Self-report of Cognition and Objective Test Performance in Posttraumatic Headache

Two studies were conducted to examine the relationship of acculturation to neuropsychological test performance among (1) medically healthy, neurologically normal African Americans (N = 170); and (2) HIV positive (HIV+) subgroups of African Americans and Whites (Ns = 20) matched on age, education, sex, and HIV disease stage. Acculturation was measured through self report for all participants, and linguistic behavior (Black English use) was assessed in a subset of medically healthy individuals (N = 25). After controlling for the effects of age, education, and sex, medically healthy African Americans who reported less acculturation obtained lower scores on the WAIS–R Information subtest and the Boston Naming Test than did more acculturated individuals. Black English use was associated with poor performance on Trails B and the WAIS–R Information subtest. HIV+ African Americans scored significantly lower than their HIV+ White counterparts on the Category Test, Trails B, WAIS–R Block Design and Vocabulary subtests, and the learning components of the Story and Figure Memory Tests. However, after accounting for acculturation, ethnic group differences on all measures but Story Learning became nonsignificant. These results suggest that there are cultural differences within ethnic groups that relate to neuropsychological test performance, and that accounting for acculturation may improve the diagnostic accuracy of certain neuropsychological tests. (JINS, 1998, 4, 291–302.)

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B-15 Engagement in Cognitively-Demanding Activities in Daily Life is Associated with Neurocognitive Test Performance and Perceived Cognitive Difficulties Among Adults With and Without HIV

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz034.98 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 959-960

Author(s):

E Paolillo ◽

M Hussain ◽

R Moore ◽

D Moore ◽

R Heaton

Keyword(s):

Test Performance ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Neurocognitive Impairment ◽

Self Report ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Continuous Variables ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Total Frequency ◽

Cognitive Difficulties ◽

Neurocognitive Test

Abstract Objective Assessing daily activities is important for understanding how cognitive abilities affect everyday functioning. We evaluated a new measure capturing engagement in cognitively-demanding activities among people with and without HIV, and examined associations with neurocognitive test performance and perceived cognitive difficulties. Method Participants included 79 adults (59 HIV+, 20 HIV-) enrolled in studies at UCSD (mean age = 55.1; SD = 13.1). Domain-specific composite scaled scores measured neurocognitive functioning as continuous variables. Demographically-corrected global deficit scores determined neurocognitive impairment. Perceived cognitive difficulties were self-reported via the Everyday Cognition scale (ECog). The newly created, self-report Frequency and Difficulty of Activities Scale (FDAS) measured frequency of engagement in 27 cognitively-demanding activities [0 = Never to 10 = Once a day or more] in the last month. FDAS “total frequency score” sums all frequency ratings. Participants also rated difficulty performing each FDAS activity [0 = Not at all to 10 = Extremely]. FDAS “difficult-activity score” sums frequency ratings only for activities that participants identified as difficult for them (i.e., difficulty rating >75th percentile of sample). Results Higher FDAS total frequency scores correlated with better verbal fluency (r = 0.26, p = 0.019) and processing speed (r = 0.24, p = 0.030). Multiple regression revealed a significant interaction between cognitive impairment and frequency of engagement in difficult activities (b = 0.34, 95%CI = 0.18-0.50, p < 0.001), such that higher FDAS difficult-activity scores related to more perceived cognitive difficulties only among cognitively impaired participants. Conclusion This study explored use of a new measure of complex daily activities to aid neuropsychological interpretation. Results suggest that effects of neurocognitive impairment on perceived cognitive difficulties may only be apparent if individuals are attempting to perform challenging everyday tasks.

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A-20 Metabolic Syndrome and Executive Functioning in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz034.20 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 879-879

Author(s):

T Slonim ◽

L Haase-Alasantro ◽

C Murphy

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Test Performance ◽

Color Word ◽

Self Report ◽

Metabolic Status ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Objective Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased rates of mortality and increased risk for developing dementia. Changes in brain structure and executive functioning have been reported within the literature. However, research examining cognitive performance in individuals with metabolic syndrome focuses primarily on older cohorts. As such, the effect of metabolic syndrome on cognitive functioning earlier in the lifespan is unclear. This research examined neuropsychological test performance and self-report measures in young, middle-aged, and older adults with and without MetS. Method Participants (n = 128) were categorized by age and metabolic status as follows: Young: n = 42, 52.4% Metabolic; Middle-Age: n = 41, 56.1% Metabolic; Older: n = 45, 51.1% Metabolic. Participants were administered the following cognitive assessments as part of a larger study: Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS) Color-Word Interference Test and Trail Making. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to examine the relationship between age group, metabolic status, and cognitive performance. Results As expected, older adults performed more poorly than young and middle-aged adults across neurocognitive assessments (p < .05). MetS adults performed more slowly on Color-Word Interference: Inhibition [F(1,114) = 5.26, p = .024, η2 = .05]; however, there were no additional significant differences between groups on cognitive tests in this sample size. Conclusions These findings suggest that aspects of inhibition might be impaired in MetS adults. Future studies aimed at investigating relationships between metabolic risk factors and inhibition may provide insight into effective intervention targets to delay or prevent metabolic syndrome.

