Construct and concurrent validity of the Cambridge neuropsychological automated tests in Portuguese older adults without neuropsychiatric diagnoses and with Alzheimer’s disease dementia

ABSTRACT

We aimed to analyze the construct and concurrent validity of the Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP), Paired Associates Learning (PAL), Reaction Time (RTI), and Spatial Working Memory (SWM) tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB®). Inclusion criteria were checked in a first session. The CANTAB and additional pencil-and-paper tests were administered within 1 week. The participants (aged 69–96 years) were 137 Portuguese adults without neuropsychiatric diagnoses and 37 adults with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Comparisons were made between the CANTAB tests and between these tests and the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT), Verbal Fluency (VF) test, and some Wechsler Memory Scale-III and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III subtests. Most intra-test correlations were stronger than the CANTAB inter-test correlations. The RVP correlated more with VF animals (.44), the PAL with RCFT immediate recall (–.52), the RTI with RVP mean latency (.42), and the SWM with Spatial Span backward (–.39).

KEYWORDS:

• CANTAB
• older persons
• computerized tests
• pencil-and-paper tests
• intra- and inter-test correlations

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the principals and professionals at the institutions who gave permission to conduct this study, aided in the recruitment of older volunteers, and kindly collaborated in this research by completing interviews for formal caregivers: Casa de Repouso da Enfermagem Portuguesa [Residential Home of the Portuguese Nursing], Casa de Saúde do Telhal do Instituto S. João de Deus [Health Home of the Institute of St. João de Deus], Casa dos Professores de Carcavelos da Associação de Solidariedade Social dos Professores [Carcavelos House of Teachers’ Social Solidarity Association], Centro de Apoio Social de Oeiras do Instituto de Acção Social das Forças Armadas [Oeiras Social Support Center of the Armed Forces’ Social Welfare Institute], Centro de Dia Oeiras São Julião [Oeiras St. Julião Adult Day Care Center], Centro Psicogeriátrico Nossa Senhora de Fátima das Irmãs Hospitaleiras do Sagrado Coração de Jesus [Our Lady of Fátima Psychogeriatric Center of the Hospitaller Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus], Centro Social Paroquial de Oeiras [Oeiras Parochial Social Center], Corpuscare Casa de Repouso [Corpuscare Residential Home], Inválidos do Comércio Residências e Lares [Invalids of Commerce Residences and Nursing Homes], José de Mello Residências e Serviços [José de Mello Residences and Services], and Residência Assistida da Delegação da Costa do Estoril da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa [Costa do Estoril Residential Home of the Portuguese Red Cross]. The authors would also like to thank all of the older volunteers who kindly participated in this study and without whom this research could not have been conducted.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The first author was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology] and financed by the European Social Fund and national funds of the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, under Grant number SFRH/BD/75281/2010.