Open AccessDomains of cognition and their assessment
Author(s) -
Philip D. Harvey
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
dialogues in clinical neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.11
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1958-5969
pISSN - 1294-8322
DOI - 10.31887/dcns.2019.21.3/pharvey
Subject(s) - psychology , cognition , humanities , cognitive psychology , executive functions , perception , philosophy , neuroscience
Cognitive performance is typically conceptualized in terms of domains of functioning. These domains are hierarchical in nature, with the bottom referring to more basic sensory and perceptual processes and the top referring to elements of executive functioning and cognitive control. Domains are not independent of each other and executive functioning exerts control over the utilization of more basic processes. Assessments are typically targeted at subdomains of each ability area and careful combination of tasks can reveal patterns of performance consistent with a variety of different neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. This review covers the general structures of domains, the patterns of impairments across domains seen in common neuropsychiatric conditions, and use of assessment strategies to differentiate, to the extent possible, between different types of conditions manifesting cognitive impairment.
.