The Role of Experimentation in the Daily Practice of Neuropsychological Assessment: Advantages and Disadvantages

Abstract

In some situations, satisfactory neuropsychological assessment of a patient is not possible using conventional methods of investigation such as standardized tests, clinical interview, or neurological methods of examination. This is the case when interfering variables or complex cases in which there is a mixture of impaired function preclude the use of some standardized tests. Under certain conditions, the use of experimentation (i.e., experimental designs) can be of interest and can complement classical neuropsychological assessment. Even if it entails a number of constraints, experimentation may lead to a better understanding of the abilities of a patient and make it possible to set up a more effective program of rehabilitation.

Key words:

• experimentation
• methodology
• neuropsychological assessment
• single case

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank R. Cooke and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of the present article.

Notes

Note. As scores are expressed in different metrics depending on the test, we only report for each, if it was spared (SP) or impaired (IM).

For the experimental tasks, we report the average reaction time in milliseconds (SD) for B.S. and controls according to the task and the condition of presentation.