Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor/Committee Member

Thane Erickson

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Joel Jin

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Martha Glisky

Fourth Advisor/Committee Member

Aimee Asgarian

Abstract

This study explored the factor structure of commonly used neuropsychological tests to assess attention in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The study aimed to clarify the relationships among tests traditionally used to assess different components of attention, including the NAB Numbers & Letters Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), Trail Making Test A & B, Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Coding. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with an oblimin rotation procedure was used to identify the factor structure. The EFA suggested that a four-factor solution was optimal. These factors were identified as: (1) visual attention and psychomotor speed, (2) auditory attention and working memory, (3) visuospatial scanning and search, and (4) interference management, essential for tasks necessitating rapid mental operations. The findings attest to the multifactorial nature of attentional assessments within the mTBI population.

Download

Share

COinS