The Chinese version of the Memory for Intentions Test (MIST): Development and evaluation of its reliability and concurrent validity

Abstract

Objective:

This study aims to develop a simplified Chinese version of the “Memory for Intentions Test” (MIST), evaluate its reliability and concurrent validity, explore the inter-relationships among the MIST variables and the relationships between the MIST variables and socio-demographic factors.

Method:

Two hundred healthy, Chinese-speaking adults of the Han community participated in this study. Form A of the Chinese MIST and two prospective items of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test, Second Edition (RBMT-II, Chinese version) were administered to all participants to evaluate internal consistency, split-half reliability, and concurrent validity. Twenty of these participants were assessed twice on Form A with a two-week interval to examine test-retest reliability. They were also assessed on both Form A and Form B to examine alternate-form reliability.

Results:

The findings of the study indicated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .833) and excellent split-half reliability (r = .924–.930) among the six subscales of the Chinese MIST, although the internal consistency was low (Cronbach’s α = .129) for individual PM trials. We also found adequate concurrent validity (ρ = .722, p< .001), test-retest reliability (ρ = .716, p < .001), and alternate-form reliability (ρ= .828, p < .001).

Conclusions:

The Chinese MIST demonstrated suitable reliability and concurrent validity in the Chinese-speaking population. The present study provides a new standardized prospective memory test for the Chinese population, which would enhance future clinical research in this field on the Chinese mainland.

Keywords:

• Reliability
• concurrent validity
• memory for intentions test
• Chinese version
• neuropsychological test
• prospective memory

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Sarah Raskin and the PAR Company for providing us with the MIST and granting us permission to translate and use the simplified Chinese version of the MIST. We also thank Professor Yaoyun Zhu and her team for their back-translation, as well as Chao Li, Bo Yu, and Kaili Wang for their encouragement. Further, we are also grateful to each of the participants for their involvement.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. This manuscript has not been published elsewhere and has not been submitted simultaneously for publication in another source.

Data availability statement

The data are not publicly available as they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Department of Science & Technology of Shandong Province [grant number 2017CXGC1502].