The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the Revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale. The Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48) was administered to 59 elementary school children between the ages of 5 and 10 years. After a period of two weeks, the same children were re-tested with the CPRS-48. The results of this research lend support to the integrity of the test-retest reliability of the CPRS-48. The need for further psychometric studies on the Conners' Scales is noted.

This thesis deals with personal integrity and its testing for the job tender. The main objective is to determine the test-retest reliability of the integrity test, which is currently being developed and studied at the National Institute of Mental Health in Klecany. Another aim of the work is to compare the Czech version of the integrity test, a whole set of psychological tests designed to investigate the integrity intended for recruiting new employees, and the findings of foreign tests, which are used primarily in the United States. The use of integrity tests is a common practice abroad in the selection process of new employees, for example in lower administration or positions working with money. Work has both theoretical and practical character. The theoretical part summarizes the findings about integrity from authors throughout history, present information about foreign integrity test (types, weaknesses, ethical issues of testing, the proposed rules for the implementation of integrity tests for job tenders for organization, etc.). Finally, it discusses psychometrics and required characteristics for quality tests. The practical part is based on a test-retest study that was conducted on a sample of 51 respondents in the time interval of 4 to 5 months. Respondents were repeatedly presented with a...

This methods-oriented dissertation focuses on the psychometric evaluation of the Feeding Your Preschooler Questionnaire (FYPQ) designed to assess the eating habits and diet quality of young children. Parental proxy reports (n=135) were obtained through pen and pencil administration of the FYPQ and an in-person interview using a 24- hour food recall (24HR).Test-retest reliability (n=82) was determined using a repeated measures design with Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Spearman correlations for the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) portion of the survey, parental self-efficacy, parental role modeling, parental practices, and parental perception of child food preference regarding fruits and vegetables scales. Test-retest reliabilities ranged from r=.53 for water to r=.84 for vegetables for the FFQ and from r=.64 for role modeling to r=.71 for parental perception of child preference for the psychosocial measures. Concurrent construct validity (n=107) was examined with a cross-sectional study design using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman correlations, and cross-classification analysis into quartiles of food group intakes. Spearman’s correlations between the FFQ and the 24HR were .46 for milk, .22 for fruit, .22 for vegetables, .11 for grains and .07 for protein. Cross-classification analysis revealed that 29% of children were classified in the same quartile and 69% in the same or within one quartile, and gross misclassification ranged from 2% to 10%. Nomological validity was examined using weighted least squares regression. Two regression analyses with fruit and vegetable intake on first the FFQ and second the 24HR as the dependent variable examined the influences of psychosocial environmental predictors and food insecurity. The FFQ regression model explained 28% (p<.05) of the variance in fruit and vegetable intake, with the significant predictors of parental role modeling and food insecurity. The 24HR regression analysis predicting fruit and vegetable intake explained 11% (p<.05), with parental perception of child preference and parental role modeling as significant predictors. In summary, the FYPQ demonstrated good test-retest reliability. The study provides evidence of concurrent validity for the FFQ for assessment of milk consumption and fruit and vegetable variety in preschool children's diets and of nomological validity in the prediction of fruit and vegetable consumption. / text

