Standardized assessment of cognitive functioning during development and aging using an automated touchscreen battery

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 449 - 467
• Main Authors: Clark, C. Richard, Paul, Robert H., Williams, Leanne M., Arns, Martijn, Fallahpour, Kamran, Handmer, Carolyn, Gordon, Evian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2006; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult. Elderly; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ageing; Aging - physiology; Aging - psychology; Attention - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Cognition; Computer-Aided Design; Development; Developmental psychology; Education; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender; Human Development - physiology; Humans; Learning - physiology; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests - standards; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Neuropsychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sex Factors; Development; Cognition; Neuropsychology; Gender; Education; Ageing; Human; Evaluation; Senescence; Education level; Sex; Neuropsychological test; Psychometrics; Touch screen; Adolescent; Young adult; Adult; Cognitive development; Child; Neuropsychologia
• ISSN: 0887-6177; 1873-5843
• DOI: 10.1016/j.acn.2006.06.005

This study examined the effects of age, gender and education on subjects spanning nine decades on a new cognitive battery of 12 tests. One thousand and seven participants between 6 and 82 completed the battery under standardized conditions using an automated, computerized touchscreen. Sensitive indicators of change were obtained on measures of attention and working memory, learning and memory retrieval, and language, visuospatial function, sensori-motor and executive function. Improvement tended to occur through to the third and fourth decade of life, followed by gradual decrement and/or stabilized performance thereafter. Gender differences were obtained on measures of sustained attention, verbal learning and memory, visuospatial processing and dexterity. Years of education in adults was reflected in performance on measures of verbal function. Overall, the test battery provided sensitive indicators on a range of cognitive functions suitable for the assessment of abnormal cognition, the evaluation of treatment effects and for longitudinal case management.