Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Psychology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Subtle Cognitive Impairment In Elders With Mini-Mental State Examination Scores Within The ‘Normal’ Range, Tim Friedman, G Yelland, S Robinson Dec 2011

Subtle Cognitive Impairment In Elders With Mini-Mental State Examination Scores Within The ‘Normal’ Range, Tim Friedman, G Yelland, S Robinson

Dr Tim Friedman

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is commonly used as a screening test for dementia, yet MMSE scores above the cut-off for dementia (24–30) are widely thought to have limited utility, particularly in older persons. The study investigates whether scores within this range can be indicative of pre-symptomatic levels of cognitive impairment. Ninety-six community-dwelling older persons aged 62–89 years (mean = 75.2 years), who had obtained MMSE scores between 25 and 30, were tested on the computer-based Subtle Cognitive Impairment Test (SCIT). Compared with individuals who obtained a perfect score of 30 on the MMSE, individuals with scores of 28–29 made …


Impaired Perceptual Judgement At Low Blood Alcohol Concentrations, Tim Friedman, S Robinson, G Yelland Dec 2010

Impaired Perceptual Judgement At Low Blood Alcohol Concentrations, Tim Friedman, S Robinson, G Yelland

Dr Tim Friedman

Males and females show different patterns of cognitive impairment when blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) are high. To investigate whether gender differences persist at low BACs, cognitive impairment was tested in 21 participants (11 female, 10 male) using a brief computerized perceptual judgment task that provides error rate and response time data. Participants consumed a measured dose of alcohol (average peak BAC: females: 0.052 g/100 mL, males: 0.055 g/100 mL), and were tested at four time points spanning both the rising and falling limbs of the BAC curve, in addition to a prealcohol time point. Comparisons were made against performance of …