Background: The assessment of visuospatial abilities is usually performed by drawing tasks. In patients with very low formal education, the use of these tasks might be biased by their cultural background. The Stick Design Test was developed for the assessment of this population. We aim to expand the test psychometric properties by assessing its construct, criterion-related and ecological validity in older adults with low formal education.
Method: Healthy older adults (n = 63) and Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 92) performed the Stick Design Test, Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Span Forward and the Clock Drawing Test. Their caregivers answered Personal Care and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living). Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis, convergent correlations (with the Clock Drawing Test), and divergent correlations (with Digit Span Forward); criterion-related validity by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and binary logistic regression; and Ecological validity by correlations with ADL.
Results: The test factor structure was composed by one component (R 2 = 64%). Significant correlations with the Clock Drawing Test and Digit Span Forward were found, and the relationship was stronger with the first measure. The test was less associated with formal education than the Clock Drawing Test. It classified about 76% of the participants correctly and had and additive effect with the Mini-Mental State Examination (84% of correct classification). The test also correlated significantly with measures of ADL, suggesting ecological validity.
Conclusions: The Stick Design Test shows evidence of construct, criterion-related and ecological validity. It is an interesting alternative to drawing tasks for the assessment of visuospatial abilities.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1041610213001282 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Home-made vs industry-made: Nutrient composition and content of potentially harmful compounds of different food products.
Curr Res Food Sci
December 2024
Food Quality and Design Group, Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Many consumers perceive industrially processed foods as lower in quality and potentially harmful to health, with concerns about poor nutrition, additives, and harmful compounds formed during processing. Epidemiological studies have highlighted risks associated with "ultra-processed foods," but empirical comparisons between industrial (IND) and home-made (HM) foods are scarce. This study aimed to compare nutritional values and harmful compounds in IND vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaporation Dynamics of Deionized Water Droplets on Hydrophobic Leaves.
Langmuir
January 2025
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Refrigeration Technology, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China.
Self-cleaning applications based on bionic surface designs requires an in-depth understanding of unique and complex wetting and evaporation processes of sessile droplets on natural biosurfaces. To this end, hydrophobic bamboo and Kalanchoe blossfeldiana leaves are excellent candidates for self-cleaning applications, but various properties, such as the heat and mass transfer processes during evaporation, remain unknown. Here, the dynamics of contact angle, radius, and heat and mass transfer during evaporation of sessile droplets on bamboo and Kalanchoe blossfeldiana leaves with roughness in the range 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMen's views on factors contributing to their poor health-seeking behaviour in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
BMC Public Health
January 2025
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Venda, University Rd, Thohoyandou, South Africa.
Background: The reasons for men not to seek healthcare seem similar across the world. They avoid going for regular medical check-ups, and preventive care and often disregard symptoms or delay seeking medical attention when sick, in pain, or even when their lives are in danger.
Methods: This study sought to explore the views of men on factors contributing to poor health-seeking behavior among men in Mopani, Vhembe, and Capricorn district municipalities in Limpopo Province.
Amplification-free CRISPR/Cas based dual-enzymatic colorimetric nucleic acid biosensing device.
Lab Chip
January 2025
Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is widely considered the gold standard in analytical fields, with applications spanning environmental monitoring, forensic science and clinical diagnostics, among others. However, its widespread use is often constrained by complicated assay procedures, the need for specialized equipment, and the complexity of reagent handling. In this study, we demonstrate a fully integrated 3D-printed biosensensing device employing a CRISPR/Cas12a-based dual-enzymatic mechanism for highly sensitive and user-friendly nucleic acid detection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment of Piezoelectric Inertial Rotary Motor for Free-Space Optical Communication Systems.
Micromachines (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania.
This paper presents the design, development, and investigation of a novel piezoelectric inertial motor whose target application is the low Earth orbit (LEO) temperature conditions. The motor utilizes the inertial stick-slip principle, driven by the first bending mode of three piezoelectric bimorph plates, and is compact and lightweight, with a total volume of 443 cm and a mass of 28.14 g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!