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La maladie de Huntington est neurodégénérative, génétique, rare, multifacette et de durée d'évolution longue, induisant une grande. Les biothérapies en cours d'essai sont réalisées sur des petits effectifs, avec un effet mesurable à long terme et hétérogène. Identifier des marqueurs d'évolution de la maladie et de réponse au traitement permettrait de mieux comprendre et d'améliorer les résultats des futurs essais cliniques. Nous avons développé une méthode de clustering pour l'efficacité d'un traitement dans le cadre de données longitudinales afin de définir des répondeurs et non répondeurs au traitement. Notre méthode, robuste pour les petits effectifs, combine un modèle linéaire mixte à deux pentes et un algorithme de clustering. Le modèle mixte génère des effets aléatoires, associés à la réponse au traitement, propres à chaque patient. L'algorithme de clustering permet de définir des sous-groupes selon la valeur des effets aléatoires. Trouver des sous-groupes de patients répondeurs permet de définir des marqueurs prédictifs de la réponse au traitement qui seront utilisés pour donner le traitement le mieux adapté à chaque patient. Nous avons discuté de l'intégration (i) des marqueurs prédictifs dans les plans expérimentaux des essais cliniques, en évaluant leur impact sur la puissance de l'étude; et (ii) des marqueurs pronostiques, en étudiant l¿impact du polymorphisme COMT sur le déclin cognitif des patients. Enfin, nous avons évalué l'effet d'apprentissage des tests neuropsychologiques, et montré comment une double évaluation à l'inclusion dans un essai clinique permettait de s'en affranchir quand le critère de jugement principal est le déclin cognitif. / Huntington's disease is neurodegenerative, genetic, rare, multifaceted and has a long evolution, inducing heterogeneity of conditions and progression of the disease. Current biotherapy trials are performed on small samples of patients, with a treatment effect measurable in the long-term that is heterogeneous. Identifying markers of the disease progression and of the treatment response may help to better understand and improve results of biotherapy studies in Huntington's disease. We have developed a clustering method for the treatment efficacy in the case of longitudinal data in order to identify treatment responders and nonresponders. Our method combines a linear mixed model with two slopes and a classical clustering algorithm. The mixed model generates random effects associated with treatment response, specific to each patient. The clustering algorithm is used to define subgroups according to the value of the random effects. Our method is robust in case of small samples. Finding subgroups of responders may help to define predictive markers of treatment response which will be used to give the most appropriate treatment for each patient. We discussed integration of (i) the predictive markers in study design of future clinical trials, assessing their impact on the power of the study; and (ii) the prognostic markers of disease progression by studying the COMT polymorphism as a prognostic marker of cognitive decline in Huntington's disease. Finally, we evaluated the learning effect of neuropsychological tasks measuring cognitive abilities, and showed how a double baseline in a clinical trial could take it into account when the primary outcome is the cognitive decline.

For many years, speech recognition threshold (SRT) testing has been used as an indicator of audiologic health. However, with changing methods and technology, test-retest reliability has not been reviewed extensively with newer digitally recorded spondaic words which meet a published criterion of listener familiarity. This study examined the test-retest reliability of 33 high frequency usage and psychometrically equated spondaic words. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommended method (2-dB decrements) was used to measure the left and right SRT of 40 participants using both male and female talker recordings. For each participant, four SRTs were found during the test condition and four SRTs were found during the retest condition. All of the SRT scores were analyzed and the averaged SRT values found using a male talker recording resulted in an average retest SRT to be 1.4 dB better than the average test SRT. The averaged SRT values found using a female talker recording resulted in an averaged retest SRT to be 1.2 dB better than the averaged test SRT. The SRT scores also showed high validity when compared to each participant's pure tone average (PTA). This study additionally found no significant interaction in using a male versus a female talker when using digitally recorded and psychometrically equated spondaic words.

The clinical value of oto-acoustic emissions (OAEs) for the identification of the integrity of outer hair cell function has been proven numerous times in research studies, and OAEs are commonly included in the audiological test battery used by audiologists. The technological advances in this field, however, require continuous research to determine the value of new equipment. The main objective of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and transient evoked oto-acoustic emissions (TEOAEs). The subjects were female adults between 18 and 25 years of age, and 30 ears were used for this study. All participants had normal middle-ear function, normal hearing sensitivity (pure tone thresholds) and present OAEs. DPOAEs and TEOAEs were performed at specific time intervals to determine the test-retest reliability, and an OAE-gram was generated by combining DPOAE and TEOAE test results. These measures were performed as an initial measure (M1), after five minutes (M2), after an hour (M3), after a week (M4) and after a month (M5). The test-retest reliability was calculated by analysing the statistics quantitatively. Results were analysed to determine the variance between each participant individually at different time intervals, and also to determine the variance of the group as a whole at different time intervals. Through this analysis high test-retest reliability between the different tests was proven. Inferential statistical Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) proved that the test-retest reliability of DPOAEs, TEOAEs and the OAE-gram (generated through a combination of the DPOAE and TEOAE results) was consistent throughout all periods of testing. The highest correlation existed between immediate re-measurements, while the largest difference was observed between M1 and M3. High test-retest reliability for all tests conducted at different time intervals from original measures were confirmed. Recommendations that arose from this study are further research in the normal hearing population for better generalization, research into specific variables between subjects, research with longer time between different tests, as well as the test-retest reliability in pathologic populations. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted

Background: Atypical processing of auditory information in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be observed at a neurological as well as at a behavioural level. The Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FÁPI) is an observational monitoring tool for pre-school children with hearing loss, but has not yet been described in children with ASD. A reliable instrument to monitor progress of functional auditory performance in young children with ASD may contribute to evidence-based practice during intervention. Method: The aim was to describe the overall performance of five-year-old children with ASD on the FÁPI; to determine the test-retest reliability and inter-rater reliability of the tool. The study was exploratory with a descriptive design incorporating repeated measures. Twelve participants with ASD were purposely selected. The mean age was 65 months and all were exposed to English as additional language. Ten of the 12 participants had very little speech as reported by their parents. Pre-recorded sound and speech stimuli were used to elicit responses from participants in their familiar therapy rooms. For test-retest reliability three data collection sessions per participant were conducted over a two-week period. Video recordings were provided in randomised order and analysed by two independent raters. The raters were blind to the order of data sets. Results and conclusion: With an increase in complexity of auditory stimuli a marked decrease in response was observed in the participants. Category seven, the highest level of auditory responses, demonstrating the child's ability to process linguistic information, showed the least responses The test-retest reliability was good, with a single difference in the category 'Awareness and meaning of sound'. Inter-rater reliability indicated a significant difference in two of the seven categories of the FÁPI, 'Awareness and meaning of sound' and 'Sound localisation' with p-values of 0,006 and 0,003. These categories may be the most subjective in the tool. Despite some subjectivity in two of the seven categories the FÁPI was reliable to plot functional auditory performance in the sample group. Since the instrument relies on direct observation with very few demands to participate on a social level, it has potential for use in five-year-old children with ASD. Further research is required to determine the tool's performance using natural sound conditions to monitor the progress of children with ASD longitudinally, against themselves during intervention. / Dissertation (M Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted

