Journal article
Southwestern Assessment of Processing Speed (SWAPS): A new brief test with demographically-corrected norms in an ethnically and educationally diverse population
Clinical neuropsychologist, Vol.36(8), pp.2260-2277
08/18/2021
DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2021.1970229
PMID: 34554056
Abstract
Objective. Neuropsychological measures of processing speed have long been used as sensitive indices of cognitive functioning. Most of these commonly used tests are proprietary, and there is a need for brief, freely available tools that can be used in diverse clinical and research settings. The Southwestern Assessment of Processing Speed (SWAPS) is a 60-second digit-symbol transcription task developed as a brief alternative to commercially available coding tests. Demographically-corrected normative data are presented along with reliability and sensitivity/specificity values in older adults with and without cognitive impairment.
Method. SWAPS data from 915 healthy aging individuals (NC) and 858 subjects with clinical diagnoses of mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 430) and Alzheimer's disease clinical syndrome (ADCS; n = 428) were obtained from the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium (TARCC). TARCC participants represent ethnically and educationally diverse community-dwelling individuals age 50+.
Results. SWAPS scores showed the expected associations with age, sex, and education, and the interaction between age and education were significant predictors of SWAPS scores. Test-retest reliability in NC was good, and the SWAPS distinguished impaired and non-impaired groups with adequate to excellent sensitivity and specificity for the primary analyses, with optimal cut-off points provided. Raw score- to uncorrected normalized T-scores and demographically-corrected SWAPS T-scores using regression-based norms are presented along with scoring programs for the calculation of each.
Conclusions. The SWAPS is a brief, free, easily administered test with demographically-corrected regression-based norms and promising utility for detection of cognitive impairment and efficient assessment of processing speed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Southwestern Assessment of Processing Speed (SWAPS): A new brief test with demographically-corrected norms in an ethnically and educationally diverse population
- Creators
- C. Munro Cullum - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterJeanine M. Galusha - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterHannah E. Wadsworth - University of IowaKristin Wilmoth - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterLinda S. Hynan - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterLaura H. Lacritz - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterChristian LoBue - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterFrancisco Argueta-Ortiz - The University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterTARCC Investigators
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Clinical neuropsychologist, Vol.36(8), pp.2260-2277
- DOI
- 10.1080/13854046.2021.1970229
- PMID
- 34554056
- NLM abbreviation
- Clin Neuropsychol
- ISSN
- 1385-4046
- eISSN
- 1744-4144
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100020423, name: Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium; name: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, award: UL1TR001105
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 08/18/2021
- Academic Unit
- Neurology
- Record Identifier
- 9984303017502771
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