely individuals may not need to acquire social skills to escape loneliness; instead, they must learn to cope with performance anxiety in interpersonal interactions. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  12. A Comparison of the Fit of Empirical Data to Two Latent Trait Models. Report No. 92.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutten, Leah R.

    Goodness of fit of raw test score data were compared, using two latent trait models: the Rasch model and the Birnbaum three-parameter logistic model. Data were taken from various achievement tests and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (Verbal). A minimum sample size of 1,000 was required, and the minimum test length was 40 items. Results indicated that…

  13. Multiplex Controller Aptitude Test and Occupational Knowledge Test: Selection Tools for Air Traffic Controllers.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-12-15

    for 6o7e (B), which became slightly more platykurtic . Thus, there appeared to be a learning effect transferred from MCAT1 to MCAT2 resulting in higher... platykurtic ) except for positive 0.27 for OKT 102E. There was a more uniform distilbution of scores for the OKT than for the MCAT tests. The test scoies

  14. Variance Difference between Maximum Likelihood Estimation Method and Expected A Posteriori Estimation Method Viewed from Number of Test Items

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mahmud, Jumailiyah; Sutikno, Muzayanah; Naga, Dali S.

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to determine variance difference between maximum likelihood and expected A posteriori estimation methods viewed from number of test items of aptitude test. The variance presents an accuracy generated by both maximum likelihood and Bayes estimation methods. The test consists of three subtests, each with 40 multiple-choice…

  15. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Military Testing Association (10th, San Antonio, Texas, September 16-20, 1968).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Air Force Human Resources Lab., Lackland AFB, TX.

    Events of this conference on military testing centered on (1) an open panel meeting and discussion on the testing of Project 100,000 personnel (potential rejectees accepted under new standards); and (2) over two dozen papers dealing with specific aptitude and proficiency tests, a comparison of marginal and control Naval personnel on biographical…

  16. Admission to the Master of Business Administration Program: An Alternative for Savannah State University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowling, Bill

    2009-01-01

    Traditionally, graduate programs in business administration have heavily relied on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test prepared and administered by the Educational Testing Service in the decision to admit a candidate to the program. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature regarding the statistical validity and statistical…

  17. Evaluating Gifted Identification Practice: Aptitude Testing and Linguistically Diverse Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matthews, Michael S.; Kirsch, Lauri

    2011-01-01

    The authors examined individually administered IQ scores from an entire K-5 population (N = 432) of Limited English Proficient students referred for gifted program eligibility determination in a single large urban district in the southeastern United States. Of 8 IQ tests compared, only 1, the Stanford-Binet V, had scores appreciably lower than…

  18. A Survey of International Practice in University Admissions Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Daniel; Coates, Hamish; Friedman, Tim

    2012-01-01

    This paper explores how admissions tests are used in different higher education systems around the world. This is a relatively new area of research, despite the fact that admissions processes are a key component of university practices and given the ever increasing globalisation of higher education. This paper shows that aptitude and achievement…

  19. Attending Behavior: Commonalities and Differences Among Educable Retarded, Learning Disabled, and Emotionally Handicapped Juvenile Delinquents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Nancy C.; And Others

    The study investigated three variables--juvenile delinquency, academic achievement, and attention span--with 77 incarcerated juveniles [18 emotionally handicapped (EH), 20 learning disabled (LD), 19 educable mentally retarded (EMR), and 20 nonidentified]. The Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude were used for testing in the areas of visual and…

  20. After 80 Years of G is Testing Going to H?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thorndike, Robert L.

    The general ability factor (G), as enunciated by Charles Spearman in the model of cognitive functioning, has been the foundation of psychometric theory and test making practices for 80 years. Through these decades, some psychologists disagreed with this theory, especially Godfrey Thompson and E. L. Thorndike. Nevertheless, various aptitude tests…

  1. Benefits of Coaching on Test Scores Seen as Negligible.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Report on Education Research, 1983

    1983-01-01

    THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: A new study by a pair of Harvard University researchers discounts earlier findings that coaching can substantially improve student performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). "There is simply insufficient evidence that large score increases are a result of a coaching program," write…

  2. On the Capacity of Attention: Its Estimation and Its Role in Working Memory and Cognitive Aptitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cowan, N.; Elliott, E.M.; Scott Saults, J.; Morey, C.C.; Mattox, S.; Hismjatullina, A.; Conway, A.R.A.

    2005-01-01

    Working memory (WM) is the set of mental processes holding limited information in a temporarily accessible state in service of cognition. We provide a theoretical framework to understand the relation between WM and aptitude measures. The WM measures that have yielded high correlations with aptitudes include separate storage-and-processing task…

  3. Evaluation Plan for the Computerized Adaptive Vocational Aptitude Battery

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-05-15

    Educational and Psychological Tests published by the American Psychological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the National...Psychometric Society Meetings, May 1981. References 71 American Psychological Association. Standards for educational and psychological tests . Washington, D.C...Methods Program, Dept. of Psychology , Uni- versity of Minnesota, MN, September, 1981. Koch, W.R. & Reckase, M.D. A live tailored testing comparison study

  4. The Internet as an informal learning environment: Assessing knowledge acquisition of science and engineering students using constructivist and objectivist formats

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hargis, Jace

    This study examined the effects of two different instructional formats on Internet WebPages in an informal learning environment. The purpose of this study is to (a) identify optimal instructional formats for on-line learning; (b) identify the relationship between post-assessment scores and the student's gender, age or racial identity; (c) examine the effects of verbal aptitudes on learning in different formats; (d) identify relationships between computer attitudes and achievement; and (e) identify the potential power for self-regulated learning and self-efficacy on Internet WebPages. Two learning strategy modules were developed; a constructivist and an objectivist instruction module. The study program consisted of an on-line consent form; a computer attitude survey; a Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire; a verbal aptitude test; a pre-assessment; instructional directions followed by the instructional module and a post-assessment. The study tested 145 post-secondary science and engineering participants from the University of Florida. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or a control in a pretest/posttest design. An analysis of covariance with general linear models was used to account for effects of individual difference variables and aptitude treatment interaction (ATI). This statistical procedure was used to determine the relationships among the dependent variable, the achievement on each of the formats and the independent variables, attitudes, gender, racial identity, verbal aptitudes, and self-regulated learning/self-efficacy. Significant results at alpha = .05 were found for none of these variables. However, a linear prediction of age shows that older participants scored higher on the post-assessment after completing the objectivist module. Although there were no significant differences between the learning format and the variables, there was a difference between the modules and the control. Therefore, it is possible that regardless of characteristics, science and engineering students can learn on-line technical material.

