We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Spanish government through its Plan Nacional I+D+i (R+D+i National Research Plan of the Spanish Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness), project ref. PSI2009-11662; ref. EDU2012-35098, and PSI2015-65009-R&#160;with first author as principal investigator. We also thank the ULLMedia team and B&#225;rbara Carolina de Le&#243;n P&#233;rez for their participation in the production of the video. Finally, we would like to express our very great appreciation to Sally Frances Burgues and Vijuni Ashok Melwani for lending us their voices to the recordings.

<ol>
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M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mathematics+screening+and+progress+monitoring+at+first+grade:+Implications+for+responsiveness+to+intervention.">Mathematics screening and progress monitoring at first grade: Implications for responsiveness to intervention.</a> Exceptional Children. 73 (3), 311-330 (2007).</li><li>Seethaler, P. M., Fuchs, L. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+predictive+utility+of+kindergarten+screening+for+math+difficulty.">The predictive utility of kindergarten screening for math difficulty.</a> Exceptional Children. 77 (1), 37-59 (2010).</li><li>Gersten, R., Clarke, B., Jordan, N. C., Newman-Gonchar, R., Haymond, K., Wilkins, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Universal+screening+in+mathematics+for+the+primary+grades:+Beginnings+of+a+research+base.">Universal screening in mathematics for the primary grades: Beginnings of a research base.</a> Exceptional Children. 78 (4), 423-445 (2012).</li><li>Hughes, C. A., Dexter, D. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Response+to+intervention:+A+research-based+summary.">Response to intervention: A research-based summary.</a> Theory Into Practice. 50 (1), 4-11 (2011).</li><li>Keller-Margulis, M. A., Payan, A., Booth, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Reading+curriculum-based+measures+in+Spanish:+An+examination+of+validity+and+diagnostic+accuracy.">Reading curriculum-based measures in Spanish: An examination of validity and diagnostic accuracy.</a> Assessment for Effective Intervention. 37 (4), 212-223 (2012).</li><li>Speece, D. L., Schatschneider, C., Silverman, R., Case, L. P., Cooper, D. H., Jacobs, D. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identification+of+reading+problems+in+first+grade+within+a+response-to-intervention+framework.">Identification of reading problems in first grade within a response-to-intervention framework.</a> The Elementary School Journal. 111 (4), 585-607 (2011).</li><li>Deno, S. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Developments+in+curriculum-based+measurement.">Developments in curriculum-based measurement.</a> Journal of Special Education. 37 (3), 184-192 (2003).</li><li>Schatschneider, C., Petscher, Y., Williams, K. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=How+to+evaluate+a+screening+process:+The+vocabulary+of+screening+and+what+educators+need+to+know.">How to evaluate a screening process: The vocabulary of screening and what educators need to know.</a> excellence in preschool literacy instruction. , 304-316 (2008).</li><li>. National Center on Response to Intervention RTI implementer series: Module 1: Screening - training manual Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://rti4success.org/sites/default/files/Webinar">https://rti4success.org/sites/default/files/Webinar</a> (2012)</li><li>Clarke, B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Classification+accuracy+of+easyCBM+first-grade+mathematics+measures:+Findings+and+implications+for+the+field.">Classification accuracy of easyCBM first-grade mathematics measures: Findings and implications for the field.</a> Assessment for Effective Intervention. 36 (4), 243-255 (2011).</li><li>Lee, Y. S., Lembke, E., Moore, D., Ginsburg, H. P., Pappas, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Item-level+and+construct+evaluation+of+early+numeracy+curriculum-based+measures.">Item-level and construct evaluation of early numeracy curriculum-based measures.</a> Assessment for Effective Intervention. 37 (2), 107-117 (2012).</li><li>Hughes, C. A., Dexter, D. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Response+to+intervention:+A+research-based+summary.">Response to intervention: A research-based summary.</a> Theory Into Practice. 50 (1), 4-11 (2011).</li><li>Lembke, E., Hampton, D., Beyers, S. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Response+to+intervention+in+mathematics:+Critical+elements.">Response to intervention in mathematics: Critical elements.</a> Psychology in the Schools. 49 (3), 257-272 (2012).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E., Guti&#233;rrez, N., Jim&#233;nez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Indicadores+de+Progreso+de+Aprendizaje+en+Lectura+(IPAL)+[Indicators+of+Basic+Early+Reading+Skills].">Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Lectura (IPAL) [Indicators of Basic Early Reading Skills].</a> Modelo de Respuesta a la Intervencion. Un enfoque preventivo para el abordaje de las dificultades expecificas de aprendizaje (Response to Intervention Model. A preventive approach for learning disabilities). , (2019).