Executive function, working memory and speech-in-noise recognition – Comparing a non-semantic black and white version of the Trail Making Test to the original Trail Making Test

Abstract: In this thesis, the relationship between cognition and speech-in-noise recognition, in normally-hearing Swedish students, is examined. The Trail Making Test, hypothesized to measure a wide range of cognitive functions, including executive function and working memory, has been criticized for being a culturally biased measure, hence the need for a culturally unbiased version. A between-group experiment was conducted in which a non-semantically dependent version of the Trail Making Test was compared to the original Trail Making Test in order to test for psychometric equivalence. A total of 21 young normally-hearing Swedish students were given three tests: TMT or TMT (non-semantically dependent version), a Swedish Reading Span Task and a Swedish speech-in-noise recognition task. The B parts of the two Trail Making Test versions differed significantly and both were moderately to highly correlated to speech-in-noise and reading span performance. The results indicates that the original Trail Making Test is a more plausible index for executive function and strengthens the relationship between executive function, working memory and speech-in-noise recognition.