Open AccessThe trail making test in India
Author(s) -
Triptish Bhatia,
Vandana Shriharsh,
Saurabh Adlakha,
Vivek Bisht,
Kapila Garg,
Smita N. Deshpande
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
indian journal of psychiatry/indian journal of psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1998-3794
pISSN - 0019-5545
DOI - 10.4103/0019-5545.33258
Subject(s) - test (biology) , ethnic group , neuropsychology , trail making test , cognition , psychology , neuropsychological test , clinical psychology , boston naming test , neuropsychological testing , psychiatry , medicine , audiology , paleontology , sociology , anthropology , biology
The trail making test (TMT) is a short and convenient estimate of cognitive functions, principally attention and working memory. Like most neuropsychological tests, it is derived from and primarily applicable to English-speaking individuals. Norms for other ethnic minorities may differ significantly. The application of majority or mixed norms to specific ethnic subcultures may introduce systematic bias. To examine the impact of an English test on primarily nonEnglish-speaking individuals, outpatients attending the dermatology department of a large Indian hospital (n = 120) were asked to complete the English version of the TMT. The time taken to complete the TRAILS was unexpectedly long, although all the subjects scored within normal limits on the modified mini mental status examination and a test for general knowledge. Possible reasons for the delayed completion times are discussed below.