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PubMed1980

[A psychometric study of a group of Parkinsonian patients].

A group of 45 parkinsoniens patients were studied by means of Wechsler's adult intelligence scale (WAIS). The mean verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ) was not significantly different from that of the theoretical mean of the general population, whereas the performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) was significantly lower. Superior verbal over performance scale ratings were found significantly more frequently in the parkinsonian group than in the general population. Dispersion analysis tended to show that some parkinsonian patients have a fairly marked reduction in intelligence efficiency which is frequent enough to give the "psychometric pattern" of the parkinsonian group a dynamic which clearly distinguishes it from the general population, and makes it closer to that of the "psychometric pattern" seen in patients with organic brain disease. The psychometric deterioration quotient (DQ) in the parkinsonian group is significantly higher than in the general population: it is difficult to attribute this finding to depression, motor disorders, or senile or arteriopathic involution. The mean DQ is higher in men than in women; it is independent of the previous level of intelligence. Bilateral akinetic forms are associated with the greatest reduction in psychometric efficiency. The DQ is independent of the age of onset and the time during which the Parkinson's disease had been present, whether it has been treated or not, the type of treatment, the period during which L-Dopa therapy had been given and the age of the patient when it was started, and the existence or absence of electro-encephalographic abnormalities. There is a positive significant correlation, however, between the degree of psychometric deterioration and the severity of the Parkinson's disease. Acute confusional states are not seen more frequently in patients treated with L-Dopa than in those receiving other therapy, and in the same way, their frequency is not increased in long-standing cases or in those receiving L-Dopa therapy over a long period. The mean DQ is higher in patients who have had acute confusional episodes, and bilateral akinetic forms have a greatly increased risk of associating psychometric deterioration and the development of acute confusional states.

Female↗

PubMed2000

Psychometric intelligence differences and brain function.

Psychometric intelligence attracts a converging consensus about its phenotypic structure. Mental ability test scores have proven predictive validity. However, although individual differences in mental abilities can be measured, they are not understood. A long-standing aim of the 'London School' of British psychologists, since Galton and Spearman, is to understand the origins of psychometric intelligence differences in terms of individual differences in brain processes. The history of this research is described, as is the rise in interest since the 1970s. The first problem, met since antiquity, is to discover the relevant levels of brain function. Thus, aspects of brain function that 'explain' psychometric intelligence differences are sought at psychometric, cognitive, psychophysical, physiological, neurochemical and genetic levels. The growing points and dead-ends within each of these levels are identified. Special attention is given to research that crosses levels of description of brain function. Two types of multi-level brain function research are discussed, 'correlational' and 'circumstantial/experimental,' and examples of each are described. Illustrating both approaches, there is a detailed account of research on inspection time that discusses how psychometric intelligence-brain process correlations at one level (psychophysical) may be expanded using event-related potentials, psychopharmacology and functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Brain↗

PubMed1989

Neurasthenic complaints and psychometric function of toluene-exposed rotogravure printers.

In 1985, 30 rotogravure printers exposed to toluene for 4-43 years (median 29) were examined by means of interviews and psychometric testing. They were 33-61 years of age (mean 50). Comparisons were made with a reference group of 72 men aged 27-69 (mean 47). The referents had never been exposed to solvents and were all in good health. The printers were employed by two Swedish companies. The mean exposure levels were 43 and 157 mg/m3 of toluene, respectively, at the two printing shops. Before 1980 the exposure levels had exceeded 300 mg/m3. On Monday mornings, before psychometric testing at the department of occupational medicine, toluene was measured in venous blood samples from most of the exposed subjects. A high proportion of the printers reported fatigue (60%), recent short-term memory problems (60%), concentration difficulties (40%), mood lability (27%), and other neurasthenic symptoms. In the psychometric tests their performance was poorer than the reference group's in most of the tests applied. Even performance on the synonyms test, usually considered resistant to mild brain affliction, was worse in the group of printers. Adjusting for this difference in the group comparisons reduced the group differences substantially. Alcohol consumption above 200 g/week was found to reduce the subjects' psychometric function more than toluene exposure. The printers' sum of neurasthenic complaints correlated negatively with their score in several tests. Exposure variables showed only weak associations with test results. Blood toluene levels were positively correlated with scores in spatial tests. The direction of the correlations suggests that the influence of acute pharmacologic effects is undetectable on Monday mornings before work. In conclusion, we found that exposure to toluene at levels below 157 mg/m3 following long-term exposure did induce neurasthenic problems and might reduce psychometric test performance.

