Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
900844 | Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology | 2008 | 14 Pages |
It is often assumed that neuropsychological measures are ecologically valid in ‘normal’ people, but this assumption has not yet been thoroughly evaluated.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cross-sectional and longitudinal ecological validity of individual neuropsychological test scores and their composites in a large sample of neurologically intact people. Three neuropsychological composite measures were established, i.e. a “Memory Quotient”, an “Executive functioning and Speed Quotient”, and a “General Cognitive Quotient”. The ecological validity of the individual neuropsychological measures and their composites was low to moderate. Multivariate models that included both neuropsychological and non-cognitive variables (i.e. demographic variables, depressive symptoms and anxiety) accounted for 4.6–21.4% of the variance in daily life functioning. The General Cognitive Quotient was the neuropsychological measure that was the most consistently related to daily life functioning.