A Local Normative Study on the Short-form Higher Cortical Examination in Healthy Middle Age and Elderly Individuals in North Taiwan

• Main Authors: Hsin-Mien Yang, 楊心綿
• Other Authors: Mau-Sun Hua
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/30099044945608383694

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 心理學研究所 === 99 === The Short-form Higher Cortical Examination is a brief, individually administered neuropsychological test battery measuring orientation, memory, language, attention-concentration, concept formation, visuoconstructional abilities, and manual dexterity. This test battery is intended for use with illiterates or people with low education level. The objectives of this study were to establish the norm of the Short-form Higher Cortical Examination of healthy older adults in North Taiwan, to evaluate its psychometric properties, as well as to examine the relationship between the test performance and demographic variables. The Short-form Higher Cortical Examination was administered to 160 healthy individuals aged 50 to 89 years, with education level varied from 0 to 16 year. The Vocabulary, Block Design, Information, Digit Symbol-Coding subtests, and the Working memory Index of the WAIS-Ⅲ (Chinese Version), the Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction subtests of the WMS-Ⅲ (Chinese Version), and MMSE were also administered , with data collected from clinical groups, to examine the validity of the Short-form Higher Cortical Examination. Thirty of the 160 participants were retested 1 month later to examine the reliability of the Short-form Higher Cortical Examination. The results revealed that the Short-form Higher Cortical Examination showed good test-retest reliability and validity as a neuropsychological test battery measuring general cognitive function, and the local normative data are applicable for the healthy individuals aged from 50 to 89 years. Regression coefficients derived from demographic variables were used to adjust raw scores, and percentile rank norms for these adjusted scores were established. Since the present study only provides normative data for healthy older adults in North Taiwan, further studies on comprehensive collection of norms in other areas of Taiwan are merited. Furthermore, for the effective use of the Short-form Higher Cortical Examination in clinical settings, further studies of specific clinical populations are required.