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PubMed1994

Psychological evaluation of Japanese astronaut applicants.

In 1991, a new psychological selection procedure was employed during the selection of Japanese Space Station astronauts. It was based on international selection criteria developed by an international psychological/psychiatric working group. A total of 372 individuals--fewer than expected--submitted applications for Space Station astronaut in Japan. Of the applicants, 233 were given several psychological written tests [Anxiety Scale, Performance Test, General Aptitude Test Battery, and Environmental Adjustment Test Battery (EATB)] in Phase I of the selection. Forty-five applicants went on to take the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), Human Assessment Method (a group test), a semi-structured psychological interview and an intelligence test in Phase II of the selection. All applicants were found to be highly intelligent. Interestingly, an unexpectedly large number of candidates were disqualified by the newly developed EATB. Assessment of individual functioning in a group (the Human Assessment Method) resulted in no applicant being ranked in either the "qualified with reservation" (QR) or "disqualified" (DQ) category. Much has been learned from this initial application of psychological "select-in" testing, but further efforts are needed to improve both psychological criteria and evaluation methods and to determine their reliability and validity.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

[Academic performance in the 1st year and its relationship with admission variables in medical schools. Comparative study].

Chilean universities employ a common admission scoring system for students, based on high school grades, mathematic and verbal academic aptitude tests, and specific biology and social sciences tests. Aiming to know the predictive values of these tests, the standardized scores obtained in the selection tests and academic performance of 1094 first year medical students, admitted in 1989 and 1990 to six universities, were analyzed. These students obtained high admission scores and their academic performance during the first year was low (mean grades ranged from 4.6 +/- 0.6 to 5.28 +/- 0.5 in different universities for a scale from 1 to 7). In all, except one university there was a correlation between admission scores and academic performance. Multiple regression analysis showed that admission scores explained a 13% of performance and that the parameters with better predictive value were high school grades, biology test and mathematics academic aptitude test. Verbal academic aptitude test did not have a predictive value.

Achievement↗
PubMedDate not supplied

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

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.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

A reconsideration of testing for competence rather than for intelligence.

David C. McClelland's 1973 article has deeply influenced both professional and public opinion. In it, he presented five major themes: (a) Grades in school did not predict occupational success, (b) intelligence tests and aptitude tests did not predict occupational success or other important life outcomes, (c) tests and academic performance only predicted job performance because of an underlying relationship with social status, (d) such tests were unfair to minorities, and (e) "competencies" would be better able to predict important behaviors than would more traditional tests. Despite the pervasive influence of these assertions, this review of the literature showed only limited support for these claims.

Achievement↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predicting student success: a 10-year review using integrative review and meta-analysis.

This article describes research funded by a Dean's New Investigator Award conducted to describe and evaluate nursing education research on predictors of retention, graduation, and National Council Licensure Examination success of baccalaureate-degree nursing students through an integrative review and meta-analysis of nursing research. The sample (n = 47) for the integrative review included all nursing research conducted within the years 1981 to 1990 related to predicting student success that had at least one nurse author and was published in US nursing journals or dissertations from a US university. Four studies from the corpus were appropriate to be treated meta-analytically. Ninety-four per cent of the studies were descriptive, used convenience samples, and most often identified quantitative measures, including American College Test, Scholastic Aptitude Test, and grade point average as predictor variables. Findings of the integrative review showed grade point averages in nursing and science courses as the greatest cognitive predictors of student success and parental education and age as the greatest demographic predictors. The meta-analysis portion of the study showed significant effectiveness of interventions used in the experimental studies. The Fail-Safe N (NFS) was used to assess the comprehensiveness and exhaustiveness of the literature searches. The NFS = 162 studies indicated that it would require 162 studies to overturn the conclusions.

Achievement↗
PubMed1990

Conceptual and theoretical approaches to patient care: associate versus baccalaureate degree prepared nurses.

The purpose of the study was to determine if there is a relationship between types of entry-level preparatory nursing programmes in which a nurse receives basic nursing education and conceptual and theoretical approaches to patient care. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine if there is a relationship between entry-level basic preparatory nursing education and nursing leadership, the ability to make nursing diagnosis, and implementation, as well as evaluation of the nursing process. Three nursing practice categories were identified and included: professional, all-nurse and technical. Useable data collected by short-essay questionnaire from 343 out of 344 sample subjects were computed to determine the relationship, if any, between basic preparatory nursing education and conceptual and theoretical approaches to patient care. Decisions about three null hypotheses were made at the 0.05 level of significance utilizing analysis of covariance and the 0.01 level of significance utilizing chi-square analysis. For Hypothesis 1, the main effect for degree work when covaried with Verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, Quantitative Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, time and age indicated a significance of 0.001 for all item associations in the professional, all-nurse and technical categories utilizing analysis of covariance, and 0.001 utilizing chi-square analysis. For Hypotheses 2 and 3, the main effect for degree work when covaried with the aforementioned variables indicated a significance of 0.001 utilizing analysis of covariance, and 0.001 utilizing chi-square analysis. In conclusion, the findings from the study suggest that graduates of baccalaureate degree programmes do vary in conceptual and theoretical approach to nursing care in specific nursing care situations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1989

Effects of public day-care: a longitudinal study.

119 Swedish children were followed from their first year of life up to the age of 8. Most could be classified according to (a) type of day-care they had experienced during their first 7 years of life and (b) time of first entrance into day-care. At 8 years, the children were tested with aptitude tests and rated by their teachers on school performance and social and personal development. Hierarchical regression analyses and MANCOVAs were used in the statistical treatment. Time of entrance into day-care predicted children's cognitive and socioemotional development, controlling for sex and home background. Children with early day-care (entrance before the age of 1) were generally rated more favorably and performed better than children with late entrance or home care. There was a tendency for early center care to predict a more favorable outcome than other care.

