ABSTRACT
Abstract Objectives To describe normative data for the Hayling Test and the Trail Making Test (TMT) in a sample of Brazilian adults, and to investigate the effects of age and education on test performance. Method A total of 313 (TMT) and 364 (Hayling) individuals with age ranges of 19-39, 40-59, and 60-75 years, and with at least 5 years of formal education, participated in this study. The tests were administered as part of a large battery of a normative project. Individuals were evaluated individually in silent, ventilated rooms at a university clinic. Instrument protocols were scored by trained research assistants and double-checked to ensure data reliability. Results There were major effects of age on the TMT (Time B, Errors B, B-A) and on the Hayling Test (Errors B/15, B/45), and major effects of education on the TMT (Time B, Errors B, B-A) and on the Hayling Test (Time A, Errors B/15, B/45). Interaction effects were found in Time B and B-A for the Hayling Test and in Time A for the TMT. Conclusions Age and education were critical for performance on both verbal and non-verbal executive functions.
Resumo Objetivos Descrever dados normativos do Teste Hayling e do Teste de Trilhas em uma amostra de adultos brasileiros e investigar os efeitos de idade e escolaridade no desempenho das tarefas. Método Participaram deste estudo um total de 313 (TMT) e 364 (Hayling) indivíduos com idades nos intervalos de 19-39, 40-59 e 60-75 anos e com pelo menos 5 anos de escolaridade formal. Os testes foram administrados como parte de uma bateria maior de um projeto de normatização. Os indivíduos foram avaliados individualmente em salas silenciosas e ventiladas em uma clínica universitária. As pontuações dos protocolos foram realizadas por assistentes de pesquisa treinados e foram checadas duplamente para garantir a fidedignidade dos dados. Resultados Foram encontrados efeitos principais de idade no TMT (Tempo B, Erros B e Tempo B-A) e no Teste Hayling (Erros B/15 e B/45), e efeitos principais de educação no TMT (Tempo B, Erros B e Tempo B-A) e no Teste Hayling (Tempo A, Erros B/15 e B/45). Foram encontrados efeitos de interação entre variáveis nos Tempos B e B-A do Teste Hayling e no Tempo A do TMT. Conclusões Idade e escolaridade foram fatores críticos para o desempenho em ambos os testes verbal e não-verbal de avaliação das funções executivas.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Aged , Young Adult , Trail Making Test , Reference Values , Brazil , Age Factors , Educational Status , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Abstract Introduction: The Hayling Test assesses the components of initiation, inhibition, cognitive flexibility and verbal speed by means of a sentence completion task. This study presents the process of developing the Brazilian version of the Child Hayling Test (CHT) and reports evidence of its content validity. Methods: 139 people took part in the study. The adaptation was performed by seven translators and 12 specialist judges. An initial sample of 92 healthy children was recruited to test a selection of sentences adapted from previous adult and pediatric versions of the instrument, and a sample of 28 healthy children was recruited for pilot testing of the final version. The instrument was developed in seven stages: 1) translation, 2) back-translation, 3) comparison of translated versions, 4) preparation of new stimuli, 5) data collection with healthy children to analyze comprehension of the stimuli and analyses by the authors against the psycholinguistic criteria adopted, 6) analyses conducted by judges who are specialists in neuropsychology or linguistics, and 7) the pilot study. Results: Twenty-four of the 72 sentences constructed were selected on the basis of 70-100% agreement between judges evaluating what they assessed and level of comprehensibility. The pilot study revealed better performance by older children, providing evidence of the instrument's sensitivity to developmental factors. Conclusions: Future studies employing this version of CHT with clinical pediatric populations who have frontal lesions and dysfunctions and in related areas are needed to test functional and differential diagnoses of preserved or impaired executive functions.
Resumo Introdução: O Teste Hayling avalia os componentes iniciação, controle inibitório, flexibilidade cognitiva e velocidade verbal por meio de uma tarefa de completar frases. Este estudo apresenta o processo de desenvolvimento do Teste Hayling Infantil (THI) em português brasileiro, bem como evidências de validade de seu conteúdo. Métodos: Participaram 139 sujeitos: A adaptação foi realizada por sete tradutores e 12 juízes especialistas. Uma amostra inicial de 92 crianças saudáveis foi recrutada para testar uma seleção de sentenças adaptadas de versões anteriores para adultos e crianças, e uma amostra de 28 crianças saudáveis foi recrutada para testar a versão final num estudo piloto. Sete etapas foram conduzidas: 1) tradução, 2) retrotradução, 3) comparação entre versões traduzidas, 4) desenvolvimento de novos estímulos, 5) coleta com crianças saudáveis para análise da compreensão dos estímulos e análise dos autores quanto aos critérios psicolinguísticos, 6) análise de juízes especialistas em neuropsicologia e linguística, e 7) estudo piloto. Resultados: Das 72 frases construídas, selecionaram-se 24 que tiveram concordância de 70 a 100% entre juízes quanto aos construtos que avaliam e quanto ao grau de compreensibilidade. O estudo piloto revelou melhor desempenho nas crianças mais velhas, dando indícios da sensibilidade do instrumento aos fatores desenvolvimentais. Conclusões: Estudos futuros que utilizem esta versão do THI em populações clínicas infantis que apresentem lesões e disfunções frontais e em áreas relacionadas tornam-se necessários para fins de diagnóstico funcional e diferencial de dificuldades executivas preservadas ou afetadas.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child , Executive Function , Inhibition, Psychological , Neuropsychological Tests , Translating , Brazil , Psychology, Child , Pilot Projects , Sensitivity and Specificity , LanguageABSTRACT
Childhood neuropsychology is a growing scientific area in Brazil. Regarding cognitive function in infancy, executive function (EF) has been the main focus of several studies because of its importance for and complexity in human cognition and behavior. Executive functions can be considered a set of cognitive processes related to control and integration devoted to the execution of goal-directed behaviors. Research has shown that these abilities begin in infancy and progressively develop until adulthood. Although some studies on EF development in children have already been conducted, our knowledge on this topic is still incipient. Because of the relevant role of age in cognition and EF development, the present study investigated whether differences exist between children aged 6 to 12 years concerning their performance on the Hayling test-adult version, an instrument that assesses the EF components of initiation and inhibition. Pilot data are presented that verify the applicability of this test to children. Significant differences were found between comparable age groups only in three of the seven main Hayling test scores, suggesting that the adult version may not be appropriate for children, and an adaptation of the test for child assessment is necessary. The study may lead to an initial reflection on the development of these components and thus contribute to improvements in the field of child neuropsychology