Specific Perceptual Remediation: Effects Related to Sex, IQ, and Parents' Occupational Status; Behavioral Change Pattern by Scale Factors; and Mechanism of Benefit Hypothesis Tested

Data from a study that had shown significant perceptual, intellectual, reading, and behavioral improvement from channel-specific perceptual training were reanalyzed. In a pretest-posttest design with two control groups matched for sex, IQ, and school, 86 first graders identified as vulnerable (out of 217 screened perceptually) had been assigned to three groups: ( a ) channel-specific training ( n = 23) as advocated by Silver and Hagin, ( b ) regular academic tutoring ( n = 23, contact controls, who had the same amount and time of tutor contact as trained subjects), or (c) no-contact controls (n = 40) . Followup testing 1 yr. afcer posttest had shown more advantage for trained subjects relative to the control subjects than at the posttest. Five new analyses assess effects of sex, intelligence. and parental occupational status on response to channel-specific perceptual training, yield a factor description of the pattern of behavioral change, and test an hypothesis about one rnechaoism of benefit. Neither baseline IQ nor parents' occupational status significantly predicted differential benefit from channel-specific training. Most differences by sex were nonsignificant, with two exceptions. The Conners and Quay-Peterson behavior scales each had four factors. The previously reported whole-scale sum advantage of channel-specific training seemed mainly due to the trained group's improvement on the hyperkinetic and shy-inept factors and to deterioration of controls on the depressed, dyssocial, and antisocial/irnmacure factors. For the unsocialized-rebellious factor, boys seemed to benefit from any contact with tutors, while girls required the training, i.e., were not helped by control contact. The factor subscale depressed suggested significant depression was likely to develop with unremediated perceptual deficits; boys more than girls seemed to be spared this depression by having channel-specific training. The hypothesis for behavioral advantage of channel-specific training (that behavioral improvement resulted from improvement in reading, which resulted from perceptual improvement) was tested by correlating changes in reading achievement with perceptual changes and also with changes in behavioral ratings. The hypothesis was supported by five significant correlations out of eight with the change in perceptual tests from pretest to follow-up and by nine significant correlations out of 11 with changes in behavioral scores.