This research examines the effects of task administration on Trail Making Test performance. The TMT consists of two parts, TMT Part A and TMT Part B. Generally, it has been believed that the order the two parts are co...This research examines the effects of task administration on Trail Making Test performance. The TMT consists of two parts, TMT Part A and TMT Part B. Generally, it has been believed that the order the two parts are completed does not influence test results;however, there is one previous study that has suggested that the order is indeed an influential factor on test scores. To measure frontal lobe function, the present study used near-infrared spectroscopy to measure changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in 48 young, healthy Japanese subjects as they completed Parts A and B. We subtracted the change in oxy-Hb while completing Part A from that while completing Part B (B-A Oxy-Hb) for a comparison to facilitate an investigation of how, or if, the order in which the TMT is taken influences test success. We found that when Part A was completed first, there were only small changes in the B-A oxy-Hb, but when Part B was completed first, there were larger changes. This study indicates that the order the tests are completed in may influence outcomes, thus assessments using the TMT must follow a consistent task order.展开更多
文摘This research examines the effects of task administration on Trail Making Test performance. The TMT consists of two parts, TMT Part A and TMT Part B. Generally, it has been believed that the order the two parts are completed does not influence test results;however, there is one previous study that has suggested that the order is indeed an influential factor on test scores. To measure frontal lobe function, the present study used near-infrared spectroscopy to measure changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) in 48 young, healthy Japanese subjects as they completed Parts A and B. We subtracted the change in oxy-Hb while completing Part A from that while completing Part B (B-A Oxy-Hb) for a comparison to facilitate an investigation of how, or if, the order in which the TMT is taken influences test success. We found that when Part A was completed first, there were only small changes in the B-A oxy-Hb, but when Part B was completed first, there were larger changes. This study indicates that the order the tests are completed in may influence outcomes, thus assessments using the TMT must follow a consistent task order.
