scholarly journals Normative Data for Two Working Memory Tasks in Spanish-Speaking US-Dwelling Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1275-1275
Author(s):  
T Seider ◽  
A Gooding ◽  
M J Marquine ◽  
P Suarez ◽  
M Rivera Mindt ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Working memory assessment is an important component of a neuropsychological evaluation. The Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Third Edition Letter Number Sequencing subtest (LNS) are two commonly used measures of working memory. Demographic variables (age, education, ethnicity, and country of origin) can impact performance on these measures, underscoring the need for demographically adjusted norms when utilizing these tests. We aimed to develop normative data for the PASAT and LNS for Spanish-speaking adults living in the US. Participants and Method The PASAT and LNS were administered to Spanish-speaking adults living in the US-Mexico border regions of California and Arizona as part of a larger normative effort in this population. Two hundred and forty-nine participants completed the PASAT and a subset (n = 202) also completed LNS. Ages ranged from 19-60 and education from 0-20 years. Results Older age was associated with lower scores on LNS (p < .01), but not the PASAT. Lower education was associated with lower scores on both tests (ps < .001). Females obtained lower raw scores than males on the PASAT (ps < .003), and there were no significant main effects of gender on LNS raw scores. Raw-to-scaled score conversions were calculated for the PASAT-50 item, PASAT-200 item, and LNS, and fractional polynomial equations were developed to calculate demographically-adjusted T-scores accounting for age, education, and gender. Published norms for English-speaking non-Hispanic Whites drastically overestimated rates of impairment (defined as T-score < 40) on both the PASAT and LNS. Conclusions The use of the population-specific normative data may improve detection of working memory dysfunction in Spanish-speaking adults living in the US and contribute to improved diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning in this population.

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1203-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret D Dudley ◽  
Suzanne L Barker-Collo ◽  
Denise L Wilson ◽  
Nick K Garrett

Abstract Neuropsychological tests are routinely used to assess Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, yet very few investigations of the psychometric properties of these tests with this population have been conducted. This paper focuses on factors that may impact performance of Māori adults on neuropsychological testing. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV) was administered to a sample of 284 Māori stratified for age (between 16 years and 90 years) and gender in order to establish a Māori normative data set. The sample who primarily spoke English as their first language were recruited from a range of urban, regional and rural areas in New Zealand to obtain representation of the main Māori Iwi (tribes). Analysis of test results suggests acculturation, education, income, and, “a culturally positive experience” may have accounted for some of the variance in test performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1274-1274
Author(s):  
T Scott ◽  
A Morlett Paredes ◽  
M Taylor ◽  
A Umlauf ◽  
L Artiola i Fortuny ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Adaptations of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Revised (WAIS-R) and accompanying norms exist for a limited number of Spanish-speaking populations, but none are available for US-dwelling Spanish speakers of Mexican origin, who make up the largest proportion of Latinas/os in the US. As part of a larger test adaptation and norming effort for Spanish-speakers from the US-Mexico border region, we generated and investigated demographically adjusted interpretive norms for selected WAIS-R subtests. Participants and Method Participants included 183 community-dwelling, primarily Spanish-speaking individuals, aged 20 to 55 (education range: 0-20 years; 58% female), who were residing in the US-Mexico border region. Participants completed the WAIS-R Spanish version (Block Design, Arithmetic, and Vocabulary subtests) as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. Demographically adjusted T-scores were calculated for these subtests using fractional polynomial equations, which controlled for age, education, and sex. We examined rates of neurocognitive impairment (T < 40) in our sample derived from the present demographically adjusted Spanish speaking norms and from the existing WAIS-R demographically adjusted norms for English-speaking Non-Latina/o White and Black adults. Results Based on the normalized distribution of T-scores, the newly developed regional Spanish-speaker norms yielded subtest rates of impaired performance between 13-16% (i.e., within the expected -1 SD). By comparison, the proportion of impaired subtest performances was between 4-6% when applying the existing English-speaking norms to our sample. Conclusions Regional normative data will improve interpretation of test performance on selected WAIS-R subtests for Spanish-speakers living in the US and will facilitate a more valid analysis of neuropsychological profile patterns in this population. Cross-validation with Spanish-speakers in other regions and/or with other national origins is needed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261208
Author(s):  
Rafael Ferracini Cabral ◽  
Diogo Goulart Corrêa ◽  
Nicolle Zimmermann ◽  
Gustavo Tukamoto ◽  
Tadeu Takao Almodovar Kubo ◽  
...  

