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ABSTRACTThis article evaluates the effects of an individualized intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on the principles of the DIR/FloortimeTMmodel, which encourages caregivers to follow their child’s emotions and interests and to interact with them in a natural social environment to help children develop social communication skills. Twenty-five preschool children with ASD, ranging from 3 to 6 years of age, received care from an interdisciplinary team specializing in ASD intervention, which included psychologists, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists. The children received supportive care from these professionals based on their individual and family needs and concerns. A pre-experimental research design, pre-tests (1)- post-test (2) was given. The effects of the intervention were evaluated using the “Assessment Scale of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” which was completed by the parents before and after the intervention. Children made significant changes in mean scores within the areas of “Social Communication” and “Sensory Processing.” The results revealed that this intervention, focused on the development of relationships and interaction through play, had positive effects on the development of communication and sensory regulation with children with ASD at early ages.

Critical thinking is a kind of “good” thinking that integrates a set of cognitive skills and dispositions to use those skills with knowledge to increase the chances of success in academic settings, job market, and daily life. The impact of critical thinking on life events, in face of everyday decisions and challenges, is still unclear, and further research is needed. In this exploratory study, a sample of 230 first-year students of a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree in Portugal completed an experimental Portuguese version of the Real-World Outcomes, a self-report inventory measuring everyday negative life events that are mediated by a lack of critical thinking. Based on exploratory factor analysis results and theoretical premises, changes were made to the Portuguese version of the inventory that was administered, and items were aggregated into six dimensions, creating a new version that is more familiar to Portuguese young adults in college. This original proposal of the inventory presents six types of negative life events resulting from a lack of critical thinking: health neglect, mismanagement, slackness, poor impulse control, academic negligence, and rashness. Both limitations and future potentialities of this version are presented.

There is a positive relationship between learning music and academic achievement, although doubts remain regarding the mechanisms underlying this association. This research analyses the academic performance of music and non-music students from seventh to ninth grade. The study controls for socioeconomic status, intelligence, motivation and prior academic achievement. Data were collected from 110 adolescents at two time points, once when the students were between 11 and 14 years old in the seventh grade, and again 3 years later. Our results show that music students perform better academically than non-music students in the seventh grade (Cohen’s d= 0.88) and in the ninth grade (Cohen’s d= 1.05). This difference is particularly evident in their scores in Portuguese language and natural science; the difference is somewhat weaker in history and geography scores, and is least pronounced in mathematics and English scores (η2pfrom .09 to .21). A longitudinal analysis also revealed better academic performance by music students after controlling for prior academic achievement (η2p= .07). Furthermore, controlling for intelligence, socioeconomic status and motivation did not eliminate the positive association between music learning from the seventh to the ninth grade and students’ academic achievement (η2p= .06). During the period, music students maintained better and more consistent academic standing. We conclude that, after controlling for intelligence, socioeconomic status and motivation, music training is positively associated with academic achievement.

Recent studies have shown contradictory evidence regarding cognitive abilities differentiation and organization in childhood. Cattell's investment theory postulated that during the early stages of life, the individual begins with a single and general ability (fluid intelligence), in which the relevance tends to decrease during adolescence, due to the appearance of differentiated abilities developed through the process of socialization and associated with the motivations, interests and experiences. This study analyses whether the factorial structure of the results in a battery of tests supports the existence of a general factor or, instead, a structure formed by different specific factors. A sample of 472 Portuguese children, aged between 4 and 10 years old, completed the Cognitive Competencies Scale for Children (ECCOs 4/10), and four subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Revised (WPPSI-R). The adjustment of some models that reflect different psychometric theories of intelligence was tested by several confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The implications of the tested models in the organization of cognitive abilities for cognitive development and school learning in childhood are also discussed.

This study assesses the interactions between sex, socioeconomic level, and children’s cognitive performance. Cognitive performance was measured for a sample of 453 Portuguese children, aged between 4 and 10 years, with 218 boys and 235 girls; verbal and nonverbal cognitive ability and intelligence quotient were measured by the Cognitive Skills Scale for Children. Multivariate analysis of variance assessed the effects of sex and family’s socioeconomic level on intelligence quotient. A statistically significant interaction between sex and socioeconomic level was observed for nonverbal intelligence quotient, total intelligence quotient, and two subtests. Socioeconomic level had more influence than sex on most of the cognitive tests.

