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Frontal Assessment Battery in Early Cognitive Impairment: Psychometric Property and Factor Structure
1Wen Yang Goh, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Geriatrics and Active Aging, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Annex, Level 2, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Novena, Singapore 308433. Phone: +65-6357-6474; Fax: +65-6359-6294.
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging
|November 30, 2019
Summary
The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is a valid screening tool for executive function in early cognitive impairment (ECI). It demonstrates good psychometric properties and is largely unaffected by age, gender, or education in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) is a recognized bedside tool for assessing executive function in dementia.
- There is a growing interest in using the FAB for screening early cognitive impairment (ECI).
- Limited research exists on the FAB's psychometric properties and factor structure in ECI, including demographic influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the FAB in older adults with ECI.
- To examine the influence of age, gender, and education on FAB performance in this population.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study of 300 older adults (normal cognition, MCI, mild dementia).
- Data collected included demographics, cognitive, functional, and behavioral evaluations.
- Psychometric properties assessed via validity (concurrent, convergent, discriminant), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and factor analysis. Demographic influences analyzed using correlational analyses.
Main Results:
- FAB scores significantly decreased from normal to dementia groups, supporting concurrent validity.
- FAB showed significant correlations with other cognitive tests (digit span backwards, CMSE) and poor correlations with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire and depression, supporting convergent and discriminant validity.
- Exploratory factor analysis revealed a single-factor structure for FAB with fair internal consistency (alpha=0.610). FAB performance was relatively unaffected by age, gender, or education, though education had a greater influence in the MCI subgroup. Specific FAB items demonstrated good discriminatory ability between MCI and normal subjects.
Conclusions:
- The FAB exhibits good concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity with fair internal consistency in ECI, based on a one-factor structure.
- The FAB is relatively independent of age, gender, and education.
- The FAB is a useful bedside screening tool for evaluating executive function in individuals with ECI.