  5. Aptitude-based assignment of nurses to depressed patients.

    PubMed

    Haspeslagh, M; Eeckloo, K; Delesie, L B

    2012-08-01

    In psychiatric units, head nurses face the daily challenge of assigning nurses to patients. The 'match' between a patient and a nurse is not always optimal. This can hinder the therapeutic relationship. Aptitude is an important component of competence, especially for psychiatric nurses involved in therapeutic relationships. In this study, we undertook explorative research to investigate possible relationships between nurse aptitudes and outcomes in depressed patients. We found statistically significant relationships between specific nurse aptitudes, along professional rank, and particular patient outcomes. During the hospital stay, patients' depressive feelings change as they recover. Our results indicate that, as a patient's depressive feelings change, another type of nurse, one with an aptitude that supports the patient's current needs, should be assigned to care for that patient. This suggestion is at odds with current practises of assigning a patient to one nurse for the entire hospital stay. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing.

  6. 42 CFR 136.312 - Application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... include, but are not limited to, the following activities: (1) Identifying Indian elementary and secondary school students through observations, aptitude or other testing, academic performance, performance in...), Indian school boards, Indian parent, youth recreation or community groups, or other Indian special...

  7. Data Processing at the High School Level.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richmond, Sue

    1981-01-01

    The teaching of data processing in the secondary school is examined, including teachers (certification, work experience), textbooks (selection, concentration), community (advisory committees, career exploration), students (recruitment, aptitude tests), instruction methods (simulation, audiovisuals, field trips), course content (machine technology,…

  8. Aptitude and Trait Predictors of Manned and Unmanned Aircraft Pilot Job Performance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-04-22

    actually fly RPAs. To address this gap, the present study evaluated pre-accession trait (Big Five personality domains) and aptitude (spatial...knowledge, and personality traits that predict successful job performance for manned aircraft pilots also predict successful job performance for RPA...aptitude and personality traits , job performance, remotely-piloted aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17

  9. Learning a novel phonological contrast depends on interactions between individual differences and training paradigm design

    PubMed Central

    Perrachione, Tyler K.; Lee, Jiyeon; Ha, Louisa Y. Y.; Wong, Patrick C. M.

    2011-01-01

    Studies evaluating phonological contrast learning typically investigate either the predictiveness of specific pretraining aptitude measures or the efficacy of different instructional paradigms. However, little research considers how these factors interact—whether different students learn better from different types of instruction—and what the psychological basis for any interaction might be. The present study demonstrates that successfully learning a foreign-language phonological contrast for pitch depends on an interaction between individual differences in perceptual abilities and the design of the training paradigm. Training from stimuli with high acoustic-phonetic variability is generally thought to improve learning; however, we found high-variability training enhanced learning only for individuals with strong perceptual abilities. Learners with weaker perceptual abilities were actually impaired by high-variability training relative to a low-variability condition. A second experiment assessing variations on the high-variability training design determined that the property of this learning environment most detrimental to perceptually weak learners is the amount of trial-by-trial variability. Learners’ perceptual limitations can thus override the benefits of high-variability training where trial-by-trial variability in other irrelevant acoustic-phonetic features obfuscates access to the target feature. These results demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences in pretraining aptitudes when evaluating the efficacy of any speech training paradigm. PMID:21786912

  10. TEST BIAS--VALIDITY OF THE SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST FOR NEGRO AND WHITE STUDENTS IN INTEGRATED COLLEGES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CLEARY, T. ANNE

    FOR THIS RESEARCH, A TEST WAS SAID TO BE BIASED FOR MEMBERS OF A SUBGROUP OF THE POPULATION IF, IN THE PREDICTION OF A CRITERION FOR WHICH THE TEST WAS DESIGNED, CONSISTENT NONZERO ERRORS OF PREDICTION ARE MADE FOR MEMBERS OF THE SUBGROUP. SAMPLES OF NEGRO AND WHITE STUDENTS FROM THREE INTEGRATED COLLEGES WERE STUDIED. IN THE TWO EASTERN COLLEGES,…

  11. Building the Vocational Phase of the Computerized Motor Skills Testing System for Use in the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Group and Hospitality Group

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Chen, Jyun-Chen; Hong, Kunde

    2016-01-01

    Technical and vocational education emphasizes the development and training of hand motor skills. However, some problems exist in the current career and aptitude tests in that they do not truly measure the hand motor skills. This study used the Nintendo Wii Remote Controller as the testing device in developing a set of computerized testing tools to…

  12. Studies of poststrike air traffic control specialist trainees. II., Selection and screening programs.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1988-07-01

    Specific contributions of aviation psychologists to the selection and Academy training of FAA air traffic control specialists are presented in an historical context. Research results which formed the basis for the written aptitude selection tests, Th...

  13. Predictors of Success in Dental Hygiene Education: A Six-Year Review.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downey, Mary C.; Collins, Marie A.; Browning, William D.

    2002-01-01

    Examined the predictive reliability of incoming grade point average (GPA), incoming math/science GPA, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores in predicting success in dental hygiene education. Found that GPA was the most significant predictor of success. (EV)

  14. A Preliminary Investigation into Cognitive Aptitudes Predictive of Overall MQ-1 Predator Pilot Qualification Training Performance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-11-06

    Predator pilot vacancies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate computer-based intelligence and neuropsychological testing on training...high-risk, high-demand occupation. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Remotely piloted aircraft, RPA, neuropsychological screening, intelligence testing , computer...based testing , Predator, MQ-1 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT SAR 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 20 19a. NAME OF

  15. Predicting High Quality AFQT with Youth Attitude Tracking Study Data

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-12-01

    for propensities. The history of the art of mental aptitude and psychological testing is long and convoluted. Names like Sir Francis Galton of England...Qualification Test . The explanatory variables reflect individual demographic, educational and labor market characteristics at the time of YATS interview. The...the fiftieth percentile on the Armed Forces Qualification Test . The explanatory variables reflect individual demographic, educational and labor market

  16. High Scores but Low Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Liqun; Neilson, William S.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper college admissions are based on test scores and students can exert two types of effort: real learning and exam preparation. The former improves skills but the latter is more effective in raising test scores. In this setting the students with the lowest skills are no longer the ones with the lowest aptitude, but instead are the ones…

  17. Time Limits in Testing: An Analysis of Eye Movements and Visual Attention in Spatial Problem Solving

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roach, Victoria A.; Fraser, Graham M.; Kryklywy, James H.; Mitchell, Derek G. V.; Wilson, Timothy D.

