DEVEL. OF A COGNITIVE SCREENING BATTERY FOR THE AGED

THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO PRODUCE A SELF-ADMINISTERED, STATE-OF-THE-ART, AND LESS COSTLY COGNITIVE SCREENING DEVICESENSITIVE TO SUBTLE MENTAL DETERIORATION BECAUSE OF AGING OROTHER FACTORS. INTEREST IN SUCH A TEST HAS BEEN EXPRESSED BY HOSPITALS, HMO'S, AND UNIVERSITIES THAT EMPLOY OLDER INDIVIDUALS AND BY MEDICAL AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS. PRESENT NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES ARE LENGTHY, EXPENSIVE, AND HAVE NORMS BASED ON SMALL NUMBERS. POWELL ASSOCIATES HAS DEVELOPED A COMPUTER-GIVEN SCREENING BATTERY, PROVISIONALLY CALLED THE ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE SKILLS (ACS). IT WAS GIVEN TO 1,003 PHYSICIANS, LARGELY MALE, AGES 28-92. STATISTICAL ANALYSES OF THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOUNGER SUBJECTS OUTPERFORM OLDER ONESIN A STEPWISE FASHION, AND MEAN VARIANCE INCREASES MONOTONICALLY WITH AGE. THE SPECIFIC AIM OF PHASE I IS TO CARRY OUT FURTHER STUDIES OF THE ACS WITH A GREATER NUMBER OF WOMEN AND MEN. PHASE IIWILL HAVE THREE MAJOR GOALS: (1) ACCUMULATING ACS NORMATIVE DATA ON A LARGER POPULATION, CONFORMING TO CENSUS PROPORTIONS FOR GENDER, MINORITY REPRESENTATION, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS; (2) USING THE ACS, ALONG WITH OTHER TESTS, TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN COGNITIVE LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH NORMAL AGING AND THAT ASSOCIATED WITH MILD DEMENTIA; AND (3) DETERMINING THE EXTENT TO WHICH INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL, COGNITIVE, AND BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS CAN ENHANCE THE MENTAL FUNCTIONING OF THESE TWO GROUPS.