Papers by Jerusa F. Salles
O sistema cognitivo possui capacidade limitada de processar informações, priorizando recursos ate... more O sistema cognitivo possui capacidade limitada de processar informações, priorizando recursos atencionais a algumas, em detrimento de outras. A influência do tempo entre a apresentação de dois estímulos parece ser importante para esta seleção, pois dependendo do intervalo, a atenção ao primeiro prejudica a percepção do segundo. A este fenômeno chamou-se piscar atencional -PA. O objetivo desta revisão é apresentar o PA, descrever o paradigma utilizado para o seu estudo, as pesquisas que inicialmente o identificaram, os principais modelos teóricos que buscam explicar o fenômeno, bem como a sua relação com o efeito de priming semântico e com o processamento de estímulos emocionais. Os estudos mostram que os recursos atencionais são limitados também no domínio temporal e que a não percepção do segundo estímulo parece estar mais relacionada a uma limitação do controle da distribuição atencional, do que a uma falta de recursos propriamente dita. Além disso, esta limitação parece se relativizar conforme a classe de estímulos investigada. Conjuntamente, os achados discutidos demonstram a utilidade desta ferramenta experimental, a qual pode contribuir para o estudo de processos mentais e suas interações. © Cien. Cogn. 2011; Vol. 16 (1): 165-179.
This study investigated the different performance of neuropsycholinguistic profiles in post-strok... more This study investigated the different performance of neuropsycholinguistic profiles in post-stroke patients in the left hemisphere (LH) with expressive aphasia, compared to healthy controls. We used the case-control study design with a sample consisting of 14 Brazilian adult patients (mean age 55.8; SD = 12.5), of both genders, with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke in the LH and 16 healthy adults (mean age 56; SD = 10.9). All participants underwent neuropsycholinguistic evaluation. Statistically significant differences were found between the clinical group and the control group in the functions of attention, working memory, verbal episodic-semantic memory, constructive praxis, executive functions and expressive language skills. We concluded that the linguistic and nonlinguistic cognitive skills and sociodemographic characteristics of the aphasic patients should be analyzed in detail to facilitate the development of more effective rehabilitation programs for aphasia.
Elevated levels of anxiety have been associated
with students’ poor academic performance. Researc... more Elevated levels of anxiety have been associated
with students’ poor academic performance. Research
on domain-specific anxiety patterns in reading has demonstrated
that reading anxiety is associated with, yet distinctive
from, general anxiety. Reading anxiety is an unpleasant
emotional reaction experienced by students when reading;
it is a specific phobia, situational type. Although reading
anxiety has been largely studied in the context of second
language acquisition (L2), there is a lack of new research
on reading anxiety related to first language learning (L1).
In this article we investigate the concept of reading anxiety,
as well as the instruments that have been used to evaluate
it. Finally, we present the repercussions of reading
anxiety upon students’ reading performance and discuss
the importance of evaluating reading anxiety as a route to
better understandings of reading disabilities.
O instrumento de avaliação de leitura de palavras/pseudopalavras isoladas (LPI), de fácil aplicaç... more O instrumento de avaliação de leitura de palavras/pseudopalavras isoladas (LPI), de fácil aplicação e baixo custo, avalia a habilidade de leitura oral (reconhecimento de palavras/ pseudopalavras). São estímulos criteriosamente selecionados conforme regularidade, extensão, frequência e lexicalidade, permitindo avaliar a funcionalidade das rotas de leitura (modelos de dupla-rota). Este estudo apresenta a construção das normas de desempenho (escores totais, em palavras regulares, irregulares e pseudopalavras) para crianças do 1º ano a 7º ano do ensino fundamental, divididas por anos completos de escolarização, idade e tipo de escola. Os resultados mostraram que as crianças de séries e idades mais avançadas apresentaram melhor desempenho em LPI do que as de séries iniciais e mais novas. Os estudantes de escolas privadas tiveram melhor desempenho do que os de escolas públicas. O instrumento pode ser utilizado por diversos profissionais, para complementar a avaliação e subsídio para diagnósticos, planejamento de aulas, encaminhamentos e intervenções.
