Cognitive processing and developmental changes in finnish school students: Comparison between normal and language impaired (dysphasic) students |
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| Authors: | Seija M Äystö |
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| Institution: | 1. Developmental Disability Centre, 44201, Suolahti, Filand
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| Abstract: | Course of cognitive development was investigated in a sample of normal school students (N=163) in the middle part of Finland by giving the students tests of four cognitive functions that were categorized according to the PASS theory of intelligence (planning, attention, simultaneous and successive processing). Subsequently, a group of students in special education (N=60, language impaired school students) was also studied for possible deviations in cognitive development. The age of the students varied from 7 to 19 years. Three main goals were (1) to study developmental trends of cognitive functions across three different age groups of school students and in two samples, (2) to identify distinct cognitive subgroups and profiles among the students, and, (3) to compare the cognitive profiles of normal and language impaired (dysphasic) students. First, in a cross-sectional design, it was seen linear cognitive trends for all PASS tasks, however so, that for the language impaired group the cognitive development was not as salient as for the normal students. Especially successive processing did not show developmental trend in the sample of language impaired (dysphasic) students. Secondly, a cluster analysis procedure following a factor analysis demonstrated two very distinct cognitive subgroups among the normal and dysphasic students. The subgroups in both separate samples differed from each other in successive and simultaneous processes. Additionally, the two subgroups of the normal students differed from each other also in planning. Thirdly, compared to the normal students, the dysphasic highly functioning subgroup did worse than normals in nonverbal successive ordering, but did better in verbal successive task. Contrary to expectations, the deviation was not on the verbal but instead on a nonverbal task. Need for extending PASS research into other types of learning problems (such as arithmetics, severe learning disability) is articulated. Pragmatically, observed minor differences in cognitive structure between the two student samples refer to differential remediation and skill training. |
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