Arán Filippetti Vanessa, Gutierrez Marisel
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud y del Comportamiento (CIICSAC), Universidad Adventista del Plata, Libertador San Martín, Entre Ríos, Argentina.
Clin Neuropsychol. 2025 Aug;39(6):1696-1721. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2024.2423414. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
We carried out two research studies (using a cross-sectional and a longitudinal design) to establish regression-based normative data, and to examine the convergent validity, the test-retest reliability, and the changes in performance with practice (1-month and 1-year interval) of the direct- and derived- (B-A, B + A, and B/A ratio) Trail Making Test (TMT) scores in Spanish-speaking children. In S1 ( = 413 6- to 15-year-old children and adolescents), regression-based norming procedure and partial correlations were employed. In S2 ( = 110 6- to 12-year-old children), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Pearson's r-product-moment correlations, and paired t-tests were used. S1 demonstrated that age was associated with better performance on both TMT-A and TMT-B. This improvement was more strongly related to direct scores than derived measures B-A and B/A. Additionally, TMT-B was found to be more related to other executive functions (EF) compared to the performance of TMT-A. Among the derived scores, only the B-A was related primarily to cognitive flexibility, while the B + A index was associated with most EF, suggesting a general measure of cognitive functioning. In S2, fair to good test-retest reliability coefficients were found at Time 2 for TMT-A and TMT-B, as well as the B + A index, both in 6 to 8-year-olds (ICCs .61 to .74) and 9 to 12-year-olds (ICCs .53 to .65). There was a significant increase in performance on TMT-A and TMT-B from the first assessment (Time 1) to the follow-up testing at Time 2 in older children. However, this significant improvement was not observed for TMT-B in the younger group. Test scores on the TMT direct measures improved significantly across 1-year. The B-A and B/A ratio scores did not change across examinations. These findings have important implications for assessing EF and developing interventions that target cognitive flexibility in pediatric populations.
我们开展了两项研究（采用横断面设计和纵向设计），以建立基于回归的常模数据，并检验西班牙语儿童直接和派生（B-A、B+A和B/A比率）连线测验（TMT）分数的收敛效度、重测信度以及练习（间隔1个月和1年）后的成绩变化。在S1（n = 413名6至15岁儿童和青少年）中，采用了基于回归的常模制定程序和偏相关分析。在S2（n = 110名6至12岁儿童）中，使用了组内相关系数（ICC）、Pearson积差相关系数和配对t检验。S1表明，年龄与TMT-A和TMT-B的更好成绩相关。这种提高与直接分数的相关性比派生指标B-A和B/A更强。此外，与TMT-A的表现相比，发现TMT-B与其他执行功能（EF）的相关性更强。在派生分数中，只有B-A主要与认知灵活性相关，而B+A指数与大多数EF相关，表明是认知功能的综合指标。在S2中，TMT-A、TMT-B以及B+A指数在第2次测试时的重测信度系数在6至8岁儿童（ICC为0.61至0.74）和9至12岁儿童（ICC为0.53至0.65）中均为中等至良好。年龄较大的儿童从第一次评估（时间1）到第2次随访测试时，TMT-A和TMT-B的成绩有显著提高。然而，在较年轻的组中未观察到TMT-B有这种显著改善。TMT直接测量的测试分数在1年中显著提高。B-A和B/A比率分数在各次检查中没有变化。这些发现对于评估儿科人群的EF以及制定针对认知灵活性的干预措施具有重要意义。
