Executive Functioning Flashcards
7 cards from real MOCA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Executive Functioning flashcards as text
Why is the MoCA considered more sensitive than the MMSE for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI)?
Answer: The MoCA includes more demanding executive and attentional tasks
The MoCA's inclusion of Trail Making B, phonemic fluency, abstraction, and serial subtraction places greater demands on executive functioning, making it more sensitive to the subtle deficits seen in MCI.
When scoring the MoCA clock drawing task for executive functioning, which error most strongly suggests frontal/executive impairment rather than a pure visuospatial deficit?
Answer: Planning failure resulting in numbers cramped or outside the clock face
Planning failure (e.g., numbers crowded or overflowing the clock face) reflects a breakdown in prospective organization, a core executive function, rather than a purely visuospatial error.
A patient scores 0/2 on the MoCA abstraction task. The examiner notes the patient gave concrete attribute-based answers. Which condition is most consistent with this pattern?
Answer: Frontotemporal dementia with concrete thinking
Frontotemporal dementia commonly causes concrete, stimulus-bound thinking and poor abstract reasoning, consistent with 0/2 on the MoCA abstraction subtest.
A clinician uses the MoCA digit span forward and backward tasks. Compared to forward span, backward span is more sensitive to:
Answer: Working memory manipulation and executive load
Backward digit span requires active manipulation of information held in mind, placing greater demands on working memory and executive control than simple forward repetition.
In the context of the MoCA, what does a score of 26/30 or above indicate?
Answer: Normal cognitive functioning
The MoCA uses a cutoff of 26/30 as the threshold for normal cognitive functioning, with scores below this cutoff suggesting possible MCI or dementia.
A patient correctly performs the letter 'A' vigilance task with zero errors. What does this result indicate about their executive functioning?
Answer: Adequate sustained attention and response inhibition for this task
A perfect vigilance score indicates sufficient sustained attention and inhibitory control to detect targets and suppress responses to distractors, though it does not rule out all executive deficits.
Executive functioning on the MoCA is primarily assessed through which combination of subtests?
Answer: Trail Making B, phonemic fluency, abstraction, and serial subtraction/vigilance
The MoCA's executive domain draws on Trail Making B (set-shifting), phonemic fluency (initiation/generativity), abstraction (conceptual reasoning), and serial subtraction/vigilance (working memory/attention).