Discussion:
Depression and anxiety affecting intelligence tests
Measures designed to assess the level of general cognitive functioning have been called intelligence tests in the psychological literature or IQ tests in popular discussions. However, in recent years, there has been a trend to play down the term "intelligence" and instead to speak of "general mental ability" or simply "general ability. Whatever the designation, abundant evidence indicates that this ability influences performance on a wide range of tasks and has implications for functioning in school and in broader tasks of life. Measures of general mental ability have, therefore, been used for a variety of purposes: to predict short-term scholastic performance, to assess an individual's relative strengths and weaknesses, to predict occupational achievement, and to trace possible changes in an individual or population. However, these assets are helpful only if the limitations of the measures are adequately understood and taken into appropriate consideration.
Question:
Do believe that depression and anxiety actually impact performance on all cognitive tests? Is it true that depression, and anxiety, affects so much more than memory, thought, or actions. What are your thoughts on how might a client's cognitive or emotionalstates affect the outcome of intelligence testing.