Cognitive Assessment (Dobkin) - 10/24/16

Question 1

Why do we do Intelligence (IQ) Testing?

Answer 1

Variety of Reasons:

• Assessment of aptitudes (academic strengths and weaknesses)
• Educational and/or occupation counseling
• To aid in diagnosis of Mental Retardation or Learning Disabilities

Question 2

WAIS-IV (age 16-89)

Answer 2

Verbal Comprehension

• Vocabulary
  
  • Most stable; best indicator of premorbid functioning (brain injury); general mental ability
• Information
  
  • LTM
• Similarities
  
  • Abstract reasoning (in what ways are banana/apple alike)

Perceptual Reasoning

• Block Design
  
  • ​Problem solving
  • Nonverbal reasoning
• Matrix Reasoning
  
  • ​Spatial reasoning, problem solving
• Visual Puzzles
  
  • ​Spatial reasoning

Working Memory

• Digit Span
  
  • ​Attention, concentration, mental control
• Arithmetic
  
  • ​Concentration; mental math

Processing Speed

• Symbol Search
  
  • ​Visual perception and analysis, scanning speed
• Coding
  
  • ​Visual-motor coordination
  • Motor and mental speed
  • Visual working memory

Question 3

Achievement vs. Aptitude Tests

Answer 3

Achievement: assess what has been learned in the past (final exam, APs)

Aptitude: prediction of future behavior (GRE, MCAT)

Question 4

Assessment of Attention

Answer 4

• Frontal lobes primarily implicated
• May be affected by a variety of disorders (e.g. ADHD, Depression, Dementia)
• Tests include:
  
  • Digit Span
  • Arithmetic

Question 5

Assessment of Language

Language Tests

Answer 5

• Frontal and temporal lobes
• Always observe speech, repetition, comprehension, naming, reading, writing
• Aphasias most common
  
  • Broca’s - speech production (frontal)
  • Wernicke’s - comprehension (temporal)
• Testing:
  
  • Boston-Naming
    
    • ​(name the object in this picture)
  • Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA)
    
    • ​start with letter F, tell me as many words as you can that start with this letter in 60 sec (no proper names, no repeats)
  • Category Fluency
    
    • (as many animals you can name)

Question 6

Visual-Spatial Assessment

Answer 6

• Parietal and Occipital lobe
• Problems include:
  
  • Visual neglect
  • Distrubance in L-R or topographic orientation
  • Difficulties with visual organization and constructional abilities
  • Visual agnosia
  • Prosopagnosia (can’t recognize faces)

Question 7

Assessment of Memory

Answer 7

• Temporal and Frontal Lobes; Hippocampus
• Affected by Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Normal Aging
• Difficulties may be influencd by time of initial exposure and meaning

Question 8

Executive Functioning

Question 9

Ability to produce cognitions and behaviors in planned, organized, and responsive manner

Frontal lobe