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E., Gil, V., Jim&#233;nez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Indicadores+de+Progreso+de+Aprendizaje+en+Escritura+(IPAE)+[Indicators+of+Basic+Early+Writing+Skills].">Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Escritura (IPAE) [Indicators of Basic Early Writing Skills].</a> Modelo de Respuesta a la Intervencion. Un enfoque preventivo para el abordaje de las dificultades especificas de aprendizaje (Response to Intervention Model. A preventive approach for learning disabilities). , (2019).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E., de Le&#243;n, S. C., Jim&#233;nez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Indicadores+de+Progreso+de+Aprendizaje+en+Matem&#225;ticas+(IPAM)+[Indicators+of+Basic+Early+Math+Skills].">Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Matem&#225;ticas (IPAM) [Indicators of Basic Early Math Skills].</a> Modelo de Resuesta a la Intervencion. Un enfoque preventivo para el abordaje de las dificultades expecificas de aprendizaje (Response to Intervention Model. A preventive approach for learning disabilities). , (2019).</li><li>RTI International. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Early Grade Reading Assessment toolkit. Manual para la evaluaci&#243;n inicial de la lectura en ni&#241;os de educaci&#243;n primaria [Manual for the initial assessment of Reading in Primary School]. , (2009).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Early+Grade+Writing+Assessment+(EGWA):+A+report+and+a+model+instrument.">Early Grade Writing Assessment (EGWA): A report and a model instrument.</a> The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. , (2018).</li><li>Yuste-Hernanz, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> BADyG: Bater&#237;a de aptitudes diferenciales y generales [The Battery of Differential and General Abilities] 2nd ed. , (2002).</li><li>Grégoire, J., Nöel, M. P., Van Nieuwenhoven, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> TEDI-MATH, Test para el Diagnóstico de las Competencias Básicas en Matemáticas (2.ª ed) [Test to diagnose basic skills in mathematics (2nd edition). , (2015).</li><li>Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Multivariate data analysis (7. ed). , (2010).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E., de Le&#243;n, S. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An&#225;lisis+factorial+confirmatorio+de+Indicadores+de+Progreso+de+Aprendizaje+en+Matem&#225;ticas+(IPAM)+en+escolares+de+primer+curso+de+Primaria+[Confirmatory+factor+analysis+of+IPAM+in+first-grade+students].">An&#225;lisis factorial confirmatorio de Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Matem&#225;ticas (IPAM) en escolares de primer curso de Primaria [Confirmatory factor analysis of IPAM in first-grade students].</a> European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education. 7 (1), 31-45 (2017).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E., de Le&#243;n, S. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An&#225;lisis+factorial+confirmatorio+del+IPAM+en+escolares+de+tercer+curso+de+primaria+[Confirmatory+factor+analysis+of+IPAM+in+third-grade+students].">An&#225;lisis factorial confirmatorio del IPAM en escolares de tercer curso de primaria [Confirmatory factor analysis of IPAM in third-grade students].</a> Evaluar. 17 (2), 81-96 (2017).</li><li>Guti&#233;rrez, N., Jim&#233;nez, J. E., de Le&#243;n, S. C., Seoane, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Assessing+foundational+reading+skills+in+Kindergarten:+A+Curriculum-based+measurement+in+Spanish.">Assessing foundational reading skills in Kindergarten: A Curriculum-based measurement in Spanish.</a> Journal of Learning Disabilities. , (2019).</li><li>Gil, V., de León, S. C., Jiménez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Universal+Screening+for+Writing+Risk+in+Spanish-Speaking+First+Graders.">Universal Screening for Writing Risk in Spanish-Speaking First Graders.</a> Reading &amp; Writing Quarterly. , (2020).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Response+to+Intervention+(RtI)+Model:+a+promising+alternative+for+identifying+students+with+learning+disabilities.">Response to Intervention (RtI) Model: a promising alternative for identifying students with learning disabilities.</a> Psicothema. 22, 932-934 (2010).</li><li>Jim&#233;nez, J. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Implementation+of+Response+to+Intervention+Model+in+the+Canary+Islands.">Implementation of Response to Intervention Model in the Canary Islands.</a> Perspectives on Language and Literacy. 43 (4), 47-50 (2017).</li><li>Compton, D. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Selecting+at-risk+first-grade+readers+for+early+intervention:+eliminating+false+positives+and+exploring+the+promise+of+a+two-stage+gated+screening+process.">Selecting at-risk first-grade readers for early intervention: eliminating false positives and exploring the promise of a two-stage gated screening process.</a> Journal of Educational Psychology. 102 (2), 327-340 (2010).</li></ol>

