INTRODUCTORY

PSYCHOLOGY
GS F232
ASSIGNMENT-2

-M.Poorna Sai Venu Deep

(2021B5A43160H)
Cognitive and mental health tests are tools used to
evaluate a person's thinking abilities and emotional
well-being.
Cognitive tests assess functions like memory,
attention, problem-solving, and language skills. These
tests help identify issues related to conditions such as
dementia, brain injuries, or developmental disorders.
Mental health tests evaluate emotional states,
behaviours, and mental conditions like anxiety,
depression, or bipolar disorder. These may involve
questionnaires, interviews, or observations to
understand an individual's psychological state.

Cognitive Tests

1)Digit Span Test

Joseph Jacobs developed the Digit Span Test in 1887 based
on the work of Herman Ebbinghaus. Now, the test can be found
as a subset of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).
This test is used to assess short term memory, attention span
as well as the working memory of an individual. It is used as a
quick test to analyse whether a person's cognitive capacities
are normal or impaired. Delirium, dementia etc may come to
impair the normal cognitive functioning of the brain. The
examiner gives the subject a series of numbers in a monotonic
manner in a range of one word per second. One stage will have
a series of two numbers increasing progressively upto 8 and
there will be two attempts per stage. Once the person fails both
the attempts of a stage, the test ends. The examiner may ask
the subject to repeat the series he elicited backwards as well.
Each correct elicitation receives one point and zero for a wrong
one. When the series is elicited backwards, the numbers are
necessitated to stay for a longer time in the faculty for short
term memory. It is a reliable and quick test to see the capacity
of a person to store information and to rehearse the data they
have stored.
2)Modified Taylor Complex Figure Test

Dr. Anita Hubley developed the Modified Taylor Complex

Figure Test (MTCF). It is comparable to the Rey - Osterrieth
Complex Figure (ROCF). It is used to discern disorders like
ADHD and diseases like Alzheimers. It is a figure drawing test
that assesses visual long term memory and visuospatial
abilities. It is significant because it avoids implicit learning that
can occur when the same version of the ROCF is used
repeatedly. It is suitable for the low educated elderly. It was
designed for people 17 or older. The test involves a complex
figure with various shapes and patterns. The subject is required
to perform multiple tasks like copying the figure, or recalling it
immediately or after a period of 20 - 30 minutes as well spot it
from a selection of similar images. There is accuracy scoring
(quantitative method) as well as process scoring
(comprehensive method) involved in MTCF. It is a valid
alternative to ROCF and an effective method of
neuropsychology to understand neuro-spatial abilities of
children as well as adults.

3)Trail Making Test (Black and White)

The Trail Making Test (Black and White) (TMT - B & W) was
developed by the American neuropsychologist Ralph Reiten in
the 1950s. It is used to evaluate the cognition of patients with
Alzheimer's disease, dementia as well as Mild Cognitive
Impairment (MCI). There are two parts to the test: Part A and
Part B. Both the parts contain numbers and/or alphabets in a
scattered manner which the subject will have to make a trail out
of in a prescribed sequence (eg:- ascending order). TMT - B &
W is different from TMT because it uses encircled letters in
black and white backgrounds instead of alphabets. Scoring is
done by calculating the time taken to undertake the test in
addition to the time taken correcting errors prompted by the
examiner. This test can be done digitally and as well as by pen
and paper and it does not require knowledge of the English
alphabets thus it is a more accessible and efficient test to
detect cognitive impairments.

4)Picture Naming Test

They are of different types: The Philadelphia Naming Test,

Boston Naming Test etc. They are used to detect linguistic
impairment in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia. It
can also help to identify tongue phenomena and modality
deficit anomia. It can help study lexical retrieval in monolingual
as well as bilingual speakers. They assess a person’s ability to
name pictures, a fundamental process in language use. The
scoring of the test depends on the number of correct responses
given however they may vary depending upon the type of test
taken. This test is challenged by newer advancements in
linguistics and psychology. A nuanced understanding of culture,
and language use is necessary to create population specific
tests. However this test may still become useful to understand
aphasia and construct a treatment plan.

