Assessment Of Cognitive Abilities Research Articles

Clinical Effectiveness of Assessments of Cognitive Ability for Severely Demented Patients

The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most commonly used cognitive assessment in clinical practice. However, in severely demented patients, the MMSE has noted floor effects. The gold standard of cognitive assessment of severely demented patients is the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) but it takes 20 minutes to administer. The objective of this study is to examine 5 different cognitive assessments, SIB, Severe Impairment Battery-8 (SIB-8), Brief Interview of Mental Status (BIMS), MMSE, and Severe Mini Mental State Examination (sMMSE) to determine the validity and utility of shorter scales for clinical practice based upon scores, time of administration, and the administrator's impression of the patient frustration, comprehension, fatigue, and ability to attend to task.

Confirmatory Factor Structure of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children–Second Edition With Preschool Children

With an age range from 3 to 13 years, the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children–Second Edition (KABC-II) offers an appealing option for the assessment of cognitive abilities for children. Although independent research has provided evidence of the construct validity of the KABC-II for school-age children, previous studies have rarely included an examination of preschool-age children. This study used confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the structure of the KABC-II in preschool children in relation to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence. By examining competing models based on CHC theory, this study found that the constructs measured by the KABC-II subtests matched those specified within the manual, for children ages 4 through 5. In addition, these results suggested that Gf and Gv are in fact distinct broad abilities for this age group. These findings provide support for differentiated cognitive abilities within young children.

Assessment and Treatment of Cognition and Communication Skills in Adults With Acquired Brain Injury via Telepractice: A Systematic Review.

This is a systematic review of assessment and treatment of cognitive and communicative abilities of individuals with acquired brain injury via telepractice versus in person. The a priori clinical questions were informed by previous research that highlights the importance of considering any functional implications of outcomes, determining disorder- and setting-specific concerns, and measuring the potential impact of diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy data on interpretation of findings. A literature search of multiple databases (e.g., PubMed) was conducted using key words and study inclusion criteria associated with the clinical questions. Ten group studies were accepted that addressed assessment of motor speech, language, and cognitive impairments; assessment of motor speech and language activity limitations/participation restrictions; and treatment of cognitive impairments and activity limitations/participation restrictions. In most cases, equivalence of outcomes was noted across service delivery methods. Limited findings, lack of diagnostic accuracy and treatment efficacy data, and heterogeneity of assessments and interventions precluded robust evaluation of clinical implications for telepractice equivalence and the broader area of telepractice efficacy. Future research is needed that will build upon current knowledge through replication. In addition, further evaluation at the impairment and activity limitation/participation restriction levels is needed.

Demencija u primarnoj zdravstvenoj zaštiti

Dementia is defined as an acquired loss of cognitive abilities, accompanied by disturbances of behavior, emotions, and activities of daily living. Dementia is uncommon among younger population, but its prevalence among people over 60 years of age is growing rapidly, and is doubling approximately every five years. At the Community health center Savski venac number of patients with variety of cognitive problems, is followed for the period from 2010 to 2014. The aim of this paper is a description of the obtained data on the prevalence of patients with dementia at the Community health center Savski venac. Also, indirect objective is to consider the importance of early diagnosis, due to the timely prescription of medications, and recommendation of therapeutic interventions, which are aimed at improving communication, and social skills of patients, and the protection of caregivers from stress. Method used in this paper is recording of the prevalence of dementia among patients older than 60 years, based on the data from the medical records. For the purposes of assessment of cognitive abilities at the primary level of health care two screening tests are used: TCS (The Clock Drawing Test) and MMSE (MiniMental State Examination), both of them originally made to assess the severity of dementia, but which also have a widespread use, due to the simplicity of application. The results show that dementia is becoming more prevalent, both worldwide, and in our country. For the period from 2010. to 2014. Alzheimer's dementia in the population of people over the age of 60 show an increase of 44%; for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment this increase is 38%, and for the diagnosis of vascular dementia 56%. Conclusion. Exact reasons for the increase in prevalence of dementia is still unknown. However, what's taken into account, on one hand, is the progress of medicine, which enables longer average life span, and on the other, socioeconomic conditions, wars, fast pace of life, large influx of information via television and Internet... High cost of treatment and medicines for dementia further complicate the disease. In addition to providing an adequate help and treatment of patients with dementia, at the Community health center Savski venac, in the context of health educational work, we have formed a support groups for caregivers.

