Marta Matos Gonçalves1, Maria Salomé Pinho1, Mário Rodrigues Simões2. 1. a Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra , Coimbra , Portugal. 2. b Centro de Investigação do Núcleo de Estudos e Intervenção Cognitivo-Comportamental (CINEICC) [Cognitive and Behavioral Center for Research and Intervention] , Psychological Assessment and Psychometrics Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra , Coimbra , Portugal.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the effects of age, education, gender, computer experience, institutionalization time, and psychotropic drug use on performance on four tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) which are recommended for the assessment of dementia (Rapid Visual Information Processing [RVP], Paired Associates Learning [PAL], Spatial Working Memory [SWM], and Reaction Time [RTI]), and to provide norms for Portuguese older persons without neuropsychiatric diagnoses who are living in retirement homes. METHOD: The normative sample included 128 adults aged 69-96 years who had no neuropsychiatric diagnosis and who had lived in retirement homes for 3-232 months. The CANTAB was administered, at the latest, one week after a screening session that comprised an interview and the administration of pencil-and-paper tests. RESULTS: The simultaneous multiple linear regression models were significant (p < .05) for all tests except the RTI five-choice movement time measure. The total variance explained by the socio-demographic variables was smaller for the CANTAB measures (4-14%) than for the pencil-and-paper tests (10-33%). Significant effects involving age or gender were observed for RVP, PAL, and SWM. A marginally significant computer experience effect was found for the RTI simple movement time measure. We additionally observed significant effects of education, age, gender, and computer experience on several pencil-and-paper tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that different socio-demographic variables influence distinct tests and measures of the same test, and that the associations between computer experience and several pencil-and-paper tests may be mediated by possible cognitive skills developed through computer use.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the effects of age, education, gender, computer experience, institutionalization time, and psychotropic drug use on performance on four tests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) which are recommended for the assessment of dementia (Rapid Visual Information Processing [RVP], Paired Associates Learning [PAL], Spatial Working Memory [SWM], and Reaction Time [RTI]), and to provide norms for Portuguese older persons without neuropsychiatric diagnoses who are living in retirement homes. METHOD: The normative sample included 128 adults aged 69-96 years who had no neuropsychiatric diagnosis and who had lived in retirement homes for 3-232 months. The CANTAB was administered, at the latest, one week after a screening session that comprised an interview and the administration of pencil-and-paper tests. RESULTS: The simultaneous multiple linear regression models were significant (p < .05) for all tests except the RTI five-choice movement time measure. The total variance explained by the socio-demographic variables was smaller for the CANTAB measures (4-14%) than for the pencil-and-paper tests (10-33%). Significant effects involving age or gender were observed for RVP, PAL, and SWM. A marginally significant computer experience effect was found for the RTI simple movement time measure. We additionally observed significant effects of education, age, gender, and computer experience on several pencil-and-paper tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that different socio-demographic variables influence distinct tests and measures of the same test, and that the associations between computer experience and several pencil-and-paper tests may be mediated by possible cognitive skills developed through computer use.
Entities:
Keywords:
CANTAB; age; computer experience; institutionalized older persons; normative data
Authors: Insa Feinkohl; Friedrich Borchers; Sarah Burkhardt; Henning Krampe; Antje Kraft; Saya Speidel; Ilse M J Kant; Simone J T van Montfort; Ellen Aarts; Jochen Kruppa; Arjen Slooter; Georg Winterer; Tobias Pischon; Claudia Spies Journal: BMC Res Notes Date: 2020-02-04