La compréhension des effets cérébraux sous-tendant l’impact de la stimulation magnétique transcrânienne répétée (rTMS) est un a priori nécessaire à la connaissance de la prise en charge thérapeutique des patients bénéficiant de ces traitements. A posteriori, elle permet en plus de comprendre les processus physiopathologiques responsables des symptômes cliniques propres aux troubles mentaux. Nous nous sommes ici intéressés aux effets de la rTMS sur le cerveau des patients souffrant de schizophrénie (SZ), au travers des deux principes fondamentaux du fonctionnement cérébral que sont la ségrégation et l’intégration fonctionnelle. En premier lieu, nous avons analysé l’effet de la rTMS visant le cortex préfrontal médian (CPM) sur le principe de ségrégation fonctionnelle chez des SZ avec trouble de la cognition sociale. Pour ce faire nous avons développé un paradigme d’imagerie par résonance magnétique fonctionnelle (IRMf) écologique et novateur de cognition sociale. Un prérequis aux études longitudinales en IRMf est la reproductibilité du signal d’activation. Nous avons alors démontré la fiabilité de notre paradigme entre deux sessions, puis à l’aide de ce paradigme, nous avons étudié l’effet de la rTMS sur la ségrégation à partir de la variation du signal BOLD et des taux de N-AcetylAspartate et de glutamate. Puis nous avons étudié l’impact de la rTMS ciblant le sillon temporal supérieur gauche (STSg) sur les hallucinations auditivo-verbales (AVH) en termes de connectivité fonctionnelle statique (intégration fonctionnelle). Nous avons ainsi mis en évidence l’effet bénéfique de la rTMS sur le trouble de cognition sociale et sur les AVH. En outre, quand la rTMS cible le STSg, il ne semble pas avoir d’effet sur la connectivité fonctionnelle statique du réseau cérébral du langage observé. Cependant, focalisé au niveau du CPM, elle permettrait d’augmenter la concentration de N-acétylaspartate des SZ. L’absence d’effet de la rTMS illustrerait plutôt des profils d’organisation cérébrale différents des SZ, et ce par des variabilités interindividuelles, suggérant qu’il serait à l’avenir bénéfique de déterminer les caractéristiques optimales de la stimulation sur une base individuelle afin de mieux moduler les processus anormaux du cerveau dans les schizophrénies. / The understanding of the brain effects underlying the impact of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a necessary a priori necessary concerning patients treatments. A posteriori, it also helps to understand the pathophysiological processes responsible for the clinical symptoms of mental disorders. Hither, we are interested in the effects of rTMS on the brain of patients with schizophrenia (SZ), through the two fundamental principles of cerebral functioning: segregation and functional integration. First, we have analyzed the effect of rTMS on the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) according to functional segregation in SZ with social cognition disorder. To do this we have developed an ecological and innovative social cognition paradigm for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A prerequisite for longitudinal studies in fMRI is the reproducibility of the activation signal, we have then demonstrated the reliability of our paradigm between two sessions. Using this paradigm, we have studied the effect of rTMS on segregation from the variation of the BOLD signal and the levels of N-Acetyl Aspartate and glutamate. Then, we studied the impact of rTMS targeting the left temporal sulcus (STS) on auditory-verbal hallucinations (AVH) in terms of functional connectivity (functional integration). We have thus demonstrated the beneficial effect of rTMS on social cognition disorder and on AVH. Moreover, when the rTMS targets the STS, it does not seem to have an effect on the static functional connectivity within the listening language network. However, focused on the MPFC, it would increase the N-acetylaspartate concentration of SZ. The absence of the effect of the rTMS would rather illustrate different brain organization patterns of the SZ, due to inter-individual variability, suggesting that it would be in the future beneficial to determine optimal characteristics of stimulation on an individual basis in order to best modulate abnormal processes of the brain in schizophrenias.

Rationale: Schizophrenia patients consistently show deficits in sensory-evoked broadband gamma oscillations and click-evoked entrainment at 40 Hz, called the 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR). Since such evoked oscillations depend on cortical N-methyl D-aspartic acid (NMDA)-mediated network activity, they can serve as pharmacodynamic biomarkers in the preclinical and clinical development of drug candidates engaging these circuits. However, there are few test-retest reliability data in preclinical species, a prerequisite for within-subject testing paradigms. Objective: We investigated the long-term psychometric stability of these measures in a rodent model. Methods: Female rats with chronic epidural implants were used to record tone- and 40 Hz click-evoked responses at multiple time points and across six sessions, spread over 3 weeks. We assessed reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Separately, we used mixed-effects ANOVA to examine time and session effects. Individual subject variability was determined using the coefficient of variation (CV). Lastly, to illustrate the importance of long-term measure stability for within-subject testing design, we used low to moderate doses of an NMDA antagonist MK801 (0.025–0.15 mg/kg) to disrupt the evoked response. Results: We found that 40-Hz ASSR showed good reliability (ICC=0.60–0.75), while the reliability of tone-evoked gamma ranged from poor to good (0.33–0.67). We noted time but no session effects. Subjects showed a lower variance for ASSR over tone-evoked gamma. Both measures were dose-dependently attenuated by NMDA antagonism. Conclusion: Overall, while both evoked gamma measures use NMDA transmission, 40-Hz ASSR showed superior psychometric properties of higher ICC and lower CV, relative to tone-evoked gamma.