Cognitive deficits and ALA-D-inhibition in children exposed to multiple metals

Children are especially vulnerable to adverse effects of multiple metals exposure. The aim of this study was to assess some metals concentrations such as lead (Pb), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) in whole blood, serum, hair and drinking water samples using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in rural and urban children. In addition, evaluate the adverse effects of multiple metals exposure on cognitive function and δ-aminolevulinate dehydratase (ALA-D) activity. The cognitive ability assessment was performed by the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) test. The ALA-D activity and ALA-D reactivation index (ALA-RE) activity with DTT and ZnCl2 also were determined. Forty-six rural children and 23 urban children were enrolled in this study. Rural children showed percentile IQ scores in the RCPM test significantly decreased in relation to urban children. According to multiple linear regression analysis, the Mn and Fe in hair may account for the cognitive deficits of children. Manganese and Fe in hair also were positively correlated with Mn and Fe in drinking water, respectively. These results suggest that drinking water is possibly a source of metals exposure in children. ALA-D activity was decreased and ALA-RE with DTT and ZnCl2 was increased in rural children in comparison to urban children. Moreover, ALA-D inhibition was correlated with Cr blood levels and ALA-RE/DDT and ALA-RE/ZnCl2 were correlated with levels of Cr and Hg in blood. Thus, our results indicated some adverse effects of children's exposure to multiple metals, such as cognitive deficits and ALA-D inhibition, mainly associated to Mn, Fe, Cr and Hg.

White matter integrity and cognitive performance in children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure

There is emerging evidence on the harmful effects of prenatal methamphetamine (MA) exposure on the structure and function of the developing brain. However, few studies have assessed white matter structural integrity in the presence of prenatal MA exposure, and results are inconsistent. This investigation thus used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter microstructure and cognitive performance in a group of prenatal MA exposed (or MA) children and controls of similar age. Seventeen MA children and 15 healthy controls (aged 6–7 years) underwent DTI and assessment of motor function and general cognitive ability. Whole brain analyses of white matter structure were performed using FSL's tract-based spatial statistics comparing fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD). Mean diffusion values were extracted from white matter regions shown to differ across groups to determine whether variations in FA predicted cognitive performance. Analyses were controlled for maternal nicotine use. MA children showed significantly lower FA as well as higher MD, RD and AD in tracts that traverse striatal, limbic and frontal regions. Abnormal FA levels in MA children were significantly associated with poorer motor coordination and general cognitive ability sub-items that relate to aspects of executive function. Our findings suggest that, consistent with previous studies in older children, there are disruptions of white matter microstructural integrity in striatal, limbic and frontal regions of young MA exposed children, with prominent cognitive implications. Future longitudinal studies may clarify how prenatal MA exposure affects white matter structural connectivity at different stages of brain maturation.

Assessing cognitive abilities in children with autism: practitioner evaluation of treatment validity

This study investigated practitioners’ perception of the treatment validity in autism of two assessments of general cognitive abilities: intellectual quotient (IQ) and dynamic assessment, and two assessments related to causal cognitive theories in autism: theory of mind and executive function. The views of 14 educational and clinical psychologists were sought through focus group methodology in relation to three aspects of treatment validity: treatment utility, cost-benefit analysis, and incremental validity. Practitioners evaluated the treatment validity of the assessment measures related to causal theories of autism more favourably than the measures of general cognitive abilities. The theory of mind battery was most positively evaluated in terms of its incremental validity, i.e. it was seen to provide ‘unique’ information about children with autism not readily offered by other methods.

Cognitive ability assessment by brain-computer interface II: application of a BCI-based assessment method for cognitive abilities

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are systems that can provide communication and environmental control to people with severe neuromuscular disease. This study uses a previously validated study (Perego et al. J Neurosci Methods. 2012;201:239–250) to analyze difficulties, results and performance of disabled people using BCIs for psychometric assessment. We use the same protocol proposed in the previous article with an SSVEP-based BCI and the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrix test, in order to verify if BCI can be used as a tool for psychometric assessment with neurologically impaired participants. Twenty-six patients participated in the test, but only 57.7% could correctly use an SSVEP-based BCI due to involuntary movements or muscle contraction, high electrode impedance and non-cooperation; only two subjects (one bilateral cerebral palsy and one with spinal cord injury) could not elicit a sufficient SSVEP pattern to control the BCI. Results show that the presence of neurological impairment does not affect the possibility of interacting with and controlling the BCI system; furthermore no significant differences could be found in IQ index obtained through the BCI and standard tests. Despite this, the chances of failing to establish effective BCI control are much higher among pathologic participants than healthy subjects.

