Department of Health and Human Services, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA.
Georgia Southern University, Communication Sciences and Disorders Program, Savannah, GA 31419, USA.
Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2024 Feb 19;39(2):175-185. doi: 10.1093/arclin/acad061.
The clock drawing test (CDT) is being used regularly by medical professionals in a variety of settings to aid in assessing cognitive functioning in adults of all ages. As our technological environment has changed significantly, because of the inception of this measure, the use of and exposure to the analog clock have diminished. We investigated whether young adults, who have grown up in a mainly digital world, can draw and tell time on an analog clock.
Participants aged 18-30 years (N = 80, Mage = 24.2, SD = 3.93), who self-identified as having normal cognition, completed the CDT, as well as setting hands on a pre-drawn clock and identifying analog clock times.
About 25% of participants received a CDT score below the expected range. There was a moderate, positive correlation between analog clock hand setting and time identification in the group who scored below the expected range on the CDT only (rs(16) = 0.472, p = .048). Most participants reported not wearing an analog watch.
Based on these findings, the CDT should be used with caution to screen cognitive functioning in young adults (i.e., aged 18-30 years). Consideration of an alternative approach to screening cognition and modifying cognitive assessments in which the CDT is embedded is recommended for this population. These findings warrant further investigation into CDT performance in the young adult population.
在各种环境中，医学专业人员经常使用画钟测验（CDT）来辅助评估各个年龄段成年人的认知功能。由于该测试手段的出现，我们的技术环境发生了重大变化，人们使用和接触模拟时钟的机会减少了。我们研究了在主要数字化环境中成长的年轻人是否能够在模拟时钟上画出时间并读出时间。
年龄在 18-30 岁之间（N=80，平均年龄 24.2，标准差 3.93）、自我报告认知正常的参与者完成了 CDT，以及在预先绘制的时钟上设置指针和识别模拟时钟时间的任务。
约 25%的参与者的 CDT 得分低于预期范围。仅在 CDT 得分低于预期范围的参与者中，模拟时钟指针设置与时间识别之间存在中度正相关（rs(16)=0.472，p=0.048）。大多数参与者报告没有佩戴模拟手表。
根据这些发现，CDT 应该谨慎用于筛查年轻人（即 18-30 岁）的认知功能。对于这一年龄段的人群，建议考虑使用替代方法筛查认知功能，并修改嵌入 CDT 的认知评估。这些发现值得进一步研究 CDT 在年轻成年人中的表现。
