The matching familiar figures test: A primary, secondary, and tertiary evaluation

Arizmendi, Thomas; Paulsen, Karen; Domino, George

doi:10.1002/1097-4679(198110)37:4<812::aid-jclp2270370421>3.0.co;2-p

Cited by 21 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Adding to the confusion over the effectiveness of assessing cognitive tempo were issues of the reliability of the original MFFT, which resulted in the development of several adapted versions (Arizmendi, Paulsen & Domino, 1981;Ault, Mitchell, & Hartmann, 1967;Ikegulu & Ikegulu, 1999;Kogan, 1971;Salkind & Wright, 1977;Watkins, Lee & Erlich, 1978). From 1978through 1984, Ed Cairns & Tommy Cammock (1984 conducted several separate studies to establish a basis for devising Evaluating cognitive tempo in the digital age 49 a more reliable MFFT instrument.…”

Section: The Development Of the Mfft-20supporting

confidence: 67%

Evaluating cognitive tempo in the digital age

Kenny

2007

Education Tech Research Dev

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In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the alleged changes in the ways the so-called digital generation communicates and learns. Most of the commentary has been based on anecdotes, observations and opinions. The lack of empirical evidence in this matter suggests that it may be time to begin the process of gathering data to confirm these views. At the forefront is the issue of which learner characteristics have changed, if any, and, accordingly, which evaluation tools are best suited to evaluate them. One mechanism found to be valid and reliable is the matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT). Developed over thirty years ago to measure cognitive tempo on an impulsive-reflective axis, this instrument was subsequently adapted into a twenty-question version. Cairns and Cammock, the researchers who modified the original into the MFFT-20, published the results of several reliability studies to demonstrate its overall effectiveness. This preliminary study is an attempt to begin the empirical verification process of using cognitive tempo as a relevant assessment tool. Two groups of K-12 students from different eras were investigated to determine if comparing cognitive tempos between subjects who took the original MFFT-20 to those who live in the current mediacentric society provides any insights as to possible differences in the visual cognitive processing skills and preferences. The results of the comparative analysis, along with possible implications for teachers and instructional designers are discussed.

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Section: The Development Of the Mfft-20supporting

confidence: 67%

Evaluating cognitive tempo in the digital age

Kenny

2007

Education Tech Research Dev

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“…(3) Matching Fandiar Figures Test (MFFT). (Arizmendi, Paulsen, & Domino, 1981). In this test, considered a measure of impulsivity, the children were asked to match a single stimulus with one of six similar looking pictures.…”

Section: Eristing Nleasurcsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Differential Assessment of Children's Attention: The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch), Normative Sample and ADHD Performance

Manly¹,

Anderson²,

Nimmo‐Smith³

et al. 2001

Child Psychology Psychiatry

611

620

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"Attention" is not a unitary brain process. Evidence from adult studies indicates that distinct neuroanatomical networks perform specific attentional operations and that these are vulnerable to selective damage. Accordingly, characterising attentional disorders requires the use of a variety of tasks that differentially challenge these systems. Here we describe a novel battery, the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch), comprising nine subtests adapted from the adult literature. The performance of 293 healthy children between the ages of 6 and 16 is described together with the relationships to IQ, existing measures of attention, and scholastic attainment. This large normative sample also allows us to test the fit of the adult model of functionally separable attention systems to the observed patterns of variance in children's performance. A Structural Equation Modelling approach supports this view. A three-factor model of sustained and selective attention and higher-level "executive" control formed a good fit to the data, even in the youngest children. A single factor model was rejected. There are behavioural and anatomical grounds to believe that Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is particularly associated with poor self-sustained attention and behavioural control. The TEA-Ch performance of 24 boys diagnosed with ADD presented here is consistent with this view. When performance levels on WISC-III subtests were taken into account, specific deficits in sustained attention were apparent while selective attention performance was within the normal range.

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“…This finding may be explained by the fact that Morgan (1998) and Morgan et al (2002) used the longer 20-item version of the MFFT of Cairns and Cammock (1978). The 12-item MFFT used here is in fact valid (Arizmendi et al 1981;van den Broek et al 1987), but it is less reliable than the 20-item version (Loper and Hallahan 1980). The lower reliability of the 12-item version could explain the different effect sizes.…”

Section: Impulsivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated impulsivity and impaired decision-making cognition in heavy users of MDMA (“Ecstasy”)

et al. 2006

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Rationale: In animal studies, the common club drug 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") consistently caused a prolonged loss of presynaptic serotonergic neurons, and evidence suggests that MDMA consumption may also affect the human serotonergic system. Serotonin (5-HT) has been implicated in the regulation of impulsivity and such executive functions as decision-making cognition. In fact, MDMA users have shown elevated impulsivity in two studies, but little is known about decision making in drug-free MDMA consumers. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the cognitive neurotoxicity of MDMA with regard to behavioral impulsivity and decision-making cognition. Methods: Nineteen male, abstinent, heavy MDMA users; 19 male, abstinent cannabis users; and 19 male, drug-naïve controls were examined with the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) as well as with a Go/No-Go Task (GNG) for impulsivity and with a Gambling Task (GT) for executive functioning. Results: MDMA users showed significantly elevated impulsivity in the MFFT Impulsivity score (I-score), but not in commission errors of the GNG, compared with controls. Cannabis users did not yield altered impulsivity compared with controls. In the GT, MDMA users performed significantly worse than cannabis consumers and controls, whereas cannabis users exhibited the same decision-making capacity as controls. In addition, the I-score as well as the decision-making performance was correlated with measures of MDMA intake. The I-score and the decision-making performance were also correlated. Conclusion: These results suggest that heavy use of MDMA may elevate behavioral impulsivity and impair decision-making cognition possibly mediated by a selective impairment of the 5-HT system.

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The matching familiar figures test: A primary, secondary, and tertiary evaluation

Cited by 21 publications

References 36 publications

Evaluating cognitive tempo in the digital age

Evaluating cognitive tempo in the digital age

The Differential Assessment of Children's Attention: The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA‐Ch), Normative Sample and ADHD Performance

Elevated impulsivity and impaired decision-making cognition in heavy users of MDMA (“Ecstasy”)

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