The sense and nonsense of using screening instruments in neuropsychology

The use of different very short screening techniques has been vehemently de bated among German neuropsychologists for the last few years. A short demen tia assessment battery (SKT: Erzigkeit, 1989) and the Mini Mental State (MM S: Folstein, Folstein & McHugh, 1975) are analyzed with neurological patien ts. Data from 459 SKT and 447 MMS test protocols are reviewed. Both measure s correlate at -0.59 with each ether. Although substantial rank correlation s are also obtained between these measures and other test scores traditiona lly employed as organicity screenings (such as WAIS block design, Benton Vi sual Retention Test, and Reitan's Trail Making Test), the false-negative ra te is considerable and amounts to about 39.2 % using the very strictest rut -off procedures. Principal axis factoring on the nine SKT subtests confirms the presence of two factors described before by ether researchers. It is a rgued that screening instruments can only be useful within the context of a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.