One of the difficulties that refugees face is the impact of exposure to traumatic events over long periods of time, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This study aimed to...Show moreOne of the difficulties that refugees face is the impact of exposure to traumatic events over long periods of time, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This study aimed to examine the impact of PTSD on cognitive learning potential in refugee adolescents. The 13 participants (mean age = 13.15, 53.85% male) and their parents were recruited through language schools in the Zuid-Holland province in the Netherlands. Cognitive learning potential was measured with a new promising measure, the computerized dynamic test of analogical reasoning. The study was of an experimental pre-test-training-post-test design with two conditions, training and control. The participants completed exercises of analogical reasoning pre-test, then the experimental condition received graduated prompts training. Both groups completed exercises post-test. The effectiveness of the training was examined, but no significant results were found, although both the training and control groups significantly improved from pre-test to post-test. No significant relationship was found between PTSD symptoms and learning potential. Then, anxiety and cognitive empathy were investigated as mediators in the relationship between PTSD symptoms and learning potential. No significant relationships were found. Although the present study has no direct contribution to research, implications for future studies are discussed.Show less
Dynamic testing has the potential of unveiling information about instructional needs, learning processes and cognitive abilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the learning potential of...Show moreDynamic testing has the potential of unveiling information about instructional needs, learning processes and cognitive abilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the learning potential of gifted children on analogical reasoning tasks, using a computerized dynamic test. The participants were 80 children (mean age = 7.65), who were divided in an experimental condition (n = 41) and a control condition (n = 39), based on randomized blocking. The study consisted of a pre-test and a post-test. In between, the experimental group received two training sessions by following the graduated prompts method, while the control group received two practice moments. The results of this study showed a larger progress from pre- to post-test on analogical reasoning tasks for the experimental group compared to the control group. Therefore, computerised dynamic testing, when using the graduated prompts training, can be seen as a useful method to unveil the learning potential of young gifted children. Furthermore, the study focused on the relationship between dynamic testing and level of test anxiety (low, medium, high) and level of IQ (low, medium, high). As part of that, the instructional needs of these groups during training has been examined. Results did not show a relationship between dynamic testing and test anxiety at all. However, dynamic testing and level of IQ were related. Though the three groups of IQ made the same amount of progress from pre- to post-test, the group with lower IQ scored significant lower during both tests. No differences in instructional needs were found for either levels of test anxiety as well as levels of IQ.Show less