The authors who are listed above certify there are no financial interests or other conflicts of interest regarding the present study.

Over the last years, the Spanish government has been placing the main emphasis on a prevention system32, allowing the design of new proposals orientated to the early detection and intervention of students at risk for LD. Nevertheless, there is a lack of screening and progress monitoring tools adapted to the Spanish curriculum and which can be used by Spanish-speaking teachers. The design and standardization of the CBMs above mentioned in the Canary Islands have permitted the pilot testing of the R...

Response to Intervention (RtI) model is a multi-tier method for preventing and identifying learning disabilities (LD). The National Center on Response to Intervention1 defined the four essential components of RtI: a) multi-level instructional and behavioral system for preventing school failure; b) universal screening; c) progress monitoring; and d) data-based decisions. The first step in the multi-level process is the identification of children at risk for LD using universal screening with all students. Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) is the most commonly used assessment tool, both for universal screening and progress monitoring of foundational skills (i.e., reading, writing, and math), tracking student&#8217;s performance academic areas in which the student does not reach the basic goals established in the school curriculum2. Universal screening is defined as a systematic assessment of a population to identify those individuals who are at risk3.
In the context of the RtI model, universal screening is performed in the general classroom as a first step in identifying students at risk of not meeting the standards of performance required in one or more academic areas4. Universal screening is generally conducted three times per school year (e.g., fall, winter, and spring)5,6. Different classification criteria have been used to select the best cut-off score to identify low performance and at-risk students for reading, math, and writing, ranging from 10th percentile to 35th percentile7,8 or 40th percentile9. However, the most commonly used to detect at-risk students have been the 20th&#160;and 25th percentiles10,11.
Students detected at risk for learning problems or students not showing an adequate response to the core instruction are selected to receive more intense instruction in subsequent tiers12. According to Deno13, the use of CBM allows teachers and other education professionals to determine whether students benefit adequately from the intervention program that is received in the ordinary classroom.
An ideal screener should be practical; in other words, it must be low-cost, brief, easy to administrate, score, and interpret and be tied to the instruction14. Due to the need for CBMs to be repeatedly administered to the students, they must include alternate forms, which should be easily and rapidly administered by teachers. CBMs are designed based on literature evidence and the local curriculum and must be standardized, reliable, and valid13,15 , providing teachers with an efficient and brief tool in order to determine students&#8217; risk status16,17, and assess intervention effectiveness18,19. In this regard, CBMs must meet several technical features: reliability, criterion validity, classification accuracy, and growth rate detention. To meet the need for screening critical reading, writing, and math abilities of Spanish monolingual-children within the context of the RtI model, the following CBMs were designed.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Escritura (IPAE) [Indicators of Basic Early Writing Skills].</td>
			<td>Ediciones Pir&#225;mide</td>
			<td>978-84-368-3981-4</td>
			<td>Curriculum-Based Measure</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Lectura (IPAL) [Indicators of Basic Early Reading Skills]</td>
			<td>Ediciones Pir&#225;mide</td>
			<td>978-84-368-3981-4</td>
			<td>Curriculum-Based Measure</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Matem&#225;ticas (IPAM) [Indicators of Basic Early Math Skills].</td>
			<td>Ediciones Pir&#225;mide</td>
			<td>978-84-368-3981-4</td>
			<td>Curriculum-Based Measure</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stopwatch 1/1005 Kalenji 100</td>
			<td>OXYLANE</td>
			<td>02.314.041/001-88</td>
			<td>1/100 Stopwatch with 1 lap times</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

universal screening for prevention of reading, writing, and math disabilities in spanish

