Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2023, Education

Academic achievement cannot be addressed without considering the underlying neurocognitive constructs foundational to learning. Early identification and interventions can keep disabilities from manifesting (Balikci et al., 2020), however, there is little research or consistency in practice relative to using kindergarten screening assessments, and linking interventions to specific foundational weaknesses. This study aims to provide information regarding current practices of identifying neurocognitive constructs and developmental weaknesses for developing prescriptive interventions. This descriptive research study utilized a sequential mixed-methods design. An electronic survey was disseminated through three professional educator groups (n = 58). Data analysis included descriptive analysis, Chi-square cross-tabbing, and inductive coding. Results indicate only one neurocognitive construct is assessed by more than half of the respondents, and 5 of the neuroconstructs are assessed by less than 25% of the respondents. In spite of 95% - 100% of respondents being familiar with research-based interventions, less than 10% of respondents design interventions for neurocognitive areas they assess. The results of this study show huge discrepancies between knowledge and application in kindergarten screening. Recommendations include utilizing a standardized kindergarten screening assessment to identify foundational weaknesses necessary for learning in order to design prescriptive interventions.

Committee: Mary Heather Munger Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kara Parker Ed.D. (Committee Member); Jon Brasfield Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Children are exposed to many novel situations, challenges, and problems in everyday life as they learn to navigate the world. One of these problems is learning to read a word. Fluid reasoning (Gf) and crystallized knowledge (Gc) are potential factors underlying reading development. Gf is applied under novel or unfamiliar situations, whereas Gc is acquired from experience, education, and/or acculturation (Floyd et al., 2007). On the basis of Cattell's Investment Theory (1987), Uta Frith's Stage Model (1985), and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1992), the present study sought to determine whether the role of Gf in reading shifts among children in grades 1-7. Within this objective, the study had two main aims: (1) examine direct and indirect effects (through Gc) of Gf on Word Decoding, and (2) examine direct and indirect effects (through Gc and Word Decoding) of Gf on Word Recognition. The guiding hypothesis was that Gf will exert a direct effect on Word Recognition in early grades, but will shift to exerting an indirect role (through Gc and Word Decoding) in later grades. Method: This archival research used data obtained from a broader experimental study conducted at a large Midwestern Children's hospital with children in 1st through 7th grades (n = 147). Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS, which tests for the direct effect of Gf on Word Decoding and Word Recognition while also analyzing the indirect effect of Gf on Word Decoding and Word Recognition through Gc. Additionally, these methods tested the moderating effects of grade level, Family Income, and Parental Education. Results: Results indicated that Gf exerted a direct effect on Word Decoding in early grades (grades 1-2) but not in later grades (grades 3-7). Gf also exerted an indirect effect onto Word Recognition through Word Decoding in grades 1-4, but not in grades 5-7. Moreover, Gf exerted an indirect effect on Word Decoding through Gc in l (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Quintino Mano Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Cathleen Stough (Committee Member); Kristen Jastrowski Mano Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

The current study examined the influence of test anxiety on reading comprehension in 94 adults (ages 18-34) referred for a comprehensive psychological assessment of their academic difficulties. Three regression-based, serial indirect effects analyses were conducted to assess the direct and indirect effects of test anxiety and its components (i.e., worry test anxiety and emotionality test anxiety) on reading comprehension. Based on existing literature, we hypothesized that test anxiety would have an indirect effect on reading comprehension, through the disruption of processing speed, working memory, fluid reasoning and/or crystallized intelligence. Consistent with this hypothesis, results indicated that greater total test anxiety was significantly associated with lower fluid reasoning, which in turn was associated with lower reading comprehension. Three separate indirect effects analyses, with total test anxiety and test anxiety subscales (i.e., worry and emotionality) entered as antecedents, found the same indirect effect. In other words, all facets of test anxiety exerted an indirect effect on reading comprehension by disrupting fluid reasoning. These findings have several implications. First, in adults with academic difficulties, test anxiety is disruptive to reading comprehension. Second, these findings highlight the important role of fluid reasoning as a link between test anxiety and poor academic performance, which has not been previously reported. Third, these findings suggest that worry and emotionality test anxiety do not exert different effects in our sample, as they tend to in the more general population.

Committee: Quintino Mano Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kristen Jastrowski Mano Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paula Shear Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, Psychology

Humans possess an extraordinary ability to extract relational information even in completely novel task environments. What are the underlying mechanisms that make this relational extraction process possible? The presented work investigates this question across 5 studies by studying how people solve visual analogy problems from a benchmark test of fluid intelligence, Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM). One study develops a novel method for extracting statistical regularities from complex sequences of eye movements (Successor Representation Scanpath Analysis, SRSA) to quantify the role of individual differences in attentional control during Raven performance. The results revealed that 41% of variance in RAPM score could be explained by individual differences in problem solving strategies. In a followup study SRSA was used to study RAPM practice effects commonly observed in the test-retest designs used in the cognitive enhancement literature. The findings revealed that RAPM practice effects can be explained by refinements in strategy, suggesting strategy refinement as a potentially serious confound in cognitive enhancement research that uses visual training regimens (e.g. visual N-back tasks). In two followup studies relational reasoning was studied by actively manipulating the order and amount of RAPM problem information. The findings established a causal relationship between strategy and rule insight and suggested participants deploy attention to one cell of the problem matrix at a time. Finally, a novel combination of pupillometry and verbal protocol analysis was used to understand how the mediation of the exploration-exploitation tradeoff contributes to individual differences in fluid intelligence. Converging evidence from primate electrophysiology and computational neural modeling have indicated that changes in exploratory versus exploitive control state may be mediated by the broad noradrenergic projections emanating from the locus coeruleus ( (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alexander Petrov (Advisor); Roger Ratcliff (Committee Member); Per Sederberg (Committee Member); James Todd (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology