Ecological Validity Of Neuropsychological Testing

Ecological validity, the functional and predictive relationship between a patient's performance on a set of neuropsychological tests and their behavior in a variety of real-world settings, is emerging as a powerful tool. Since neuropsychological data were not designed to be ecologically valid, attempts to use the data in such a manner have been filled with pitfalls. The authors present a strong argument for reevaluating existing tests and/or developing new measurements. Special attention is given to specific functions such as the cognitive constructs of attention, perception, working memory, language, and executive function. Additional consideration is given to the assessment of special populations: children, minorities, substance abusers, elderly, and emotionally disturbed neurological populations. One area in which neuropsychology can lend tremendous assistance is in predicting a client's ability to resume activities of daily living, but more important, when a client can return to work. Ecological Validity of Neuropsychological Testing covers this issue extensively and details the role of vocational rehabilitation and the lack of exposure many within neuropsychology have to these specific needs of their clients.

No other book reviews clinical neuropsychological assessment from an empirical psychometric perspective. In this completely revised and updated 2nd edition, the concepts and methods of psychometric neuropsychology are presented as a framework by which to evaluate current instruments. Newer methodologies and statistical techniques are discussed, such as meta analysis, effect size, confirming factor analysis and ecological validity. The explosion of research in this area since the publication of the first edition in 1989, has been incorporated, including a greatly expanded chapter on child assessment instruments. This volume is a must for the bookshelf of every clinical neuropsychologist as well as researchers and students. Anyone conducting forensic evaluations will especially find useful the information on reliability and validity when preparing for court appearances.

Neuropsychology has been concerned with brain-behavior relationships. Clinical neuropsychology has been concerned with application of relation ships to clinical problems. As interest in these topics continues, a spin-off from clinical neuropsychology has been the realization ofthe potential ofde lineations of behavioral consequences of cerebral lesions for developing and evaluating restoration and compensation objectives. Methods for these proce dures are scattered in books, journal articles, or else unwritten, and only in the minds of clinicians. Questions need to be addressed regarding the kinds ofassessment selections required; the types ofrehabilitation planning; the in fluences ofthe environment, communication, and personality; and the means of effectively evaluating rehabilitation procedures. A useful book is needed by clinicians working in this area. The purpose of this book is to consolidate, in one volume, current work able approaches ofa subdiscipline within neuropsychology and related areas which we are calling Intervention. Problems, dilemmas, solutions, and choices are presented to the reader beginning to work in this fascinating area, and to those of us already enthralled by previous developments and outcomes. Workers with expertise in assessment for intervention and interventiop strategies are chapter contributors who unravel issues, provide available em pirically based theory, illustrative data, and case reports. The volume begins with a chapter that emphasizes an awareness of the potential usefulness ofpathophysiology, and the recognition of spontaneous xv xvi recovery in relationship to intervention. Part II of the book is devoted to identifying and developing assessment techniques relevant for intervention.

This ambitious and accessible guide reviews innovative technologies enhancing the field of neuropsychological testing. Starting with the premise that standard batteries—some nearly a century old—lag behind in our era of neuroimaging, genomic studies, psychophysiology, and informatics, it presents digital measures offering more efficient administration, more accurate data, and wider clinical applications. Ecological validity and evidence-based science are key themes in these advances, from virtual environments and assessment of social cognition to the shift toward situational reliability and away from lab-created constructs. These chapters also demonstrate how high-tech assessment tools can complement or supplement traditional pencil-and-paper measures without replacing them outright. This book covers in depth: · The evolution of neuropsychological testing over the past century. · Current applications of computer-based neuropsychological assessments. · The strengths and limitations of simulation technology. · The use of teleneuropsychology in reaching remote clients. · The potential of gaming technologies in neurocognitive rehabilitation. · How technology can transform test data into information useful across specialties. Clinical Neuropsychology and Technology brings neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, and rehabilitation specialists into the vanguard of assessment measures and processes that will translate into more accurate testing, collaborations between disciplines, and valid and useful outcomes.

