Psychological Dimensions of Cerebrovascular Insufficiency

Abstract

129 patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency (CVI) were studied on 43 scores from psychological tests of intellectual functioning and 42 scores from physiological measures. BC TRY cluster analysis of 35 psychological variables yielded 3 strong dimensions labeled verbal, visual-motor, and numerical, as well as a weaker dimension labeled attention. These 4 dimensions accounted for 91% of the communality among the 35 psychological variables. The dimensions were fairly highly intercorrelated, and correlated significantly with 10 of the 42 physiological variables, primarily EEG findings. It was concluded that adequate assessment of CVI patients should include, in addition to physiological measures, testing in the identified psychological dimensions of intellectual functioning. Further research planned along these lines was discussed.

Clinical memory testing: A review.

“…Fields (1971) found the WAIS and WMS to be highly correlated (.83), and Ivinskis et al (1971) questioned whether the WMS constituted a memory scale, in light of its relationship with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and WAIS. Vitale et al (1969) found the WMS MQ to be clustered with some WAIS tests. Dujovne and Levy (1971) found their first factors to be related to intelligence, but their second and third factors, loading on the pairedassociate tasks, appeared not to be related in normals or patients.…”

“…Many of these references added little to our understanding of the scale itself. In some studies, the intent was to measure the effects of certain diseases or of medical interventions (Cameron, Sved, Solyom, Wainrib, & Barik, 1963;Kastl, Daroff, & Blocker, 1968;Levy, 1968;Mensh, Schwartz, Matarazzo, & Matarazzo, 19S2;Uecker, French, & Johnson, 1954;Victor, Talland, & Adams, 1959;Vitale, Steinhelber, Drake, & Dahlgren, 1969;Zamora & Kaelbling, 1965). With other studies, the WMS was included in a large battery of psychological tests of intellectual functioning (Dixon, 1965;Gilberstadt, 1968;Logue, Durward, Pratt, Piercy, & Nixon, 1968;Vitale et al, 1969).…”

“…Not to be overlooked is the WMS's overreliance on verbal skills. Shontz (1957) noted that the WMS penalizes persons who have verbal expressive problems, and Vitale et al (1969) found MQ to be associated with verbal skills. It was precisely this problem that led Fowler (1969) to prepare a nonlanguage paired-associate task.…”

A psychological screening battery for hospitalized medical patients.

“…It has five subscales which measure responsiveness, verbal ability, numerical ability, visual-motor ability, and orientation and attention. A recent cluster analytic study included this test as one of a battery (Vitale & Steinhelber, 1969). In addition, it has been used successfully in the evaluation of patients with extracranial occlusive disease (Drake et al, 1970).…”