    2017-01-01

    Individuals with an aptitude for interpreting spatial information (high mental rotation ability: HMRA) typically master anatomy with more ease, and more quickly, than those with low mental rotation ability (LMRA). This article explores how visual attention differs with time limits on spatial reasoning tests. Participants were assorted to two…

  18. Stereotype Threat in Manual Labor Settings for African American and Caucasian Participants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flanagan, Jennifer L.; Green, Raymond J.

    2011-01-01

    Stereotype threat has primarily been studied with regard to test performance in academic settings, testing aptitude, ability, and intelligence, and it has been found to cause both behavioral and cognitive decrements. Although there is research on stereotype threat in the workplace, this too is usually conducted in upper-level or more academically…

  19. A Comparative Study of a Research-Oriented High School Advanced Biology Class and a Conventional Textbook-Centered Class.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Alva Nelson

    Two instructional methods were identified and compared to determine if any significant differences could be noted on three criterion measures. Measurements were conducted in the areas of achievement in biology, science attitudes, and critical thinking ability. Student ability was measured using pre-tests and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Students…

  20. Using Differential Item Functioning Procedures to Explore Sources of Item Difficulty and Group Performance Characteristics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scheuneman, Janice Dowd; Gerritz, Kalle

    1990-01-01

    Differential item functioning (DIF) methodology for revealing sources of item difficulty and performance characteristics of different groups was explored. A total of 150 Scholastic Aptitude Test items and 132 Graduate Record Examination general test items were analyzed. DIF was evaluated for males and females and Blacks and Whites. (SLD)

  1. THE EFFECT OF A COLLEGIATE RETAILING PROGRAM UPON SUBSEQUENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LARSON, ROGER A.

    STUDENTS WHO HAD COMPLETED THE RETAILING PROGRAM IN 1959-61 AND OTHER GROUPS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GENERAL COLLEGE WERE COMPARED WITH RESPECT TO BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE PATTERNS. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT IN HIGH SCHOOL RANK, A COLLEGE APTITUDE TEST, AND AN ENGLISH TEST. IN THE…

  2. Students' Struggle with First-Year University Mathematics Courses in Saudi Arabia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khoshaim, Heba Bakr; Ali, Tasneem

    2015-01-01

    Universities and colleges at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia assess new applicants using academic indicators, such as high school grade point average (HSGPA) and the score of a national standardized test (the General Aptitude Test), to ensure that they are academically fit to join the institution. Such criteria have been suggested in previous research…

  3. Education, Race, and Class: A New Calculus for the 21st Century.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Donald M.

    1993-01-01

    African-American students are beginning to make significant educational strides as measured by tests like the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Stereotypes of race and racism in the United States are exploding, and African Americans must continue to demand universal quality education. The role of Howard University in making this happen is explored. (SLD)

  4. A Democratic Structure for School Discipline: Reflections from Two New York City High Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawkes, T. Elijah

    2011-01-01

    Given the way that student, teacher, principal, and school testing and accountability measures are currently leaning, it is understandable why a child's moral development sometimes gets less attention than her aptitude in algebra. Yet even with nearly all major accountability incentives heaped upon the tests in math and English, there are still…

  5. Effect of book reviewing workshop on awareness of, aptitude for and attitude toward book reviews in faculty members of faculty of management and medical information.

    PubMed

    Najafi, Nayere Sadat Soleimanzade; Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hossein; Shahrzadi, Leila; Hasanzade, Akbar

    2014-01-01

    Works evaluation and critique is one of the most important phases in scientific production cycle. Reviewers need some aptitude about rules and principles of writing good review. Considering the important role of books for storage and transferring the scientific findings, book reviewing is vital to scientific progress. Despite this fact, investigation of Isfahan University of Medical Science's journal, demonstrated the number of published book reviews to be very small. This study aims to investigate the influence of reviewing training courses on participants' book reviewing awareness, attitude, and aptitude. The study method is experimental with two group design (with pre-test and post-test) and applied. Statistical population is of all faculty members of the faculty of management and medical information of Isfahan University of Medical Science, including both hired and contracted employees, which, according to faculty's department of Education, consists of 86 people. The sampling method used in this study is random. Number of samples in case and control groups was calculated using the following equation of n= (z1 + z2) 2 (2s2)/d2 and is 15 people. One checklist and two questionnaires were the means of data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software and two level of descriptive (mean and SD) and inferential statistics (t-test and t-paired). Findings showed that the mean score of awareness of book reviews in case group increased meaningfully after the training course (55.7) compared to the score prior to the intervention (33.1), P < 0.001. On the other hand, the mean score of awareness of book reviews in control group remained mostly the same before (31.6) and after intervention (35.1), P = 0.35. The mean score of attitude toward book reviews showed no significant difference before and after intervention in both case group (71.4 before intervention and 74.4 after intervention, P = 0.11) and control group (70.9 before intervention and 74.4 after intervention, P = 0.91). The mean score of book reviewing aptitude in case group showed a significant increase from 10.2 ± 6.7 before intervention to 53.6 ± 26.3, showing a 43.4 increase (P < 0.001), while the control group's mean score showed no significant difference (8.5 before intervention and 8.6 after intervention, P = 0.996). This study showed a significant influence of training course on participants' book reviewing aptitude and awareness. But attitude toward book reviews was in good level from the beginning to the end and remained mostly unchanged.

  6. Effect of book reviewing workshop on awareness of, aptitude for and attitude toward book reviews in faculty members of faculty of management and medical information

    PubMed Central

    Najafi, Nayere Sadat Soleimanzade; Ashrafi-rizi, Hasan; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hossein; Shahrzadi, Leila; Hasanzade, Akbar

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: Works evaluation and critique is one of the most important phases in scientific production cycle. Reviewers need some aptitude about rules and principles of writing good review. Considering the important role of books for storage and transferring the scientific findings, book reviewing is vital to scientific progress. Despite this fact, investigation of Isfahan University of Medical Science's journal, demonstrated the number of published book reviews to be very small. This study aims to investigate the influence of reviewing training courses on participants’ book reviewing awareness, attitude, and aptitude. Materials and Methods: The study method is experimental with two group design (with pre-test and post-test) and applied. Statistical population is of all faculty members of the faculty of management and medical information of Isfahan University of Medical Science, including both hired and contracted employees, which, according to faculty's department of Education, consists of 86 people. The sampling method used in this study is random. Number of samples in case and control groups was calculated using the following equation of n= (z1 + z2) 2 (2s2)/d2 and is 15 people. One checklist and two questionnaires were the means of data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software and two level of descriptive (mean and SD) and inferential statistics (t-test and t-paired). Results: Findings showed that the mean score of awareness of book reviews in case group increased meaningfully after the training course (55.7) compared to the score prior to the intervention (33.1), P < 0.001. On the other hand, the mean score of awareness of book reviews in control group remained mostly the same before (31.6) and after intervention (35.1), P = 0.35. The mean score of attitude toward book reviews showed no significant difference before and after intervention in both case group (71.4 before intervention and 74.4 after intervention, P = 0.11) and control group (70.9 before intervention and 74.4 after intervention, P = 0.91). The mean score of book reviewing aptitude in case group showed a significant increase from 10.2 ± 6.7 before intervention to 53.6 ± 26.3, showing a 43.4 increase (P < 0.001), while the control group's mean score showed no significant difference (8.5 before intervention and 8.6 after intervention, P = 0.996). Conclusion: This study showed a significant influence of training course on participants’ book reviewing aptitude and awareness. But attitude toward book reviews was in good level from the beginning to the end and remained mostly unchanged. PMID:25250344