Musical rhythm discrimination explains individual differences in grammar skills in children.

This study considered a relation between rhythm perception skills and individual differences in phonological awareness and grammar abilities, which are two language skills crucial for academic achievement. Twenty-five typically developing 6-year-old children were given standardized assessments of rhythm perception, phonological awareness, morpho-syntactic competence, and non-verbal cognitive ability. Rhythm perception accounted for 48% of the variance in morpho-syntactic competence after controlling for non-verbal IQ, socioeconomic status, and prior musical activities. Children with higher phonological awareness scores were better able to discriminate complex rhythms than children with lower scores, but not after controlling for IQ. This study is the first to show a relation between rhythm perception skills and morpho-syntactic production in children with typical language development. These findings extend the literature showing substantial overlap of neurocognitive resources for processing music and language. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/_lO692qHDNg.

Assessing and Documenting the Cognitive Performance of Family Medicine Residents Practicing Outpatient Medicine.

Development of cognitive skills for competent medical practice is a goal of residency education. Cognitive skills must be developed for many different clinical situations. We developed the Resident Cognitive Skills Documentation (CogDoc) as a method for capturing faculty members' real-time assessment of residents' cognitive performance while they precepted them in a family medicine office. The tool captures 3 dimensions of cognitive skills: medical knowledge, understanding, and its application. This article describes CogDoc development, our experience with its use, and its reliability and feasibility. After development and pilot-testing, we introduced the CogDoc at a single training site, collecting all completed forms for 14months to determine completion rate, competence development over time, consistency among preceptors, and resident use of the data. Thirty-eight faculty members completed 5021 CogDoc forms, documenting 29% of all patient visits by 33 residents. Competency was documented in all entrustable professional activities. Competence was statistically different among residents of different years of training for all 3 dimensions and progressively increased within all residency classes over time. Reliability scores were high: 0.9204 for the medical knowledge domain, 0.9405 for understanding, and 0.9414 for application. Almost every resident reported accessing the individual forms or summaries documenting their performance. The CogDoc approach allows for ongoing assessment and documentation of resident competence, and, when compiled over time, depicts a comprehensive assessment of residents' cognitive development and ability to make decisions in ambulatory medicine. This approach meets criteria for an acceptable tool for assessing cognitive skills.

The computer-based assessment of complex problem solving and how it is influenced by students’ information and communication technology literacy.

The 21st-century work environment places strong emphasis on nonroutine transversal skills. In an educational context, complex problem solving (CPS) is generally considered an important transversal skill that includes knowledge acquisition and its application in new and interactive situations. The dynamic and interactive nature of CPS requires a computer-based administration of CPS tests such that the assessment of CPS might be partially confounded with information and communication technology (ICT) literacy. To establish CPS as a distinct construct that involves complex cognitive processes not covered by other general cognitive abilities and not related to ICT literacy, it is necessary to investigate the influence of ICT literacy on CPS and on the power of CPS to predict external educational criteria. We did so in 3 different samples of either high school or university students using a variety of instruments to measure ICT literacy and general cognitive ability. Convergent results based on structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analyses across the studies showed that ICT literacy was weakly or moderately related to CPS, and these associations were similar to those between ICT and other general cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the power of CPS to predict external educational criteria over and above general cognitive ability remained even if the influence of ICT literacy on CPS was controlled for. We conclude that CPS is a distinct construct that captures complex cognitive processes not generally found in other assessments of general cognitive ability or of ICT literacy.

Prenatal anti-Ro antibody exposure, congenital complete atrioventricular heart block, and high-dose steroid therapy: impact on neurocognitive outcome in school-age children.

To determine the impact of prenatal exposure to maternal anti-Ro antibodies, slow fetal heart rate, and/or prolonged dexamethasone therapy for immune-mediated congenital atrioventricular heart block (CAVB) on the cognitive and academic performance of these children at school age. We performed a prospective, blinded assessment of the cognitive functioning of 3 cohorts of children ages 6-16 years with in utero exposure to maternal anti-Ro antibodies in the following groups: no CAVB and no prenatal dexamethasone treatment (n = 14), CAVB without prenatal treatment (n = 10), and CAVB with prenatal dexamethasone treatment (n = 16). Domains assessed included intelligence, visual perceptual and visual motor skills, auditory and visual attention, verbal learning and memory, visual memory, executive function, and behavior. All cohorts scored within the normal range and were not significantly different in terms of intelligence scores, verbal comprehension, perceptional reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. For children with CAVB who were treated prenatally, there were no significant associations between the neurocognitive function scores, the minimal fetal heart rate (range 47-80 beats per minute), and either the duration (range 2-15 weeks) or dosage (range 56-824 mg) of dexamethasone therapy. CAVB and transplacental treatment with dexamethasone was not associated with neurocognitive impairment in school-age children. Larger numbers of children are needed to validate our observation, and assessment of other cognitive abilities is warranted.