The aim of the present study was to review the tasks that have been used to assess the functionin... more The aim of the present study was to review the tasks that have been used to assess the functioning of the episodic buffer in
Baddeley’s multicomponent model of working memory. A systematic review of studies published from January 2000 to February
2013 was conducted. The search term “episodic buffer” was used in the Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, and
BVS-Psi databases. The selected articles consisted of empirical studies that used tasks to assess the episodic buffer. Theoretical
and review papers and studies with animals were excluded. The final sample comprised 36 papers. The tasks were categorized
as experimental tasks or standardized tests. The experimental tasks were grouped by modality (unimodal or crossmodal) and
described according to four criteria: task to be performed, type of stimulus used, secondary task employed, if any, and retention
interval. The standardized tests included classical measures of working memory. Some tasks were found not to meet experimental
criteria that were needed to evaluate the episodic buffer. Moreover, some of the standardized tests did not provide theoretical
arguments or empirical evidence that the episodic buffer is recruited to perform them. The results are discussed in the context
of the multicomponent model of working memory. Keywords: working memory, episodic buffer, binding, experimental task,
standardized test.
Este trabalho investiga a relação entre leitura (palavras e texto), memória
de trabalho, quocient... more Este trabalho investiga a relação entre leitura (palavras e texto), memória
de trabalho, quociente de inteligência (QI) e vocabulário em crianças (2ª-5ª séries) de
escolas públicas. Analisou-se também qual dessas habilidades melhor contribui para
explicar o desempenho em leitura. Realizaram-se análises com e sem crianças com QI
abaixo da média. Primeiro, avaliaram-se 57 crianças (9-11 anos) em QI, vocabulário,
leitura de palavras isoladas, compreensão de leitura textual e quatro tarefas de memória
de trabalho. Uma segunda análise foi feita com 47 crianças, todas com inteligência
média. A relação entre leitura, memória de trabalho e vocabulário mostrou-se
moderada. O vocabulário foi o melhor preditor do desempenho em leitura (palavras
e texto) do que as medidas de memória de trabalho na amostra total. Na análise feita
com crianças sem déficit intelectual (Wasi), as tarefas que avaliam o componente fonológico
e o executivo central da memória de trabalho contribuíram, independentemente
do vocabulário, para a leitura de palavras.
Palavras-chave: memória de trabalho; leitura; dificuldade de leitura; vocabulário;
compreensão leitora.
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental ... more The aim of this study was to assess the effect of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental education on non-verbal IQ and on the processing of oral and written language, working memory, verbal memory and executive functions in children from different age ranges. A total of 419 Brazilian children aged 6–12 years old, attending public and private schools from Porto Alegre, RS participated in the study. Structural equation analyzes revealed that in the general model (for all ages), the SES contributed to cognitive performance – IQ, verbal memory, working memory, oral and written language and executive functions (28, 19, 36, 28 and 25 %, respectively). SES had stronger effects on younger children (up to nine years old), in most cognitive tasks examined. Probably, after this age, a combination of factors such as schooling, living in other social environments, among others, may mitigate the effects of family socioeconomic status.
We investigated differences in IQ and visual-constructive skills in school-age children evaluated... more We investigated differences in IQ and visual-constructive skills in school-age children evaluated as developmentally
delayed or typically developed in early childhood. Sixty-four participants from a Brazilian cohort were evaluated in
IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence) and tasks of visual-spatial memory and visual-constructive skills through
the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) at school age. Neuropsychomotor development at 4 years of age was
measured by Denver II. Developmentally delayed children showed lower IQs, lower scores, and more errors in
copy and memory BVRT tasks when compared to typically developed children. Delay in neuropsychomotor
development in early childhood may affect the subsequent cognitive development of children.
Reading and Writing, 2012
This study evaluated the influence of the frequency of reading and writing habits (RWH) associate... more This study evaluated the influence of the frequency of reading and writing habits (RWH) associated with education on the performance of adults in brief neuropsychological tasks. A sample of 489 Brazilian subjects, composed of 71% women, aged 21-80 years, with 2-23 years of formal education, was evaluated by the Brazilian Brief Neuropsychological Assessment Battery NEUPSILIN. This battery was developed to briefly examine orientation, attention, perception, memory, arithmetic abilities, language, praxis, and executive functions, in the context of Brazilian culture. Education was measured by years of study in teaching institutions, and the frequency of RWH was measured by a scale for specific reading and writing items. Six groups were composed by a combination of the variables education and frequency of RWH. One-way analysis of variance indicated significant differences between groups in the attention, memory, arithmetic abilities, language, constructional praxis, problem solving and verbal fluency tasks of NEUPSILIN. Results pointed to the relevance of the frequency of RWH to performance in attention, working memory, executive functions, and language tasks. Cognitive stimulation after the formal education period is essential for less educated individuals, and frequency of RWH may promote an improvement in cognitive development, as verified by neuropsychological tests.
