Learning effect of computerized cognitive tests in older adults

Oliveira, Rafaela Sanches de; Trezza, Beatriz Maria

doi:10.1590/s1679-45082014ao2954

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The missing moderating effect of age on retest effects is in line with some prior studies (Bartels et al, 2010;de Oliveira, Trezza, Busse, & Filho, 2014), whereas it contradicts other evidence that did find a lowering effect of age on retest effects (Calamia et al, 2012;Schleicher, Iddekinge, Morgeson, & Campion, 2010;Iddekinge, Morgeson, Schleicher, & Campion, 2011). Whereas , Schleicher et al (2010), and Iddekinge et al (2011) investigated other cognitive ability tasks, working memory tasks were one of many tasks evaluated by Bartels et al (2010), de Oliveira et al (2014, and Calamia et al (2012). In all of these studies, effects of age on retest effects were thus averaged over several kinds of cognitive ability tasks, and working memory has not been examined individually.…”

Section: Moderator Analysis and Explorative Analysissupporting

confidence: 88%

Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis

2018

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The repeated administration of working memory capacity tests is common in clinical and research settings. For cognitive ability tests and different neuropsychological tests, meta-analyses have shown that they are prone to retest effects, which have to be accounted for when interpreting retest scores. Using a multilevel approach, this meta-analysis aims at showing the reproducibility of retest effects in working memory capacity tests for up to seven test administrations, and examines the impact of the length of the test-retest interval, test modality, equivalence of test forms and participant age on the size of retest effects. Furthermore, it is assessed whether the size of retest effects depends on the test paradigm. An extensive literature search revealed 234 effect sizes from 95 samples and 68 studies, in which healthy participants between 12 and 70 years repeatedly performed a working memory capacity test. Results yield a weighted average of g = 0.28 for retest effects from the first to the second test administration, and a significant increase in effect sizes was observed up to the fourth test administration. The length of the test-retest interval and publication year were found to moderate the size of retest effects. Retest effects differed between the paradigms of working memory capacity tests. These findings call for the development and use of appropriate experimental or statistical methods to address retest effects in working memory capacity tests.

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Section: Moderator Analysis and Explorative Analysissupporting

confidence: 88%

Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis

2018

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“…Referring to this, we suggest a task-specific learning effect from simple to complex PTMTs, which may have led to smaller test performance variability and increased reproducibility regarding complex tasks. Such task-specific learning effects from simple to complex tasks have been reported by Lezak et al [ 54 ] attributed to the results of Oliveira et al [ 55 ]. The scientists argued that during an initial test, strategies to manage the task might have been developed, which facilitate performing subsequent tasks [ 54 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Validation of a Computerized, Game-based Assessment Strategy to Measure Training Effects on Motor-Cognitive Functions in People With Dementia

Wiloth¹,

Lemke²,

Werner³

et al. 2016

JMIR Serious Games

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BackgroundExergames often used for training purpose can also be applied to create assessments based on quantitative data derived from the game. A number of studies relate to these use functionalities developing specific assessment tasks by using the game software and provided good data on psychometric properties. However, (1) assessments often include tasks other than the original game task used for training and therefore relate to similar but not to identical or integrated performances trained, (2) people with diagnosed dementia have insufficiently been addressed in validation studies, and (3) studies did commonly not present validation data such as sensitivity to change, although this is a paramount objective for validation to evaluate responsiveness in intervention studies.ObjectiveSpecific assessment parameters have been developed using quantitative data directly derived from the data stream during the game task of a training device (Physiomat). The aim of this study was to present data on construct validity, test–retest reliability, sensitivity to change, and feasibility of this internal assessment approach, which allows the quantification of Physiomat training effects on motor-cognitive functions in 105 multimorbid patients with mild-to-moderate dementia (mean age 82.7±5.9).MethodsPhysiomat assessment includes various tasks at different complexity levels demanding balance and cognitive abilities. For construct validity, motor-cognitive Physiomat assessment tasks were compared with established motor and cognitive tests using Spearman’s rank correlations (rs). For test–retest reliability, we used intra-class correlations (ICC3,1) and focused on all Physiomat tasks. Sensitivity to change of trained Physiomat tasks was tested using Wilcoxon statistic and standardized response means (SRMs). Completion rate and time were calculated for feasibility.ResultsAnalyses have mostly shown moderate-to-high correlations between established motor as well as cognitive tests and simple (rs=−.22 to .68, P ≤.001-.03), moderate (rs=−.33 to .71, P ≤.001-.004), and complex motor-cognitive Physiomat tasks (rs=−.22 to .83, P ≤.001-.30) indicating a good construct validity. Moderate-to-high correlations between test and retest assessments were found for simple, moderate, and complex motor-cognitive tasks (ICC=.47-.83, P ≤.001) indicating good test–retest reliability. Sensitivity to change was good to excellent for Physiomat assessment as it reproduced significant improvements (P ≤.001) with mostly moderate-to-large effect sizes (SRM=0.5-2.0) regarding all trained tasks. Completion time averaged 25.8 minutes. Completion rate was high for initial Physiomat measures. No adverse events occurred during assessment.ConclusionsOverall, Physiomat proved to have good psychometric qualities in people with mild-to-moderate dementia representing a reliable, valid, responsive, and feasible assessment strategy for multimorbid older adults with or without cognitive impairment, which relates to identical and integrated performances trained by using t...