The purpose of this study was to describe a Spanish protocol that includes reading, writing, and math Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) aimed at early detection of students at risk of presenting learning disabilities (LD). Early identification of LD is a critical component of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model. In early grades, the screening of foundational skills mentioned above can provide a data-based guideline for identifying students requiring a more intensive response-based intervention before starting elementary school. We designed different CBMs based on indicators of basic early reading, writing, and math skills [Indicadores de Progreso de Aprendizaje en Lectura, Escritura y Matem&#225;ticas, IPAL, IPAE, and IPAM respectively]&#160;that aim to fulfill the twofold objective of universal screening and evaluation of the Spanish students&#8217; progress. For reading, IPAL includes alphabetic principle, phonological awareness, concepts about print, and riddles in kindergarten. In first and second grades, IPAL includes alphabetic principle, nonsense words fluency, maze sentences, and oral reading fluency. In addition, it includes phonemic segmentation for first grade and prosody for second grade. For writing, IPAE includes copying letters, writing allographs, dictated letters, dictated words with arbitrary spelling, dictated words with rule-based spelling, dictated nonsense words, dictated sentences, writing sentences, and writing a story for first-third grades. Finally, for math, IPAM includes number comparison, missing number, number identification, quantity array, and counting aloud for kindergarten, and number comparison, multi-digit computation, missing number, single-digit computation, and place value for first-third grades.

In this study, the students were classified following these criteria: at-risk &#8804;20th (i.e., math and writing) or &#8804;25th (i.e., reading), low-performance &#8804;40th, average performance &#8804;60th, and optimal performance &#62;60th. For all the parallel forms of each CBM described above, a composite score was created in order to classify students at risk in reading (IPAL), writing (IPAE), and math (IPAM). These composite scores were calculated by averaging...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish at JoVE.com

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

This work presents a protocol to administrate Spanish Curriculum-Based Measures for the early detection of reading, math, and writing difficulties. These tools could help practitioners and applied researchers working in the context of the Response to Intervention model.

The purpose of this study was to describe a Spanish protocol that includes reading, writing, and math Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) aimed at early ...

universal-screening-for-prevention-reading-writing-math-disabilities

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JoVE Journal

Behavior

7.9K Views.  Universidad de La Laguna. This work presents a protocol to administrate Spanish Curriculum-Based Measures for the early detection of reading, math, and writing difficulties. These tools could help practitioners and applied researchers working in the context of the Response to Intervention model.

Video: Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Training Synesthetic Letter-color Associations by Reading in Color

Synesthesia is a rare condition in which a stimulus from one modality automatically and consistently triggers unusual sensations in the same and/or other modalities. A relatively common and well-studied type is grapheme-color synesthesia, defined as the consistent experience of color when viewing, hearing and thinking about letters, words and numbers. We describe our method for investigating to what extent synesthetic associations between letters and colors can be learned by reading in color in nonsynesthetes. Reading in color is a special method for training associations in the sense that the associations are learned implicitly while the reader reads text as he or she normally would and it does not require explicit computer-directed training methods. In this protocol, participants are given specially prepared books to read in which four high-frequency letters are paired with four high-frequency colors. Participants receive unique sets of letter-color pairs based on their pre-existing preferences for colored letters. A modified Stroop task is administered before and after reading in order to test for learned letter-color associations and changes in brain activation. In addition to objective testing, a reading experience questionnaire is administered that is designed to probe for differences in subjective experience. A subset of questions may predict how well an individual learned the associations from reading in color. Importantly, we are not claiming that this method will cause each individual to develop grapheme-color synesthesia, only that it is possible for certain individuals to form letter-color associations by reading in color and these associations are similar in some aspects to those seen in developmental grapheme-color synesthetes. The method is quite flexible and can be used to investigate different aspects and outcomes of training synesthetic associations, including learning-induced changes in brain function and structure.

Reading in color is a new method for training letter-color associations that are typically found only in grapheme-color synesthetes. It involves an implicit form of training that has potential for long-term associative training methods&#160;because the training is a byproduct of reading and any text can be colored.

Synesthesia is a rare condition in which a stimulus from one modality automatically and consistently triggers unusual sensations in the same and/or other ...

