Working memory is an often studied and important psychological construct. The growth of working memory capacity (WMC) in childhood is described as linear. Average adult WMC is estimated as either four or five "chunks." Using latent curve models of data from a measure of digit span backward that was administered longitudinally to a large sample representative of the native-English-speaking U.S. kindergarten population in 2011, we found that WMC growth in childhood is curvilinear. It shows an increasing yet decelerating pattern. Scoring rules (e.g., requiring 50% or 75% of trials correct) influence age-based estimates, but WMCs have likely been underestimated in children, and the average adult WMC of five is more plausible than four, as measured by digit span backward. Developmental WMC estimates, such as those reported in this research, may help others develop prescriptive learning interventions for children and understand its growth and decline across the life span. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) is by the far the most popular intelligence test for the assessment of adults in clinical and neuropsychological practice. Despite a number of studies examining the factor structure of the WAIS-IV from a Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) perspective (Benson, Hulac, & Kranzler, 2010; Ward, Bergman, & Hebert, 2012), a CHC interpretation of the WAIS-IV for individuals ages 70 and above has been absent from the literature. The exclusion of individuals ages 70 and above in previous research is likely due to the absence of several key supplemental subtests used to create a full CHC model. We provide an alternative five-factor CHC model of the WAIS-IV which includes only the subtests administered to individuals ages 70 and above in the standardization sample. Our results show (a) the alternative CHC model fits the data well; (b) this alternative CHC model met criteria for partial strict measurement invariance across the life span (only Similarities showed noninvariance) using strict criteria; (c) the five factors for ages 70-90 measure the same five CHC broad abilities identified in previous analyses reported for ages 16-69; and (d) the five-factor CHC solution for ages 70-90 is valid for the entire WAIS-IV age range and can be used whenever examiners administer the core battery but opt not to administer supplemental subtests.

Most research on the dose-effect (DE) and good-enough level (GEL) models of change has used general outcome measures. The purpose of this study was to determine if predictions from these models generalize to specific presenting concerns and outcome measures. A large sample of treatment-seeking college students (N = 64,319) who attended different numbers of therapy sessions and completed the College Counseling Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-34 (CCAPS-34, Locke et al., Measurement & Evaluation in Counseling & Development, 2012, 45, p. 151) during sessions was used. An analysis of reliable and clinically significant improvement (RCSI) and latent growth curve models (LGCMs) were used for clients attending different numbers of sessions across eight scales from the CCAPS-34 to examine the: (a) amount of change from the first to last session, (b) rates of RCSI, (c) shape of change trajectories, and (d) rates of change across sessions. Across all CCAPS-34 scales, clients who attended more sessions tended to experience more improvement, had higher rates of RCSI, and the trajectories of change were nonlinear, consistent with the DE model. Clients who attended fewer sessions tended to experience faster rates of change than those who attended more sessions, consistent with the GEL model. Aspects of both the DE and GEL models appear to generalize to specific outcome measures on the CCAPS-34. Results suggest both individual differences in sensitivity to therapy and amount of therapy received influence therapeutic change. A greater focus on individual needs, especially early in treatment, may be especially important when determining the length of therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).