The prediction of cognitive ability from sensory/motor performance : examining the role of sensory/motor performance in the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model

The present study investigated the relationship between sensory/motor skills and cognitive abilities in psychiatric and neurologically impaired patients to determine how sensory/motor skills are associated with cognitive abilities. Previous research has demonstrated a significant relationship between performance on sensory/motor tasks and cognition but has failed to examine how well sensory/motor skills can predict specific cognitive performance. Because brain functioning is hierarchical with simpler processes being foundational to the development of more complex functions, it is likely sensory/motor skills can aid in the prediction of specific cognitive abilities. If this is true, then investigation of the relationship between sensory/motor performance and cognition should provide insight into the role of sensory/motor skills in the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model.This study examined the relationship between scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability - Revised (WJ-R COG) and scores on the Dean-Woodcock Sensory and Motor Battery (D-WSMB). Participants included 458 patients referred for neuropsychological consultation with neurological and/or psychiatric diagnoses. Results indicated a significant correlation among cognitive scores and sensory/motor scores. Moreover, factor analysis revealed 7 overall factors that account for approximately 65% of the variance. These factors were identified as being thinking ability and processing speed, subcortical functioning, verbal working memory, peripheral processes, tactile kinesthetic thinking (Gtk), visual processing, and simple sensory/motor.Integration of sensory/motor factors into the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model revealed the significant role sensory/motor performance plays in predicting higher-order cognitive abilities. From the analysis it appeared that certain sensory/motor functions were significant contributors to the prediction of specific cognitive abilities. That is, subcortical functioning aided in the prediction of all measured areas of cognition; visual processing contributed to visual-spatial thinking, novel reasoning, and crystallized knowledge; tactile-kinesthetic thinking helped predict visual-spatial thinking, auditory processing, and crystallized knowledge; and simple sensory/motor functioning aided in the explanation of long-term storage-retrieval.These results offer a beginning point for further investigation into the relationship between specific sensory/motor skills and cognitive abilities. Research in this area can provide further insight into the functional organization of the brain and offer application to cognitive outcome in rehabilitation as well as preschool screening.Department of Educational PsychologyThesis (Ph.D.