Interpretation and use of the Luria-Nebraska Battery

In a recent article, T. V. Akhutina and L. S. Tsvetkova (1983, Brain and Cognition 2, 129-134) presented an analysis of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery. Along with their generally positive review, they raised questions regarding the importance of the qualitative aspects of patients' performance in the interpretation of the battery. We agree with the authors that any interpretation of the battery which does not consider qualitative performance can limit the power and applicability of the battery. The procedures of item analysis and qualitative analysis are discussed as essential to a comprehensive interpretation of the battery. Also discussed are comments on additional scaling for the battery and the development of a standardized qualitative scoring system.