  7. Defining the biological bases of individual differences in musicality

    PubMed Central

    Gingras, Bruno; Honing, Henkjan; Peretz, Isabelle; Trainor, Laurel J.; Fisher, Simon E.

    2015-01-01

    Advances in molecular technologies make it possible to pinpoint genomic factors associated with complex human traits. For cognition and behaviour, identification of underlying genes provides new entry points for deciphering the key neurobiological pathways. In the past decade, the search for genetic correlates of musicality has gained traction. Reports have documented familial clustering for different extremes of ability, including amusia and absolute pitch (AP), with twin studies demonstrating high heritability for some music-related skills, such as pitch perception. Certain chromosomal regions have been linked to AP and musical aptitude, while individual candidate genes have been investigated in relation to aptitude and creativity. Most recently, researchers in this field started performing genome-wide association scans. Thus far, studies have been hampered by relatively small sample sizes and limitations in defining components of musicality, including an emphasis on skills that can only be assessed in trained musicians. With opportunities to administer standardized aptitude tests online, systematic large-scale assessment of musical abilities is now feasible, an important step towards high-powered genome-wide screens. Here, we offer a synthesis of existing literatures and outline concrete suggestions for the development of comprehensive operational tools for the analysis of musical phenotypes. PMID:25646515

  8. The association of noise sensitivity with music listening, training, and aptitude.

    PubMed

    Kliuchko, Marina; Heinonen-Guzejev, Marja; Monacis, Lucia; Gold, Benjamin P; Heikkilä, Kauko V; Spinosa, Vittoria; Tervaniemi, Mari; Brattico, Elvira

    2015-01-01

    After intensive, long-term musical training, the auditory system of a musician is specifically tuned to perceive musical sounds. We wished to find out whether a musician's auditory system also develops increased sensitivity to any sound of everyday life, experiencing them as noise. For this purpose, an online survey, including questionnaires on noise sensitivity, musical background, and listening tests for assessing musical aptitude, was administered to 197 participants in Finland and Italy. Subjective noise sensitivity (assessed with the Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale) was analyzed for associations with musicianship, musical aptitude, weekly time spent listening to music, and the importance of music in each person's life (or music importance). Subjects were divided into three groups according to their musical expertise: Nonmusicians (N = 103), amateur musicians (N = 44), and professional musicians (N = 50). The results showed that noise sensitivity did not depend on musical expertise or performance on musicality tests or the amount of active (attentive) listening to music. In contrast, it was associated with daily passive listening to music, so that individuals with higher noise sensitivity spent less time in passive (background) listening to music than those with lower sensitivity to noise. Furthermore, noise-sensitive respondents rated music as less important in their life than did individuals with lower sensitivity to noise. The results demonstrate that the special sensitivity of the auditory system derived from musical training does not lead to increased irritability from unwanted sounds. However, the disposition to tolerate contingent musical backgrounds in everyday life depends on the individual's noise sensitivity.

  9. A systematic review of stakeholder views of selection methods for medical schools admission.

    PubMed

    Kelly, M E; Patterson, F; O'Flynn, S; Mulligan, J; Murphy, A W

    2018-06-15

    The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature with respect to stakeholder views of selection methods for medical school admissions. An electronic search of nine databases was conducted between January 2000-July 2014. Two reviewers independently assessed all titles (n = 1017) and retained abstracts (n = 233) for relevance. Methodological quality of quantitative papers was assessed using the MERSQI instrument. The overall quality of evidence in this field was low. Evidence was synthesised in a narrative review. Applicants support interviews, and multiple mini interviews (MMIs). There is emerging evidence that situational judgement tests (SJTs) and selection centres (SCs) are also well regarded, but aptitude tests less so. Selectors endorse the use of interviews in general and in particular MMIs judging them to be fair, relevant and appropriate, with emerging evidence of similarly positive reactions to SCs. Aptitude tests and academic records were valued in decisions of whom to call to interview. Medical students prefer interviews based selection to cognitive aptitude tests. They are unconvinced about the transparency and veracity of written applications. Perceptions of organisational justice, which describe views of fairness in organisational processes, appear to be highly influential on stakeholders' views of the acceptability of selection methods. In particular procedural justice (perceived fairness of selection tools in terms of job relevance and characteristics of the test) and distributive justice (perceived fairness of selection outcomes in terms of equal opportunity and equity), appear to be important considerations when deciding on acceptability of selection methods. There were significant gaps with respect to both key stakeholder groups and the range of selection tools assessed. Notwithstanding the observed limitations in the quality of research in this field, there appears to be broad concordance of views on the various selection methods, across the diverse stakeholders groups. This review highlights the need for better standards, more appropriate methodologies and for broadening the scope of stakeholder research.

  10. [Comparison of participative educative strategy versus traditional educative strategy in health personnel].

    PubMed

    Barrera de León, Juan Carlos; Barajas-Serrano, Tanya Lizbeth; Jiménez-Hernández, Jacive Elizabeth; Barrera-López, Efrén; González-Bernal, Cesáreo; Higareda-Almaraz, Martha Alicia

    2015-01-01

    To compare the clinical aptitude in neonatal resuscitation with participative educative strategy versus traditional educative strategy in health personnel. Quasi-experimental study design including physicians and nurses distributed in two groups: (i) participative educative strategies n=156, and (ii) traditional n=158, were imparted in 12 sessions. Evaluation of clinical aptitude evaluated with validated questionnaire. Descriptive and interferential statistical inter- and intragroup. Clinical aptitude median score before/after: participative educative strategy 25.0/36.5 (p=0.000) and traditional 24.5/31.0 (p=0.000); differences between intergroup p=0.040. Changes to higher category according to the score before/after in participative 114 (73%) vs. traditional 65 (41%); p=0.010. There were no significant differences in the intergroup results in the category of evaluation of clinical aptitude, but there were differences in the intragroup when we evaluated median before and after with both strategies. Increase of clinical aptitude in neonatal resuscitation in health personnel,with both educative strategies being higher with participative strategy.

