Deficit Measurement
Definition
Deficit measurement is the measurement of impairment when an examinee’s performance is significantly below an actual or estimated previous level of functioning.
Current Knowledge
In neuropsychology, deficit measurement can be achieved by assessing cognitive functioning as separate domains or as a composite of domains. For instance, cognitive deficits in a particular ability domain, such as list-learning ability, can be measured via the administration of a list-learning task during which the examinee must recall a list of words both immediately and after a specified time delay. If the examinee performs poorly, the score on this subtest provides information about deficits associated with the examinee’s list-learning ability. In the case of using composite scores, several subtests are combined to generate a composite score that represents performance in a general domain of functioning, such as auditory memory. This could include several separate aspects of functioning, such as...
References and Readings
- Knapp, S. J., & VandeCreek, L. D. (2006). Assessment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
- Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B., Loring, D. W., Hannay, H. J., & Fischer, J. S. (2004). Neuropsychological Assessment. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
- Snyder, P. J., Nussbaum, P. D., & Robins, D. L. (2006). Clinical neuropsychology: A pocket handbook for assessment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar