Qualitative and Quantitative Neuropsychological Assessment: A False Dichotomy

Abstract

Neuropsychological examination tries to define the state of the mental capacities of patients with brain injury. Traditionally, a dichotomy is established between qualitative and quantitative (psychometric) evaluations. Luria’s qualitative evaluation is frequently opposed to “western” psychometric approaches. After reviewing a series of topics (symptoms due to brain lesions, assessment objectives, functional brain model, complex functional systems, and the metric characteristics of neuropsychological variables), it is concluded that a good neuropsychological assessment requires both quantitative and qualitative approaches.