Adult↗

PubMed2007

Which questionnaire? A psychometric evaluation of three patient-based outcome measures used to assess surgery for stress urinary incontinence.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to further validate three patient-based outcome measures (PBOM) used to assess the outcome of surgery for stress urinary incontinence and to compare their psychometric properties with a view to determining the most appropriate measure for clinical use. METHODS: The work was embedded within a randomized controlled trial of laparoscopic and open colposuspension. The trial recruited 291 women from six centers. The three instruments compared were Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Questionnaire (BFLUTS), Kings Health Questionnaire (KHQ), and the Symptom Severity Index and Symptom Impact Index (SSI/SII). The International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI) ABC grading system of psychometric propertie's reliability, validity, and responsiveness was used to evaluate the instruments. RESULTS: From the analysis of the psychometric properties of the three instruments, the SSI/SII appeared to have the best psychometric profile; Grade A, BFLUTS was of grade A, and KHQ was of grade B. SSI/SII had a good degree of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.74-0.78). BFLUTS and KHQ both had domains in which the internal consistency was <0.7. The SSI domain of the SSI/SII was the only domain to correlate to the 1-hr pad test. All domains of the SSI/SII were able to distinguish those cured from not cured and it was most responsive to change. Unlike the KHQ, the SSI/SII had no significant ceiling or floor effects. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that when instruments are used in different populations their psychometric properties may change. All three instruments analyzed had limitations when used as an outcome measure for surgery for stress urinary incontinence.

Colposcopy↗

PubMed2006

Is psychometric scoring of the McNew Quality of Life after Myocardial Infarction questionnaire superior to the clinimetric scoring? A comparison of the two approaches.

OBJECTIVE: 'Clinimetric' and 'psychometric' approaches are currently used to develop health related quality of life questionnaires. The Quality of Life after Myocardial Infarction questionnaire (QLMI) was originally developed using 'clinimetric' criteria; it was subsequently modified (McNew QLMI) and a new domain structure was defined using factor analysis. The objective of this study was to compare the measurement properties of the McNew QLMI scores when both approaches for scoring are used. METHODS: The McNew QLMI and SF-36 were administered to patients 2 weeks and 2 months after myocardial infarction. Two sets of scores for the McNew QLMI were computed using the original 'clinimetric' and the subsequent 'psychometrically' derived scoring systems. Reliability statistics for the two sets of domains were compared and construct validity was assessed by establishing a priori hypotheses on the expected correlation between each score and the dimensions of the SF-36. RESULTS: Both sets of scores had similar reliability (Cronbach's alpha between 0.64 and 0.93) and responsiveness (SRMs between 0.17 and 0.87) while validity was better for the 'clinimetric' set of scores (concordance between observed and expected correlations was moderate for the 'clinimetric' scores and fair for the 'psychometric' scores). CONCLUSION: Since overall measurement properties of the 'clinimetrically' scored McNew QLMI are better than the 'psychometrically' scored version, we suggest that either the original 'clinimetric' system is used or that an improved 'psychometric' version is developed.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Active and passive P3 latency and psychometric performance: influence of age and individual differences.

