Error relationship to an everyday monitoring in mild cognitive impairment: Cognitive correlates and task

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundAccurate error monitoring is important for successful completion of everyday tasks and use of compensatory strategies. This work examined error monitoring in individuals with amnestic MCI (aMCI) as compared to healthy older adults (HOA) using a computerized task. We also examined cognitive domains associated with error monitoring and the contribution of error monitoring to objective and self‐reported measurement of everyday functioning.MethodsTwenty‐four individuals with aMCI and 24 HOAs were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests (domains assessed: attention, working memory, executive functioning, memory, language, visuospatial abilities); a sustained attention task that included an error‐monitoring score (Sustained Attention to Response Task; SART); a naturalistic, performance‐based measure of everyday functioning (Day Out Task; DOT); and self‐ and informant‐report measures that captured everyday dysexecutive difficulties (DEX).Results T‐test comparisons revealed the aMCI group (M = 0.48; SD = 0.22) exhibited poorer error monitoring (measured by the number of accurately self‐corrected errors on the SART divided by total errors) compared to the HOA group (M = 0.71; SD = 0.23), d = 1.02. Partial correlation analyses with age as a covariate revealed significant correlations between the error monitoring score and the cognitive domains of working memory and executive functioning for both the aMCI group and the HOA group. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that after accounting for age and global cognitive status, the SART error monitoring score significantly predicted DOT total time, but not accuracy, as well as both self‐ and informant DEX scores.ConclusionThis study revealed that the ability to recognize errors was significantly poorer in individuals with aMCI compared to HOAs and most associated with the cognitive domains of executive functioning and working memory. After controlling for age and general cognitive status, error monitoring predicted performance in everyday functioning as assessed by a naturalistic, performance‐based test and questionnaires assessing everyday dysexecutive difficulties. This suggests that if individuals with aMCI do not recognize performance inaccuracies, they will not be able to correct errors, leading to mistakes in everyday task completion and reduction in implementation of appropriate compensatory strategies. These results implicate error monitoring as a potential target for early interventions with individuals with aMCI.