Clinical and Neuropsychological Assessment Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms in clinical assessment, neuropsychological testing, and neuroimaging.

Adaptive testing

A testing method where the selection and presentation of items are dynamically adjusted based on the test-taker's performance level.

Analog observations

An assessment procedure in which a client's behavior is observed in a structured, simulated environment designed to mimic real-world settings.

Behavioral assessment

An approach to evaluation that focuses on direct observation, measurement, and functional analysis of target behaviors and their environmental contexts.

Behavioral interviewing

A clinical interviewing technique designed to identify specific target behaviors along with their immediate antecedents and consequences.

Behavioral self-report

An assessment method in which individuals observe, track, and report their own specific behaviors, feelings, or thoughts.

Boston Naming Test (BNT)

A widely used neuropsychological assessment tool designed to evaluate visual confrontation naming abilities and language functioning.

Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB)

A computerized battery of neuropsychological tests used to evaluate cognitive domains such as executive functioning, attention, and memory.

Clinical interview

A primary assessment method involving a face-to-face dialogue between clinician and client to gather clinical history, evaluate mental state, and plan care.

Clock Drawing Test

A brief cognitive screening test used in neuropsychological evaluations to assess visuospatial construction, executive functioning, and abstract thinking.

Computed axial tomography (CAT or CT) scan

A neuroimaging technique that uses X-ray measurements from different angles to construct cross-sectional structural images of the brain.

Cultural Formulation Interview

A structured set of questions designed to help clinicians evaluate the influence of cultural context on a client's clinical presentation and treatment.

Deviation intelligence (IQ)

An intelligence quotient score derived by comparing an individual's performance to the mean performance of a representative age-matched norm group.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

An MRI-based neuroimaging method that tracks the diffusion of water molecules to visualize and evaluate white matter pathways in the brain.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

A neurophysiological technique that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain via scalp electrodes.

Evidence-based assessment

A approach to psychological and clinical evaluation that relies on empirically validated instruments, theories, and normative data.

Executive functioning

A broad set of higher-level cognitive processes—such as planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition—that direct goal-oriented behavior.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

A neuroimaging technique that detects localized changes in blood flow and oxygenation to measure active neural processes in the brain.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

A clinical scoring system used to quantify an individual's level of consciousness and neurological impairment following traumatic brain injury.