The relationship of P3 latency of the event-related potential (ERP) to psychometric performance was investigated in 41 subjects who ranged in age from 20 to 88 years. P3 responses were recorded from subjects using an auditory oddball paradigm with and without task-demands. Subjects also received psychometric tests of verbal performance, visuospatial performance, concentration, and immediate, recent and remote memory. Factor analysis was used to reduce the set of psychometric measures to four factors (Verbal learning, general intelligence, narrative recall/fluency, and concentration). Both passive and active P3 latency showed a linear increase with age. Age was inversely correlated with verbal learning performance. After accounting for the influence of age, passive P3 latency correlated with the psychometric factor associated with narrative recall and verbal fluency. Active P3 latency was correlated with factors reflecting general intelligence and concentration. These findings suggest that cognitive processing speed contributes to psychometric performance in adults. The psychological or biological basis for this relationship remains to be identified.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Relationship of validated psychometric tools to subsequent medical utilization for asthma.

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification is used to identify patients with asthma at increased risk of experiencing morbidity and resource utilization. Validated psychometric tools are infrequently studied sources of data for this purpose. PURPOSE: To evaluate 4 types of validated psychometric tools as predictors for subsequent asthma utilization and determine their clinical usefulness. METHODS: Eleven hundred patients with active asthma from a Health Maintenance Organization completed surveys that included demographic information and validated psychometric tools measuring generic quality of life (physical and mental components), asthma-specific quality of life, asthma control, and asthma symptom severity. Survey records were linked to administrative data that captured emergency department and hospital care, short-acting beta-agonist, and oral corticosteroid utilization for the year of and the year following the survey. Relationships of survey variables with subsequent utilization were assessed, adjusting for both baseline demographic and asthma utilization factors. RESULTS: Scores of each psychometric tool were significantly related to subsequent utilization in univariate analyses and after adjusting for baseline utilization and demographic risk factors. Patients with higher scale-defined morbidity were as much as 4 times more likely to have subsequent utilization (sensitivity as high as 58%; specificity as high as 78%). Addition of an asthma-specific tool to either demographic or utilization prediction models added sensitivity (as much as 15%) but did not substantially improve the prediction properties of models containing both demographic and utilization predictors. CONCLUSION: Validated psychometric tools appear useful for asthma risk stratification in individuals and in populations in which both utilization and demographic predictors are not available.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Systematic review of the psychometric properties, interpretability and feasibility of self-report pain intensity measures for use in clinical trials in children and adolescents.

The aim of this study was to systematically review the psychometric properties, interpretability and feasibility of self-report pain intensity measures for children and adolescents for use in clinical trials evaluating pain treatments. Databases were searched for self-report measures of single-item ratings of pain intensity for children aged 3-18 years. A total of 34 single-item self-report measures were found. The measures' psychometric properties, interpretability and feasibility, were evaluated independently by two investigators according to a set of psychometric criteria. Six single-item measures met the a priori criteria and were included in the final analysis. While these six scales were determined as psychometrically sound and show evidence of responsivity, they had varying degrees of interpretability and feasibility. No single scale was found to be optimal for use with all types of pain or across the developmental age span. Specific recommendations regarding the most psychometrically sound and feasible measures based on age/developmental level and type of pain are discussed. Future research is needed to strengthen the measurement of pain in clinical trials with children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The potential synergy between cognitive models and modern psychometric models.

Analyses of cognitive aspects of survey methodology (CASM) and psychometric analysis are two methods that are able to complement each other. We use concrete examples to illustrate how psychometric analyses can test hypotheses from CASM. The psychometrics framework recognizes that survey responses are affected by other factors than the concept being assessed, for example by cognitive factors and processes. Such factors are subsumed under the concept of measurement error. Possible sources of measurement error can be tested, e.g. by randomized experiments. A standard way to reduce measurement error is to ask several questions about the same concept and combine the answers into a multi-item scale that is more precise than the individual items. Techniques like structural equation models use the item correlations to assess the magnitude of measurement error and to test the assumptions behind the multi-item scale, e.g. the effect of common response choices and item time frames. A central problem in modern psychometrics is how to model the mapping of the continuous latent variable onto the item response choice categories. This is achieved by threshold models (e.g. item response models and structural equation models for categorical data). These models can, for example, analyze the impact of mode of administration, test whether the items function in the same way for all people (measurement invariance/differential item functioning) and examine the consistency of responses from any single person. Such analyses provide new possibilities for combining psychometrics and cognitive methods.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1994

Psychometric functions for children's detection of tones in noise.