This study investigated children and adolescents’ school performance over time
focusing on two va... more This study investigated children and adolescents’ school performance over time
focusing on two variables that may influence it: developmental context and gender.
The sample comprised 627 participants (Mage = 11.13, SD = 1.8), 51% of
them female, from grade one to eight, living either with family (n=474) or in
care institutions (n=153). Participants answered individually the Teste de
Desempenho Escolar (School Performance Test) and the Structured PRONEX
Interview. Findings indicated a main effect of time on school performance
(i.e., writing, reading and arithmetic). Furthermore this main effect was further
qualified by a time and developmental context interaction and by a time and
gender interaction. Interactions revealed that the participants from care institutions
attained more significant increases in writing and reading than participants
living within a family context; and that girls attained more significant increases
in writing than boys. Therefore, school performance progress appears as affected
by developmental contexts and gender. The findings reveal how school
performance needs to be observed as a multidimensional variable, affected by
individual characteristics but also by external ones.
Keywords: school performance; developmental contexts; gender; Brazil
Introduction: According to the literature, children’s overall reactivity
to stress is associated ... more Introduction: According to the literature, children’s overall reactivity
to stress is associated with their socioeconomic status
and family environment. In turn, it has been shown that reactivity
to stress is associated with cognitive performance. However,
few studies have systematically tested these three constructs
together.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between family environment,
salivary cortisol measurements and children’s memory
and executive function performance.
Method: Salivary cortisol levels of 70 children aged 9 or 10 years
were measured before and after performing tasks designed
to assess memory and executive functions. Questionnaires on
socioeconomic issues, family environment and maternal psychopathologies
were administered to participants’ families during
the children’s early childhood and again when they reached
school age.
Results: Data were analyzed by calculating correlations between
variables and conducting hierarchical regression. High cortisol
levels were associated with poorer working memory and worse
performance in tasks involving executive functions, and were
also associated with high scores for maternal psychopathology
(during early childhood and school age) and family dysfunction.
Family environment variables and changes in cortisol levels explain
around 20% of the variance in performance of cognitive
tasks.
Conclusion: Family functioning and maternal psychopathology in
early and middle childhood and children’s stress levels were associated
with children’s working memory and executive functioning.
Keywords: Socioeconomic status, family environment, maternal
psychopathology, cortisol, stress, neuropsychological assessment.
Neuropsychology is an interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship among cognition, beha... more Neuropsychology is an interdisciplinary field that studies the relationship among cognition, behavior, emotions and the brain, based on structure–function correlation models developed in the last 150 years. This study presents a discussion concerning the anatomo-clinical method in neuropsychology considering theoretical-methodological advancements that have contributed to this scientific discipline in recent decades. This method assumes that inferences concerning a given cognitive function can be made based on a correspondence between clinical manifestations and the brain injury site. First, we review historical aspects related to the emergence of the practice of exploring neuropsychological abilities in specific areas of the brain, that is, structure–function relationships. Then we discuss the limitations of the anatomo-clinical method and, finally, the current conception found in Neuropsychology, considering advanced imaging and cerebral stimulation techniques. The current conception of localizationism is more distributed. Large-scale networks are dedicated to specific functions such as language, face and object recognition, executive functions, spatial attention, and memory. The conclusion is that the anatomo-clinical method is still essential to grounding structure–function relationships, though caution should be applied in its use considering current conceptions of the brain being a complex system of interconnected regions subject to variations according to sociodemographic variables.
Neuropsicologia como ciência interdisciplinar: consenso da comunidade brasileira de pesquisadores... more Neuropsicologia como ciência interdisciplinar: consenso da comunidade brasileira de pesquisadores/clínicos em Neuropsicologia Neuropsychologie et interdisciplinarité: un consensus de la communauté brésilienne de chercheurs et de praticiens en Neuropsychologie Neuropsicología y la interdisciplinariedad: consenso de la comunidad brasileña de investigadores y clínicos en Neuropsicología Neuropsychology and interdisciplinarity: consensus of the Brazilian community of researchers and in practitioners of Neuropsychology
Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 2014
This study used graph analysis to investigate how age differences modify the structure of semanti... more This study used graph analysis to investigate how age differences modify the structure of semantic word association networks of children and adults and if the networks present a small-world structure and a scale-free distribution which are typical of natural languages. Three age groups of Brazilian Portuguese speakers (children, adults and elderly people) participated in the experiment. Quantitative and qualitative measures suggested that adults and elderly speakers have similar network structures. Children's network showed fewer nodes, connections and clusters, and longer inter-node distances. All networks presented a small-world structure, but they did not show entirely scale-free distributions. These results suggest that from childhood to adulthood, there is an increase not only in the number of words semantically linked to a target but also an increase in the connectivity of the network.
Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, 2012
Psychology & Neuroscience, 2015
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to test the ability of adolescents with a current anx... more OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to test the ability of adolescents with a current anxiety diagnosis to recognize facial affective expressions, compared to those without an anxiety disorder. METHODS: Forty cases and 27 controls were selected from a larger cross sectional community sample of adolescents, aged from 10 to 17 years old. Adolescent's facial recognition of six human emotions (sadness, anger, disgust, happy, surprise and fear) and neutral faces was assessed through a facial labeling test using Ekman's Pictures of Facial Affect (POFA). RESULTS: Adolescents with anxiety disorders had a higher mean number of errors in angry faces as compared to controls: 3.1 (SD=1.13) vs. 2.5 (SD=2.5), OR=1.72 (CI95\% 1.02 to 2.89; p=0.040). However, they named neutral faces more accurately than adolescents without anxiety diagnosis: 15\% of cases vs. 37.1\% of controls presented at least one error in neutral faces, OR=3.46 (CI95\% 1.02 to 11.7; p=0.047). No differences were found considering other human emotions or on the distribution of errors in each emotional face between the groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings support an anxiety-mediated influence on the recognition of facial expressions in adolescence. These difficulty in recognizing angry faces and more accuracy in naming neutral faces may lead to misinterpretation of social clues and can explain some aspects of the impairment in social interactions in adolescents with anxiety disorders.
linguistica.sns.it
It is estimated that 35.6 million people currently suffer from dementia and that in 20 years this... more It is estimated that 35.6 million people currently suffer from dementia and that in 20 years this number will reach 65.7 million of individuals1, with an estimated overall treatment cost of 315 billion dollars per year in the world. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is responsible for more than ...
This study used graph analysis to investigate how age differences modify the structure of semanti... more This study used graph analysis to investigate how age differences modify the structure of semantic word association networks of children and adults and if the networks present a small-world structure and a scale-free distribution which are typical of natural languages. Three age groups of Brazilian Portuguese speakers (children, adults and elderly people) participated in the experiment. Quantitative and qualitative measures suggested that adults and elderly speakers have similar network structures. Children's network showed fewer nodes, connections and clusters, and longer inter-node distances. All networks presented a small-world structure, but they did not show entirely scale-free distributions. These results suggest that from childhood to adulthood, there is an increase not only in the number of words semantically linked to a target but also an increase in the connectivity of the network.
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Papers by Jerusa F. Salles
with students’ poor academic performance. Research
on domain-specific anxiety patterns in reading has demonstrated
that reading anxiety is associated with, yet distinctive
from, general anxiety. Reading anxiety is an unpleasant
emotional reaction experienced by students when reading;
it is a specific phobia, situational type. Although reading
anxiety has been largely studied in the context of second
language acquisition (L2), there is a lack of new research
on reading anxiety related to first language learning (L1).
In this article we investigate the concept of reading anxiety,
as well as the instruments that have been used to evaluate
it. Finally, we present the repercussions of reading
anxiety upon students’ reading performance and discuss
the importance of evaluating reading anxiety as a route to
better understandings of reading disabilities.
Baddeley’s multicomponent model of working memory. A systematic review of studies published from January 2000 to February
2013 was conducted. The search term “episodic buffer” was used in the Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, and
BVS-Psi databases. The selected articles consisted of empirical studies that used tasks to assess the episodic buffer. Theoretical
and review papers and studies with animals were excluded. The final sample comprised 36 papers. The tasks were categorized
as experimental tasks or standardized tests. The experimental tasks were grouped by modality (unimodal or crossmodal) and
described according to four criteria: task to be performed, type of stimulus used, secondary task employed, if any, and retention
interval. The standardized tests included classical measures of working memory. Some tasks were found not to meet experimental
criteria that were needed to evaluate the episodic buffer. Moreover, some of the standardized tests did not provide theoretical
arguments or empirical evidence that the episodic buffer is recruited to perform them. The results are discussed in the context
of the multicomponent model of working memory. Keywords: working memory, episodic buffer, binding, experimental task,
standardized test.
