Performance on some neuropsychological tests is best expressed as an
intra-individual measure of association (such as a parametric or
non-parametric correlation coefficient or the slope of a regression
line). Examples of the use of intra-individual measures of association
(IIMAs) include the quantification of performance on tests designed to
assess temporal order memory or the accuracy of time estimation. The
present paper presents methods for comparing a patient's
performance with a control or normative sample when performance is
expressed as an IIMA. The methods test if there is a significant
difference between a patient's IIMA and those obtained from
controls, yield an estimate of the abnormality of the patient's
IIMA, and provide confidence limits on the level of abnormality. The
methods can be used with normative or control samples of any size and
will therefore be of particular relevance to single-case researchers. A
method for comparing the difference between a patient's scores on
two measures with the differences observed in controls is also
described (one or both measures can be IIMAs). All the methods require
only summary statistics (rather than the raw data from the normative or
control sample); it is hoped that this feature will encourage the
development of norms for tasks that use IIMAs to quantify performance.
Worked examples of the statistical methods are provided using data from
a clinical case and controls. A computer program (for PCs) that
implements the methods is described and made available. (JINS,
2003, 9, 989–1000.)