Little empirical evidence is available on the professional characteristics and practices of school psychologists in Portugal. This study surveyed a total of 477 Portuguese school psychologists employed in public (80%) and private schools (20%). Portuguese school psychologists are described with regard to demographic, professional, and educational backgrounds, school settings, roles performed, and main target populations served. Evaluating and counseling regular education students, vocational guidance, and special education-related activities emerged as the most time-consuming professional practices. A professional practice primarily focused on students, mainly from the highest education levels, was also observed. Results are compared with findings of previous surveys and reviewed in the context of the current literature on the school psychologist's role. Implications for the field are also provided.

Adaptar un test entre culturas o idiomas requiere considerar aspectos legales, culturales, lingüísticos, métricos y de uso. La atención prestada por la literatura especializada a los aspectos metodológicos implicados en el estudio de la equivalencia métrica ha sido significativamente mayor que la dedicada a los procedimientos analítico-racionales previos a la fase de confirmación empírica. Sin embargo, la consideración de estos últimos es crucial en el proceso de adaptación. En esta línea, el objetivo de este trabajo es incidir en la relevancia de las etapas previas y describirlas, ofreciendo una sistematización que considera diez apartados. Todos ellos contribuyen a garantizar y favorecer la construcción de un test adaptado y equivalente, en la medida de lo posible, al test original. El proceso es ejemplificado con la adaptación al español de una prueba cognitiva construida en portugués para la población portuguesa, la Bateria de Provas de Raciocínio.

In accordance with Item Response Theory, a computer memory battery with six tests was constructed for use in the Portuguese adult population. A factor analysis was conducted to assess the internal structure of the tests (N= 547 undergraduate students). According to the literature, several confirmatory factor models were evaluated. Results showed better fit of a model with two independent latent variables corresponding to verbal and non-verbal factors, reproducing the initial battery organization. Internal consistency reliability for the six tests were α = .72 to .89. IRT analyses (Rasch and partial credit models) yielded good Infit and Outfit measures and high precision for parameter estimation. The potential utility of these memory tasks for psychological research and practice will be discussed.

This study examined whether performance on a single working-memory task (Digits Backward) was associated with scores on field-dependence-independence, as measured on the Children's Embedded Figures Test. Four different age groups of children were tested (N= 144): 33 8-yr.-olds, 40 9-yr.-olds, 33 10-yr.-olds, and 38 11-yr.-olds. Children were classified into three groups (Field-dependent, Field-independent, and Intermediate) within each age range. Analyses of variance indicated performance on the Digits Backward was significantly higher for the children in the 11-yr.-old group than the youngest group (8-yr.-olds). Children in the Field-independent groups also had significantly higher scores than those in the Field-dependent or Intermediate groups. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This paper reviews relevant research concerning the utilization of Field-dependence-independence cognitive style in vocational decision-making as well as in implementation and adjustment of career choices. Need for further investigation is highlighted and how career interventions can be enriched by including cognitive style indicated. A test of cognitive styles offers complementary information to traditional career counseling but needs to be explicitly integrated into personal history, academic experiences, achievements, motivations, and vocational goals. New directions for research are offered.

AbstractAlthough much research has been done to study the working memory structure in children in their first school years, the relation of cognitive constructs involved in this process remains uncertain. In particular, it is unclear whether working memory is a domain general construct that coordinates separate codes of verbal and visuospatial storage or whether it is a domain-specific construct with distinct resources of verbal and visuospatial information. This paper investigates the structure of working memory, by using the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C) and by doing confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on a sample of Portuguese children (n= 103) between 8 and 9 years of age. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses that provide the best fit of the data correspond to the model that includes Central Executive and Visuospatial Sketchpad in the same factor, co-varying with a Phonological Loop factor. Moreover, the traditional working memory tripartite structure – based on the Baddeley and Hitch Model – revealed good fit to the data.