[Article Review] Refining Reliability: A Dive into Attenuation-Corrected Estimators

Reference

Metsämuuronen, Jari. (2022). Attenuation-Corrected Estimators of Reliability. Applied Psychological Measurement, 46(8), 720-737. https://doi.org/10.1177/01466216221108131

Review

Metsämuuronen (2022) explored the conventional issues of reliability estimates in the field of psychological measurement. The primary contention is that widely accepted estimators often present attenuated or deflated results due to the item-score correlation being influenced by numerous sources of mechanical error. The author brings to light that, in specific datasets, traditional alpha estimates can be diminished by significant factors, often ranging from 0.40 to 0.60 units of reliability.

The crux of the article rests on introducing a fresh estimator of correlation, named the attenuation-corrected correlation (RAC). Metsämuuronen posits that the RAC, defined as the observed correlation's proportion with the maximal attainable correlation for a particular item and score, can yield more accurate reliability results. By integrating RAC in place of the ρgX in the established formulas, a series of newly formulated deflation-corrected estimators emerge, including the attenuation-corrected versions of alpha, theta, omega, and maximal reliability.

While Metsämuuronen's contribution offers a promising avenue for refining reliability estimates, it also invites further empirical validation. The empirical examples provided are persuasive, but the scope of its application to diverse datasets remains a point of exploration. Nonetheless, this study is commendable for challenging the status quo and initiating a discussion on enhancing the precision of reliability measures in psychological assessments.

[Article Review] Strategic Self-Control: The Secret to Higher SAT Scores

Reference

Baldwin, C. R., Haimovitz, K., Shankar, P., Gallop, R., Yeager, D., Gross, J. J., & Duckworth, A. L. (2022). Self-control and SAT outcomes: Evidence from two national field studies. PLOS ONE, 17(9), e0274380. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274380

Review

In this article, the authors investigate the impact of willpower and strategic self-control on SAT scores and study time. The study is grounded in the understanding that self-control is often equated with willpower, but recent research has highlighted the importance of strategic approaches to self-control. The authors collaborated with the College Board to survey two national samples of high school students about their motivation strategies for studying for the SAT college admission exam.

The first study (N = 5,563) showed that strategic self-control predicted more hours of SAT practice and higher SAT scores than willpower, even after controlling for prior PSAT scores. The more self-control strategies students utilized, the higher their SAT scores, with diminishing marginal returns for additional strategies. Mediation analyses revealed that the benefits of self-control strategies on SAT scores were fully explained by increased practice time. These results were corroborated in the second study, a preregistered replication with N = 14,259 high school students.

Overall, the article by Baldwin et al. (2022) highlights the importance of strategic self-control over willpower in achieving better outcomes in high-stakes, real-world situations like the SAT exam. The findings suggest that students should focus on developing and implementing self-control strategies to improve their chances of success on the SAT and similar exams.

[Article Review] Revealing the Hidden Impact of Air Pollution on Health and Intelligence: A Review

Reference

Landrigan, P. J., Fisher, S., Kenny, M. E., Gedeon, B., Bryan, L., Mu, J., & Bellinger, D. (2022). A replicable strategy for mapping air pollution’s community-level health impacts and catalyzing prevention. Environmental Health, 21(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00879-3

Review

In this groundbreaking study, Landrigan et al. (2022) propose a replicable strategy for mapping air pollution's health impacts at the community level in Massachusetts. They demonstrate that air pollution exposure levels below current EPA standards still result in significant disease, death, and IQ loss, especially in low-income, minority communities. The authors urge for tighter air quality standards and government-incentivized transitions to renewable energy sources.

The researchers utilized EPA's Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis (BenMAP-CE) software and state data to quantify the effects of PM2.5 pollution on disease, death, and children's cognitive function (IQ Loss) in Massachusetts. They found that the annual mean PM2.5 concentration in the state in 2019 was 6.3 μg/M3, which is below EPA's standard of 12 μg/M3 but above WHO's guideline of 5 μg/M3. PM2.5 pollution was responsible for an estimated 2780 deaths, 308 low-weight births, 15,386 asthma cases, and a provisionally estimated loss of nearly 2 million Performance IQ points.