de trabalho, quociente de inteligência (QI) e vocabulário em crianças (2ª-5ª séries) de
escolas públicas. Analisou-se também qual dessas habilidades melhor contribui para
explicar o desempenho em leitura. Realizaram-se análises com e sem crianças com QI
abaixo da média. Primeiro, avaliaram-se 57 crianças (9-11 anos) em QI, vocabulário,
leitura de palavras isoladas, compreensão de leitura textual e quatro tarefas de memória
de trabalho. Uma segunda análise foi feita com 47 crianças, todas com inteligência
média. A relação entre leitura, memória de trabalho e vocabulário mostrou-se
moderada. O vocabulário foi o melhor preditor do desempenho em leitura (palavras
e texto) do que as medidas de memória de trabalho na amostra total. Na análise feita
com crianças sem déficit intelectual (Wasi), as tarefas que avaliam o componente fonológico
e o executivo central da memória de trabalho contribuíram, independentemente
do vocabulário, para a leitura de palavras.
Palavras-chave: memória de trabalho; leitura; dificuldade de leitura; vocabulário;
compreensão leitora.
delayed or typically developed in early childhood. Sixty-four participants from a Brazilian cohort were evaluated in
IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence) and tasks of visual-spatial memory and visual-constructive skills through
the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) at school age. Neuropsychomotor development at 4 years of age was
measured by Denver II. Developmentally delayed children showed lower IQs, lower scores, and more errors in
copy and memory BVRT tasks when compared to typically developed children. Delay in neuropsychomotor
development in early childhood may affect the subsequent cognitive development of children.
focusing on two variables that may influence it: developmental context and gender.
The sample comprised 627 participants (Mage = 11.13, SD = 1.8), 51% of
them female, from grade one to eight, living either with family (n=474) or in
care institutions (n=153). Participants answered individually the Teste de
Desempenho Escolar (School Performance Test) and the Structured PRONEX
Interview. Findings indicated a main effect of time on school performance
(i.e., writing, reading and arithmetic). Furthermore this main effect was further
qualified by a time and developmental context interaction and by a time and
gender interaction. Interactions revealed that the participants from care institutions
attained more significant increases in writing and reading than participants
living within a family context; and that girls attained more significant increases
in writing than boys. Therefore, school performance progress appears as affected
by developmental contexts and gender. The findings reveal how school
performance needs to be observed as a multidimensional variable, affected by
individual characteristics but also by external ones.
Keywords: school performance; developmental contexts; gender; Brazil
to stress is associated with their socioeconomic status
and family environment. In turn, it has been shown that reactivity
to stress is associated with cognitive performance. However,
few studies have systematically tested these three constructs
together.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between family environment,
salivary cortisol measurements and children’s memory
and executive function performance.
Method: Salivary cortisol levels of 70 children aged 9 or 10 years
were measured before and after performing tasks designed
to assess memory and executive functions. Questionnaires on
socioeconomic issues, family environment and maternal psychopathologies
were administered to participants’ families during
the children’s early childhood and again when they reached
school age.
Results: Data were analyzed by calculating correlations between
variables and conducting hierarchical regression. High cortisol
levels were associated with poorer working memory and worse
performance in tasks involving executive functions, and were
also associated with high scores for maternal psychopathology
(during early childhood and school age) and family dysfunction.
Family environment variables and changes in cortisol levels explain
around 20% of the variance in performance of cognitive
tasks.
Conclusion: Family functioning and maternal psychopathology in
early and middle childhood and children’s stress levels were associated
with children’s working memory and executive functioning.
Keywords: Socioeconomic status, family environment, maternal
psychopathology, cortisol, stress, neuropsychological assessment.
with students’ poor academic performance. Research
on domain-specific anxiety patterns in reading has demonstrated
that reading anxiety is associated with, yet distinctive
from, general anxiety. Reading anxiety is an unpleasant
emotional reaction experienced by students when reading;
it is a specific phobia, situational type. Although reading
anxiety has been largely studied in the context of second
language acquisition (L2), there is a lack of new research
on reading anxiety related to first language learning (L1).
In this article we investigate the concept of reading anxiety,
as well as the instruments that have been used to evaluate
it. Finally, we present the repercussions of reading
anxiety upon students’ reading performance and discuss
the importance of evaluating reading anxiety as a route to
better understandings of reading disabilities.