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Cognitive Function After the Initiation of Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: An Observational Cohort Study

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2014.56.1662 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 32 (31) ◽

pp. 3559-3567 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Patricia A. Ganz ◽

Laura Petersen ◽

Steven A. Castellon ◽

Julienne E. Bower ◽

Daniel H.S. Silverman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Endocrine Therapy ◽

Test Performance ◽

Early Stage ◽

Self Report ◽

Early Stage Breast Cancer ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Cognitive Complaints ◽

Observational Cohort

Purpose This report examines cognitive complaints and neuropsychological (NP) testing outcomes in patients with early-stage breast cancer after the initiation of endocrine therapy (ET) to determine whether this therapy plays any role in post-treatment cognitive complaints. Patients and Methods One hundred seventy-three participants from the Mind Body Study (MBS) observational cohort provided data from self-report questionnaires and NP testing obtained at enrollment (T1, before initiation of ET), and 6 months later (T2). Bivariate analyses compared demographic and treatment variables, cognitive complaints, depressive symptoms, quality of life, and NP functioning between those who received ET versus not. Multivariable linear regression models examined predictors of cognitive complaints at T2, including selected demographic variables, depressive symptoms, ET use, and other medical variables, along with NP domains that were identified in bivariate analyses. Results Seventy percent of the 173 MBS participants initiated ET, evenly distributed between tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors. ET-treated participants reported significantly increased language and communication (LC) cognitive complaints at T2 (P = .003), but no significant differences in NP test performance. Multivariable regression on LC at T2 found higher LC complaints significantly associated with T1 LC score (P < .001), ET at T2 (P = .004), interaction between ET and past hormone therapy (HT) (P < .001), and diminished improvement in NP psychomotor function (P = .05). Depressive symptoms were not significant (P = .10). Conclusion Higher LC complaints are significantly associated with ET 6 months after starting treatment and reflect diminished improvements in some NP tests. Past HT is a significant predictor of higher LC complaints after initiation of ET.

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Examiner communication level and objective test performance

Journal of Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1002/1097-4679(197007)26:3<335::aid-jclp2270260324>3.0.co;2-y ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 335-335

Author(s):

Todd Holder ◽

James Drasgow ◽

Richard Pierce

Keyword(s):

Test Performance ◽

Objective Test

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Memory self-ratings and objective test performance in a normal elderly sample

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology ◽

10.1080/01688638608401318 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 275-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Glenn J. Larrabee ◽

Harvey S. Levin

Keyword(s):

Test Performance ◽

Objective Test

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Short mindset intervention effective in attitude change but no evidence of transfer to improved cognitive outcomes of working memory capacity and standardized test performance

10.31234/osf.io/v62z5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

LaTasha R Holden ◽

Bear Goldstein

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Test Performance ◽

Standardized Test ◽

Working Memory Capacity ◽

Memory Capacity ◽

Self Report ◽

Academic Attitudes ◽

Standardized Test Performance ◽

Mindset Intervention

There has been extensive research conducted on mindset, involving both experimental and observational methods. However, the findings in the literature remain mixed. This should give educators and researchers pause from an intervention perspective —if we still do not have a good understanding of how mindset works, then more research is needed. To better understand how mindset interventions work, we looked at self-report measures as well as post-intervention behavior within and across individuals. We implemented a mindset intervention to improve cognitive performance measures relevant to academic performance—working memory capacity and standardized test performance in math. We also explored individual differences in academic attitudes (e.g., academic identification and sense of belonging in university) that might moderate students’ mindset and the effect of the mindset intervention on subsequent cognitive performance. We expected the malleable mindset intervention to significantly improve cognitive performance and to cause more positive academic attitudes and attitudinal change. The mindset intervention did change students’ beliefs about ability but also caused students to report higher grit (no condition difference), and to feel less belonging in terms of connection to their university—which was not in line with our hypotheses. We also found that the malleable mindset intervention had no significant effects on improving WMC or standardized test performance. We discuss the implications of these findings and make suggestions for future work in this area.