This article reports the results of an experiment that used a two-alternative forced-choice task to measure the ability of 3- to 5-year-old children to detect 501 Hz, 1000 Hz, and 2818 Hz sinusoids in noise. Psychometric functions were fit to each individual's data, and thresholds (signal level required for 75% correct) were interpolated from the fitted functions. Results showed that, on average, the children's thresholds were higher and the slopes of their psychometric functions were shallower than those of the adults. However, the between-subjects variability in the children's data was large, and the performance of many individual children was not well described by group mean performance. One-third of the children produced thresholds that were elevated by an average of 10 dB but psychometric function slopes that were adult-like. Another one-third of the children produced thresholds that were elevated relative to those of the adults by an average of 20 dB and psychometric function slopes that were very shallow. The data from a smaller group of children showed large variability in psychometric function slope and threshold, and for a very few children performance was at chance regardless of the signal level. A replication of the study several months later showed that for most listeners the individual patterns of performance persisted over time.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1996

Full-information models for multiple psychometric tests: annualized rates of change in normal aging and dementia.

The rates of change for five widely used psychometric tests were analyzed to compare how much more variance reduction can be achieved using full-information methods relative to the single-equation methods previously used in dementia research. Nondemented controls and subjects with Alzheimer disease (AD), probable/ possible vascular dementia (VD), or mixed dementia (MD) were evaluated. A cohort design was followed, with follow-up of three demented groups and one normal control group; data were analyzed in a multiple-equation regression model estimated with full-information methods. The study was conducted at Alzheimer's Disease Research Center sites at the University of California, Irvine, and at the University of Southern California. In all, 226 patients and controls who had completed initial assessment and at least one annual reassessment were included in the study. Dependent variables were annualized rates of change in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Short-Blessed Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease drawings test (CD), the WAIS-R Block Design test (WRB), and the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Independent variables were dementia severity, diagnosis (AD, VD, MD, or control), sex, age, marital status, education, and age at onset. Full-information methods reduced the variance in the change scores by > or = 25% compared with previous studies. The model's prediction of a test's rate of change was almost entirely due to dementia stage and diagnosis. The effects of other explanatory variables (sex, marital status, age, and education) were weak and statistically insignificant. When the effects of other independent variables were controlled, AD and MD patients were found to decline at significantly faster rates than VD patients. Full-information methods, relative to single-equation methods, substantially reduce the variance of rates of change for multiple psychometric tests. They do so by simultaneously considering the correlated error terms in the regression for each dependent psychometric change score variable. The robustness of these results to minor variations in follow-up time suggests that annualization is a reasonably valid procedure for making change scores comparable. This study's results suggest that change scores in psychometric tests provide information that can be used to aid differential diagnosis. However, the large variances of change scores preclude many other uses. Finally, since standardization of psychometric change scores translates all tests to the same scale (0-100%), standardized change scores are easier to interpret. The analysis of standardized change scores deserves further investigation.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed1985

Variations in the slope of the psychometric acuity function with acuity threshold and scale.

Psychometric measurement of visual acuity not only determines an acuity threshold, but also, by the slope of the psychometric function, reveals how the percentage of correct responses changes with increasing target size. In this study we determined how the slope of the psychometric function changed for different threshold acuities. Psychometric visual acuity functions were obtained using a clinical contour-interaction chart for 35 naive, normal subjects with best refractive correction and with 1.5 and 3.0 diopters of spherical blur. The slope of the psychometric acuity function remained essentially constant for different threshold acuities when acuity was scaled logarithmically (log MAR), but varied with the threshold when inverse Snellen (MAR) and Snell-Sterling scales were used. Our results lend support to the use of the log MAR scale for acuity but, because normal subjects' slopes range tenfold, the use of this parameter in making clinical distinctions may be problematic.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The pain disability questionnaire: a new psychometrically sound measure for chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

