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NSHD – Age 68-70 – Finger Tapping Test

The MRC National Survey of Health of Development (NSHD) assessed their cohort members (CMs) during the study’s age 68-70 sweep using the Finger Tapping Test.

Details on this measure and the data collected from the CMs are outlined in the table below.


Domain:Non-verbal
Measures:Psychomotor speed/fluidity
Finger dexterity
CHC:Psychomotor Speed (Gps)
Administration method:Research nurse; face to face; physical task
Procedure:With their palm down and fingers extended, participants were asked to tap a lever with their index finger as fast as possible for 10 seconds. They were asked to do this once with their right hand and once with their left.
Link to questionnaire:https://skylark.ucl.ac.uk/NSHD/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=questionnaires:2015_capi.pdf (opens in new tab)
Scoring:Number of taps per hand (0 - 88)
Item-level variable(s):TAP15x
Total score/derived variable(s):TAPLF15x, TAPRF15x
Descriptives:Left hand (raw score)Right hand (raw score)
N = 2,052N = 2,050
Range = 4 - 88Range = 9 - 87
Mean = 45.98Mean = 48.78
SD = 11.32SD = 11.69
(click image to enlarge)
(click image to enlarge)
Age of participants (months):Mean = 834.14, SD = 2.93, Range = 828 - 848
Other sweep and/or cohort:None
Source:Reitan, R. M., & Wolfson, D. (1985). The Halstead-Reitan neuropsychological test battery: Theory and clinical interpretation (Vol. 4). Reitan Neuropsychology.
Technical resources:Dumont, R., Willis, J. O., Viezel, K., & Zibulsky, J. (2013). Halstead_Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Encyclopedia of Special Education: A Reference for the Education of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Disabilities and Other Exceptional Individuals.
Reference examples:Morrison, M. W., Gregory, R. J., & Paul, J. J. (1979). Reliability of the Finger Tapping Test and a note on sex differences. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 48(1), 139-142.

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This page is part of CLOSER’s ‘A guide to the cognitive measures in five British birth cohort studies’.