RESUMO
Covariance structure modelling by LISREL was applied to analyze the relations between intellectual ability, as measured by ITPA, and achievement in reading, writing, foreign language and mathematics in longitudinal data with 8 to 10 years' time interval between measurements. The subjects' (N = 234) ability scores were obtained at 5-7 years of age, and their achievement was measured at 14-16 years of age. The effect of ability to achievement was studied by analyzing structural equation models on both first-order ability and achievement factors and by developing a two-stage second-order factor estimation method for structural equation parameters between first-order ability and achievement factors. Squared multiple correlations and coefficients of determination as indices of explained variance were derived for reduced forms of structural equations. The general latent intellectual ability explained 49% of variance in school achievement. The results showed the high validity of ITPA in explaining school success as well as the great flexibility and usefulness of covariance structure modelling by LISREL in analyzing longitudinal data.
RESUMO
The influence of alcohol on cognitive conflict between individuals was studied by means of an experiment that was designed to be representative of real life negotiating situations, where alcohol is consumed and where two parties are required to find new common solutions to problems that they have previously learned to solve differently by themselves. The subjects were 60 male students of technology divided into experimental and control groups. The amount of alcohol (whisky) consumed by the experimental subjects produced approximately 0.08% blood alcohol concentration. In the experiment, the cognitive conflict situation was created by first training subjects to solve diagnostic medical tasks individually and then bringing two differently trained subjects together to find common solutions to similar diagnostic problems. The results showed that small amounts of alcohol do not influence cognitive behavior in a social situation where an individual has to find new solutions to problems that he has originally learned to solve in a certain way by himself.