STUDY DESIGN: The Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ) is a psychometric evaluation study of a new measure of functional status. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the PDQ and compare its validity and responsiveness to traditional measures of functional status, such as the Oswestry, Million (MVAS), and SF-36 instruments. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Measuring clinical outcomes is an essential element of any musculoskeletal treatment. The PDQ was developed for this purpose. It yields a total functional disability score ranging from 0 to 150. The focus, much like other health inventories, is primarily on disability and function. However, unlike most other measures, this instrument is designed for the full array of chronic disabling musculoskeletal disorders (CDMDs), rather than low back pain alone. Further, psychosocial variables, which recent studies have shown to play an integral role in the development and maintenance of chronic pain disability, formed an important core of the PDQ. METHODS: Four groups were used in this psychometric evaluation: an asymptomatic normative population (NP; n = 50), an acute musculoskeletal disorder population (AMD; n = 52), a chronic disabled musculoskeletal disorder population (CDMD; n = 230), and a heterogeneous pain population (HP; n = 114). The NP and AMD groups served as comparison samples for the CDMD and HP groups. Analyses of PDQ reliability, validity, and responsiveness were conducted. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability coefficients (ranging from 0.94 to 0.98) and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.96 for the PDQ were found to be of excellent quality. The responsiveness of the PDQ, as measured by Cohen's effect size statistic, ranged from 0.85 to 1.07, better than the Oswestry, MVAS, and SF-36. A high level of face validity was observed for the PDQ, as the CDMD population exhibited significantly higher pretreatment PDQ scores than a group of patients suffering from acute injuries. The construct-related validity of the PDQ was also found to be of excellent quality, as it correlated well to both the MVAS (0.65-0.81) and Oswestry (0.55-0.80). The PDQ consistently demonstrated stronger correlation coefficients to a wide variety of physical and psychosocial measures of human function, such as the SF-36, Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton-D, State-Trait Anxiety Scale, and Pain Intensity VAS, than either the Oswestry or MVAS. A factor analysis of the PDQ revealed two factors: a Functional Status Component (FSC) and a Psychosocial Component (PC). Analyses proved each of these two components to be valid in assessing their theorized constructs. CONCLUSIONS: The present study represents a comprehensive psychometric evaluation of a new functional status measure for musculoskeletal conditions in general, and a CDMD population in particular. The psychometric properties of the PDQ are excellent, demonstrating strong reliability, responsiveness, and validity, relative to many other existing measures of functional status. The many weaknesses cited for some of the existing measures were taken into account in designing this instrument. Consequently, the characteristics commonly noted as weaknesses for these other measures (such as a restriction to only the low back pain population, and inconsistent responsiveness) can be cited as strengths of the PDQ. Its generalizability and utility for assessing orthopedic treatment progress and functional outcomes must now be evaluated in broader settings.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1988

Procedures in evaluating dementia--a study of conjoint application of two rating scales (SCAG and BCRS) and psychometric tests.

Fifty-seven patients with dementia (mean age 74 years) were treated for 16 weeks with 2 different doses of a test drug or placebo. On day 0 no significant differences (Kruskal-Wallis H test) were found between the 3 treatment groups on psychometric test scores or the total scores on 3 rating scales (Modified Crichton Geriatric Behaviour Rating Scale, Sandoz Clinical Assessment - Geriatric (SCAG) scale and Brief Cognitive Rating Scale (BCRS). The score differences (the total scores on day 112 minus the total scores on day 0) on SCAG, BCRS and psychometric tests were subjected to a series of one-way analyses of variance. As no significant difference was found between the groups, they were combined into a single group. In this group the relationship between total scores on SCAG and BCRS and psychometric test scores was analysed. Setwise multiple regression analyses (with the psychometric test scores as the independent variables) showed that at most 34% and 45% (respectively) of the variance in the SCAG ratings was accounted for by the results from a small subgroup of tests (dealing with visuo-motor speed and verbal memory) on day 0 and day 112. The results of a somewhat bigger subgroup of tests (dealing with visuo-motor speed, verbal memory and general intelligence) explained 58% of the variance in the BCRS ratings both on day 0 and after 16 weeks. Canonical correlation analysis using scores on the 2 rating scales and the psychometric test results was applied complementarily to make the inferences as valid as possible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗

PubMed1995

On measuring psychometric functions: a comparison of the constant-stimulus and adaptive up-down methods.

