NIH Toolbox V3 Spanish

The NIH Toolbox V3 Spanish app was released in March 2024. Test instructions, test items, supplemental Cognition materials, content in the examiner interface, score report, and exports were translated by fully bilingual Spanish speakers and reviewed by native Spanish speakers from Spain, central America, South America, and the United States. All translation procedures were performed in accordance with current industry standards and FDA guidance. Please be advised that although content in the NIH Toolbox V3 Spanish app and supplemental Cognition materials are translated, some content such as the score names, FAQ, Privacy Policy, and all user support currently remain in English.

Examiners can administer the same tests that are in the NIH Toolbox V3 English app to Spanish- speaking participants. However, it is important to be aware of the following differences in the NIH Toolbox V3 Spanish app:

• Where applicable, the participant’s age determines whether you see and hear formal or informal test instructions.
• At this time, we have not collected normative data for V3 tests with a Spanish-speaking population. The normative scores that populate in the Cognition domain in the V3 Spanish app come from the US-based English speaking V3 normative sample; please use caution in any interpretations of these norm-referenced scores.
• The Face Name Associative Memory Exam (FNAME) and Face Name Associative Memory Exam Delay (FNAME Delay) have the same instructions as the English version, but the names and faces are different. Due to this difference in stimuli, V3 Spanish FNAME currently produces raw scores only.
• The Spanish Oral Reading Recognition test is not a direct translation of the English version; the word list is unique to Spanish. Therefore, item-level response data from the V2 Spanish research sample was utilized to equate the Spanish items to the scale underlying the V3 English norms. A Rasch common-item anchor equating design was used. Via this equating process, the V3 Spanish CSS scores and derived normative scores for Oral Reading can be interpreted in the frame of reference of the V3 English scores. As a note, some items were very discrepant and are therefore treated as exploratory/experimental (i.e., not used in test-level scoring) until we have more data.
• The Picture Vocabulary test has the same instructions and images as the English version, but because the words are translated, item-level response data from the V2 Spanish research sample was utilized to equate the Spanish items to the scale underlying the V3 English norms. A Rasch common-item anchor equating design was used. Via this equating process, the V3 Spanish CSS scores and derived normative scores for Picture Vocabulary can be interpreted in the frame of reference of the V3 English scores. As a note, some items were very discrepant and are therefore treated as exploratory/experimental (i.e., not used in test-level scoring) until we have more data.
• All Emotion tests that are present in V3 English are also present in V3 Spanish. Like in English, some of the tests were renamed (e.g., “Sadness CAT” renamed to “Sadness/Depression CAT”), some fixed forms were updated to CAT, and some tests were updated to a newer version. Please refer to Chapter 5 for more information about changes to Emotion tests. Scoring and normative data are the same as they were in V2 Spanish. Scoring and normative data for the Emotion tests are the same as they were in V2 Spanish.
• The overall appearance and user interface of all tests in the Motor domain have updated. Standing Balance uses scoring and normative data from the V3 English normative sample. Scoring and normative data for the other Motor tests are the same as they were in V2 Spanish.
• Other than updating the overall appearance and user interface, there were no significant changes to the Sensation tests since V2 Spanish. Scoring and normative data are the same as they were in V2 Spanish. As a note, the words in Words-In-Noise are the same as they were in V2 Spanish (i.e., not the same words as V2 English or V3 English).

The NIH Toolbox team would like to acknowledge and thank all the scientists, experts, and professionals who provided their expertise in the Spanish language and culture to improve the Spanish translation of the NIH Toolbox V3. We would like to highlight the significant contributions of:

María J. Marquine, PhD Duke University, USA