Purpose Changes in cerebral cortical regions occur in HIV-infected patients, even in those with mild neurocognitive disorders. Working memory / attention is one of the most affected cognitive domain in these patients, worsening their quality of life. Our objective was to assess whether cortical thickness differs between HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit. Methods Forty-one adult HIV-infected patients with and without working memory deficit were imaged on a 1.5 T scanner. Working memory deficit was classified by composite Z scores for performance on the Digits and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (third edition; WAIS-III). Cortical thickness was determined using FreeSurfer software. Differences in mean cortical thickness between groups, corrected for multiple comparisons using Monte-Carlo simulation, were examined using the query design estimate contrast tool of the FreeSurfer software. Results Greater cortical thickness in left pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, and rostral and caudal portions of the left middle frontal gyrus (cluster 1; p = .004), and left superior frontal gyrus (cluster 2; p = .004) was observed in HIV-infected patients with working memory deficit compared with those without such deficit. Negative correlations were found between WAIS-III–based Z scores and cortical thickness in the two clusters (cluster 1: ρ = –0.59; cluster 2: ρ = –0.47). Conclusion HIV-infected patients with working memory deficit have regions of greater thickness in the left frontal cortices compared with those without such deficit, which may reflect increased synaptic contacts and/or an inflammatory response related to the damage caused by HIV infection.


2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Pienaar ◽  
AB Shuttleworth-Edwards ◽  
CC Klopper ◽  
S Radloff

The aim of this study was to provide preliminary normative guidelines for the use of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition (English administration) for South African Eastern Cape Xhosa-speaking adults ( n=31), aged 18–32, with 12years of disadvantaged quality of education. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition normative indications were compared with those from an equivalent population on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition. The substitution of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition core subtests with supplemental subtests was also investigated. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition findings were broadly equivalent, indicating a lowering of 20–25 intelligence quotient points compared with the US standardisation. The use of supplemental subtests revealed improved outcome on all four Index scores. It is concluded that practitioners can gainfully advance to the use of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition with this educationally disadvantaged African first language population, on the proviso that the extent of lowering relative to the US standardisation is taken into consideration.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria Simon ◽  
Marc De Hert ◽  
Martien Wampers ◽  
Joseph Peuskens ◽  
Ruud van Winkel

AbstractObjectivesThe present study aimed to (i) evaluate the association between insight and measures of executive functions and working memory in a sample of 132 patients with schizophrenia and (ii) to explore to what proportion neurocognitive dysfunction contributed to the variance in insight after controlling for symptomatology.MethodsSubjects were evaluated with a standardized neurocognitive test battery and a semi-structured interview, the Psychosis Evaluation tool for Common use by Caregivers (PECC). PECC, apart from evaluating symptoms and side-effects, measures insight on a 4-point scale by two of its dimensions: awareness of having a mental illness (AMI) and awareness of having symptoms attributed to a mental illness (ASAMI). Executive functioning was measured by the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST) and the Trail Making B (TMB). Working memory was measured by the Letter Number Sequencing (LNS) test from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).ResultsOnly one significant association was found after correction for multiple testing, between WCST categories completed and AMI (r = −0.29, p = 0.0006). WCST categories completed explained only 7.9% of the variance in AMI, while symptomatology explained 20% of variance in AMI and 16.5% of variance in ASAMI.ConclusionsThe current results show a significant but subtle association with the WCST, which is in agreement with earlier literature. No other associations between cognitive functioning and insight were found. In general, these findings seem to suggest that factors other than cognition have a greater impact on insight in patients with schizophrenia.


