Title | Shifting of Cognitive Assessments Between Face-to-Face and Telephone Administration: Measurement Considerations. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2023 |
Authors | Smith, JR, Gibbons, LE, Crane, PK, Mungas, DM, M Glymour, M, Manly, JJ, Zahodne, LB, Mayeda, ERose, Jones, RN, Gross, AL |
Journal | The Journals of Gerontology, Series B |
Volume | 78 |
Issue | 2 |
Pagination | 191-200 |
ISSN Number | 1758-5368 |
Keywords | Cognition, Mode effects, Psychometrics, Telephone |
Abstract | OBJECTIVES: Telephone-administered cognitive assessments are a cost-effective and sometimes necessary alternative to face-to-face assessments. There is limited information in large studies concerning mode effects, or differences in cognition attributable to assessment method, as a potential measurement threat. We evaluated mode effects on cognitive scores using a population-based sample of community-living older adults. METHODS: We used data from participants aged 65-79 in the 2014 Health and Retirement Study for whom interview mode was randomized (n=6825). We assessed mode differences in test means, whether mode modifies associations of cognition with criterion variables, and formal measurement invariance testing. RESULTS: Relative to face-to-face assessment, telephone assessment was associated with higher scores for memory and calculation (0.06 to 0.013 standard deviations (SD)) and lower scores for non-memory items (-0.09 to -0.01 SD). Cognition was significantly differentially related to IADL difficulty depending on assessment mode. Measurement invariance testing identified evidence of mode differences in certain tests as a function of mode: adjusting for underlying cognition, the largest mode differences in memory and attention: immediate noun recall, delayed word recall, and serial-7s scores were higher given telephone administration. DISCUSSION: Differences by mode of administration are apparent in cognitive measurement in older adults albeit to a small degree in our study, and most pronounced for tests of memory and attention. The importance of accounting for mode differences ultimately depends on one's research question and study sample: not all associations may be affected by mode differences and such modification may only be apparent among those with lower cognitive functioning. |
DOI | 10.1093/geronb/gbac135 |
Citation Key | 12699 |
PubMed ID | 36099407 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC9938920 |