The construct validity of executive functions in normal adults and in adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Item
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Title
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The construct validity of executive functions in normal adults and in adults with mild cognitive impairment.
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Identifier
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AAI3103149
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identifier
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3103149
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Creator
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Mitsis, Effie M.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Jeffrey M. Halperin
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Date
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2003
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Psychobiology
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Abstract
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The construct of executive functions (EF) has remained elusive in terms of a precise operational definition. Further, little is known about the decline of EF associated with aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study examined the unitary versus multidimensional aspects of EF, and the effects of aging and MCI on EF, using a test battery comprised of classic and experimental measures of EF. Method. One hundred ninety-two participants (141 females) ranging in age from 18--90 years were administered an EF battery consisting of the Stroop Color and Word Test, Verbal and Category Fluency, Trails A & B, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Tower of London, Continuous Performance Test, Competing Motors Program, and Letter-Number Sequencing and Digit Span subtests of the WAIS-III. Intellectual functioning was estimated using the Vocabulary subtest of the WAIS-III. Individuals 55 years of age and over were also administered the modified Mini Mental State Examination, Wechsler Memory Scale-III Visual Reproductions, and the Selective Reminding Test. Participants were divided into three groups. Group 1 was comprised of 100 young adults (YA; mean [SD] age = 25.21[9.58] years), Group 2 of 54 older, normal adults (OA; mean [SD] age = 67.88 [7.87] years), and Group 3 of 42 individuals meeting criteria for MCI (mean [SD] age = 72.03 [8.55] years). A factor analytic approach examined the construct of EF to determine the degree to which EF, independent of IQ, is a unitary versus a multidimensional construct. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance was performed using each EF measure to examine the effects of age and MCI, controlling for education, IQ, and gender. Results. Both unitary and multidimensional aspects of EF were identified. Most tests of EF loaded moderately to substantially on the first un-rotated component. After rotation, 3 factors emerged which were labeled "working memory," "fluency," and "behavioral inhibition." Significant age effects were observed on many of the EF measures. MCI effects were observed only on a test of shifting mental set. Conclusion. Data indicate that EF, after controlling for IQ, is comprised of both unitary and multidimensional aspects. Data also indicate a substantial age-, but not MCI-related, decline in performance across an array of EF tests. The ability to shift mental set, or to inhibit ongoing behavior, may be impaired in individuals with MCI.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