Assessment ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-192
Author(s):  
Yen-Ting Chen ◽  
Chung-Yu Peng ◽  
Mau-Sun Hua ◽  
Chen-Chung Liu ◽  
Hsin-Yi Chen ◽  
...  

Alphabetic working memory (WM) tests, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–III and IV Letter Number Sequencing, are not appropriate for nonalphabetic cultures. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Taiwan Odd–Even Number Sequencing Test (TOENST) and identified representative norms. The TOENST and other mental screening tasks were administered to 300 randomly selected healthy participants, 32 purposive sampling patients with schizophrenia, and 32 quota sampling controls. To investigate reliability and validity, a subset of the 300 healthy participants was randomly selected to receive a second TOENST ( n = 30) or conventional WM tests ( n = 42). The split-half reliability of the TOENST ranged from 0.69 to 0.95, and its test–retest reliability was 0.75. Criterion validity was demonstrated by significant correlations with conventional WM measures (all p < .05, except semantic verbal fluency), and construct validity was demonstrated by significant correlations with aging (main effect, F10,259 = 10.99, p < .001). Normative data were established, and performance was significantly associated with age and education. TOENST scores of patients with schizophrenia were significantly lower and correlated with frontal lobe tests, but not demographical or clinical characteristics. The TOENST has adequate psychometric properties and clinical utility and is as a viable alternative WM task for nonalphabetic cultures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Nenadić

Several personality disorders have been associated with cognitive impairment, including executive functions like working memory. Yet, it is unclear whether subclinical expression in non-clinical persons is associated with cognitive functioning. Recent studies indicate that non-clinical subjects might, in fact, perform better with increasing moderate to mild expressions of narcissistic features. We tested working memory performance in a cohort of n=70 psychiatrically and neurologically healthy subjects using Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS/WIE) subtests Arithmetic, Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing, and assessed narcissistic features using three different inventories: the widely used Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), as well as two clinically used measures of narcissistic traits and states, respectively, derived from schema-focused therapy, i.e., the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) entitlement/grandiosity subscale and the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI) self-aggrandizer subscale. In accordance with our hypothesis, we found nominally significant positive correlations of WIE Arithmetic performance with NPI total score (Spearman’s rho=0.208; p=0.043) and SMI self-aggrandizer scale (Spearman’s rho=0.231; p=0.027), but findings did not survive false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment for multiple comparisons (pFDR=0.189 and pFDR=0.243, respectively). While our findings add to recent studies on cognitive performance in subclinical narcissism, they fail to demonstrate an association of cognitive performance with narcissistic traits across multiple working memory tests, indicating the need for additional study, including complementary executive functions in larger cohorts and ranges of phenotype expression.


2009 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 625-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Wynn ◽  
Frederick L. Coolidge

Greater phonological storage capacity may be associated with levels of intentionality, and therefore by assumption, Theory of Mind. The participants were 34 high school students in the Midwest (15 girls, 19 boys; age range = 15 to 17 years). The measures were digits forward and digits backward from the Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–III and a measure purporting to assess Theory of Mind and Levels of Intentionality (Kinderman, Dunbar, & Bentall, 1998). There was found to be a weak nonsignificant correlation between digits forward and Levels of Intentionality, and a moderate and significant correlation between digits backward and Levels of Intentionality. The later correlation was significantly larger. The digits backward test requires not only greater phonological storage capacity but also appears to tap working memory resources. Findings suggest that greater phonological storage capacity is associated with higher intentionality, and by implication, perhaps more elaborate Theory of Mind, but only when the phonological task requires working memory functions.


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