Age- and education-adjusted normative data for the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT)

p. 473-480The original Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT) suggests a cutof global score of 10 points. However, this limit may be too stringent for older adults attending memory training programs, particularly for those with low education levels. This study aims to provide appropriately adjusted age and education norms for the RBMT. Data from 711 subjects were grouped based on age (65–67, 68–71, 72–75 and 76–83) and education level (primary school, high school and university studies). The data exhibit a clear trend of scores decreasing with age. The diminution in scores does not reach trend levels of signifcance between neighboring (<5 years) age intervals, but it is statistically signifcant at the designated alpha level (p=.05) when younger and older adults are compared over a range of 5 years of diference. 81.86% of our sample has global scores below the suggested cutof of 10 points. The present study provides a more accurate representation of RBMT global score performance in older adults for specifc age and education stratifcations.S

Cognitive interviewing methodology in the development of a pediatric item bank: a patient reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The evaluation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in health care has seen greater use in recent years, and methods to improve the reliability and validity of PRO instruments are advancing. This paper discusses the cognitive interviewing procedures employed by the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatrics group for the purpose of developing a dynamic, electronic item bank for field testing with children and adolescents using novel computer technology. The primary objective of this study was to conduct cognitive interviews with children and adolescents to gain feedback on items measuring physical functioning, emotional health, social health, fatigue, pain, and asthma-specific symptoms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 88 cognitive interviews were conducted with 77 children and adolescents across two sites on 318 items. From this initial item bank, 25 items were deleted and 35 were revised and underwent a second round of cognitive interviews. A total of 293 items were retained for field testing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Children as young as 8 years of age were able to comprehend the majority of items, response options, directions, recall period, and identify problems with language that was difficult for them to understand. Cognitive interviews indicated issues with item comprehension on several items which led to alternative wording for these items.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Children ages 8–17 years were able to comprehend most item stems and response options in the present study. Field testing with the resulting items and response options is presently being conducted as part of the PROMIS Pediatric Item Bank development process.</p

Attention Performance in an Epidemiological Sample of Urban Children: The Role of Gender and Verbal Intelligence

We administered a comprehensive attentional battery to an epidemiologically defined sample of 435 first and second-grade children to assess the influence of gender and verbal intelligence on attention. The battery included three versions of the continuous performance test (CPT), two digit cancellation tasks, three subtests from the WISC-R, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The results indicated that both gender and intelligence had an impact on attentional performance. Girls performed better than boys; they made fewer errors on the CPT and obtained higher scores on the digit cancellation task and the Coding subtest of the WISC-R. Children with higher verbal intelligence also performed better on the attentional tests, but this advantage was not observed across measures or levels of performance. For example, children with limited verbal skills performed significantly worse than their peers only in measures with high processing demands(the degraded CPT and the distraction version of the digit cancellation task)