Achievement↗
PubMed2002

[Evaluation of manual dexterity in dental students at the Budapest University].

Dentistry needs increased consideration in sensomotoric manipulation and coordinations of movements. The entrance procedure does not give any informations about ability of candidates. In history of Budapest University there were some shots about aptitude tests. The first tests were found out by Istvan Pesthy in 1963, which were testing only the manual skills, and were made by the passed-in students. The results did not affect the entrance. From 1974. Ferenc Molnár suggested a tentative manual test, which were compared with the other entrance tests results. The third generation of aptitude tests was not established, but the testing of manual skills and psychological aptness would be necessary in the entrance procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

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

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.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

What predicts performance in Canadian dental schools?

The task of selecting the best dental applicants out of an extremely competitive applicant pool is a problem faced annually by dental faculties. This study examined the validity of both cognitive and noncognitive factors used for selection to Canadian dental schools. Interest in personality measurement and the prediction offered by personality measures has escalated and may be applied to the selection of dental candidates. Therefore, the study also assessed whether the addition of a personality measure would increase the validity of predicting performance beyond that achieved by an interview and the Dental Aptitude Test. Results suggest that an interview may be useful in identifying specific behavioral characteristics deemed important for success in dental training. Consistent with previous research, results show that the Dental Aptitude Test is a good predictor of preclinical academic success, with prediction declining when clinical components of the program are introduced into the criterion. Results from the personality measure indicated that Openness to Experience was significantly related to aspects of clinical education, although, contrary to expectations, this relationship was negative. A facet of Openness, Ideas, together with Positive Emotions, a facet of Extroversion, improved prediction of performance in clinical studies beyond that provided by the Dental Aptitude Test and the Interview. Implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations regarding the admission process to Canadian dental programs are offered.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Some personality and aptitude characteristics of air traffic control specialist trainees.

This study examined the interrelations of personality traits, aptitude test scores, and job performance self-expectations as predictors of success in the FAA Academy screening program of prospective air traffic controllers. Based on the State-Trait Personality Inventory (STPI), men and women Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) trainees exhibited less anxiety and anger than normative groups of college students and Navy recruits. ATCS pass rates for 1,284 entrants were lower within each aptitude test score level for the subjects with anxiety or anger scores above the normative levels. Analyses indicated significant relationships between self-expectations of future job performance and both anxiety and aptitude test scores. Personality factors were found to affect the predictive validity of the primary test used for determining a student's aptitude for learning air traffic control principles and procedures.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

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

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.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prediction of freshman students' success in a baccalaureate nursing program.

The best predictor of achievement in college when cognitive and noncognitive variables were tested in two classes of freshmen nursing students (1975 and 1976) at Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was the Aptitude Test for Nursing. Cognitive variables significant in 1975 were mathematics Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and high school rank, while in 1976 arithmetic formulation entered into the regression equations as did the noncognitive variable of conformity. A discrepancy was found between 1975 and 1976 predictor variables of dropping out of nursing. For the 1975 freshman class, science grade point average and the support scale of the Gordon Survey of Interpersonal Values were the best predictors of dropping out of the nursing program; in the 1976 class, nursing GPA alone was the best predictor of dropping out. Although an intercorrelation was noted between science GPA and nursing GPA, the success of predicting dropping out of nursing in relationship to science GPA and nursing GPA appeared to be unstable.

Achievement↗
PubMed1978

Predicting clinical performance: a two-step approach.

This paper presents the results of a two-year study on the predictive value of the Spatial Relations Test of the Differential Aptitude Test (SRTDAT) for grades in dental hygiene laboratory and clinical courses. The data indicate the SRTDAT was a statistically significant predictor of early laboratory product performance, and this performance was predictive of final clinical performance.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Head size and intelligence, learning, nutritional status and brain development. Head, IQ, learning, nutrition and brain.

This multifactorial study investigates the interrelationships between head circumference (HC) and intellectual quotient (IQ), learning, nutritional status and brain development in Chilean school-age children graduating from high school, of both sexes and with high and low IQ and socio-economic strata (SES). The sample consisted of 96 right-handed healthy students (mean age 18.0 +/- 0.9 years) born at term. HC was measured both in the children and their parents and was expressed as Z-score (Z-HC). In children, IQ was determined by means of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults-Revised (WAIS-R), scholastic achievement (SA) through the standard Spanish language and mathematics tests and the academic aptitude test (AAT) score, nutritional status was assessed through anthropometric indicators, brain development was determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and SES applying the Graffar modified method. Results showed that microcephalic children (Z-HC < or = 2 S.D.) had significantly lower values mainly for brain volume (BV), parental Z-HC, IQ, SA, AAT, birth length (BL) and a significantly higher incidence of undernutrition in the first year of life compared with their macrocephalic peers (Z-HC > 2S.D.). Multiple regression analysis revealed that BV, parental Z-HC and BL were the independent variables with the greatest explanatory power for child's Z-HC variance (r(2) = 0.727). These findings confirm the hypothesis formulated in this study: (1) independently of age, sex and SES, brain parameters, parental HC and prenatal nutritional indicators are the most important independent variables that determine HC and (2) microcephalic children present multiple disorders not only related to BV but also to IQ, SA and nutritional background.

Adolescent↗