Performance of Binomial Forced-Choice Digit Memory Test of the Elderly with Cognitive Impairment / 中国临床心理学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the effects of cognitive impairment on the performance of Binomial Forced-Choice Digit Memory Test (BFDMT). Methods: Subjects were screened by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the brief form of WAIS-RC.BFDMT was administered to 38 dementias and 19 controls.Results: (1) There was no significant difference in the scores of two dimensions and total score of BFDMT between dementias and controls. (2) There was significant difference in the difficult item scores and the total score among three groups of subjects with different levels of IQ. The difficult item scores and the total score of the subjects with IQ 70～84 were significantly higher than those with IQ 50～69 and IQ 34～49. There were no significant differences among all groups in the easy item scores. (3) The false positive was 15.8% by the cutoff scores of total scores of BFDMT and increased with the decline of IQ. Conclusion: The performance of BFDMT is somewhat influenced by intellectual defect. A high false positive of BFDMT particularly happens in the patients with severe intellectual decline.