Research I’m following

A selected reading list on assessment in everyday life, clear and useful feedback, and exercise in cognitive recovery. It includes work by Mauricio Garcia-Barrera and Theone Paterson at the University of Victoria.

These are papers by other researchers that are shaping my developing questions — not my own publications. Each note explains the connection to my interests, with attention to the population and limits of the evidence.

Assessment in everyday life

Integration of sex/gender and utilization of ecological momentary assessment of cognition in clinical populations: A scoping review
Doucette, M. M., Kwan, H., Premji, Z., Duchesne, A., Gawryluk, J. R., & Garcia-Barrera, M. A. (2024). The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 38(6), 1409–1440.
DOI / article ↗
A scoping review of smartphone-based cognitive assessment in clinical populations, highlighting varied study designs and gaps in how sex and gender are considered.
Why it interests me: Repeated measurement outside the clinic may reveal variation a single testing session misses. I’m interested in when that additional information improves understanding of everyday functioning.

Cross-cultural validation of a behavioral screener for executive functions: Guidelines for clinical use among Colombian children with and without ADHD
Garcia-Barrera, M. A., Karr, J. E., Duran, V., Direnfeld, E., & Pineda, D. A. (2015). Psychological Assessment, 27(4), 1349–1363.
DOI / article ↗
A psychometric validation of a behavioural executive-function screener in Colombian children, examining its structure across age, gender and ADHD status.
Why it interests me: An assessment needs evidence for the people and settings in which it will be used. This connects my interest in everyday behaviour with careful, context-sensitive measurement.

Practitioner Review: Do performance-based measures and ratings of executive function assess the same construct?
Toplak, M. E., West, R. F., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 54(2), 131–143.
DOI / article ↗
A review finding weak agreement between performance tasks and executive-function ratings across child and adult samples.
Why it interests me: Different measures can tell different stories. I’m interested in what each captures, and whether combining them helps explain why similar scores can accompany different everyday difficulties.

Validating digital measures

Accuracy of a Self-Administered Online Cognitive Assessment in Detecting Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment
Paterson, T. S. E., et al. (2022). The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 77(2), 341–350.
DOI / article ↗
A validation study comparing the online Brain Health Assessment with a neuropsychological reference standard and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in older adults.
Why it interests me: Digital assessment interests me when its accuracy and limitations are established. Findings in older adults provide a methodological example, rather than evidence that the same tool is suitable for young people.

Making assessment understandable

A Scoping Review of Communicating Neuropsychological Test Results to Patients and Family Members
Gruters, A. A. A., Ramakers, I. H. G. B., Verhey, F. R. J., Kessels, R. P. C., & de Vugt, M. E. (2022). Neuropsychology Review, 32, 294–315.
DOI / article ↗
A review of neuropsychological feedback, including how patients and families understand and retain information, and the role of communication aids.
Why it interests me: I want to explore whether visual, personalised or interactive feedback helps young people understand and use their assessment. A new format needs evidence of usefulness, not just visual appeal.

Exercise, cognition & recovery

Physical exercise, cognitive training & executive function in older adults
Karr, J. E., Areshenkoff, C. N., Rast, P., & Garcia-Barrera, M. A. (2014). Neuropsychology, 28(6), 829–845.
DOI / article ↗
A meta-analysis of controlled trials comparing exercise and cognitive training in older adults. It reports modest exercise-related improvements while noting concerns about study quality and publication bias.
Why it interests me: This provides a foundation for asking what changes with exercise and for whom. The population is older adults; it does not establish a rehabilitation protocol for stroke or brain injury.
Effects of Physical Activity on Poststroke Cognitive Function: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Oberlin, L. E., Waiwood, A. M., Cumming, T. B., Marsland, A. L., Bernhardt, J., & Erickson, K. I. (2017). Stroke, 48(11), 3093–3100.
DOI / article ↗
A meta-analysis of randomised trials examining cognitive outcomes after physical-activity training following stroke.
Why it interests me: This brings the exercise question into rehabilitation. I’m interested in the kind, amount and timing of exercise, who benefits, and whether cognitive improvements carry into everyday life.