5)Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination 3

This test is formed as a result of a revision of Addenbrooke's

Cognitive Examination- Revised (ACE - R) and to avoid
copyright issues with mini - mental state examination (MMSE).
This test is not used alone but in addition to other clinical
information and investigations for the diagnosis of cognitive
impairments. It can detect Alzheimer's disease, fronto-temporal
dementia, MCI etc. However, brain injury, Parkinsonism, and
stroke can also be deduced from the scores of this test. It is a
21 question screening tool with a total score of 100. These
questions cover 5 areas of brain function: attention, orientation,
memory, language and visuospatial abilities. A higher scores is
indicative of better cognitive functioning of the brain. A cut off
score of approximately 82 is used for a diagnosis of dementia.

Mental Health Tests

1)Beck Anxiety Inventory

The inventory was developed in 1988 by Aaron T. Beck. There

was a revised manual published in 1993 with a revision in
scoring. The test was built using 3 existing questionnaires: The
Anxiety Checklist, the Physician's Desk Reference Checklist,
and the Situational Anxiety Checklist. It is used to assess the
severity of anxiety symptoms. It helps to distinguish between
panic disorders and non panic disorders. The Beck Anxiety
Inventory is a self report questionnaire usually considering the
physical as well as cognitive symptoms in the past week of the
person. It has a 4 point scale with 0 indicating “not at all” and 4
indicating “severely”. The total score has a range from 0 to 63.
Any score above 16 is considered to be significant. There are
21 items found in this questionnaire. In my opinion, this test can
be manipulated to give a higher or lower anxiety level than what
the person truly experiences so it must follow with further
examinations to come to a conclusion.

2)Beck Depression Inventory 2 (BDI - 2)

Beck Depression Inventory - 2 was published in 1996 by the

Psychological Corporation. It was developed to align more
consistently with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders 4 (DSM - 4) criteria for depression. It is used
to assess the severity of depression in people aged 13 and
above. It is a 21 item self report questionnaire i.e it is usually
self administered. The past two weeks are taken into
consideration while filling out this test. Each item contains a list
of four statements of a specific depressive symptom arranged
in increasing severity. The score ranges from 0 - 4 with 4
indicating severe depressive symptoms. The total score ranges
from 0 - 63, a higher score entails more severe depression.
This test must also be followed with more profiling to gauge the
condition of the subject as the answers might fluctuate;
however this method is still a reliable way to screen subjects
and assess their mental health.

3)Insomnia Severity Index

Charles M. Morin developed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)

in 1993. It is used to assess the nature and impact of insomnia
on a person. It was originally known as the Sleep Impairment
Index. This Is a self report questionnaire however a physician
may also administer it. Three versions of this test are available:
patient (2 weeks period), patient (1 month period) and clinician.
It has scores ranging from 0 - 28 with higher scores indicating
more severe levels of insomnia. There are 7 items to be found
in this test. Patients rate each item on a 5 point scale with 0
indicating no problem and 4 indicating severe insomnia
symptoms. It is a validated scale with approved consistency
that correlates well with other mental health tests therefore ISI
is a widely used tool.

4)Perceived Stress Scale

The Perceived Stress Scale was developed in 1983 by the

psychologist Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues. It was created
to measure how people perceive stress in their lives, evaluate
the effectiveness of stress reducing interventions as well as
examine the connection between psychological stress and
physical and psychiatric disorders. The original PSS had 14
questions whereas there are shorter versions available with 10
(PSS - 10) as well 4 (PSS - 4 ) questions. It has a 5 point scale
from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). To calculate the score, we must
reverse the score of the 7 positively worded items and add all
the 14 scores. total score ranges from 0 to 40, with a higher
score indicating greater stress levels. It is not a diagnostic tool
and there is no cut off range however, in my opinion, it is useful
to evaluate what stress reducing activities are effective on
individuals so that they may live a less burdened life. It is
applicable on children aged 12 years old and up.

5)Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 4

The WAIS has gone through several revisions; the most recent
version is WAIS 4. This is a 5 factor model which includes:
Verbal Comprehension Index, Visual Spatial Index, Fluid
Reasoning Index, Working Memory Index, and Processing
Speed Index. It is used to assess intelligence and differentiate
between healthy individuals and people with schizophrenia.
Another significant function of the test is its usage to look at the
cognitive abilities of people who have experienced brain
trauma. The test takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete. The
average score of this test is 100 and two - thirds of scores fall in
between 85 and 115. This scale includes an activity like
pointing out a missing detail or copying symbols. I think that this
scale is effective since it helps overcome biases on culture,
language and education.