Normative data for tests of attention and executive functions in a sample of European Portuguese adult population

Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2021 May;28(3):418-437. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2020.1781768. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Abstract

Objective: The main goal of this study was to produce normative data for the Portuguese population on five neuropsychological tests frequently used to assess executive functions and attention: the Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST), the Stroop Color and Word Test, the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Brief Test of Attention (BTA), and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT).

Method: The study included 300 individuals aged between 18 and 93 years, who had educational backgrounds ranging from 3 to 25 years.

Results: The influence of age, education, and sex was explored for each measure, as well as their contribution to explain the performance variance.

Conclusions: The normative data are presented as regression-based algorithms to adjust direct and derived test scores for sex, age, and education. This study provides a calculator of normative data, derived from the results of the regression models.

Keywords: European Portuguese; Executive functions; attention; neuropsychological tests; normative data; standardization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Attention / physiology*
  • Executive Function / physiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests* / standards
  • Neuropsychological Tests* / statistics & numerical data
  • Portugal
  • Reference Values
  • Stroop Test / standards
  • Stroop Test / statistics & numerical data
  • Trail Making Test / standards
  • Trail Making Test / statistics & numerical data
  • Wisconsin Card Sorting Test / standards
  • Wisconsin Card Sorting Test / statistics & numerical data
  • Young Adult