The findings highlight the urgent need for policymakers to take action to tighten air quality standards and implement pollution prevention measures. The authors suggest that enduring prevention will require a government-incentivized transition to renewable energy coupled with phase-outs of subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels.

This study is an essential contribution to the growing body of evidence showing the detrimental effects of air pollution on health and cognitive function, even at levels below current regulatory standards. By providing a replicable strategy for mapping air pollution's community-level health impacts, the research offers a valuable tool for informing policy decisions and catalyzing change.

[Article Review] Maternal Milk Feeding in Preterm Infants: The Key to Better Neurodevelopmental Outcomes?

Reference

Belfort, M. B., Knight, E., Chandarana, S., Ikem, E., Gould, J. F., Collins, C. T., Makrides, M., Gibson, R. A., Anderson, P. J., Simmer, K., Tiemeier, H., & Rumbold, A. (2022). Associations of Maternal Milk Feeding With Neurodevelopmental Outcomes at 7 Years of Age in Former Preterm Infants. JAMA Network Open, 5(7), e2221608. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.21608

Review

The study by Belfort et al. (2022) examined the association between maternal milk feeding and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 7 years of age in preterm infants born at less than 33 weeks of gestation. The prospective cohort study involved 586 infants from five Australian perinatal centers who were enrolled in the Docosahexaenoic Acid for Improvement of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes study between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2005.

The researchers measured maternal milk intake, including mean volume (milliliters per kilogram per day) during neonatal hospitalization and total duration (in months), as well as neurodevelopmental outcomes at 7 years of age. The outcomes assessed were IQ, academic achievement, ADHD symptoms, executive function, and behavior.

The results showed that higher maternal milk intake during neonatal hospitalization was associated with better performance IQ, reading, and math scores, and fewer ADHD symptoms. Longer duration of maternal milk intake was associated with higher reading, spelling, and math scores. Interestingly, the study found that maternal milk feeding was not associated with improved full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, executive function, or behavior. Most associations were stronger among infants born at lower gestational ages, particularly less than 30 weeks.

In conclusion, the findings of Belfort et al. (2022) suggest that maternal milk feeding during neonatal hospitalization and after discharge might be associated with better school-age performance IQ and academic achievement, and with a reduction in ADHD symptoms, particularly among infants born at less than 30 weeks gestation.

[Article Review] Unveiling the Secrets of CORD7 Mutation: A Pathway to Enhanced Cognitive Abilities

Reference

Paul, M. M., Dannhäuser, S., Morris, L., Mrestani, A., Hübsch, M., Gehring, J., ... & Langenhan, T. (2022). The human cognition-enhancing CORD7 mutation increases active zone number and synaptic release. Brain, 145(11), 3787-3802. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awac011

Review

In a recent study published in Brain, Paul et al. (2022) delved into the enigmatic CORD7 mutation, which is associated with increased verbal IQ and working memory in humans. The autosomal dominant syndrome results from the R844H exchange in the C2A domain of RIMS1/RIM1, a vital component of presynaptic active zones. Until now, the impact of the CORD7 mutation on synaptic function remained unclear.

Using Drosophila melanogaster as a disease model, the researchers employed protein expression and X-ray crystallography to resolve the molecular structure of the fly's C2A domain. They found that the location of the CORD7 mutation is structurally conserved in fly RIM. CRISPR/Cas9-assisted genomic engineering was then utilized to generate rim alleles encoding the R915H CORD7 exchange or R915E, R916E substitutions to investigate their effects on synaptic transmission.

Electrophysiological characterization revealed that the CORD7 mutation exerted a semi-dominant effect on synaptic transmission, resulting in the faster, more efficient synaptic release, increased size of the readily releasable pool, and decreased sensitivity for the fast calcium chelator BAPTA. Additionally, the rim CORD7 allele increased the number of presynaptic active zones without altering their nanoscopic organization, as demonstrated by super-resolution microscopy of the presynaptic scaffold protein Bruchpilot/ELKS/CAST.