Psychometric functions were obtained using the conventional constant-stimulus method and an adaptive up-down method, for both computer-simulated and human observers. Except when the stimuli are closely placed, psychometric functions obtained with the adaptive method are as accurate as those obtained with the constant-stimulus method. Empirically, the adaptive method has some potential advantages owing to its ability to automatically concentrate the trials within the dynamic range of the psychometric function. It needs no pilot measurements for setting the signals as required by the constant-stimulus method. Furthermore, following a marked change in the underlying psychometric function, the distribution of the trials is automatically readjusted. Thus, on the basis of empirical considerations, the adaptive method is a better choice than the constant-stimulus method for measuring psychometric functions.

Auditory Perception↗

PubMed1996

Placement of observations for the efficient estimation of a psychometric function.

Psychometric functions for different psychophysical tasks describe the relationship between physical stimuli and subjects' responses. Although a psychometric function is of considerable value, characterizing the function is time consuming and, hence, is not carried out routinely in psychophysical experiments. A principal reason for the lack of efficiency in characterizing the psychometric function is the use of unimodal (e.g., Gaussian and uniform) sampling methods. As an alternative, a multimodal four-point sampling method is proposed. A psychometric function is then fitted to the four data points (each with several trials) to estimate the threshold and slope parameters of the psychometric function. Results from three examples demonstrate that a 60% savings in data-collection time can be achieved.

Auditory Perception↗

PubMed1999

Determination of optimal data placement for psychometric function estimation: a computer simulation.

Psychometric functions are used to relate the responses of a subject to physical stimuli in a variety of psychophysical tasks. However, it is time consuming to obtain data to determine a psychometric function if many stimulus levels and many trials are required. A computer simulation was conducted to determine the minimum number of data points needed for such a determination. The computer simulation also determined the optimal placements of the stimuli and the number of trials per datum point for psychometric function determinations. Results indicate that a 2-point sampling method with 30-50 trials per point at optimal locations can produce a psychometric function with accurate spread and threshold estimates in a yes-no paradigm. However, the 4-point sampling method yields statistically smaller variances of the estimates. For the 2-alternative forced-choice paradigm, at least 120 trials per point are needed for the 2-point sampling method's estimated parameters to differ from the known parameter values by less than 5%. The simulation results suggest that 3-alternative or 4-alternative forced-choice is preferable to 2-alternative. Furthermore, when a criterion-free paradigm is not required, the yes-no paradigm is a better procedure than m-alternative forced-choice for obtaining the corresponding psychometric function because of smaller standard deviation of the estimates and smaller number of trials/point required.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2001

Measuring, estimating, and understanding the psychometric function: a commentary.

The psychometric function, relating the subject's response to the physical stimulus, is fundamental to psychophysics. This paper examines various psychometric function topics, many inspired by this special symposium issue of Perception & Psychophysics: What are the relative merits of objective yes/no versus forced choice tasks (including threshold variance)? What are the relative merits of adaptive versus constant stimuli methods? What are the relative merits of likelihood versus up-down staircase adaptive methods? Is 2AFC free of substantial bias? Is there no efficient adaptive method for objective yes/no tasks? Should adaptive methods aim for 90% correct? Can adding more responses to forced choice and objective yes/no tasks reduce the threshold variance? What is the best way to deal with lapses? How is the Weibull function intimately related to the d' function? What causes bias in the likelihood goodness-of-fit? What causes bias in slope estimates from adaptive methods? How good are nonparametric methods for estimating psychometric function parameters? Of what value is the psychometric function slope? How are various psychometric functions related to each other? The resolution of many of these issues is surprising.

Bias↗