A Candidate Automated Test Battery for Neuropsychological Screening of Airmen: Design and Preliminary Validation: (586202011-001)

Abstract : A panel of the American Medical Association convened by the Federal Aviation Administration recommended that a computerized test of cognitive function be developed that would detect significant cognitive impairments that might otherwise go unrecognized during a routine physical examination. In response to this need, a computerized test battery, based on current cognitive theory, has been developed that provides a brief screening for disturbances in higher-level cognitive function. This battery is not designed to replace the traditional observational methods used by the physician, but rather to enhance diagnostic sensitivity in areas not currently well covered. The battery operates in a 'step fashion, providing a generalized, non-specific screen at the first level, with two increasingly more specific screens if that level is failed. The output of the battery is a verbal protocol to the examiner presenting a series of rule out recommendations for further diagnostic testing. In this report, the background and composition of this test are described, and the results of three initial validation and sensitivity studies are reported.