For a period of some fifteen years following completion of my internship training in clinical psychology (1950-1951) at the Washington University School of Medicine and my concurrent successful navigation through that school's neuroanatomy course, clinical work in neuropsychology for me and the psychologists of my generation consisted almost exclusively of trying to help our physician colleagues differentiate patients with neurologic from those with psychiatric disorders. In time, experience led all of us from the several disciplines involved in this enterprise to the conclusion that the crude diag nostic techniques available to us circa 1945-1965 had garnered us little valid information upon which to base such complex, differential diagnostic decisions. It now is gratifying to look back and review the remarkable progress that has occurred in the field of clinical neuropsychology in the four decades since I was a graduate student. In the late 1940s such pioneers as Ward Halstead, Alexander Luria, George Yacorzynski, Hans-Lukas Teuber, and Arthur Benton already were involved in clinical studies that, by the late 1960s, would markedly have improved the quality of clinical practice. However, the only psychological tests that the clinical psychologist of my immediate post-Second World War generation had as aids for the diagnosis of neurologically based conditions involving cognitive deficit were such old standbys as the Wechsler Bellevue, Rorschach, Draw A Person, Bender Gestalt, and Graham Kendall Memory for Designs Test.

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), for disabled individuals, and their dependent family members, who have worked and contributed to the Social Security trust funds, and Supplemental Security Income (SSSI), which is a means-tested program based on income and financial assets for adults aged 65 years or older and disabled adults and children. Both programs require that claimants have a disability and meet specific medical criteria in order to qualify for benefits. SSA establishes the presence of a medically-determined impairment in individuals with mental disorders other than intellectual disability through the use of standard diagnostic criteria, which include symptoms and signs. These impairments are established largely on reports of signs and symptoms of impairment and functional limitation. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination considers the use of psychological tests in evaluating disability claims submitted to the SSA. This report critically reviews selected psychological tests, including symptom validity tests, that could contribute to SSA disability determinations. The report discusses the possible uses of such tests and their contribution to disability determinations. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination discusses testing norms, qualifications for administration of tests, administration of tests, and reporting results. The recommendations of this report will help SSA improve the consistency and accuracy of disability determination in certain cases.

The go-to resource for assessing and predicting functional abilities in persons with brain injury or cognitive decline has now been revised and expanded to reflect significant advances in the field. With a focus on key real-world capacities--independent living, vocational functioning, medication management, and driving--leading experts explore how individuals go about their daily lives, where and why disruptions occur, and potential opportunities for improving function. Strategies for direct assessment are reviewed, from standard neuropsychological tests to multimodal approaches and technology-based tools. Chapters also provide functional assessment guidance for specific neurological and psychiatric conditions: dementia, traumatic brain injury, depression, schizophrenia, and others. New to This Edition *Incorporates over a decade of technological and methodological innovations. *Chapter on theories and models of everyday functioning. *Chapters on naturalistic assessment, wearable sensors, ambulatory assessment, and virtual-reality-based tools. *Practical clinical implications are highlighted throughout.

This volume presents the latest research in Virtual Reality (VR), as it is being applied in psychotherapy, rehabilitation, and the analysis of behaviour for neurological assessment. This book will be of value to anyone already in the field and to those who are interested in the development of VR systems for therapeutic purposes. The contents include: · The latest literature reviews on VR in psychotherapy, psychological wellbeing, and rehabilitation · VR and cognitive behavior therapy · Increasing presence in VR for effective exposure therapy and treatment of anxiety disorders · VR military training for managing combat stress and preventing post traumatic stress · VR, mixed reality systems, and games for stroke rehabilitation · VR systems for improving vision in children with amblyopia · Therapeutic play in virtual environments · Healing potential of online virtual worlds such as Second Life · Neuropsychological assessment using virtual environments · Detailed accounts on how VR systems are designed, implemented, and best evaluated · Discussions of limitations, problems, and ethical concerns using VR in mental and physical therapy