Validating a cognitive ability testing protocol with Lao children for community development applications.

Abstract

The emergence of the sociocultural perspective in cross-cultural psychology has discouraged the adaptation of standardized tests in nonindustrialized settings. Yet, cognitive assessments are needed for monitoring the effects of nutritional, health, and educational interventions. Forty-seven Lao children 5 to 12 years of age completed the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), the Tactual Performance Test (TPT), and the computerized Tests of Variables of Attention (TOVA). TPT performance measures were related to physical (nutritional) development, whereas the K-ABC global cognitive ability indicators were sensitive to parental education and quality of home environment. TOVA performance was related to K-ABC global performance and TPT memory, suggesting thai Ihese measures are at least partially undergirded by attentional ability. Sociocultural concerns aside, these findings suggest that validated neuropsychological and cognitive assessments can be adapted that effectively tap basic and universal brain-behavior traits. Emphasized throughout the international developmental literature is the need for evaluative techniques with at-risk children that are culturally valid yet sensitive to the cognitive benefits derived from educational and health interventions

The Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA): Internal Consistency (Q1vs. Q2and Q3vs. Q4) in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

“…Notwithstanding recent research attempts to address specific properties of select CPTs (Boivin et al, 1996;Forbes, 1998;Llorente et al, 2001;and Losier, McGrath, & Klein, 1996), limited information is available in the literature, particularly for clinical groups with neuropsychological deficits including ADHD, related to the internal properties of these procedures. Despite these limitations, CPTs continue to be used to assess ADHD symptomatology.…”

Cognitive Impairment After Cerebral Malaria in Children: A Prospective Study

“…The visual form of the TOVA, a computer-based, continuous performance test that assesses basic constructs of attention, 15 was performed as tested in several other crosscultural settings. 4,16 TOVA scores assessed included omission error rates, commission error rates, correct signal response time variability, and the d′ signal detection measure (signal detection sensitivity). The TPT, part of the Reitan-Indiana neuropsychological assessment battery for children, 17 was performed as tested previously among rural African children.…”

Traveling With Cognitive Tests: Testing the Validity of a KABC-II Adaptation in India

“…Using exploratory factor analyses, it was found that the crosscultural equivalence of the underlying structure was high. The K-ABC (the predecessor of the KABC-II), based on the sequential versus simultaneous processing distinction, was applied in many non-Western countries (e.g., Boivin et al, 1996;Conant et al, 1999;Jansen & Greenop, 2008;MardellCzudnowski, 1995). Holding et al (2004) and Moon et al (2003) found the underlying model to be present in adapted versions in Kenya and Korea, respectively.…”