Indian older adults and the digit span A preliminary report

ABSTRACT. The digit span test is widely used to assess attention and working memory. It is a portable, relatively culture-free and frequently used test. However, the cultural validity of this test, particularly in the Indian older population, is not well established. Objective: This study explores the usefulness of the digit span test for Indian older adults with different levels of education. Methods: Two hundred and fifty-eight community-dwelling healthy normal older adults formed the sample of this study. All study participants were screened using a semi-structured interview schedule, the modified MINI Screen, the Indian version of the Mini-Mental State Examination, a measure of activities of daily living and the digit span test administered verbally. Results: The results indicated that participants with higher educational level performed significantly better than low-educated participants on the digit span test. Participants with low education often struggled with the digit span test and resorted to guessing the digits. Conclusion: Our study clearly demonstrates that the digit span test can be useful for educated participants. However, its usefulness and ecological validity is questionable for those with low education and low literacy, warranting future research.摘要。数字广度测验（digit span test）被广泛用于评估注意力与工作记忆，是一类具备便携性、相对无文化偏向性且应用广泛的测验工具。然而，该测验的文化效度，尤其是在印度老年人群体中的文化效度，尚未得到充分证实。研究目的：本研究旨在探究数字广度测验对不同教育水平印度老年群体的适用性。研究方法：本研究招募258名社区居住的健康正常老年受试者作为研究样本。所有参与者均通过半结构化访谈问卷、改良版MINI筛查量表、简易精神状态检查表印度版、日常生活活动能力评定量表以及口头施测的数字广度测验完成评估。研究结果：结果显示，受教育程度较高的受试者在数字广度测验中的表现显著优于低教育水平受试者；低教育水平受试者往往难以完成该测验，且常通过猜测数字的方式作答。研究结论：本研究明确证实，数字广度测验对受过教育的老年群体具备应用价值。然而，该测验对低教育水平与低识字率群体的适用性及生态效度仍存疑，有待后续开展进一步研究。