Test Review: Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System

• Published in: Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology 2005-07, Vol.27 (5), p.599-609
• Main Authors: Homack, Susan, Lee, Donghyung, Riccio, Cynthia A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Humans; Medical sciences; Mental Processes - physiology; Neuropsychological Tests - standards; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Problem Solving - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reference Values; Reproducibility of Results; Systems Theory; Techniques and methods
• ISSN: 1380-3395; 1744-411X
• DOI: 10.1080/13803390490918444

The Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS; Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001) represents the first set of executive tests co-normed on a large and representative national sample designed exclusively for the assessment of executive functions including flexibility of thinking, inhibition, problem solving, planning, impulse control, concept formation, abstract thinking, and creativity. The D-KEFS, composed of nine stand alone tests that can be individually or group administered, provides a standardized assessment of executive functions in children and adults between the ages of 8 and 89. Utilizing a "cognitive-process approach," the D-KEFS tests allow examiners to systematically generate and evaluate relevant clinical hypotheses on executive functioning of a given examinee by comparing and contrasting performance on multiple testing conditions and using contrast measure scores and error analyses. A review of the administration, scoring and interpretation, test construction, standardization, and technical adequacy indicate that the D-KEFS holds much promise not only as a clinical instrument, but also as a research tool for increasing knowledge of the frontal-lobe functions.