These findings suggest that the CORD7 mutation enhances synaptic transmission efficiency by promoting tighter release coupling, an increased readily releasable pool size, and more release sites. The authors conclude that similar mechanisms may underlie the CORD7 disease phenotype in patients and contribute to their heightened cognitive abilities. This study not only provides valuable insights into the molecular underpinnings of the CORD7 mutation but also paves the way for further research into potential therapeutic applications.

[Article Review] Unraveling the Impact of Digital Media on Children's Intelligence: A Comprehensive Study

Reference

Sauce, B., Liebherr, M., Judd, N., & Klingberg, T. (2022). The impact of digital media on children’s intelligence while controlling for genetic differences in cognition and socioeconomic background. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 7720. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-11341-2

Review

In their article, Sauce, Liebherr, Judd, and Klingberg (2022) explore the cognitive effects of digital media on children, addressing the ongoing debate surrounding this topic. The authors advocate for the inclusion of genetic data in such studies to clarify causal claims and account for typically unaddressed genetic predispositions. The study analyzed 9,855 children in the United States, part of the ABCD dataset, with intelligence measurements taken at ages 9-10 and after two years.

The authors discovered that time spent watching (r = -0.12) and socializing (r = -0.10) was negatively correlated with intelligence at baseline, while gaming showed no correlation. However, after two years, gaming had a positive impact on intelligence (standardized β = +0.17), which aligns with experimental studies on video gaming's cognitive benefits. Socializing, on the other hand, had no effect.

Interestingly, watching videos also benefited intelligence (standardized β = +0.12), which contradicts prior research on the impact of watching TV. A post hoc analysis, though, revealed that this was not significant when controlling for parental education instead of SES. Overall, the results support research on cognitive abilities' malleability from environmental factors, such as cognitive training and the Flynn effect.

The study by Sauce et al. (2022) provides valuable insights into the cognitive impact of digital media on children while addressing potential confounding factors. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between screen time and children's intelligence, offering implications for future research and educational policy.

[Article Review] Unraveling Cognitive Deficits in Post-Acute COVID-19 Patients: A Comprehensive Study

Reference

Hampshire, A., Chatfield, D.A., Manktelow, A.M., Jolly, A., Trender, W., Hellyer, P.J., ... & Menon, D.K. (2022). Multivariate profile and acute-phase correlates of cognitive deficits in a COVID-19 hospitalized cohort. eClinicalMedicine, 47, 101417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101417

Review

This study by Hampshire et al. (2022) aimed to confirm the association between severe COVID-19 and persistent cognitive deficits, determine whether cognitive deficits relate to acute-phase clinical features or mental health status at the assessment point, and quantify the rate of recovery. The researchers conducted a comprehensive computerized cognitive assessment of 46 individuals who received critical care for COVID-19 at Addenbrooke's Hospital between March 10th, 2020, and July 31st, 2020, and compared their results with matched controls (N = 460) using normative datasets (N = 66,008).

The results showed that COVID-19 survivors were less accurate and slower in their responses than their matched controls. Acute illness severity, but not chronic mental health, significantly predicted cognitive deviation from expected scores. The most prominent task associations with COVID-19 were for higher cognition and processing speed, which was qualitatively distinct from the profiles of normal aging and dementia and similar in magnitude to the effects of aging between 50 and 70 years of age. The trend towards reduced deficits with time from illness did not reach statistical significance.

The study concluded that cognitive deficits after severe COVID-19 are most strongly related to acute illness severity, persist long into the chronic phase, and recover slowly, if at all, with a characteristic profile highlighting higher cognitive functions and processing speed. The research was supported by funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility (BRC-1215-20014), Addenbrooke’s Charities Trust, and NIHR COVID-19 BioResource RG9402.