# Examining Memory Performance in Senior Adults:
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Measurement Instruments  
The Geriatric Depression Scale, commonly known as the GDS, is a tool used to assess the presence and severity of depressive symptoms in older adults. It does not provide a definitive diagnosis but can be a valuable tool for identifying individuals who may require further assessment or treatment. Developed by psychiat [PERSON] [17], GDS has become one of the most widely used tools in the assessment of depression in older adults because of its simplicity and effectiveness. The original scale consists of 30 dichotomous (yes/no) questions designed to assess depressive symptoms common in the geriatric population. The questionnaire has been adapted over time in different versions, including a short version of 15 questions and other shorter versions. In this study, the short 15-item version was utilised. The test lasts about 5-7 min.  
The MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA Test, Inc., Quebec, Canada) was designed as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment. It assesses various cognitive domains such as visuospatial/excutive skills, attention, memory, orientation, language, abstraction, and delayed recall. The test can be completed in approximately 10 min and has a maximum score of 30 points. The cut-off point in the Hispanic context is 20/21 to discriminate between normality and MCI, while scores of 17/18 are the differential point between MCI and dementia [18]. As pointed out above, in the present study, the normative data collected in [16] would be used. A score below 1.5 standard deviations in relation to age and educational level will be considered an indication of cognitive impairment.  
The Memory Index Score (MIS) is a subscore of MoCA that assesses memory recall and provides clinical information about the nature of memory deficits. For memory deficits due to retrieval failures, performance may improve with a cue, while for those deficits due to encoding failures, performance does not improve with cues. MIS is divided into three components, namely, recall without a cue, recall with a categorical cue, and recall with a multiple-choice cue. In the first, the score is obtained by multiplying the number of hits by 3. In the second, the score is obtained by multiplying the hits by 2. Finally, in the multiple choice cue, the score is just the addition of the score of the individual items. The total score is calculated by adding the scores obtained in each of these components, with the maximum possible being 15 points.  
MFE-28 is a self-administered questionnaire used to evaluate metamemory, that is, the subjective assessment that participants make about their own memory. It was developed in 1983 [19] and had 35 items. Subsequently, the 28-item version was developed, which is currently the most widely used and has been adapted for the Spanish population [20]. The categories of forgetfulness included are \"speaking, reading and writing\", \"names and faces\", \"actions\" and \"learning new things\". In this study, it was administered using a 3-option Likert scale [21].  
The Lawton and Brody scale is used to evaluate the capacity to carry out instrumental activities of daily living; its maximum score is 8, indicating total independence.