Baddeley’s multicomponent model of working memory. A systematic review of studies published from January 2000 to February
2013 was conducted. The search term “episodic buffer” was used in the Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, PubMed, Embase, and
BVS-Psi databases. The selected articles consisted of empirical studies that used tasks to assess the episodic buffer. Theoretical
and review papers and studies with animals were excluded. The final sample comprised 36 papers. The tasks were categorized
as experimental tasks or standardized tests. The experimental tasks were grouped by modality (unimodal or crossmodal) and
described according to four criteria: task to be performed, type of stimulus used, secondary task employed, if any, and retention
interval. The standardized tests included classical measures of working memory. Some tasks were found not to meet experimental
criteria that were needed to evaluate the episodic buffer. Moreover, some of the standardized tests did not provide theoretical
arguments or empirical evidence that the episodic buffer is recruited to perform them. The results are discussed in the context
of the multicomponent model of working memory. Keywords: working memory, episodic buffer, binding, experimental task,
standardized test.
de trabalho, quociente de inteligência (QI) e vocabulário em crianças (2ª-5ª séries) de
escolas públicas. Analisou-se também qual dessas habilidades melhor contribui para
explicar o desempenho em leitura. Realizaram-se análises com e sem crianças com QI
abaixo da média. Primeiro, avaliaram-se 57 crianças (9-11 anos) em QI, vocabulário,
leitura de palavras isoladas, compreensão de leitura textual e quatro tarefas de memória
de trabalho. Uma segunda análise foi feita com 47 crianças, todas com inteligência
média. A relação entre leitura, memória de trabalho e vocabulário mostrou-se
moderada. O vocabulário foi o melhor preditor do desempenho em leitura (palavras
e texto) do que as medidas de memória de trabalho na amostra total. Na análise feita
com crianças sem déficit intelectual (Wasi), as tarefas que avaliam o componente fonológico
e o executivo central da memória de trabalho contribuíram, independentemente
do vocabulário, para a leitura de palavras.
Palavras-chave: memória de trabalho; leitura; dificuldade de leitura; vocabulário;
compreensão leitora.
delayed or typically developed in early childhood. Sixty-four participants from a Brazilian cohort were evaluated in
IQ (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence) and tasks of visual-spatial memory and visual-constructive skills through
the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) at school age. Neuropsychomotor development at 4 years of age was
measured by Denver II. Developmentally delayed children showed lower IQs, lower scores, and more errors in
copy and memory BVRT tasks when compared to typically developed children. Delay in neuropsychomotor
development in early childhood may affect the subsequent cognitive development of children.
focusing on two variables that may influence it: developmental context and gender.
The sample comprised 627 participants (Mage = 11.13, SD = 1.8), 51% of
them female, from grade one to eight, living either with family (n=474) or in
care institutions (n=153). Participants answered individually the Teste de
Desempenho Escolar (School Performance Test) and the Structured PRONEX
Interview. Findings indicated a main effect of time on school performance
(i.e., writing, reading and arithmetic). Furthermore this main effect was further
qualified by a time and developmental context interaction and by a time and
gender interaction. Interactions revealed that the participants from care institutions
attained more significant increases in writing and reading than participants
living within a family context; and that girls attained more significant increases
in writing than boys. Therefore, school performance progress appears as affected
by developmental contexts and gender. The findings reveal how school
performance needs to be observed as a multidimensional variable, affected by
individual characteristics but also by external ones.
Keywords: school performance; developmental contexts; gender; Brazil
to stress is associated with their socioeconomic status
and family environment. In turn, it has been shown that reactivity
to stress is associated with cognitive performance. However,
few studies have systematically tested these three constructs
together.
Objective: To investigate the relationship between family environment,
salivary cortisol measurements and children’s memory
and executive function performance.
Method: Salivary cortisol levels of 70 children aged 9 or 10 years
were measured before and after performing tasks designed
to assess memory and executive functions. Questionnaires on
socioeconomic issues, family environment and maternal psychopathologies
were administered to participants’ families during
the children’s early childhood and again when they reached
school age.
Results: Data were analyzed by calculating correlations between
variables and conducting hierarchical regression. High cortisol
levels were associated with poorer working memory and worse
performance in tasks involving executive functions, and were
also associated with high scores for maternal psychopathology
(during early childhood and school age) and family dysfunction.
Family environment variables and changes in cortisol levels explain
around 20% of the variance in performance of cognitive
tasks.
Conclusion: Family functioning and maternal psychopathology in
early and middle childhood and children’s stress levels were associated
with children’s working memory and executive functioning.
Keywords: Socioeconomic status, family environment, maternal
psychopathology, cortisol, stress, neuropsychological assessment.