BRIEF ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE ABILITY
American Psychological Association
Table of Contents
Why Practitioners Need Information
Because people are at increased risk for cognitive impairment as they
age, a brief screening instrument should be part of all psychological evaluations.
- One widely used brief screening measure specifically developed for the older age group is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). It is easy to administer and includes verbal and nonverbal items. The MMSE and other brief cognitive screening tools are not diagnostic, and they should not be used as stand-alone diagnostic tests.
- A major problem with most screening tests is that more subtle cognitive problems may not be detected. In addition, a poor score on a screening test does not indicate which of a large number of potential causes is responsible for the impairment. If screening or other history suggests cognitive impairment, then further evaluation including differential diagnosis may be necessary.
