Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D. Assessment Training Consultant Objectives • Describe cognitive factors that account for differential classroom performance; • Describe basic cognitive processes and their relationship to higher-order conceptualization and reasoning. • Describe assessment of cognitive abilities in young children. 2 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant In Early Childhood Programs, . . . . . . some children learn the pre-academic skills we present; some children do not. 3 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. In Early Childhood Programs, . . . . . . some children are able to wait their turn; others respond impulsively. 4 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant What factors may account for such differential performance? Learner’s Skills (Berninger, 2007) Individual Individual Differences Differences in in the the Processes Processes in in the the Learner’s Learner’s Mind Mind or or Brain Brain Curriculum and and Curriculum Instructional Instructional Materials Materials Teachers’ Teachers’ Instruction Instruction (Pedagogy) (Pedagogy) 6 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Understanding the Child’s Mind Piaget’s Piaget’s Stages Stages of of Cognitive Cognitive Development Development Sensori-motor Sensori-motor (Birth (Birth to to 22 years) years) Pre-operational Pre-operational (2 (2 to to 77 years) years) Concrete Concrete operational operational (7 (7 to to 11 11 years) years) Formal Formal operational operational (11 (11 to to 15 15 years) years) (Santrock & Yussen, 1992) 7 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Understanding the Child’s Mind Information Processing Information Information from fromthe the environment environment Sensory Sensory and and Perceptual Perceptual Processes Processes Memory Memory Thinking Thinking (Santrock & Yussen, 1992) 8 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Language Language Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Information Processing Brain Mind Cognition • memory • problem-solving • reasoning Output Input (Santrock & Yussen, 1992) 9 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. What Do We Assess? (Developmentally Appropriate) Examples of Assessment (Examples of test items are not included in handout) Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant The Process of Learning •• Learning is is the the process process of of acquiring acquiring Learning information. information. •• What are are the the cognitive cognitive factors factors that that enable enable What students to to show show what what they they know know and and can can students do? do? How do they receive, perceive, process, and remember information? How How do do they they collect, collect, sort, sort, store, store, and and retrieve retrieve information? information? (Elliott, 2007) (Miller, (Miller,2007) 2007) 11 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Sensory-Motor Functions and Learning Input Input •• •• IsIsthe thechild child able ableto tosee see the the information? Is visual information? Is visual acuity acuity within withinnormal normal limits? limits? What Whatabout aboutvisual visual discrimination? discrimination? IsIsthe thechild child able ableto tohear hear the information? Is hearing the information? Is hearing acuity acuity within withinnormal normal limits? What about limits? What about auditory auditorydiscrimination? discrimination? Output Output •• IsIsthe thechild child able ableto torespond respond in writing? Are fine in writing? Are finemotor motor abilities within normal abilities within normal limits? limits? •• IsIsthe thechild child able ableto torespond respond orally? Are language orally? Are language production production abilities abilities within within normal limits? normal limits? 12 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Attention and Learning Does the child . . . •• •• selectively selectively attend attend to to certain stimuli while certain stimuli while ignoring ignoring competing, competing, irrelevant irrelevant stimuli? stimuli? sustain sustain attentional attentional focus for focus for aa prolonged prolonged period? period? •• shift shift attentional attentional resources resources from from one one activity to another? activity to another? •• respond respond to to more more than than one one task task simultaneously simultaneously –– divided divided attention? attention? 13 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Memory and Learning • In schools, we expect children to learn and remember information. • Often, the information is presented visually and/or verbally. • Some of the information is novel; some is acquired. Strategies Strategies Language Language Images Images Conceptual Conceptual (Mather & Goldstein, 2008) 14 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Visual-Spatial Processes and Learning • Much of what is presented in school has either a visual-spatial or language basis. • Visual-perceptual skills play a major role in the development of a child’s handwriting skills, and fluency in math and reading. • For example, a student may be able to name individual letters in a word (visual analysis, b-e-d), but she may be unable to integrate the letters to say the word (visual synthesis, bed). 15 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Language and Learning Receptive Receptive Children Children must must understand understand words words and and sentences to perceive sentences to perceive and and process process information. information. Expressive Expressive They They must must use use words words to to show show they they can can retrieve information retrieve information from from memory. memory. 16 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Language and Learning Early Early development development of of reading reading depends depends critically critically on on whether whether the the receptive receptive phonological phonological component component of of the the aural aural system system and and the the expressive expressive phonological phonological component component of of the the oral oral system system are are developing developing in in an an age-appropriate age-appropriate manner manner (Berninger, (Berninger, 2007). 2007). Language Literacy 17 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Process of Learning and Remembering Encoding External information is transformed into mental representations or memories and stored in STM. Consolidation Information from immediate memory is solidified into long-term memory stores. Retrieval Information is brought into conscious awareness. Delayed Delayed Immediate Immediate Semantic Semantic Working Working 18 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Executive Functions • Mental functions associated with ability to engage in behaviors that are: – Purposeful Cat – Organized – Self-regulated – Goal-directed • Internal supervisory guide for learning and performance in the classroom. 19 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Executive Functions and Working Memory • Many executive function tasks also require working memory—actively holding information in memory during cognitive tasks. • Children with poor working memory may lose the “thread” and forget parts of the instruction, or even their own intention in the face of competing stimuli. 20 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Cognitive Processing Speed and Learning • The ability to perform automatically with little or no effort–improves dramatically as children get older. • Automaticity is linked to speed and processing capacity; as an activity is completed faster, it requires less processing capacity. • As processing capacity increases, it becomes easier to complete tasks that were previously considered to be difficult. (Santrock & Yussen, 1992). 21 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Sample Test Results . . . Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Psycho-educational Psycho-educationalInterpretation InterpretationChart Chart Eligibility Eligibility Determination Determination Student’s Student’sName: Name: Sample SampleStudent Student Age: 3:10 Age: 3:10 School: Early School: EarlyHeadStart HeadStart Test: Test: DAS-II DAS-II Extremely Low Borderline Superior 6.7% 2.2 % Low Average Average Range High Average 16.1 % 50 % of Students 16.1 % 6.7 % Very Superior 2.2 % GCA SS = 65 Verbal Comprehension SS = 69 Nonverbal Reasoning SS = 73 Spatial SS = 72 Early Number Concepts PR = 3 Recall of Digits Forward PR = 2 Recognition of Pictures PR =3 70 80 90 100 110 120 Psycho-educational Psycho-educationalInterpretation InterpretationChart Chart Student’s Student’sName: Name: Sample SampleStudent Student Age: Age: School: School: 4:7 4:7 Pre-K Pre-K Test: Test: WPPSI-IV WPPSI-IV Extremely Low 130 Instructional Instructional Planning Planning Borderline Superior 6.7% 2.2 % Low Average Average Range High Average 16.1 % 50 % of Students 16.1 % 6.7 % 2.2 % Full Scale IQ = 117 Verbal Comprehension = 132 Visual-Spatial = 112 Fluid Reasoning = 114 Working Memory = 97 Processing Speed = 91 70 80 90 100 110 Very Superior 120 Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 130 Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant Learning Depends on . . . sensory-motor sensory-motor functions, functions, •• attentional attentional processes, processes, •• visual-spatial visual-spatial processing, processing, •• language language processes, processes, •• memory memory and and learning learning processes, processes, •• executive executive functions, functions, and and •• •• speed speed and and efficiency efficiency of of cognitive cognitive processing. processing. 25 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Summary • If a child is not performing the grade-level skill, identify the cognitive factors that are necessary for and related to performance of the skill. • Assess these cognitive factors to determine why the child is struggling with the specific skill. 26 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant References Bayley, N. (2006). Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition. San Antonio, TX: Pearson. Berninger, V. W. (2007). PAL-II user’s guide. San Antonio, TX: Pearson. Elliott, C. (2007). Differential Ability ScalesSecond Edition: Introductory and technical handbook. Bloomington, MN: Pearson. 27 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. References Korkman, M., Kirk, U., & Kemp, S. (2007). NEPSY-II. San Antonio, TX: Pearson. Mather, N., & Goldstein, S. (2008). Learning disabilities and challenging behaviors. Baltimore, MD: Brookes. Miller, D. C. (2007). Essentials of school neuropsychological assessment. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. 28 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Assessing Cognitive Abilities in Young Children Gloria Maccow, Ph.D., Assessment Training Consultant References Santrock, J. W., & Yussen, S. R. (1992). Child development. Dubuque, IA: Brown). Wechsler, D. (2004). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition. San Antonio, TX: Pearson. Wechsler, D. (2012). Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition. (2012). San Antonio, TX: Pearson. 29 | Copyright © 2011. All rights reserved. Customer Service 1-800800-627627-7271 (USA) 1-866866-335335-8418 (Canada) Comments and Questions [email protected] 724-766-7692 Copyright © 2012. Pearson, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.