Biomedical subjects

Deborah Fein

Publications and source records attributed to Deborah Fein.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Speed and memory in the WAIS-III Digit Symbol--Coding subtest across the adult lifespan.

The primary role of speed in determining Digit Symbol scores is well established. Among the important questions that remain to be resolved are: (1) whether speed accounts for all of the age-related decline in Digit Symbol scores, and (2) whether memory ability makes any significant contribution to Digit Symbol performance, especially after controlling for speed. We analyzed data from the WAIS-III/WMS-III standardization sample to resolve these issues. As expected, speed (Digit Symbol-Copy) correlated very strongly with Digit Symbol--Coding. Memory (Digit Symbol--Incidental Learning or WMS-III index scores) correlated more moderately with Digit Symbol-Coding. Even after controlling for variance in Coding explained by Copying, a statistically significant proportion of the residual variance was explicable in terms of memory functions. The contribution of memory to Digit Symbol--Coding, while relatively small, is real. In addition, a small portion of the age-associated decline in Coding scores cannot be accounted for by Copying scores.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

The Biber Cognitive Estimation Test.

Normative data from 113 participants, and cross-validation data from 49 additional participants, are presented for the Biber Cognitive Estimation Test (BCET), a 20-item test with five estimation questions in each of four categories: time/duration, quantity, weight, and distance. In Study 1, the range of normal answers is provided for each item, and a cut-off for impaired performance is suggested. Although very low IQ or education levels would be expected to invalidate this test as a measure of estimation skills, participants in the current sample made few errors. In Study 2, a cross-validation suggested a slightly more conservative cut-off score for abnormality. Study 3 examined cognitive estimation in demented (dementia of the Alzheimer's type and dementia syndrome of Parkinson's disease) versus intact elderly participants. Results indicated that the BCET was able to distinguish between demented and intact elderly participants.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Responses and sustained interactions in children with mental retardation and autism.

Sustained interactions and responses to social bids made by children with autism and verbal-age-matched children with mental retardation were recorded in two naturalistic settings. Children with autism produced fewer positive responses and more "no responses" than children with mental retardation; both groups were more likely to make positive responses to adults and not to respond to other children. Furthermore, although the frequency of conversations was not different for the two groups, children with autism were significantly less likely to engage in sustained play compared to children with mental retardation. Results suggest that children with autism are able to master the more rote and need-oriented social skills, such as simple conversation, but may not develop other forms of social interactions, like play.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Digit Symbol-Incidental Learning in the WAIS-III: construct validity and clinical significance.

We analyzed WAIS-III/WMS-III standardization data for evidence of the construct validity and clinical utility of the Digit Symbol-Incidental Learning procedures (Pairing and Free Recall). Scores on both tests correlated moderately with WMS-III memory index scores (mean r=.38 for Pairing and .36 for Free Recall). Cutoff scores can be used to identify younger and older adults likely to suffer from memory impairment. In the standardization sample (which excludes neurological patients), these have moderate positive predictive power (averaging .56 if either test yields a positive finding), moderate negative predictive power (.76), and high specificity (.88), but low sensitivity (.35). In a clinical sample, the same cutoff scores were much more sensitive, correctly identifying 88% of a group of patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Examinees who obtain these low scores should receive follow-up memory testing. Very high scores are associated with a reduced risk of memory impairment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Decoding digit symbol: speed, memory, and visual scanning.

The authors evaluated the relative contributions of speed, memory, and visual scanning to Digit Symbol score in a sample of young adults (N = 87). Speed (Symbol Copy) explained 35% of Digit Symbol variance; only half of this was attributable to graphomotor speed (Name Printing), implying a role for perceptual speed. Visual-scanning tests (e.g., Symbol Scan) explained (on average) 34% of Digit Symbol variance, much of which was independent of perceptual-motor speed, establishing an important role for visual-scanning efficiency in Digit Symbol performance. By contrast, memory tests (on average) explained only 4% to 5% of Digit Symbol variance: statistically significant but clearly subsidiary, although a visual memory composite correlated more strongly with Digit Symbol. The Digit Symbol incidental learning procedures did, however, correlate moderately with other memory measures, suggesting that they are valid memory screening devices.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Intensive behavioral treatment for a toddler at high risk for autism.

Intensive, comprehensive treatment using a variety of applied behavior analysis methods was provided to a toddler who was determined to be at high risk for autism at the age of about 1 year. Initially, treatment was delivered in a one-to-one adult-child format in the child's home and other settings, with gradual transitions to group instruction in early intervention and preschool classrooms. Intensive treatment continued for 3 years; by the 4th year, the child was spending most of her time in a regular preschool classroom, with minimal ongoing one-to-one instruction. Direct observational data and results of norm-referenced tests documented large increases in language, social, cognitive, and daily living skills over the course of treatment. After 4 years, the child demonstrated no behavioral or developmental abnormalities, performed above her chronological age level on norm-referenced tests of cognitive and language skills, and was functioning as a typical child in a regular public school kindergarten classroom.

Autistic Disorder↗