  11. Pictures Improve Memory of SAT Vocabulary Words.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price, Melva; Finkelstein, Arleen

    1994-01-01

    Suggests that students can improve their memory of Scholastic Aptitude Test vocabulary words by associating the words with corresponding pictures taken from magazines. Finds that long-term recall of words associated with pictures was higher than recall of words not associated with pictures. (RS)

  12. Thoughts on Expertise.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glaser, Robert

    This paper briefly reviews research on tasks in knowledge-rich domains including developmental studies, work in artificial intelligence, studies of expert/novice problem solving, and information processing analysis of aptitude test tasks that have provided increased understanding of the nature of expertise. Particularly evident is the finding that…

  13. 45 CFR 605.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Employment criteria. 605.13 Section 605.13 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION NONDISCRIMINATION... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or...

  14. 45 CFR 605.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Employment criteria. 605.13 Section 605.13 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION NONDISCRIMINATION... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or...

  15. 45 CFR 605.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Employment criteria. 605.13 Section 605.13 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION NONDISCRIMINATION... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or...

  16. Toward the development of a new selection battery for air traffic control specialists.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1979-09-01

    In an effort to update and refine the selection battery for air traffic controllers, five experimental tests measuring aptitudes and skills considered important in air traffic work were administered to newly selected Air Traffic Control Specialist (A...

  17. 45 CFR 605.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Employment criteria. 605.13 Section 605.13 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION NONDISCRIMINATION... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or...

  18. 45 CFR 605.13 - Employment criteria.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Employment criteria. 605.13 Section 605.13 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION NONDISCRIMINATION... speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or...

  19. [Family doctor clinical aptitude confronting gestational diabetes patients].

    PubMed

    Pivaral, Carlos Enrique Cabrera; Clara, Elizabeth Rivera; Peña, Luz María Adriana Balderas; Centeno, Mayari Cabrera; Reynoso, Carlos Alonso

    2008-02-01

    Gestational diabetes mellitus complicates 7% of all pregnancies. Recognizing and treating this entity result in a diminished number of materno-fetal complications; this study explores the family physician clinical aptitude to identify risk factors, to diagnose and treat gestational diabetes. Identify clinical aptitude level of family physician to the treatment of diabetes gestational patients. Transversal study to describe the level of clinical aptitude in 85 family physicians working in Guadalajara. Were studied: speciality, genre, work condition, working years, working hours, and place of work. The evaluation instrument was designed to this specific purpose and validated by an expert group; were evaluated four indicators: 1) identification of risk factors, 2) diagnosis, 3) use of therapeutic resources and 4) use of paraclinic resources. Confidence coefficient to the assessment instrument was (21 formula from Kuder-Richardson) 0.92 in global evaluation. The global clinical aptitude in the four family medicine units studied was less than 21 points in 41% of physician population and very low (22 a 40 points) in 38% of the evaluated physicians. The clinical aptitude from family physician in gestational diabetes is low, this situation represents an urgent need to design a system to provide to these groups of health providers specialized continuous education to enhance the attention quality to this group of patients in family medicine units.

  20. Bayesian Estimation in the One-Parameter Latent Trait Model.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-03-01

    Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology , 1973, 26, 31-44. (a) Andersen, E. B. A goodness of fit test for the Rasch model. Psychometrika, 1973, 28...technique for estimating latent trait mental test parameters. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1976, 36, 705-715. Lindley, D. V. The...Lord, F. M. An analysis of verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test using Birnbaum’s three-parameter logistic model. Educational and Psychological

  1. Effects of Coaching on Standardized Admission Examinations. Revised Statistical Analyses of Data Gathered By Boston Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC. Bureau of Consumer Protection.

    The effect of commercial coaching on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores was analyzed, using 1974-1977 test results of 2,500 non-coached students and 1,568 enrollees in two coaching schools. (The Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Center, Inc., and the Test Preparation Center, Inc.). Multiple regression analysis was used to control for student…

  2. The Relation of Visual and Auditory Aptitudes to First Grade Low Readers' Achievement under Sight-Word and Systematic Phonic Instructions. Research Report #36.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallistel, Elizabeth; And Others

    Ten auditory and ten visual aptitude measures were administered in the middle of first grade to a sample of 58 low readers. More than half of this low reader sample had scored more than a year below expected grade level on two or more aptitudes. Word recognition measures were administered after four months of sight word instruction and again after…

  3. The Role of Mind-Wandering in Measurements of General Aptitude

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mrazek, Michael D.; Smallwood, Jonathan; Franklin, Michael S.; Chin, Jason M.; Baird, Benjamin; Schooler, Jonathan W.

    2012-01-01

    Tests of working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence (gF) are thought to capture variability in a crucial cognitive capacity that is broadly predictive of success, yet pinpointing the exact nature of this capacity is an area of ongoing controversy. We propose that mind-wandering is associated with performance on tests of WMC and gF,…

  4. A Comprehensive Analysis of the Efficacy of Non-Cognitive Measures: Predicting Academic Success in a Historically Black University in South Texas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lanham, B. Dean; Schauer, Edward J.; Osho, G. Solomon

    2011-01-01

    Universities have long used standardized American College Tests (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT), and high school Grade Point Averages (HS GPA) for academic admission requirements. The current study of 127 minority college students in a Historically Black University in South Texas assesses an alternative measure, the Non-Cognitive…

  5. The Accuracy of Estimated Total Test Statistics. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleinke, David J.

    In a post-mortem study of item sampling, 1,050 examinees were divided into ten groups 50 times. Each time, their papers were scored on four different sets of item samples from a 150-item test of academic aptitude. These samples were selected using (a) unstratified random sampling and stratification on (b) content, (c) difficulty, and (d) both.…

  6. Life with the SAT: Assessing Our Young People and Our Times.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanford, George H.

