Publication Date
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Committee Members
Jeffery Allen (Committee Chair), Cheryl Meyer (Committee Member), Julie Williams (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Abstract
Researchers and clinicians require a method of estimating an elderly individual's premorbid ability level in order to determine the amount of cognitive decline that has occurred. This issue has received a great deal of attention within the research literature; however, little attention has been paid to this issue specifically in elderly African American elderly adults. Although researchers have examined the predictive utility of demographic variables, few studies have examined whether including additional demographic variables (i.e., quality of education) improves prediction of premorbid ability. The current sample consisted of 46 African American elderly adults who did not exhibit any cognitive impairment or neurological disorders. Using correlation analysis a number of significant relationships were found between quality and type of education variables and full scale IQ scores. Although, results suggest that including some quality of education variables may slightly improve the ability to predict premorbid ability in African American elders, reading level emerged as the strongest predictor of full-scale IQ. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed.
Page Count
54
Department or Program
School of Professional Psychology
Year Degree Awarded
2013
Copyright
Copyright 2012, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