Improving IQ measurement in intellectual disabilities using true deviation from population norms.

BackgroundIntellectual disability (ID) is characterized by global cognitive deficits, yet the very IQ tests used to assess ID have limited range and precision in this population, especially for more impaired individuals.MethodsWe describe the development and validation of a method of raw z-score transformation (based on general population norms) that ameliorates floor effects and improves the precision of IQ measurement in ID using the Stanford Binet 5 (SB5) in fragile X syndrome (FXS; n = 106), the leading inherited cause of ID, and in individuals with idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 205). We compared the distributional characteristics and Q-Q plots from the standardized scores with the deviation z-scores. Additionally, we examined the relationship between both scoring methods and multiple criterion measures.ResultsWe found evidence that substantial and meaningful variation in cognitive ability on standardized IQ tests among individuals with ID is lost when converting raw scores to standardized scaled, index and IQ scores. Use of the deviation z- score method rectifies this problem, and accounts for significant additional variance in criterion validation measures, above and beyond the usual IQ scores. Additionally, individual and group-level cognitive strengths and weaknesses are recovered using deviation scores.ConclusionTraditional methods for generating IQ scores in lower functioning individuals with ID are inaccurate and inadequate, leading to erroneously flat profiles. However assessment of cognitive abilities is substantially improved by measuring true deviation in performance from standardization sample norms. This work has important implications for standardized test development, clinical assessment, and research for which IQ is an important measure of interest in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and other forms of cognitive impairment.

69: Bayley-III Outcomes at 18–21 Months Corrected Age for a Canadian Cohort of Infants Born <29 Weeks Gestation

The Canadian Neonatal Follow-up Network (CNFUN) monitors the outcomes of infants born <29 weeks gestational age (GA) at 26 neonatal follow-up centres across Canada. The use of a standardized assessment tool, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development – Third Edition (Bayley-III), at a common age allows for systematic evaluation of cognitive, language and motor development across sites. To describe the cognitive, language and motor development at 18 to 21 months corrected age (CA) for the cohort of CNFUN preterm infants born April 1 2009 to July 1 2011. Trained and qualified Bayley-III testers administered the assessment of cognitive, language and motor abilities to preterm infants at 18 to 21 months CA. Bayley-III composite scores are normally distributed and have a mean of 100, SD 15. Scores <85 are considered below the normal range and are defined here as indicating impairment. Results are presented by gestational age at birth (GA) and by birthweight (BW) category. Of 2528 infants born <29 weeks GA, 2109 (83.4%) were seen in follow-up at 18 to 21 months CA. Cognitive composite scores were obtained for 1958 (92.8%) infants, language composite scores for 1899 (90.0%), and motor composite scores for 1887 (89.5%). The table shows outcomes by GA and by BW category. A high rate of below normal scores was evident for infants born at younger gestational ages and lower birthweights, indicating impairments at 18 to 21 months corrected age, especially with respect to language and motor development. Gestational age specific data on outcomes at 18 to 21 months will be helpful for counseling.

Maternal Pre-Pregnancy BMI and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in 5-Year-Old Children: A Cohort Based Study

BackgroundAn association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and childhood intelligence quotient (IQ) has repeatedly been found but it is unknown if this association is causal or due to confounding caused by genetic or social factors.MethodsWe used a cohort of 1,783 mothers and their 5-year-old children sampled from the Danish National Birth Cohort. The children participated between 2003 and 2008 in a neuropsychological assessment of cognitive ability including IQ tests taken by both the mother and the child. Linear regression analyses were used to estimate the associations between parental BMI and child IQ adjusted for a comprehensive set of potential confounders. Child IQ was assessed with the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scales of Intelligence – Revised (WPPSI-R).ResultsThe crude association between maternal BMI and child IQ showed that BMI was adversely associated with child IQ with a reduction in IQ of −0.40 point for each one unit increase in BMI. This association was attenuated after adjustment for social factors and maternal IQ to a value of −0.27 (−0.50 to −0.03). After mutual adjustment for the father's BMI and all other factors except maternal IQ, the association between paternal BMI and child IQ yielded a regression coefficient of −0.26 (−0.59 to 0.07), which was comparable to that seen for maternal BMI (−0.20 (−0.44 to 0.04)).ConclusionAlthough maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was inversely associated with the IQ of her child, the similar association with paternal BMI suggests that it is not a specific pregnancy related adiposity effect.