    The history and nature of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and issues that continue to be raised in the context of its use are discussed by a former president of the College Entrance Examination Board. This book provides insights into the changing role of college admissions testing since World War II; and considers the role of the SAT in…

  7. One-Year Follow-Up of Apprentices in a Skilled-Trades Program. Technical Report 1983-3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniel, Mark

    As a consequence of a validation study based on over 200 skilled technicians employed in engine manufacturing, seven aptitude tests were administered to 50 applicants in June 1982. This report presents correlations between test scores and three criteria (math grades, job performance ratings, and a composite) for the 26 people who entered the…

  8. Effects of Coaching on the Validity of the SAT: A Simulation Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baydar, Nazli

    The effects of student coaching in preparation for the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) on the predictive validity of this test for freshman year performance were studied using data on 1985 freshman year students from four colleges. After the validity of the SAT was estimated for each school, a given proportion of students was picked,…

  9. 45 CFR 400.154 - Employability services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ...-sufficiency plan and an individual employability plan, world-of-work and job orientation, job clubs, job workshops, job development, referral to job opportunities, job search, and job placement and followup. (b) Employability assessment services, including aptitude and skills testing. (c) On-the job training, when such...

  10. Identifying Gifted Students: A Practical Guide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnsen, S., Ed.

    2004-01-01

    This user-friendly guide offers advice and insight on developing defensible identification procedures and services for gifted and talented students. Special attention is given to the use of multiple methods including qualitative and quantitative assessments such as standardized measures (e.g. intelligence, aptitude, and achievement tests),…

  11. Comparing State SAT Scores: Problems, Biases, and Corrections.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gohmann, Stephen F.

    1988-01-01

    One method to correct for selection bias in comparing Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores among states is presented, which is a modification of J. J. Heckman's Selection Bias Correction (1976, 1979). Empirical results suggest that sample selection bias is present in SAT score regressions. (SLD)

  12. 45 CFR 1170.42 - Admissions and recruitment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Admissions and recruitment. 1170.42 Section 1170.42 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS... impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's aptitude...

  13. 45 CFR 1170.42 - Admissions and recruitment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Admissions and recruitment. 1170.42 Section 1170.42 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS... impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's aptitude...

  14. 45 CFR 1170.42 - Admissions and recruitment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Admissions and recruitment. 1170.42 Section 1170.42 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS... impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's aptitude...

  15. 48 CFR 31.205-34 - Recruitment costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Recruitment costs. 31.205-34 Section 31.205-34 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION GENERAL... secure and maintain an adequate labor force. (3) Costs of operating an aptitude and educational testing...

  16. 48 CFR 31.205-34 - Recruitment costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Recruitment costs. 31.205-34 Section 31.205-34 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION GENERAL... secure and maintain an adequate labor force. (3) Costs of operating an aptitude and educational testing...

  17. 48 CFR 31.205-34 - Recruitment costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Recruitment costs. 31.205-34 Section 31.205-34 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION GENERAL... secure and maintain an adequate labor force. (3) Costs of operating an aptitude and educational testing...

  18. 48 CFR 31.205-34 - Recruitment costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Recruitment costs. 31.205-34 Section 31.205-34 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION GENERAL... secure and maintain an adequate labor force. (3) Costs of operating an aptitude and educational testing...

  19. Transformation Abilities: A Reanalysis and Confirmation of SOI Theory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khattab, Ali-Maher; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Confirmatory factor analysis was used to reanalyze correlational data from selected variables in Guilford's Aptitudes Research Project. Results indicated Guilford's model reproduced the original correlation matrix more closely than other models. Most of Guilford's tests indicated high loadings on their hypothesized factors. (GDC)

  20. Developing Basic Electronics Aptitudes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lakeshore Technical Coll., Cleveland, WI.

    This curriculum guide provides materials for basic training in electrical and electronic theory to enable participants to analyze circuits and use test equipment to verify electrical operations and to succeed in the beginning electrical and electronic courses in the Lakeshore Technical College (Wisconsin) electronics programs. The course includes…

  1. 45 CFR 1170.42 - Admissions and recruitment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 45 Public Welfare 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Admissions and recruitment. 1170.42 Section 1170.42 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS... impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's aptitude...

  2. Musical Aptitude Is Associated with AVPR1A-Haplotypes

    PubMed Central

    Ukkola, Liisa T.; Onkamo, Päivi; Raijas, Pirre; Karma, Kai; Järvelä, Irma

    2009-01-01

    Artistic creativity forms the basis of music culture and music industry. Composing, improvising and arranging music are complex creative functions of the human brain, which biological value remains unknown. We hypothesized that practicing music is social communication that needs musical aptitude and even creativity in music. In order to understand the neurobiological basis of music in human evolution and communication we analyzed polymorphisms of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A), serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), catecol-O-methyltranferase (COMT), dopamin receptor D2 (DRD2) and tyrosine hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), genes associated with social bonding and cognitive functions in 19 Finnish families (n = 343 members) with professional musicians and/or active amateurs. All family members were tested for musical aptitude using the auditory structuring ability test (Karma Music test; KMT) and Carl Seashores tests for pitch (SP) and for time (ST). Data on creativity in music (composing, improvising and/or arranging music) was surveyed using a web-based questionnaire. Here we show for the first time that creative functions in music have a strong genetic component (h2 = .84; composing h2 = .40; arranging h2 = .46; improvising h2 = .62) in Finnish multigenerational families. We also show that high music test scores are significantly associated with creative functions in music (p<.0001). We discovered an overall haplotype association with AVPR1A gene (markers RS1 and RS3) and KMT (p = 0.0008; corrected p = 0.00002), SP (p = 0.0261; corrected p = 0.0072) and combined music test scores (COMB) (p = 0.0056; corrected p = 0.0006). AVPR1A haplotype AVR+RS1 further suggested a positive association with ST (p = 0.0038; corrected p = 0.00184) and COMB (p = 0.0083; corrected p = 0.0040) using haplotype-based association test HBAT. The results suggest that the neurobiology of music perception and production is likely to be related to the pathways affecting intrinsic attachment behavior. PMID:19461995

  3. An Alternative Approach for Measuring Black Representation in Navy Enlisted Occupations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-06-01

    Navy ratings. However, when the influence of aptitude is controlled, results indicate that the Navy has made progress toward minority placement goals...individuals, noting especially the impact on members of racial/ ethnic subgroups and women . The concern remains that personnel decisions in terms of...ranks E4-E6 in FIGURE 3. Results From the Core Technology Model: Difference Indicators for Blacks, E4-E6 High Aptitude Medium Aptitude Low Aptiude100

  4. On the Capacity of Attention: Its Estimation and Its Role in Working Memory and Cognitive Aptitudes

    PubMed Central

    Cowan, Nelson; Elliott, Emily M.; Saults, J. Scott; Morey, Candice C.; Mattox, Sam; Hismjatullina, Anna; Conway, Andrew R.A.

