Does familiarity with computers affect computerized neuropsychological test performance?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-reported computer familiarity is related to performance on computerized neurocognitive testing. Participants were 130 healthy adults who self-reported whether their computer use was “some” (n = 65) or “frequent” (n = 65). The two groups were individually matched on age, education, sex, and race. All completed the CNS Vital Signs (Gualtieri & Johnson, 2006b) computerized neurocognitive battery. There were significant differences on 6 of the 23 scores, including scores derived from the Symbol–Digit Coding Test, Stroop Test, and the Shifting Attention Test. The two groups were also significantly different on the Psychomotor Speed (Cohen's d = 0.37), Reaction Time (d = 0.68), Complex Attention (d = 0.40), and Cognitive Flexibility (d = 0.64) domain scores. People with “frequent” computer use performed better than people with “some” computer use on some tests requiring rapid visual scanning and keyboard work.

Keywords:

• Neurocognitive testing
• Computerized testing
• Demographic variables

The authors wish to thank Ms. Jennifer Bernardo for assistance with manuscript preparation. This study was presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, August 2007, San Francisco, California, USA. Drs. Gualtieri and Johnson are the two developers of the CNS Vital Signs battery used in this study.