Emotional distress affects attention and concentration: the difference between mountains and valleys.

The current study tests the hypothesis that the "mountains and valleys pattern" (MVP) observed within the Attention and Concentration domain of the Meyers Neuropsychological Battery reflects the interference of emotional distress/anxiety on the patient's cognitive test performance. First, the MVP was objectively quantified using a formula that took into account both increased and decreased scores, rather than canceling them out through averaging. Using a total sample of 787 subjects, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Second Edition Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) profile scores of cases with and without this pattern were then compared using an extensive database followed by a smaller, matched-groups design. The presence of the MVP was related to MMPI-2-RF test performance. In particular, this pattern was related to emotional distress/anxiety scales but was not related to scales reflecting neurological or cognitive complaints. The degree of emotional distress experienced may affect attention and concentration test performance in a way that sometimes heightens focus and at other times disrupts focus. The MVP may be used to assess the effects of emotional distress on the consistency of an individual patient's attention and concentration test performance.

A Validated Seven-Subtest Short Form for the WAIS-IV.

This study presents a short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, 2008 ) using the subtests (Block Design, Similarities, Digit Span, Arithmetic, Information, Coding, and Picture Completion) suggested by Ward ( 1990 ). These seven subtests were used to predict the full WAIS-IV Full-Scale IQ, as well as the Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed Index scores. Two different data sets were used: the first consisted of 70 subjects and the second consisted of 32 subjects. The first data set was used to create a linear regression and the second data set was used to validate the results and compare to the prorated score method from the WAIS-IV manual. The prorated estimated scores correlated significantly with their counterparts and proved to be a better method of estimating the Full-Scale IQ and most of the index scores, but the regression equation was better at predicting the Processing Speed Index. The current study is consistent with the Ward ( 1990 ) and Pilgrim, Meyers, Bayless, & Whetstone (1999) studies and represents a reliable and valid way of assessing intellectual functioning in an abbreviated format.