Luria-Nebraska battery

From Psy3242

Current revision as of 05:01, 28 April 2008

Test Batteries

Often when a person is considered to have neuropsychological problems or cognitive dysfunctions, they are given a test battery. This is a long series of tests that measure a variety of skills. Some of these include measures of verbal and non-verbal intelligence, memory, IQ, use of language, visual-spatial skills, etc. Since certain tests test for specific skills, and specific skills are related to specific parts of the brain, the results can be very revealing. If a person performs particularly poorly on a certain test, the results may show a possible damage in a localized area or function. If a patient does poorly on all tests, more generalized damage or dysfunction may be indicated.

Luria-Nebraska Battery

History

One particular type of battery, or series of tests, is called the Luria-Nebraska battery. It was created by Charles Golden and Alexander Luria in 1981

The Test

The Luria-Nebraska Battery (LNNB) is known for being particularly time consuming. It is comprised of 269 different test items that assess 11 areas of functions, taking from 90 to 150 minutes to complete. It uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess brain functioning.

The function areas (and their forms of measurements) include: - reading (letter and word recognition, sentence and paragraph reading) - writing (analyzing letter sequences, spelling, writing from dictation) - arithmetic (simple arithmetical problems, number writing and recognition) - vision (visual recognition and discrimination) - memory (verbal and non-verbal memory) - receptive language (following simple commands and directions) - expressive language (reading and repeating words and simple sentences, naming objects from descriptions) - rhythm (perceive and repeat rhythmical patterns, singing from memory) - motor function (coordination, motor speed, ability to imitate motor movements) - tactile function (finger and arm localization; two-point, movement, and shape discrimination) - intelligence (vocabulary development, verbal reasoning, picture comprehension, social reasoning)

Versions

Two versions are available for different age levels. The Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children (LNNB-C) is best suited for children aged 8 to 12, and the ordinary Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) is most effective on people 13 and older.

References

Adams, R.L., Parsons, O.A., Culbertson, J.L., & Nixon, S.J. (1996). Neuropsychology for Clinical Practices. American Psychological Association: Washington D.C.

Sterling, J. (2002). Introducing Neuropsychology. Psychology Press: New York.