Designers and researchers have often assumed that individuals rely to some degree on individual perceptions of a product's hazard when interacting with warning systems that accompany the product. However, few investigations have been made to determine what precisely these perceptions are, and how they may differ across diverse populations (such as age). Younger and older adults were tested for perceived product hazards over a diverse group of products using a Battig and Montague (1969) style procedure. Participants were presented with a total of 78 products, and asked to list the first hazards that came to their mind (up to 7 per product) for each. Comparisons revealed age-related differences between the most commonly perceived hazards for 28 of the products, with many of the age-related differences not predicted prior to data collection. The resulting data additionally form a tool for designing warning systems and research stimuli based on the products or classes of products represented in this sample.

A new test of vestibular function, video head impulse testing (vHIT), evaluates function of the anterior and posterior vertical semicircular canals as well as the horizontal canals. Our goal was to collect normative data for vHIT in both horizontal and vertical planes. Horizontal data was compared to bithermal calorics. Data was collected from 19 participants with normal auditory function and no complaints regarding dizziness or balance. All occulomotor results were normal. Bithermal water caloric irrigations revealed an average unilateral weakness and directional preponderance of < 10%. For vHIT, average velocity gains (comparison of head velocity to compensatory eye velocity) were calculated for right lateral and left lateral maneuvers using instantaneous velocity measurements at 40, 60, and 80 ms and using the velocity regression measurement from 1-100 ms. Average instantaneous velocity gain at 60 ms was 1.175 for right lateral and 1.159 for left lateral. Average velocity regression gain (1-100 ms) was 1.147 for right lateral and 1.172 for left lateral, with an average gain asymmetry of 2.6%. The RALP average velocity gain, based on the velocity regression measurement from 1-100 ms, was 1.514 for right anterior and 1.665 for left posterior, with an average gain asymmetry of 7.26%. The LARP average velocity gain, based on the velocity regression measurement from 1-100 ms, was 0.923 for left anterior and 0.876 for right posterior, with an average gain asymmetry of 7.11%. Unlike with laterals, consistent vertical responses were more difficult to obtain. Contributing factors are camera slippage, inexperience, technique, and the constrained eye movement in the vertical plane.

Alors que les personnes âgées de 80 ans et plus (oldest old dans la littérature anglophone) constituent un segment de la population de plus en plus important dans le monde et que l’âge est le principal facteur de risque de démence, peu d’études se sont intéressées à la cognition et à la démence dans cette population. Le premier objectif de cette thèse a été de synthétiser les données épidémiologiques et neuropsychologiques relatives aux oldest old dans le cadre du vieillissement normal et de la démence. Le manque de connaissances, d’outils et de normes adaptées pour les oldest old font de l’évaluation neuropsychologique un véritable challenge. Ainsi, dans un deuxième travail, nous avons développé des normes pour sept tests neuropsychologiques communément utilisés en clinique, administrés auprès d’une population de sujets très âgés. Néanmoins, les outils habituellement utilisés présentent des contraintes pour les très âgés qui peuvent remettre en cause leur fiabilité. Le Test des Neuf Images du 93 (TNI-93) - test évaluant la mémoire épisodique initialement développé pour les sujets de bas niveau d’étude - comporte de nombreux avantages eu égard aux spécificités cliniques des oldest old. Dans un troisième travail, nous avons cherché à étudier l’utilité du TNI-93 chez les oldest old en établissant des normes puis en étudiant ses propriétés de détection de la démence dans cette population. L’ensemble de ces travaux pourrait contribuer à améliorer la prise de décision diagnostique dans cette population, même s’il convient de souligner l’importance de promouvoir la recherche dans ce domaine pour comprendre les enjeux cliniques et neuropsychologiques du très grand âge. / While persons aged 80 years and over, the so-called “oldest old”, constitute the fastest growing segment of the population worldwide and age is the major risk factor for developing dementia, only few studies have addressed cognition and dementia in this population. The first objective of this thesis was to review the epidemiological and neuropsychological data relating to oldest old in the context of normal aging and dementia. The lack of knowledge, tools and normative data for oldest old make neuropsychological assessment a real challenge for clinicians. For this reason, the second step consisted in computing normative data for seven neuropsychological tests commonly used in clinical practice collected in an oldest old population. Likewise, the tools generally used in older adults testing involve constraints that question the reliability of the measurement. The “Test des Neuf Images of the 93” (TNI-93), (meaning Nine Images test of the district of Seine-Saint-Denis in the suburb of Paris) - test evaluating episodic memory initially developed for low-educational level subjects - could deal with the testing difficulties due to clinical specificities of oldest old. Thus, in a third work, we assessed the relevance of TNI-93 in oldest old by providing normative data, and also by studying its dementia detection properties in this specific population. Taken together, these works may contribute to improve decision-making diagnosis in oldest old population even though it is necessary to underline the importance of promoting research in this domain to deal with the clinical and neuropsychological challenges of the very old age.