Automated, Quantitative Cognitive/Behavioral Screening of Mice: For Genetics, Pharmacology, Animal Cognition and Undergraduate Instruction

We describe a high-throughput, high-volume, fully automated, live-in 24/7 behavioral testing system for assessing the effects of genetic and pharmacological manipulations on basic mechanisms of cognition and learning in mice. A standard polypropylene mouse housing tub is connected through an acrylic tube to a standard commercial mouse test box. The test box has 3 hoppers, 2 of which are connected to pellet feeders. All are internally illuminable with an LED and monitored for head entries by infrared (IR) beams. Mice live in the environment, which eliminates handling during screening. They obtain their food during two or more daily feeding periods by performing in operant (instrumental) and Pavlovian (classical) protocols, for which we have written protocol-control software and quasi-real-time data analysis and graphing software. The data analysis and graphing routines are written in a MATLAB-based language created to simplify greatly the analysis of large time-stamped behavioral and physiological event records and to preserve a full data trail from raw data through all intermediate analyses to the published graphs and statistics within a single data structure. The data-analysis code harvests the data several times a day and subjects it to statistical and graphical analyses, which are automatically stored in the &#34;cloud&#34; and on in-lab computers. Thus, the progress of individual mice is visualized and quantified daily. The data-analysis code talks to the protocol-control code, permitting the automated advance from protocol to protocol of individual subjects. The behavioral protocols implemented are matching, autoshaping, timed hopper-switching, risk assessment in timed hopper-switching, impulsivity measurement, and the circadian anticipation of food availability. Open-source protocol-control and data-analysis code makes the addition of new protocols simple. Eight test environments fit in a 48 in x 24 in x 78 in&#160;cabinet; two such cabinets (16 environments) may be controlled by one computer.

Fully automated system for measuring physiologically meaningful properties of the mechanisms mediating spatial localization, temporal localization, duration, rate&#160;and probability estimation, risk assessment, impulsivity, and the accuracy and precision of memory, in order to assess the effects of genetic and pharmacological manipulations on foundational mechanisms of cognition in mice.

We describe a high-throughput, high-volume, fully automated, live-in 24/7 behavioral testing system for assessing the effects of genetic and ...

Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities

Objective and easy measurement of sensory processing is extremely difficult in nonverbal or vulnerable pediatric patients. We developed a new methodology to quantitatively assess children&#39;s cortical processing of light touch, speech sounds and the multisensory processing of the 2 stimuli, without requiring active subject participation or causing children discomfort. To accomplish this we developed a dual channel, time and strength calibrated air puff stimulator that allows both tactile stimulation and sham control. We combined this with the use of event-related potential methodology to allow for high temporal resolution of signals from the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices as well as higher order processing. This methodology also allowed us to measure a multisensory response to auditory-tactile stimulation.

Objective and easy measurement of sensory processing is extremely difficult in nonverbal or vulnerable pediatric patients. We developed a new methodology to quantitatively assess infants and children&#39;s cortical processing of light touch, speech sounds, and the multisensory processing of the 2 stimuli, without requiring active subject participation or causing discomfort in vulnerable patients.

Objective and easy measurement of sensory processing is extremely difficult in nonverbal or vulnerable pediatric patients. We developed a new methodology ...

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test

In many situations humans are influenced by the behavior of other people and their relationships with them. For example, in stressful situations supportive behavior of other people as well as positive social relationships can act as powerful resources to cope with stress. In order to study the interplay between these variables, this protocol describes two effective experimental manipulations of social relationships and supportive behavior in the laboratory. In the present article, these two manipulations are implemented in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)&#8212;a standard stress induction paradigm in which participants are subjected to a simulated job interview. More precisely, we propose (a) a manipulation of the relationship between different protagonists in the TSST by making a shared social identity salient and (b) a manipulation of the behavior of the TSST-selection committee, which acts either supportively or unsupportively. These two experimental manipulations are designed in a modular fashion and can be applied independently of each other but can also be combined. Moreover, these two manipulations can also be integrated into other stress protocols and into other standardized social interactions such as trust games, negotiation tasks, or other group tasks.

Previous research on the social dimension of stress has focused on two important variables: social identity and social support. This protocol introduces an effective experimental manipulation of these two social variables and describes their implementation in a standard stress induction paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test).

In many situations humans are influenced by the behavior of other people and their relationships with them. For example, in stressful situations ...

