A simple test of central processing speed: an extension of the Short Blessed Test.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and reliability of a simple measure of central processing speed: the time to recite the months of the year in reverse order, from the Short Blessed Test of Orientation, Concentration, and Memory (SBT).


METHODS
Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were used to establish validity and test-retest reliability.


METHODS
Participants' homes and by telephone interview.


METHODS
An age-stratified sample of 120 community-dwelling women, aged 67-94, randomly selected from Medicare recipients of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area.


METHODS
Dependent variables were the SBT, the Trail Making Test, computer-generated simple and choice reaction time, and time to say the months of the year backward (TMYB). The independent variable was age.


RESULTS
Significant Pearson product-moment correlations were obtained for Trail Making and TMYB with a simple and choice reaction time after controlling for age and cognitive status. An exponential relationship was observed between age and TMYB, expressed both cross-sectionally and as rate of change. Test-retest reliability for TMYB was 0.90.


CONCLUSIONS
TMYB is a valid and reliable measure of central processing speed that compares favorably to the more elaborate and time-consuming Trail Making B test. Because of its simplicity and ease of administration, this test provides the clinician with a practical measure of central processing speed. TMYB extends the utility of the widely used Short Blessed Test by measuring this additional and important domain of brain function.
Ball
L J
LJ
Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Bisher
G B
GB
Birge
S J
SJ
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors; D014145:Trail Making Test