In search of a measure to investigate mental performance among children: Development of the mental speed test

• Published in: Infant and child development Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. e2427 - n/a
• Main Authors: Avcı‐Doğan, Gülşah, Akbulut, Yavuz, Sak, Uğur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Wiley 01.07.2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: assessment; Children; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Processes; Exploratory factor analysis; Factor Analysis; Factor Structure; Flexibility; Fluency; Gender Differences; Goodness of fit; Intelligence tests; Learning potential; mental speed; non‐verbal ability; Perceptual speed; processing speed; Psychometrics; Quantitative psychology; Reliability; scale development; Sexism; Test Construction; Test Reliability; Test Validity; Timed Tests; Validity; Young Children
• ISSN: 1522-7227; 1522-7219
• DOI: 10.1002/icd.2427

Processing speed is a component of general intelligence and an indicator of learning potential. There is a need for robust measures of mental speed based on contemporary theoretical developments. The current study addressed this need by proposing a mental speed test for children aged 60 to 96 months (5 to 8 years) and examining its psychometric properties. The test included indicators of perceptual speed, memory speed, reasoning speed, and fluency‐flexibility speed presented through nonverbal items administered individually using touchscreen tablets. After establishing gender non‐bias and concurrent validity with a contemporary intelligence test (i.e., ASIS, r = .59) with 107 children, the next administration included 373 children. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with subtest scores revealed a single‐factor structure accounting for 45% of the total variance. Additional data from 212 children were used to assess structural validity and gender bias, which showed acceptable goodness of fit, providing evidence of the validity and reliability of the new measure for further use.