Verbal Mediation in High-Active and Cognitively Impulsive Second Graders

Two problems associated with cognitive training programs using verbal mediation strategies are (a) noncomparability of samples and (b) the absence of base-line data documenting mediational deficiencies in target populations. The specific effects of high activity level (as assessed by a teacher's rating scale) and cognitive impulsivity (as assessed by the Matching Familiar Figures Test) on the production of relevant, task-directed verbalizations was examined in a group of 90 second graders. Impulsivity-reflectivity was found to be related to the production of both spontaneous and induced on-task verbalizations, but high activity level ratings were not.