Author:
MANLY JENNIFER J.,JACOBS DIANE M.,SANO MARY,BELL KAREN,MERCHANT CAROL A.,SMALL SCOTT A.,STERN YAAKOV
Abstract
The current investigation compared neuropsychological
test performance among nondemented literate and illiterate
elders. The sample included participants in an epidemiological
study of normal aging and dementia in the Northern Manhattan
community. All participants were diagnosed as nondemented
by a neurologist, and did not have history of Parkinson's
disease, stroke, or head injury. Literacy level was determined
by self-report. MANOVAs revealed a significant overall
effect for literacy status (literate vs. illiterate)
on neuropsychological test performance when groups were
matched on years of education. The overall effect of literacy
status remained significant after restricting the analyses
to elders with no formal education, and after controlling
for the effects of language of test administration. Specifically,
illiterates obtained lower scores on measures of naming,
comprehension, verbal abstraction, orientation, and figure
matching and recognition. However, tests of verbal list
delayed recall, nonverbal abstraction, and category fluency
were unaffected by literacy status, suggesting that these
measures can be used to accurately detect cognitive decline
among illiterate elders in this sample. Differences in
organization of visuospatial information, lack of previous
exposure to stimuli, and difficulties with interpretation
of the logical functions of language are possible factors
that contribute to our findings. (JINS, 1999,
5, 191–202.)
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health,Neurology (clinical),Clinical Psychology,General Neuroscience
Cited by
188 articles.
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