Eye-tracking to Distinguish Comprehension-based and Oculomotor-based Regressive Eye Movements During Reading

Regressive eye movements are eye movements that move backwards through the text and comprise approximately 10-25% of eye movements during reading. As such, understanding the causes and mechanisms of regressions plays an important role in understanding eye movement behavior. Inhibition of return (IOR) is an oculomotor effect that results in increased latency to return attention to a previously attended target versus a target that was not previously attended. Thus, IOR may affect regressions. This paper describes how to design materials to distinguish between regressions caused by comprehension-related and oculomotor processes; the latter is subject to IOR. The method allows researchers to identify IOR and control the causes of regressions. While the method requires tightly controlled materials and large numbers of participants and materials, it allows researchers to distinguish and control the types of regressions that occur in their reading studies.

The method was designed to investigate the role of inhibition of return (IOR) in regressive eye movements during reading. The focus is on differentiating between regressions triggered as a result of comprehension difficulty versus those triggered from oculomotor error, including the role of IOR in the two types of regressions.

Regressive eye movements are eye movements that move backwards through the text and comprise approximately 10-25% of eye movements during reading. As ...

Decomposing the Variance in Reading Comprehension to Reveal the Unique and Common Effects of Language and Decoding

The Simple View of Reading is a popular model of reading that claims that reading is the product of decoding and language, with each component uniquely predicting reading comprehension. Although researchers have argued whether the sum rather than the product of the components is the better predictor, no researchers have partitioned the variance explained to examine the extent to which the components share variance in predicting reading. To decompose the variance, we subtract the R2 for the language-only model from the full model to obtain the unique R2 for decoding. Second, we subtract the R2 for the decoding-only model from the full model to obtain the unique R2 for language. Third, to obtain the common variance explained by language and decoding, we subtract the sum of the two unique R2 from the R2 for the full model. The method is demonstrated in a regression approach with data from students in grades 1 (n = 372), 6 (n = 309), and 10 (n = 122) using an observed measure of language (receptive vocabulary), decoding (timed word reading), and reading comprehension (standardized test). Results reveal a relatively large amount of variance in reading comprehension explained in grade 1 by the common variance in decoding and language. By grade 10, however, it is the unique effect of language and the common effect of language and decoding that explained the majority of variance in reading comprehension. Results are discussed in the context of an expanded version of the Simple View of Reading that considers unique and shared effects of language and decoding in predicting reading comprehension.

Here we present a protocol for decomposing the variance in reading comprehension into the unique and common effects of language and decoding.

The Simple View of Reading is a popular model of reading that claims that reading is the product of decoding and language, with each component uniquely ...

Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity

Physical activity (PA) assessment needs tools that are inexpensive and easy to administer. Common questionnaires inquire time spent in light, moderate, and vigorous PA. However, inaccuracies may occur due to individually different understanding of PA intensity levels. Alternatively used direct measures (e.g., accelerometers) are susceptible to reactivity bias and may lack the ability to capture certain activities. Compared to accelerometer measurement, respondents report more time spent in higher-intensity PA. A video that visualizes PA intensity levels might help to overcome this problem. This report describes the design of a randomized controlled trial as a methodology to investigate the effect of a video on the difference between self-reported and directly measured PA. It is hypothesized that the video reduces the mean difference between the two measures. Individuals from the general population are recruited. Hip-worn accelerometers are used to collect directly measured PA data on seven consecutive days. Afterwards, participants are randomly allocated to the experimental and the control group. The experimental group receives a video demonstration on PA intensity levels and subsequent PA assessment via self-administered computer-assisted questionnaire. The control group receives PA assessment only. Thereafter, the data are processed to compare the difference between self-reported and accelerometer-based moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) between the study groups using a two-sample t-test. This methodology is appropriate for investigating the effect of any existing or self-produced video on the difference between the two measurement methods. It can be used not only for persons from the general population, but for a variety of other populations and contexts as accurate measures are needed to evaluate PA levels.

This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial as a method to test the effect of a video demonstration on the intra-individual difference between self-reported and accelerometer-based moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Physical activity (PA) assessment needs tools that are inexpensive and easy to administer. Common questionnaires inquire time spent in light, moderate, ...

