RESUMO
The present study evaluated the effects of stress and the ethnicity of the examiner on neuropsychological performance in a sample of Asian-Indian males in the United States. Participants were 60 Asian-Indian college students randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The first factor was level of stress induction and the second was ethnicity of examiners. Results suggested that both stress inducing instructions and examiner ethnicity impacted highly demanding tasks, while moderately difficult tasks were less sensitive to ethnicity of the examiner. Results also indicate that examiners should recognize the potential impact of ethnicity and heightened level of stress when administering and interpreting neuropsychological measures.
Assuntos
Asiático/psicologia , Testes Neuropsicológicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Estresse Psicológico/etnologia , Aculturação , Adulto , Ansiedade/complicações , Ansiedade/etnologia , Humanos , Índia/etnologia , Masculino , Projetos Piloto , Psicometria/estatística & dados numéricos , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Meio Social , Estresse Psicológico/complicaçõesRESUMO
Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity are two visual domains affected by normal aging; however, the potential impact of well-documented changes in these abilities on neuropsychological assessment is relatively unstudied. The current study examined the relationship between these abilities and neuropsychological performance in a healthy, community-based elderly sample. Fifty-one individuals (Age: M = 79.6) were assessed for visual acuity and visual contrast sensitivity, and received a brief neuropsychological battery. Results indicated contrast sensitivity was significantly related to neuropsychological performance on visually based measures, but not auditory measures. Visual acuity was only weakly related to neuropsychological performance. Clinical implications for assessment of elderly individuals are discussed.
Assuntos
Envelhecimento/fisiologia , Sensibilidades de Contraste/fisiologia , Acuidade Visual/fisiologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Envelhecimento/psicologia , Feminino , Avaliação Geriátrica , Humanos , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Estimulação Luminosa , Valores de Referência , Visão BinocularRESUMO
Despite frequent cautions in the literature concerning the importance of visual acuity in neuropsychological testing, there are few published empirical investigations of what constitutes "sufficient" visual acuity, nor are there published guidelines for performance-based visual screening techniques. The current study attempted to validate the utility of a visual acuity screening technique by examining individuals with varying visual ability on neuropsychological measures. Results revealed declines on neuropsychological measures associated with reduced visual acuity, as well as discrepancies between self-reported and measured visual acuity, with neuropsychological performance being more closely related to a performance-based measure of visual acuity than to self-reported visual acuity. Clinical implications are discussed.