This study investigated the influence of educational attainment on executive function performance across two cognitive assessment tools—ReacStick (RS) and the National Institute of Health Cognition Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIH Toolbox-CB)— in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants with confirmed MS diagnoses completed both cognitive assessment tools, and the correlation between years of education and task performance was analyzed to evaluate the presence of educational bias. Results showed that NIH Toolbox-CB scores were significantly associated with education level, whereas RS parameters did not demonstrate this relationship. These findings suggest that RS performance may be less influenced by educational background and could offer a more equitable measure of cognitive decline. This work highlights the ongoing need to develop cognitive assessment tools that minimize educational bias in the field of neuropsychology.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study investigated the influence of educational attainment on executive function performance across two cognitive assessment tools—ReacStick (RS) and the National Institute of Health Cognition Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIH Toolbox-CB)— in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants with confirmed MS diagnoses completed both cognitive assessment tools, and the correlation between years of education and task performance was analyzed to evaluate the presence of educational bias. Results showed that NIH Toolbox-CB scores were significantly associated with education level, whereas RS parameters did not demonstrate this relationship. These findings suggest that RS performance may be less influenced by educational background and could offer a more equitable measure of cognitive decline. This work highlights the ongoing need to develop cognitive assessment tools that minimize educational bias in the field of neuropsychology.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lane, Maura"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Health Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Michael Switzer, Ph.D.","Shannon Diacono, MHS"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:53Z","subjects":["Multiple Sclerosis","Neuropsychology","NIH Toolbox","Cognitive Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1328","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Michael Switzer, Ph.D.","Shannon Diacono, MHS"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lane, Maura"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-02-20T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Health Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Multiple Sclerosis","Neuropsychology","NIH Toolbox","Cognitive Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1328"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study investigated the influence of educational attainment on executive function performance across two cognitive assessment tools—ReacStick (RS) and the National Institute of Health Cognition Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIH Toolbox-CB)— in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants with confirmed MS diagnoses completed both cognitive assessment tools, and the correlation between years of education and task performance was analyzed to evaluate the presence of educational bias. Results showed that NIH Toolbox-CB scores were significantly associated with education level, whereas RS parameters did not demonstrate this relationship. These findings suggest that RS performance may be less influenced by educational background and could offer a more equitable measure of cognitive decline. This work highlights the ongoing need to develop cognitive assessment tools that minimize educational bias in the field of neuropsychology.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Evaluating educational bias in executive function assessments: A comparison of ReacStick and the NIH Toolbox in individuals with multiple sclerosis"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Michael Switzer, Ph.D.","Shannon Diacono, MHS"],"dc:creator":["Lane, Maura"],"dc:date.available":["2026-02-20T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study investigated the influence of educational attainment on executive function performance across two cognitive assessment tools—ReacStick (RS) and the National Institute of Health Cognition Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIH Toolbox-CB)— in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants with confirmed MS diagnoses completed both cognitive assessment tools, and the correlation between years of education and task performance was analyzed to evaluate the presence of educational bias. Results showed that NIH Toolbox-CB scores were significantly associated with education level, whereas RS parameters did not demonstrate this relationship. These findings suggest that RS performance may be less influenced by educational background and could offer a more equitable measure of cognitive decline. This work highlights the ongoing need to develop cognitive assessment tools that minimize educational bias in the field of neuropsychology.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1328"],"dc:subject":["Multiple Sclerosis","Neuropsychology","NIH Toolbox","Cognitive Psychology"],"dc:title":["Evaluating educational bias in executive function assessments: A comparison of ReacStick and the NIH Toolbox in individuals with multiple sclerosis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Health Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:53Z"}