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Assessing the cognitive abilities that differentiate patients with Alzheimer's disease from normals: single and multiple factor models
Author(s) -
Ownby Raymond L.,
Loewenstein David A.,
Schram Lynn,
Acevedo Amarilis
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.1056
Subject(s) - cognition , psychology , disease , pathological , alzheimer's disease , cognitive psychology , factor (programming language) , degenerative disease , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , central nervous system disease , pathology , computer science , programming language
Background Understanding the structure of cognitive abilities in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has considerable practical and theoretical importance. Some investigators have argued that a single cognitive process underlies the deficits seen in AD, while others have argued for multiple cognitive processes. As deficits in cognitive abilities may reflect the pathological process or processes occurring in AD, determination of the structure of abilities in AD is important. Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of single and multiple ability factor models in differentiating patients with AD from normals. Results Findings show that although a single factor model accounts for a large part of the variability of a battery of measures used to differentiate patients and normals, a multiple factor model performed substantially better based on multiple fit criteria. Conclusions At least in this sample, a multiple ability factor model of cognitive abilities fit data better than a single factor model in differentiating patients with AD from normals. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.