Abstract

Objective: The Boston Cognitive Assessment (BoCA) is a novel, computerized, self-administered assessment of global cognition. This work sought to establish the validity and reliability of the BoCA. Method: Two studies were conducted. The first study used a sample of 43 outpatients from a clinic in eastern Massachusetts to evaluate the content validity and internal consistency of the BoCA. The second study used a sample of 38 patients seen at an outpatient specialty neurological clinic to evaluate the BoCA’s test-retest reliability after one week. Results: In the first study, participants without cognitive diagnoses scored significantly higher on both the BoCA and the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) compared to those with mild Neurocognitive Disorders. Correlational analyses revealed moderate correlations between several of the BoCA tasks and measures of related abilities. Exploratory factor analysis of the BoCA tasks revealed one robust factor accounting for a plurality (i.e., 42%) of variance in participant scores. The BoCA demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.79) and strong correlations (r = 0.80, p < 0.01) with the TICS. The second study revealed strong (r = 0.89, p < 0.001) test–retest reliability of the total BoCA score one week after participants’ initial administration. Conclusions: This work provides evidence of the BoCA’s psychometric properties as a self-administered screener of global cognition, and supports its implementation in clinical practice and future studies. Clinical implications, future directions, and limitations are discussed.

摘要

目标：波士顿认知评估 (BoCA) 是一种新颖的、计算机化的、自我管理的全球认知评估。这项工作旨在确定 BoCA 的有效性和可靠性。方法：进行了两项研究。第一项研究使用马萨诸塞州东部一家诊所的 43 名门诊病人作为样本来评估 BoCA 的内容有效性和内部一致性。第二项研究使用了 38 名在门诊专科神经科门诊就诊的患者样本，以评估一周后 BoCA 的重测可靠性。结果：在第一项研究中，与患有轻度神经认知障碍的参与者相比，没有认知诊断的参与者在 BoCA 和认知状态电话访谈 (TICS) 上的得分明显更高。相关分析揭示了一些 BoCA 任务与相关能力测量之间的适度相关性。BoCA 任务的探索性因素分析揭示了一个强大的因素导致参与者分数的多个（即 42%）方差。BoCA 与 TICS 表现出良好的内部一致性 ( α  = 0.79) 和强相关性 ( r  = 0.80, p  < 0.01)。第二项研究揭示了强 ( r  = 0.89, p < 0.001) 参与者初次给药一周后 BoCA 总分的重测信度。结论：这项工作提供了 BoCA 作为全球认知自我管理筛选器的心理测量特性的证据，并支持其在临床实践和未来研究中的实施。讨论了临床意义、未来方向和局限性。