The inter-comparison of specific skills as represented by performance on
neu- psychological tests is at the heart of the neuropsychological
assessment process. However, there is a tendency to regard the
interpretation of single tests as a process that is independent of
performance on other tests, with integration of test information
representing a summary of these individual test performances. As
neuropsychology has become increasingly sophisticated, it has been
recognized that many factors influence the performance on any given
test. The meaning of the same score may vary considerably from one
person to another, depending on his or her performance on other
neuropsychological tests. Thus, a low score on the Halstead Category
Test may indeed reflect frontal lobe damage, but only if we first rule
out the influence of visual-spatial problems, emotionality, attentional
issues, motivation, fatigue, and comprehension of the instructions.
Simplistic interpre- tions that assume a common interpretation based on
a specific score will inva- ably lead to errors in interpretation and
conclusions. The purpose of this book is to provide each test that is
described with a compendium of the possible interpretations that can be
used with a variety of common tests that are often included in a
neuropsychological test battery. The first chapter discusses some of the
pitfalls and cautions when comparing the tests, while the second chapter
examines administrative and scoring issues that may be unclear or
unavailable for a given test.
