4 ms·

Yeah, and it's also something that most people have probably never tried to do before in their entire lives. It strikes me as an odd choice to test for dementia

• bunderbunder 11y ago
  Loss of executive function is a common symptom of dementia. It seems entirely plausible to me that a good way to test for that is to ask someone to solve a relatively simple problem that they've nonetheless probably never been asked to solve before. Especially one that involves applying some iterative process.
• bsder 11y ago
  No, the fact that people haven't done it before is exactly why it's a good test. Many people have memorized things like count up by 3, 5, etc. so they're not good tests of cognition. The point isn't to do it fast. It's to do it at all. Another test for dementia is to draw an old-school analog clock with a specific time on it. Being unable to draw the time, or even the clock (it will look like Salvador Dali) is a sign something is wrong.