de Oliveira Vinícius Figueiredo, Vial-Martins Jéssica, Pinto André Luiz de Carvalho Braule, Fonseca Rochele Paz, Malloy-Diniz Leandro Fernandes
Laboratory of Medical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Amazonas Psychological Assessment Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology, Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil.
Front Psychol. 2024 Sep 23;15:1399388. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1399388. eCollection 2024.
The development of reading and complex executive functions is fundamental for achieving social, academic, and professional success. So far, there is no single neuropsychological instrument that comprehensively assesses the domains of inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and reading comprehension. To assess executive functions related to reading, the "Assessment of Reading and Executive Functions" (AREF) was developed. In this study, we show initial evidence of validity and reliability for four subtests - Graphophonological-Semantic Flexibility, Inhibitory Control, Flexibility, and Working Memory.
A total of 93 students from 4th to 9th grade, aged 8-14, in public ( = 61) and private ( = 32) schools were evaluated. Tasks from the AREF instrument, as well as measures of reading comprehension, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and intelligence, were administered. Correlations between AREF scores and the other measures were performed to assess external construct validity. Performance differences between school groups on AREF subtests were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test, and Mann-Whitney tests, and the internal consistency of the instrument's tasks was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
The scores of the AREF subtests demonstrated significant positive correlations with reading measures (ranging from 0.339 to 0.367) and executive functions (ranging from 0.209 to 0.396). Significant differences were found in the performance of some AREF tasks when comparing individuals from public and private schools, as well as between 4th and 5th graders compared to students in higher grades. The internal consistency of the tasks was low for Graphophonological-Semantic Flexibility (Cronbach's α = 0.566), moderate for Inhibitory Control and Flexibility (Cronbach's α = 0.768), and high for Working Memory (Cronbach's α = 0.881).
The results provide initial evidence of construct validity and reliability for the AREF subtests. It is expected that this new neuropsychological test will contribute to the assessment of reading skills and executive functions, assisting in guiding clinical and educational interventions for individuals with and without neurodevelopmental disorders.
阅读能力和复杂执行功能的发展是实现社会、学业和职业成功的基础。到目前为止，尚无单一的神经心理学工具能够全面评估抑制控制、认知灵活性、工作记忆和阅读理解等领域。为了评估与阅读相关的执行功能，开发了“阅读与执行功能评估”（AREF）。在本研究中，我们展示了四个子测试——音素-语义灵活性、抑制控制、灵活性和工作记忆的有效性和可靠性的初步证据。
对公立学校（n = 61）和私立学校（n = 3）共93名4至9年级、年龄在8至14岁的学生进行了评估。实施了AREF工具中的任务，以及阅读理解、抑制控制、认知灵活性、工作记忆和智力的测量。进行AREF分数与其他测量之间的相关性分析以评估外部结构效度。使用方差分析（ANOVA）、t检验和曼-惠特尼检验分析学校组在AREF子测试上的表现差异，并使用克朗巴赫α系数评估该工具任务的内部一致性。
AREF子测试的分数与阅读测量（范围为0.339至0.367）和执行功能（范围为0.209至0.396）显示出显著的正相关。在比较公立学校和私立学校的个体时，以及在比较四年级和五年级学生与高年级学生时，发现一些AREF任务的表现存在显著差异。音素-语义灵活性任务的内部一致性较低（克朗巴赫α = 0.566），抑制控制和灵活性任务的内部一致性中等（克朗巴赫α = 0.768），工作记忆任务的内部一致性较高（克朗巴赫α = 0.881）。
结果为AREF子测试的结构效度和可靠性提供了初步证据。预计这项新的神经心理学测试将有助于评估阅读技能和执行功能，协助指导对有和没有神经发育障碍的个体的临床和教育干预。