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Reframing The Individual Stress Response

10.32920/ryerson.14662092 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jenny Liu

Keyword(s):

Stress Responses ◽

Test Performance ◽

Electrodermal Activity ◽

Self Report ◽

Future Research ◽

Adaptive Responses ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Visual Analogue Scales ◽

Personal Strengths ◽

Analogue Scales

Our society is preoccupied with stress. Previous research demonstrates that the majority of the sampled population perceives the consequences of stress to be primarily negative. By reframing the consequences of stress to highlight both positive and negative effects of stress, individuals may experience more efficient and adaptive stress responses (Liu et al., 2017). The extent to which we can reframe the consequences of stress to elicit more adaptive responses thus merits further investigation. This dissertation investigated the effects of reframing (positive, negative, balanced, and control) on stress responsivity, while also priming individuals on personal strengths (resilient strengths or non-resilient/control strength) to further enhance coping. Through two studies, the current dissertation examined whether different information presented on the consequences of stress via reframing contributes to improved responsivity to stressors, and whether priming an individual to believe in select strengths further enhances receptivity to reframing and reactivity to stressors. Outcome measures included both objective, physiological indexes of stress (heart rate, blood pressure, and electrodermal activity), test performance on stressor-task, and subjective ratings of stress (self-report responses via visual analogue scales). Mixed-ANOVA, linear regression, and exploratory hierarchical modelling were used to analyze the data. Results via visual analogue scales support the efficacy of balanced reframing in reducing self-reported stress, and provide some evidence for its efficacy across physiological parameters of stress via electrodermal activity. Across measures, results provide little support for the efficacy of strength priming in eliciting more adaptive responsivity to stressors. However, balanced framing and resilient strength priming may interact to reduce perceptions of stress as threatening and uncontrollable. Taken together, findings across two studies suggest that reframing stress by presenting both positive and negative information on the outcomes of stress may be an important step in the education of stress to better manage everyday stressors. Further, efforts to personalize this intervention approach by tailoring it to individual may be an area worthy of future research. Key Words: Beliefs; Coping; Personal Strengths; Reframing; Responsivity; Stress

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Predictors and Correlates of Perceived Cognitive Decline in Retired Professional Rugby League Players

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.676762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Ryan Van Patten ◽

Grant L. Iverson ◽

Douglas P. Terry ◽

Christopher R. Levi ◽

Andrew J. Gardner

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Test Performance ◽

Neuropsychological Testing ◽

The Elderly ◽

Rugby League ◽

Self Report ◽

American Football ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Full Contact

Objective: Rugby league is an international full-contact sport, with frequent concussive injuries. Participation in other full-contact sports such as American football has been considered to be a risk factor for neuropsychiatric sequelae later-in-life, but little research has addressed the mental and cognitive health of retired professional rugby league players. We examined predictors and correlates of perceived (self-reported) cognitive decline in retired National Rugby League (NRL) players.Methods: Participants were 133 retired male elite level rugby league players in Australia. Participants completed clinical interviews, neuropsychological testing, and self-report measures. The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, self-report (IQCODE-Self), measured perceived cognitive decline.Results: The median age of the sample was 55.0 (M = 53.1, SD = 13.9, range = 30–89) and the median years of education completed was 12.0 (M = 11.9, SD = 2.6, range = 7–18). The retired players reported a median of 15.0 total lifetime concussions (M = 28.0, SD = 36.6, range = 0–200). The mean IQCODE-Self score was 3.2 (SD = 0.5; Range = 1.3–5.0); 10/133 (7.5%) and 38/133 (28.6%) scored above conservative and liberal cutoffs for cognitive decline on the IQCODE-Self, respectively. Perceived cognitive decline was positively correlated with current depressive symptoms, negatively correlated with years of professional sport exposure and resilience, and unrelated to objective cognition and number of self-reported concussions. A multiple regression model with perceived cognitive decline regressed on age, concussion history, professional rugby league exposure, depression, resilience, objective cognitive functioning, daytime sleepiness, and pain severity showed depression as the only significant predictor.Conclusion: This is the first large study examining subjectively experienced cognitive decline in retired professional rugby league players. Similar to studies from the general population and specialty clinics, no relationship was found between objective cognitive test performance and perceived cognitive decline. Depressive symptoms emerged as the strongest predictor of perceived cognitive decline, suggesting that subjective reports of worsening cognition in retired elite rugby league players might reflect psychological distress rather than current cognitive impairment.

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