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Educational level differences on the Mini-Mental State: the role of test bias

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

A. F. Jorm ,
R. Scott ,
A. S. Henderson  and
D. W. K. Kay
A. F. Jorm*
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, and MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
R. Scott
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, and MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
A. S. Henderson
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, and MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
D. W. K. Kay
Affiliation:
NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, and MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr A. F. Jorm, NH & MRC Social Psychiatry Research Unit, Australian National University, GPO Box 4, Canberra 2601, Australia.
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Synopsis

Less educated elderly people are commonly found to perform more poorly on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). This educational level difference has been attributed by some research workers to test bias. To assess whether the MMSE is biased against the poorly educated, its validity was assessed separately in the more- and less-educated members of a community sample. No evidence was found to indicate that the test is a biased measure of cognitive impairment.

Type
Brief Communication
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , August 1988 , pp. 727 - 731
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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