Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Psicothema, 2012. Vol. Vol. 24 (nº 4). 587-593
Mª del Carmen Díaz Mardomingo1, José Chacón Gómez2, Mª Rosario Martínez Arias2 y Herminia Peraita Adrados1
La evaluación neuropsicológica permite valorar el estado cognitivo de las personas con Deterioro Cognitivo Ligero (DCL) mediante tests que se relacionan con las diversas funciones cognitivas. La mayoría de los tests se refieren a más de una función cognitiva, y el análisis del rendimiento de los individuos debe tenerlo presente. Analizamos la posible agrupación de los tests de una batería neuropsicológica en diferentes dimensiones cognitivas y su peso en cada dimensión. Participaron 223, 179 y 145 individuos (sanos y DCL) procedentes de un estudio longitudinal sobre el DCL evaluados en una, dos o tres ocasiones, respectivamente. A través de un análisis factorial exploratorio se halló el agrupamiento de los tests en diversos factores. La mejor solución fue la de dos factores: en uno se incluyen los tests de memoria y en otro los de función ejecutiva y praxias, aunque también se analiza la solución de tres factores. Se detectaron dos dimensiones cognitivas claras con una elevada convergencia en las tres evaluaciones, y, como consecuencia, se puede proponer la reducción de la batería, seleccionando aquellos tests con un mayor peso en cada dimensión.
Stability of the cognitive dimensions of a battery of neuropsychological tests. Neuropsychological assessment allows the appraisal of the cognitive state of people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) by means of tests that are related to diverse cognitive functions. Most of the tests refer to more than one cognitive function, and the analysis of the individual’s performance should take this into account. We analyzed the possible grouping of the tests of a neuropsychological battery into diverse cognitive dimensions, and the weight of the tests in each dimension. Participants were 223, 179, and 145 individuals (healthy and MCI) from a longitudinal study on MCI, who were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests on one, two, or three occasions, respectively. By means of exploratory factor analysis, the tests were found to be grouped into diverse factors. Although the three-factor solution was also analyzed, the two-factor solution was the best one, with a factor that included the memory tests, and the other factor comprising the executive function and praxis tests. Factor analysis allowed us to detect two clear cognitive dimensions with high convergence in all three assessments and, as a consequence, the reduction of the battery is proposed, selecting the tests with a greater weight in each dimension.
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