Debate Now Trump's Montreal Cognitive Assessment Results

[usmbguest5318]

Trump is trying to assert that because he did well on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MCA), he's proven that he's intelligent and that he hasn't any signs of dementia. Such a conclusion is incongruous with what the MCA is for and what it tests/shows.

[The MCA is] a pretty useful tool to quickly assess dementia symptoms, or to assess cognitive functioning after a stroke. A 2007 study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry found the Montreal Cognitive Assessment correctly detected 94 percent of patients with mild cognitive impairment, performing better than another test of cognitive wherewithal. It’s been shown to be helpful in identifying symptoms in Parkinson’s patients, and in those who have suffered a stroke.

So that’s what the test does. What it does not assess is just as important. It doesn’t assess personality or judgment, as the Canadian Press reports. It’s not designed to tell us if someone is fit to be president of the United States.

It’s also not the only, or necessarily best, way to assess cognitive decline. Other tests recommended by the Alzheimer’s Association take into account information from family members who can report whether the person’s cognitive ability has been deteriorating over time. “There is no single cognition assessment tool that is considered to be the gold standard,” the Alzheimer Association reports in its guidelines for physicians. The Alzheimer Association does highlight three tests most suitable for quick assessment (read more about those here), and the MoCa is not among them (a few limitations being that it takes longer than five minutes to administer, and its a relatively new tool for the field.)
(Source)​

Here's the MCA:

View attachment 172103

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Here are several medical documents about the the germae protocol for the MCA's use:

• Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
• The Montreal Cognitive Assessment: Validity and Utility in a Memory Clinic Setting
  
  The MoCA is a useful brief screening tool for the detection of mild dementia or MCI in subjects scoring over 25 points on the MMSE. In patients already diagnosed with MCI, the MoCA helps identify those at risk of developing dementia at 6-month follow-up.
  
  
• Other documents regarding the MCA

The MCA, for however useful it be -- medical professionals say it's useful for screening for, not confirming, mild dementia -- strikes me as the sort of thing that one'd have to be quite profoundly demented to not get 30 out of 30 on it. I mean really. Connect the dots, draw a square, name a lion, rhinoceros, and dromedary/camel. How old were your children before they could perform all the tasks on the MCA? Is that the cognitive level you think requisite for being POTUS?


Thread questions:

1. Does the fact that someone gets a 30 out of 30 on the MCA strike you as being indicative of one's having the cognitive skills required for performing the duties of POTUS? Why or why not?
2. Does Trump's MCA result indicate to you that he's a "stable genius?" Why or why not
3. While we have no choice but to take Dr. Jackson at his word, do you believe Trump did indeed get a 30 out of 30 on the MCA?

Thread rules:

1. Directly and completely answer thread questions 1, 2, and/or 3.
2. Do not post any remarks other than direct answers to thread questions 1, 2, and/or 3.
3. No posting of your thoughts about about any USMB member or about Liberals/liberals or Conservatives/conservatives.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

1) No, of course not. It makes sure you are competent enough to plug in a toaster without killing yourself, or competent enough to use a sharp knife at dinner without hurting someone. Or competent enough to drive a car, or to manage your checking account.

2) It does not indicate "genius". It's not meant to do so, amd one does not have to be either emotionally stable or a genius to score 30 out of 30 on the test.

3) Yes, I can believe Trump is capable of scoring 30 out of 30. Then again, that is also likely true of the guy who just made my french fries, or the Unabomber. So this is not meant to be high praise.