Engagement/disengagement and adolescent intellectual development

Previous research has examined the relationship between facilitative and impeding trait complexes and intellect and learning/retention of domain knowledge in young adults and middle-aged adults. In this presentation, the results from a longitudinal study of high-school students (9th–12th grades) are reviewed. Assessments of cognitive abilities were made in the 9th grade; domain knowledge assessments (science, humanities) in the 12th grade. Affective traits, conative traits, and self-concept/self-estimates of ability were assessed each year. General and specific engagement measures indicated relatively high levels of year-to-year stability across the 4 yearly assessments. Ninth-grade measures of facilitative trait complexes were associated with engagement (e.g., TIE, nAch) and impeding trait complexes were associated with disengagement (e.g., Extroversion), as reflected in academic grades and individual differences in domain knowledge. Trait complex composites provided incremental predictive validity for domain knowledge; beyond the variance accounted for by a composite measure of general intellectual ability.

The International Cognitive Ability Resource: The case for its broader use and collaborative development

A prominent goal of individual differences research is the development and testing of models which predict important life outcomes. Prior work suggests that the most predictive models for many outcomes integrate multiple dimensions of individual differences and that three of the most informative dimensions are temperament, cognitive abilities and interests. Of these three, large-scale assessment of cognitive abilities has been the most problematic due to methodological constraints. Recent and ongoing development of the public-domain International Cognitive Ability Resource is intended to address these constraints. In this talk, we will describe the procedures being used to develop this resource and summarize progress to date. Then, using online data collected with synthetic aperture personality assessment (”SAPA”) methods (sapa-project.org), we compare the predictive utility of integrated individual difference models against those which use only the independent dimensions (of temperament or interests or ability) in the context of academic, occupational and health outcomes.

Assessment of Cognitive Abilities in Preschool Children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder

Differences in cognitive abilities between 54 Greek children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 54 children without DCD, 5-and 6-yearold, were evaluated on the three subscales of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS: Naglieri & Das, 1997a). Children with DCD performed significantly lower than the control group on the Planning, Attention and Simultaneous Processing Scales of the standardized CAS. In discriminative function analysis the tasks of the “Planning scale” and the “Figure Memory task” of the Simultaneous scale were the best discriminators between the two groups. The data were analysed using SPSS 19.0 for Windows (Norusis, 2011). In the current study, the cognitive performance of students with DCD was inferior to the control group in all cognitive tasks. The results suggest that children with DCD with significant difficulties in planning, spatial organization and memory mechanisms may probably be at risk for academic failure in the future. Early detection of cognitive-motor difficulties may be essential for early intervention.

The role of analytic thinking in moral judgements and values

While individual differences in the willingness and ability to engage analytic processing have long informed research in reasoning and decision making, the implications of such differences have not yet had a strong influence in other domains of psychological research. We claim that analytic thinking is not limited to problems that have a normative basis and, as an extension of this, predict that individual differences in analytic thinking will be influential in determining beliefs and values. Along with assessments of cognitive ability and style, religious beliefs, and moral values, participants judged the wrongness of acts considered disgusting and conventionally immoral, but that do not violate care- or fairness-based moral principles. Differences in willingness to engage analytic thinking predicted reduced judgements of wrongness, independent of demographics, political ideology, religiosity, and moral values. Further, we show that those who were higher in cognitive ability were less likely to indicate that purity, patriotism, and respect for traditions and authority are important to their moral thinking. These findings are consistent with a “Reflectionist” view that assumes a role for analytic thought in determining substantive, deeply-held human beliefs and values.

Visual habituation paradigm with adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: a new way for cognitive assessment?

The use of common psychological assessment tools is invalidated with persons with PIMD. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of using a visual habituation procedure with a group of adults with PIMD, to develop a new theoretical and practical framework for the assessment of cognitive abilities. To test the existence of the habituation/novelty reaction phenomenon with adults with PIMD, fifteen participants were exposed repeatedly to two different objects, following the principles of a participant-controlled procedure. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out. Participants presented the same habituation profiles generally obtained in infancy research. Stimulus presentation has a significant impact on the participants' visual behaviour and fixation measurement appears to be an interesting indicator as to how an individual with PIMD is able to process external information. The elaboration of perceptual tasks based on a visual habituation method is one of the major implications of these results.