Neuropsychological tests are standardized tasks used to measure psychological functioning that is associated with a particular brain structure. These tests often are used in diagnosing a cognitive deficiency resulting from brain injuries. Currently, there are a limited number of studies that have focused on standardization of neuropsychological tests in Latin America. Therefore, the vast majority of cognitive tests used in the evaluation of patients with brain damage have no normative parameters adjusted to the cultural characteristics of Latinos and Latinas. As a result, neuropsychological diagnoses among this population may be inadequate, and evaluation of rehabilitation program effectiveness limited. The importance of culturally appropriate indices of neurological tests cannot be overstated; of all the problems presented by individuals with brain injuries, cognitive disorders are the leading source of disability for adequate work, family, and social reintegration among this group. There is an urgent need to standardize neuropsychological tests in Latin America, among Latinos in the US and any other regions where neuropsychological test have not been standardized. An important population subgroup in Latin America severely lacking in norms for many neuropsychological tests are those deemed illiterate or unable to read or write. Developing normative data for individuals who are illiterate will allow neuropsychologists to have a more accurate comparison when attempting to diagnose cognitive deficits among this group in Latin America. This dissertation is unique, as no other studies have looked at the normative data and standardization of neuropsychological tests within this population in Latin America.

Aphasia is an acquired language impairment caused by damage in the regions of the brain that support language. The Main Concept Analysis (MCA) is a published formal assessment battery that allows the quantification of the presence, accuracy, completeness, and efficiency of content in spoken discourse produced by persons with aphasia (PWA). It utilizes a sequential picture description task (with four sets of pictures) for language sample elicitation. The MCA results can also be used clinically for targeting appropriate interventions of aphasic output. The purpose of this research is to develop a Spanish adaptation of the MCA by establishing normative data based on native unimpaired speakers of Spanish. In the pilot study, thirty-eight unimpaired Spanish participants were recruited by previous student researchers. Each participant was asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and a short form of the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test was administered to rule out any unidentified language problems. The MCA was then be administered to participants and their oral description was audio recorded for later orthographic transcription. A total of 81 unimpaired participants that consisted of different genders, ages (young, middle-aged, and older groups), levels of education (high versus low), and dialect origins (e.g., Spain, Puerto Rico, Columbia) were recruited in the main study to establish a more balanced set of data. One person with aphasia (PWA) was recruited for this study. Based on the collected normative samples, the essential information was identified for each participant. A dialect-specific scoring criteria including target main concepts and lexicons of the Spanish-MCA were developed. The Spanish-MCA was conducted to test the validity of the assessment battery. In the current study, a preliminary set of data using the MCA scoring criteria has been established. Similar to findings in Kong and Yeh 2015, the results of the Spanish-MCA showed age and education did impact discourse performance. Results from one-way ANOVA revealed statistical differences between age groups and education levels of the unimpaired participants recruited. The groups of participants with a higher education conveyed more AC concepts compared to the other dialect groups. To compare data for PWA, it is suggested that a larger sample size of PWA be recruited to validate the Spanish-MCA.

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