Biomedical subjects

Reid L Skeel

Publications and source records attributed to Reid L Skeel.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

A pilot investigation of the effects of stress on neuropsychological performance in Asian-Indians in the United States.

The present study evaluated the effects of stress and the ethnicity of the examiner on neuropsychological performance in a sample of Asian-Indian males in the United States. Participants were 60 Asian-Indian college students randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The first factor was level of stress induction and the second was ethnicity of examiners. Results suggested that both stress inducing instructions and examiner ethnicity impacted highly demanding tasks, while moderately difficult tasks were less sensitive to ethnicity of the examiner. Results also indicate that examiners should recognize the potential impact of ethnicity and heightened level of stress when administering and interpreting neuropsychological measures.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2006

The relationship between visual contrast sensitivity and neuropsychological performance in a healthy elderly sample.

Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity are two visual domains affected by normal aging; however, the potential impact of well-documented changes in these abilities on neuropsychological assessment is relatively unstudied. The current study examined the relationship between these abilities and neuropsychological performance in a healthy, community-based elderly sample. Fifty-one individuals (Age: M = 79.6) were assessed for visual acuity and visual contrast sensitivity, and received a brief neuropsychological battery. Results indicated contrast sensitivity was significantly related to neuropsychological performance on visually based measures, but not auditory measures. Visual acuity was only weakly related to neuropsychological performance. Clinical implications for assessment of elderly individuals are discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of Predicted-difference, Simple-difference, and Premorbid-estimation methodologies for evaluating IQ and memory score discrepancies.

Discrepancies between WAIS-III and WMS-III scores for a group of 39 males and 48 females with a history of TBI were examined using three methodologies: Predicted-difference, Simple-difference, and Premorbid-estimation methods. Overall, the Predicted-difference method tended to classify the fewest individuals as impaired based on statistical rarity of discrepancies (11-16% classified as impaired), while the regression-based Premorbid method tended to classify the fewest individuals as impaired based on clinical rarity of discrepancies (4-8% classified as impaired). Degree of agreement is reported and was substantial. The only comparison between methods to reach statistical significance was the Predicted-difference method classifying subjects as impaired at a higher rate than other methods for Auditory Delayed memory index (Cochran's Q = 7.00, P < .05). Findings suggest a combination of estimates of premorbid functioning and regression-based predicted scores is optimal for interpreting IQ/memory score discrepancies. Clinical implications are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

African American women: a life course of care?

Twenty-five years of research on family care to dependent elders has produced a theoretically sophisticated understanding of the process of family caregiving. Although caregiving models initially were developed and tested on predominantly White samples, more recent work has applied these models to African American caregivers. This investigation builds on the comparative perspective by describing elder care in African American families through the eyes of the culture in which it occurs. Thirty-two African American caregivers were interviewed and asked to discuss their caregiving careers from a life course perspective. Qualitative narratives described three pathways to care: elder care only, limited life course of care, and live course of care. Recognition of the various pathways to care will enlighten tailored interventions.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2003

The relationship between performance-based visual acuity screening, self-reported visual acuity, and neuropsychological performance.

Despite frequent cautions in the literature concerning the importance of visual acuity in neuropsychological testing, there are few published empirical investigations of what constitutes "sufficient" visual acuity, nor are there published guidelines for performance-based visual screening techniques. The current study attempted to validate the utility of a visual acuity screening technique by examining individuals with varying visual ability on neuropsychological measures. Results revealed declines on neuropsychological measures associated with reduced visual acuity, as well as discrepancies between self-reported and measured visual acuity, with neuropsychological performance being more closely related to a performance-based measure of visual acuity than to self-reported visual acuity. Clinical implications are discussed.

Adult↗