title: Equivalency of Spanish language versions of the trail making test part B including or excluding "CH".
abstract: Spanish speakers commonly use two versions of the alphabet, one that includes the sound "Ch" between C and D and another that goes directly to D, as in English. Versions of the Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B) have been created accordingly to accommodate this preference. The pattern and total number of circles to be connected are identical between versions. However, the equivalency of these alternate forms has not been reported. We compared the performance of 35 healthy Spanish speakers who completed the "Ch" form (CH group) to that of 96 individuals who received the standard form (D group), based on whether they mentioned "Ch" in their oral recitation of the alphabet. The groups had comparable demographic characteristics and overall neuropsychological performance. There were no significant differences in TMT-B scores between the CH and D groups, and relationships with demographic variables were comparable. The findings suggest that both versions are equivalent and can be administered to Spanish speakers based on their preference without sacrificing comparability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA. mcherner@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cherner
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Posada
authors.forename: Lidia Artiola I
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fortuny
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marcotte
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heaton
mesh_terms: D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D014145:Trail Making Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014175:Translating; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*