Does PASS Pass the Test? A Critique of the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System

Abstract

This critique of the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) examined the theoretical model of intellectual functioning that underlies the measure, as well as the effectiveness of the scale in operationalizing the theory. Luria's model of functional brain organization, which serves as the basis for the PASS model, has generally wide support in the neuroscience literature as a viable conceptual paradigm for describing neuropsychological functioning. This review suggests that there is theoretical, clinical, and empirical support for the Planning and Coding (Successive, Simultaneous) dimensions of the PASS model in reflecting intellectual functions. However, support for Attention as a separate cognitive processing construct appears limited. The CAS subtests were reviewed through the use of face validity inspection, as well as factor analytic and exceptional sample studies. The degree to which the CAS meets the authors' stated objectives of providing diversity in content and mode of presentation varies among the PASS domains. The data reviewed suggest that there is both factor analytic and clinical support for the tasks and scales that comprise the CAS. Given the still-developing nature of the CAS, its ultimate conceptual and clinical merit remain to be determined.