Workshops

Cognitive testing in population-based studies: Marrying Construct With Measurement

June 11, 2024, 12-3PM ET

This is a virtual workshop. Zoom details will be shared with NIMLAS members prior to the event date. The workshop will be recorded, and the recording and related materials will be made available on our website 1-2 weeks after the workshop.

Alden Gross

Abstract: This workshop will provide a broad overview of the types of cognitive testing common in population-based epidemiologic studies. We will review examples of common cognitive tests, ranging from screening measures to more extensive neuropsychological batteries. We will leverage psychometric principles of test information to link types of cognitive assessment with research applications (e.g., screening, cross-sectional discrimination, longitudinal tracking of change). Finally, we will describe methods to assess measurement differences by background characteristics by testing for differential item functioning. The workshop will weave together didactic and lab-based components and use examples from the HRS Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol and other studies.

Speaker Bio: Alden Gross is a psychiatric epidemiologist in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with substantive research interests in cognitive aging and mental health. He has specialized training in statistical methods including multilevel modeling, methods for accounting for missing data, structural equation modeling, and latent variable methods. His is MPI of the Gateway to Global Aging Data, where he oversees cognitive variable cross-national harmonization for studies with a Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol.

Workshop video recording (YouTube)

Workshop slides (PDF)

Stata Data Set  (Zip file)

Stata Syntax (Zip file)

Codebook   (Word)