Performance of Latina/o students on measures of executive function and memory
As a result of head injury, individuals often experience difficulties in executive function and memory loss. Executive function is a term used to describe a broad range of abilities that include planning, organization skills, goal setting, self-monitoring, self-awareness, and problem solving. Similarly, there are different types of memory, and it appears that a head injury may have the strongest impact on working memory. Working memory involves holding information in storage while providing space and utilizing other types of information. Although young adults are at a higher risk for head injuries, there is limited data to conclude how typically developing individuals, specifically Latina/os, perform on tasks of executive function and working memory. Therefore, it is difficult to determine if measures of executive function and working memory will effectively yield diagnostic information on whether an individual has a disorder. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate what are the normal executive function abilities and working memory skills of typically developing Latina/o college students. Two separate tests of executive function and memory were administered to ten undergraduate students, the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Data will be used as a normative base from which to compare same age and gender undergraduate students who have experienced some type of head injury.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
N/A
Research Advisor:
Adele Proctor
Department of Research Advisor:
Speech and Hearing Science
Year of Publication:
2002