Use of the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination with children.

The validity and reliability of the modified version of the Mini-Mental State Examination with children was examined. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination was administered to 99 children between 4 and 12 years of age (45 males and 54 females) to assess expected scores for nonclinical children and with a clinical sample. Concurrent validity was assessed through correlations of Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores with Wechsler Intelligence scores and Child Behavior Checklist scores. The Modified Mini-Mental State Examination was administered to 26 children on two occasions to determine test-retest reliability. Means and standard deviations of scores are reported by age and grade level. Test-retest reliability coefficients were positively significant. For the nonclinical sample, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly and positively correlated with Verbal IQ and Child Behavior Checklist scores. Modified Mini-Mental State Examination scores were significantly correlated with Verbal IQ scores in the total and clinical samples.

A psychometric analysis of the California Card Sorting Test.

The purpose of this study is to begin to characterize performance on the California Card Sorting Test (CCST), a relatively new measure of executive function specifically designed to fractionate problem-solving ability into its cognitive components. Data describing the performance of 135 neurologically intact young adults on the CCST and four other common measures of executive function are presented. Factor analyses indicated that the CCST is a valid measure of concept formation and abstract ability and that the CCST taps abilities different from those measured by commonly used tests of executive function. While further work must be done, the CCST seems to hold promise as a neuropsychological assessment instrument.