In Vivo Protocol of Controlled Subconcussive Head Impacts for the Validation of Field Study Data

Subconcussive hits pose a threat to neuronal health as they have shown to induce neuronal structural damage and functional impairment without causing outward symptomology and appear to be a key contributor to an irreversible neurodegenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In addition, athletes can incur more than 1,000 of these hits per season. The subconcussive soccer heading model (SSHM) is a relevant, reproducible, and leading method of isolating and examining the effects of these subconcussive head impacts. By controlling variables such as ball traveling speed, the frequency of impacts, interval, ball placement to the head, as well as by measuring head impact magnitude, the SSHM provides the scientific community with a superior avenue of investigating the acute subconcussive effects on neuronal health. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of SSHM in studying a time-course expression of neurofilament-light polypeptide (NF-L) in plasma in a repeated measures fashion. NF-L is an axonal injury marker that has previously been shown to be elevated in boxers and football players following subconcussive head trauma. Thirty-four adult aged soccer players were recruited and randomly assigned to either a soccer heading (n = 18) or kicking (n = 16) group. The heading group executed 10 headers with soccer balls projected at a velocity of 25 mph over 10 min. The kicking group followed the same protocol with 10 kicks. Plasma samples were obtained before and at 0 h, 2 h, and 24 h after heading/kicking and assessed for NF-L expressions. The heading group showed a gradual increase in plasma NF-L expression and peaked at 24 h after the heading protocol, whereas the kicking group remained consistent across the time points. These results confirmed the NF-L data from clinical field studies, encouraging the use of SSHM to validate clinical subconcussion data.

The subconcussive soccer heading model is a safe and concise methodological approach to isolate and measure the effects of subconcussive head impacts.

Subconcussive hits pose a threat to neuronal health as they have shown to induce neuronal structural damage and functional impairment without causing ...

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Valid and efficient measures for assessing the quality of parent-child relationships are needed to facilitate research and evidence-based practice with parents. This paper focuses on such a method, namely Five-Minute Speech Sample-Coherence (FMSS-Coherence). In this method, a parent is asked to speak for five uninterrupted minutes about her/his child and their relationship. The resulted narrative is coded for coherence, namely the extent to which the parent provides&#160;in the narrative&#160;a clear, consistent, multidimensional and well-supported portrayal of the child. FMSS-Coherence is based on attachment research that shows that the coherence of parents&#8217; narratives is indicative of the quality of the parent-child relationship and child adjustment. It overcomes the limitations of attachment narrative measures which are typically labor intensive. FMSS-Coherence is less nuanced than extant attachment narrative measures. Yet, studies of families from different cultural backgrounds, across different child ages and in the context of typically developing children as well as children with special needs suggest that coherence can be reliably evaluated using the FMSS procedure. Furthermore, parents&#8217; FMSS-Coherence is associated with parenting quality and children&#8217;s socio-emotional adjustment. Thus, it holds promise for researchers and practitioners who seek a relatively time- and cost-effective method for assessing the coherence of parents&#8217; narratives regarding their child.

This paper introduces a method for assessing the coherence of parents' short narratives regarding their child and their relationship using the five-minute speech sample procedure.

Valid and efficient measures for assessing the quality of parent-child relationships are needed to facilitate research and evidence-based practice with ...

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills

The Cholesky decomposition method is the gold standard used in the field of behavioral genetics. The method is popular because it is easy to program and solve. Using this method, researchers can explore individual differences in longitudinal relations of different variables across multiple time points. The method allows investigators to decompose variance into (1) unique&#160;genetic, shared and non-shared environmental effects that arise at specific time points as well as (2) overlapping genetic, shared and non-shared environmental effects that carry over from one time point to another. However, the method does not identify the mechanisms or origins underlying these effects. The current report focuses on application of the Cholesky decomposition method in the field of educational psychology. Specifically, it discusses individual differences in longitudinal relations between kindergarten letter knowledge, kindergarten phonological awareness, first grade word-level reading skills, and seventh grade reading comprehension.

This paper demonstrates use of the gold standard method in behavioral genetics, the Cholesky decomposition method, to estimate unique, overlapping genetic and environmental influences on different variables to answer longitudinally motivated research questions.

The Cholesky decomposition method is the gold standard used in the field of behavioral genetics. The method is popular because it is easy to program and ...