Longitudinal and psychometric profiles of two cognitive status tests in very old adults.
Forty-four nondemented adults, over the age of 75 years, were tested at six-month intervals spanning two years. Study goals were to examine the validity of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), to assess the long-term reliability of these instruments, and to examine the longitudinal profile of this sample. Results showed that the MMSE was moderately correlated with the WAIS-R. The MMSE had low internal consistency, although the total score behaved reliably across the five occasions. The WAIS-R scales showed a high degree of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. WAIS-R performance remained stable across occasions; however, decline was evident in the MMSE subtests of Attention and Language.
Hopp
G A
GA
University of Victoria, B.C., Canada.
Dixon
R A
RA
Grut
M
M
Bäckman
L
L
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results