    2008-01-01

    Working memory (WM) is the set of mental processes holding limited information in a temporarily accessible state in service of cognition. We provide a theoretical framework to understand the relation between WM and aptitude measures. The WM measures that have yielded high correlations with aptitudes include separate storage and processing task components, on the assumption that WM involves both storage and processing. We argue that the critical aspect of successful WM measures is that rehearsal and grouping processes are prevented, allowing a clearer estimate of how many separate chunks of information the focus of attention circumscribes at once. Storage-and-processing tasks correlate with aptitudes, according to this view, largely because the processing task prevents rehearsal and grouping of items to be recalled. In a developmental study, we document that several scope-of-attention measures that do not include a separate processing component, but nevertheless prevent efficient rehearsal or grouping, also correlate well with aptitudes and with storage-and-processing measures. So does digit span in children too young to rehearse. PMID:16039935

  5. Recruiting Smarter Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ballou, Dale; Podgursky, Michael

    1995-01-01

    Using Scholastic Aptitude Test scores as a measure of ability, across-the-board raises in teacher salaries produce only a modest improvement in attracting more able teachers. Such raises tend to encourage teachers of every type to stay longer and lowers the probability of hiring new entrants with high ability. (SK)

  6. Testing Interaction Effects without Discarding Variance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lopez, Kay A.

    Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression are two of the most commonly used methods of data analysis in behavioral science research. Although ANOVA was intended for use with experimental designs, educational researchers have used ANOVA extensively in aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) research. This practice tends to make researchers…

  7. Final Report of the Vocational Assessment Project, 1979-80.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rutgers, The State Univ., New Brunswick, NJ. School of Medicine.

    To improve vocational rehabilitation programs for schizophrenic persons, a project sought to design an effective assessment strategy. Inactive records of schizophrenic clients at New Jersey sheltered workshops were examined to determine validity and reliability of assessment instruments being used. General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) profiles of…

  8. Prescriptive Teaching from the DTLA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banas, Norma; Wills, I. H.

    1979-01-01

    The article (Part 2 of a series) discusses the Auditory Attention Span for Unrelated Words and the Visual Attention Span for Objects subtests of the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude. Skills measured and related factors influencing performance are among aspects considered. Suggestions for remediating deficits and capitalizing on strengths are…

  9. Restructuring Schools To Be Math Friendly to Females.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karp, Karen; Shakeshaft, Charol

    1997-01-01

    The gender gap in math Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, attributable to course avoidance, lack of confidence, and unbalanced classroom instruction, can have serious consequences for young women, such as limited university selection, limited career choices, and lower lifetime salaries. Solutions include hiring math specialists, establishing role…

  10. COMMERCIAL FOODS, MATHEMATICS - I.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DORNFIELD, BLANCHE E.

    THE UNDERSTANDING AND MASTERY OF FUNDAMENTAL MATHEMATICS IS A NECESSARY PART OF COMMERCIAL FOODS WORK. THIS STUDENT HANDBOOK WAS DESIGNED TO ACCOMPANY A COMMERCIAL FOODS COURSE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL FOR STUDENTS WITH APPROPRIATE APTITUDES AND COMMERCIAL FOOD SERVICE GOALS. THE MATERIAL, TESTED IN VARIOUS INTERESTED CLASSROOMS, WAS PREPARED BY…

  11. 34 CFR 300.304 - Evaluation procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... of communication and in the form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows..., manual, or speaking skills, the assessment results accurately reflect the child's aptitude or achievement... impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills (unless those skills are the factors that the test purports to...

  12. 41 CFR 60-741.21 - Prohibitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... an individual with whom the qualified individual is known to have a family, business, social or other... skills, the test results accurately reflect the skills, aptitude, or whatever other factor of the..., or speaking skills of such employee or applicant, except where such skills are the factors that the...

  13. You Can't Get Much from Watching the Radio.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Litten, Larry H.

    1988-01-01

    Examined sources that students preferred for obtaining information on colleges by interviewing students who had taken the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test in 1983. Enrolled friends were most preferred source of basic information, followed by personal visits, published guides, and admission representatives. Also examined sources on…

  14. Intelligence and Neuropsychological Aptitude Testing of U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator Pilot Training Candidates

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-11-01

    of cognitive difficulties (e.g., memory, attention, reasoning, information processing) stemming from a head injury, medical illness (e.g., bacterial ... meningitis ), developmental disorder (e.g., attention deficit and hyperactivity, learning disorder), or emotional problems (e.g., depression, anxiety

  15. Genome-wide copy number variation analysis in extended families and unrelated individuals characterized for musical aptitude and creativity in music.

    PubMed

    Ukkola-Vuoti, Liisa; Kanduri, Chakravarthi; Oikkonen, Jaana; Buck, Gemma; Blancher, Christine; Raijas, Pirre; Karma, Kai; Lähdesmäki, Harri; Järvelä, Irma

    2013-01-01

    Music perception and practice represent complex cognitive functions of the human brain. Recently, evidence for the molecular genetic background of music related phenotypes has been obtained. In order to further elucidate the molecular background of musical phenotypes we analyzed genome wide copy number variations (CNVs) in five extended pedigrees and in 172 unrelated subjects characterized for musical aptitude and creative functions in music. Musical aptitude was defined by combination of the scores of three music tests (COMB scores): auditory structuring ability, Seashores test for pitch and for time. Data on creativity in music (herein composing, improvising and/or arranging music) was surveyed using a web-based questionnaire.Several CNVRs containing genes that affect neurodevelopment, learning and memory were detected. A deletion at 5q31.1 covering the protocadherin-α gene cluster (Pcdha 1-9) was found co-segregating with low music test scores (COMB) in both sample sets. Pcdha is involved in neural migration, differentiation and synaptogenesis. Creativity in music was found to co-segregate with a duplication covering glucose mutarotase gene (GALM) at 2p22. GALM has influence on serotonin release and membrane trafficking of the human serotonin transporter. Interestingly, genes related to serotonergic systems have been shown to associate not only with psychiatric disorders but also with creativity and music perception. Both, Pcdha and GALM, are related to the serotonergic systems influencing cognitive and motor functions, important for music perception and practice. Finally, a 1.3 Mb duplication was identified in a subject with low COMB scores in the region previously linked with absolute pitch (AP) at 8q24. No differences in the CNV burden was detected among the high/low music test scores or creative/non-creative groups. In summary, CNVs and genes found in this study are related to cognitive functions. Our result suggests new candidate genes for music perception related traits and supports the previous results from AP study.

