Testing normal older people three or four times at 1- to 2-year intervals: defining normal variance

Neuropsychology. 1999 Jan;13(1):121-7. doi: 10.1037//0894-4105.13.1.121.

Abstract

Normative data were presented that defined the upper and lower standards for deciding if cognitive abilities show reliable change over 2 or more testing occasions when retesting occurs at 1- to 2-year intervals. The Mayo Cognitive Factor Scores (MCFS; G. E. Smith et al., 1994) were analyzed because they permit the quantitation of overall functioning in 5 clinically important cognitive domains: established verbal knowledge, nonverbal reasoning, attention and concentration, new learning, and delayed memory. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of both group-level and individual-level data analyses derived from a respectably sized sample of normal persons who have been tested 3 or more times at clinically common test-retest intervals.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Cognition / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests*
  • Reference Values
  • Time Factors