The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Effects of practice on neuropsychological test performance among normal young students
Language	J
AuthorList	Ryou Tokuchi¹⁾, Hikaru Nakamura²⁾
Affiliation	¹⁾Department of Occupational Therapy, Okayama Institute for the Medical and Technical Science ²⁾Department of Welfare Systems and Health Science, Okayama Prefectural University
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 27 (3), 244-251, 2011
Received	Aug 12, 2010
Accepted	Nov 1, 2010
Abstract	The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between test intervals and practice effects on neuropsychological tests evaluating memory, attention, and language function. The subjects were forty-five normal students. The students were divided into three groups, and each group completed nine neuropsychological tests on two occasions at three different test intervals: 1, 3 or 6 months, respectively. The performance on the second test was often significantly better than that on the first test for the attention and long-term memory tests, especially in the short test-interval groups. On the other hand, significant differences in the performances on the two test occasions were not observed for the short-term memory and language tests. These findings suggested that we should carefully use neuropsychological tests when appraised one's temporal changes of attention and memory function.
Keywords	neuropsychological tests, practice effects, test intervals