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Examination of the Factor Structure of a Global Cognitive Function Battery across Race and Time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 November 2015

Lisa L. Barnes ,
Futoshi Yumoto ,
Ana Capuano ,
Robert S. Wilson ,
David A. Bennett  and
Rochelle E. Tractenberg
Lisa L. Barnes*
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Futoshi Yumoto
Affiliation:
Collaborative for Research on Outcomes and Metrics, USA Merkle, Columbia, Maryland
Ana Capuano
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Robert S. Wilson
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
David A. Bennett
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Rochelle E. Tractenberg
Affiliation:
Collaborative for Research on Outcomes and Metrics, USA Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics, Bioinformatics & Biomathematics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Lisa L Barnes, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Armour Academic Center, 600 S. Paulina, Suite 1038, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: lbarnes1@rush.edu
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Abstract

Older African Americans tend to perform more poorly on cognitive function tests than older Whites. One possible explanation for their poorer performance is that the tests used to assess cognition may not reflect the same construct in African Americans and Whites. Therefore, we tested measurement invariance, by race and over time, of a structured 18-test cognitive battery used in three epidemiologic cohort studies of diverse older adults. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses were carried out with full-information maximum likelihood estimation in all models to capture as much information as was present in the observed data. Four different aspects of the data were fit to each model: comparative fit index (CFI), standardized root mean square residuals (SRMR), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and model $$\chi ^{2} $$ . We found that the most constrained model fit the data well (CFI=0.950; SRMR=0.051; RMSEA=0.057 (90% confidence interval: 0.056, 0.059); the model $$\chi ^{2} $$ =4600.68 on 862 df), supporting the characterization of this model of cognitive test scores as invariant over time and racial group. These results support the conclusion that the cognitive test battery used in the three studies is invariant across race and time and can be used to assess cognition among African Americans and Whites in longitudinal studies. Furthermore, the lower performance of African Americans on these tests is not due to bias in the tests themselves but rather likely reflect differences in social and environmental experiences over the life course. (JINS, 2016, 22, 66–75)

Keywords

Measurement invarianceAfrican AmericanLongitudinalEpidemiologyCognitionCohort study
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 66 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015 

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