  16. Genome-Wide Copy Number Variation Analysis in Extended Families and Unrelated Individuals Characterized for Musical Aptitude and Creativity in Music

    PubMed Central

    Oikkonen, Jaana; Buck, Gemma; Blancher, Christine; Raijas, Pirre; Karma, Kai; Lähdesmäki, Harri; Järvelä, Irma

    2013-01-01

    Music perception and practice represent complex cognitive functions of the human brain. Recently, evidence for the molecular genetic background of music related phenotypes has been obtained. In order to further elucidate the molecular background of musical phenotypes we analyzed genome wide copy number variations (CNVs) in five extended pedigrees and in 172 unrelated subjects characterized for musical aptitude and creative functions in music. Musical aptitude was defined by combination of the scores of three music tests (COMB scores): auditory structuring ability, Seashores test for pitch and for time. Data on creativity in music (herein composing, improvising and/or arranging music) was surveyed using a web-based questionnaire. Several CNVRs containing genes that affect neurodevelopment, learning and memory were detected. A deletion at 5q31.1 covering the protocadherin-α gene cluster (Pcdha 1-9) was found co-segregating with low music test scores (COMB) in both sample sets. Pcdha is involved in neural migration, differentiation and synaptogenesis. Creativity in music was found to co-segregate with a duplication covering glucose mutarotase gene (GALM) at 2p22. GALM has influence on serotonin release and membrane trafficking of the human serotonin transporter. Interestingly, genes related to serotonergic systems have been shown to associate not only with psychiatric disorders but also with creativity and music perception. Both, Pcdha and GALM, are related to the serotonergic systems influencing cognitive and motor functions, important for music perception and practice. Finally, a 1.3 Mb duplication was identified in a subject with low COMB scores in the region previously linked with absolute pitch (AP) at 8q24. No differences in the CNV burden was detected among the high/low music test scores or creative/non-creative groups. In summary, CNVs and genes found in this study are related to cognitive functions. Our result suggests new candidate genes for music perception related traits and supports the previous results from AP study. PMID:23460800

  17. A New Family of Models for the Multiple-Choice Item.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-12-19

    analysis of the verbal scholastic aptitude test using Birnhaum’s three-parameter logistic model. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 28, 989-1020...16. [8] McBride, J. R. Some properties of a Bayesian adaptive ability testing strategy. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 121-140, 1977. [9...University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48106 ’~KL -137- Non Govt Mon Govt 1 Dr. Earl Hunt 1 Dr. Frederick N. Lord Dept. of Psychology Educational Testing

  18. Relationships between students' meaningful learning orientation and their understanding of genetics topics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cavallo, Ann M. Liberatore; Schafer, Larry E.

    This study explored factors predicting the extent to which high school students (N = 140) acquired meaningful understanding of the biological topics of meiosis, the Punnett-square method, and the relationships between these topics. This study (a) examined mental modeling as a technique for measuring students' meaningful understanding of the topics, (b) measured students' predisposed, generalized tendency to learn meaningfully (meaningful learning orientation), (c) determined the extent to which students' meaningful learning orientation predicted meaningful understanding beyond that predicted by aptitude and achievement motivation, (d) experimentally tested two instructional treatments (relationships presented to students, relationships generated by students), (e) explored the relationships of meaningful learning orientation, prior knowledge, instructional treatment, and all interactions of these variables in predicting meaningful understanding. The results of correlations and multiple regressions indicated that meaningful learning orientation contributed to students' attainment of meaningful understanding independent of aptitude and achievement motivation. Meaningful learning orientation and prior knowledge interacted in unique ways for each topic to predict students' attainment of meaningful understanding. Instructional treatment had relatively little relationship to students' acquisition of meaningful understanding, except for learners midrange between meaningful and rote. These findings imply that a meaningful learning approach among students may be important, perhaps as much or more than aptitude and achievement motivation, for their acquisition of interrelated, meaningful understandings of science.

  19. Defining the biological bases of individual differences in musicality.

    PubMed

    Gingras, Bruno; Honing, Henkjan; Peretz, Isabelle; Trainor, Laurel J; Fisher, Simon E

    2015-03-19

    Advances in molecular technologies make it possible to pinpoint genomic factors associated with complex human traits. For cognition and behaviour, identification of underlying genes provides new entry points for deciphering the key neurobiological pathways. In the past decade, the search for genetic correlates of musicality has gained traction. Reports have documented familial clustering for different extremes of ability, including amusia and absolute pitch (AP), with twin studies demonstrating high heritability for some music-related skills, such as pitch perception. Certain chromosomal regions have been linked to AP and musical aptitude, while individual candidate genes have been investigated in relation to aptitude and creativity. Most recently, researchers in this field started performing genome-wide association scans. Thus far, studies have been hampered by relatively small sample sizes and limitations in defining components of musicality, including an emphasis on skills that can only be assessed in trained musicians. With opportunities to administer standardized aptitude tests online, systematic large-scale assessment of musical abilities is now feasible, an important step towards high-powered genome-wide screens. Here, we offer a synthesis of existing literatures and outline concrete suggestions for the development of comprehensive operational tools for the analysis of musical phenotypes. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  20. The association of noise sensitivity with music listening, training, and aptitude

    PubMed Central

    Kliuchko, Marina; Heinonen-Guzejev, Marja; Monacis, Lucia; Gold, Benjamin P.; Heikkilä, Kauko V.; Spinosa, Vittoria; Tervaniemi, Mari; Brattico, Elvira

    2015-01-01

    After intensive, long-term musical training, the auditory system of a musician is specifically tuned to perceive musical sounds. We wished to find out whether a musician's auditory system also develops increased sensitivity to any sound of everyday life, experiencing them as noise. For this purpose, an online survey, including questionnaires on noise sensitivity, musical background, and listening tests for assessing musical aptitude, was administered to 197 participants in Finland and Italy. Subjective noise sensitivity (assessed with the Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale) was analyzed for associations with musicianship, musical aptitude, weekly time spent listening to music, and the importance of music in each person's life (or music importance). Subjects were divided into three groups according to their musical expertise: Nonmusicians (N = 103), amateur musicians (N = 44), and professional musicians (N = 50). The results showed that noise sensitivity did not depend on musical expertise or performance on musicality tests or the amount of active (attentive) listening to music. In contrast, it was associated with daily passive listening to music, so that individuals with higher noise sensitivity spent less time in passive (background) listening to music than those with lower sensitivity to noise. Furthermore, noise-sensitive respondents rated music as less important in their life than did individuals with lower sensitivity to noise. The results demonstrate that the special sensitivity of the auditory system derived from musical training does not lead to increased irritability from unwanted sounds. However, the disposition to tolerate contingent musical backgrounds in everyday life depends on the individual's noise sensitivity. PMID:26356378

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