Do Neuropsychological Measures Contribute to the Prediction of Academic Achievement? The Predictive Validity of the LNNB-CR Pathognomonic Scale

Abstract

It is well known that measures of intelligence are good predictors of academic achievement. Because many children with behavioral or learning problems also do poorly on neuropsychological measures, it was of interest to examine the predictive validity of a measure of neuropsychological integrity and determine its joint and independent contribution in comparison with traditional intelligence measures. The Pathognomonic Scale (PS) of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision (LNNB-CR), which consists of the 13 items from the full LNNB-CR that best discriminate brain-damaged from normal children, was obtained for a sample of 77 children referred to a psychology clinic for behavioral and emotional problems. The PS was found to account for a small (12% or less), but statistically significant amount of variance that was independent of that accounted for by WISC-R intelligence scores in predicting reading and spelling, but not arithmetic achievement. These results provide limited support for the use of the PS in the prediction of academic achievement.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Carr, M. A. , Sweet, J. J. , & Rossini, E. (1986). Diagnostic validity of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 354-358.

Chelune, G. C. (1982). A reexamination of the relationship between the Luria-Nebraska and Halstead-Reitan Batteries: Overlap with the WAIS. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 578-580.

Golden, C. J. (1981). The Luria-Nebraska Children's Battery: Theory and formulation. In G. W. Hynd and J. E. Obrzut (Eds.), Neuropsychological assessment and the school-age child (pp. 277-302). New York: Grune & Stratton.

Hale, R. L. , & Foltz, S. G. (1982). Prediction of academic achievement in handicapped adolescents using a modified form of the Luria-Nebraska Pathognomonic Scale and WISC-R Full Scale IQ. Clinical Neuropsychology, 4, 99-102.

Halstead, W. C. (1947). Brain and intelligence. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hynd, G. W. , Snow, J. , & Becker, M. G. (1986). Neuropsychological assessment in clinical child psychology. In B. B. Lahey & A. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 9, pp. 35-86). New York: Plenum Press.

Hynd, G. W. , & Willis, W. G. (1988). Pediatric neuropsychology. Philadelphia: Grune & Stratton.

Jastak, J. F. , & Jastak, S. R. (1978). The Wide Range Achievement Test. Wilmington, DE: Jastak Associates.

Karras, D. , Newlin, D. B. , Franzen, M. D. , Golden, C. J. , Wilkening, G. N. , Rothermel, Jr., R. D. , & Tramontana, M. J. (1987). Development of factor scales for the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 16, 19-28.

10.

Kaufman, A. S. (1979). Intelligent testing with the WISC-R. New York: Wiley Interscience.

11.

Myers, J. K. , & Bean, L. L. (1968). A decade later: A follow-up of social class and mental illness. New York: John Wiley.

12.

Psychological Corporation . (1983). Basic Achievement Skills Individual Screener (BASIS). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

13.

Rourke, B. P. (1983). Reading and spelling disabilities: A developmental neuropsychological perspective. In U. Kirk (Ed.), Neuropsychology of language, reading, and spelling (pp. 209-234). New York: Academic Press.

14.

Sawicki, R. F. , Leark, R. , Golden, C. J. , & Karras, D. (1984). The development of the Pathognomonic, Left Sensorimotor, and Right Sensorimotor Scales for the Luria-Nebraska Nueropsychological Battery-Children's Revision. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 13, 165-169.

15.

Snow, J. , & Hynd, G. W. (1985). Factor structure of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision. Journal of School Psychology, 23, 271-276.

16.

Teeter, P. A. (1985). Neurodevelopmental investigation of academic achievement: A report of years 1 and 2 of a longitudinal study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 709-717.

17.

Townes, B. D. , Trupin, E. W. , Martin, D. C. , & Goldstein, D. (1980). Neuropsychological correlates of academic success among elementary school children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 675-684.

18.

Wechsler, D. (1974). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. New York: Psychological Corporation.