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“…Moreover, practice effects from repeated testing are a potential limitation affecting the cognitive results, but unlikely explain the improvements entirely despite the lack of interactions on specific constructs; due to the long test-retest duration, comparably large effect sizes (Makizako et al, 2013; de Oliveira et al, 2014; Goldberg et al, 2015), and an active control group that may also have exhibited training-induced cognitive improvements (Liu-Ambrose et al, 2008; Voelcker-Rehage et al, 2010). Finally, although white matter has also been investigated in relation to physical activity (Voss et al, 2013; Hayes et al, 2015; Oberlin et al, 2016) we restricted this study to mainly gray matter thickness in frontal regions and hippocampus volume.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerobic Exercise Intervention, Cognitive Performance, and Brain Structure: Results from the Physical Influences on Brain in Aging (PHIBRA) Study

Jonasson

Nyberg

Kramer

et al. 2017

Front. Aging Neurosci.

168

172

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Studies have shown that aerobic exercise has the potential to improve cognition and reduce brain atrophy in older adults. However, the literature is equivocal with regards to the specificity or generality of these effects. To this end, we report results on cognitive function and brain structure from a 6-month training intervention with 60 sedentary adults (64–78 years) randomized to either aerobic training or stretching and toning control training. Cognitive functions were assessed with a neuropsychological test battery in which cognitive constructs were measured using several different tests. Freesurfer was used to estimate cortical thickness in frontal regions and hippocampus volume. Results showed that aerobic exercisers, compared to controls, exhibited a broad, rather than specific, improvement in cognition as indexed by a higher “Cognitive score,” a composite including episodic memory, processing speed, updating, and executive function tasks (p = 0.01). There were no group differences in cortical thickness, but additional analyses revealed that aerobic fitness at baseline was specifically related to larger thickness in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and hippocampus volume was positively associated with increased aerobic fitness over time. Moreover, “Cognitive score” was related to dlPFC thickness at baseline, but changes in “Cognitive score” and dlPFC thickness were associated over time in the aerobic group only. However, aerobic fitness did not predict dlPFC change, despite the improvement in “Cognitive score” in aerobic exercisers. Our interpretation of these observations is that potential exercise-induced changes in thickness are slow, and may be undetectable within 6-months, in contrast to change in hippocampus volume which in fact was predicted by the change in aerobic fitness. To conclude, our results add to a growing literature suggesting that aerobic exercise has a broad influence on cognitive functioning, which may aid in explaining why studies focusing on a narrower range of functions have sometimes reported mixed results.

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Learning effect of computerized cognitive tests in older adults

Cited by 26 publications

References 27 publications

Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis

Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis

Validation of a Computerized, Game-based Assessment Strategy to Measure Training Effects on Motor-Cognitive Functions in People With Dementia

Aerobic Exercise Intervention, Cognitive Performance, and Brain Structure: Results from the Physical Influences on Brain in Aging (PHIBRA) Study

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