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The Reliable Change Index - 1 Slide Per Page

The Reliable Change Index (RCI) is a statistic used to determine if changes in an individual's test scores before and after an intervention are statistically significant. It is calculated by taking the difference between pre- and post-intervention scores and dividing by the standard error of the difference. An RCI of 1.96 or greater indicates a statistically significant change at the 95% confidence level. Extensions of the RCI account for practice effects by subtracting the average improvement seen due to repeated testing from the individual's score change. The RCI provides an objective way to measure reliable change while accounting for test reliability and practice effects.

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197 views8 pages

The Reliable Change Index - 1 Slide Per Page

The Reliable Change Index (RCI) is a statistic used to determine if changes in an individual's test scores before and after an intervention are statistically significant. It is calculated by taking the difference between pre- and post-intervention scores and dividing by the standard error of the difference. An RCI of 1.96 or greater indicates a statistically significant change at the 95% confidence level. Extensions of the RCI account for practice effects by subtracting the average improvement seen due to repeated testing from the individual's score change. The RCI provides an objective way to measure reliable change while accounting for test reliability and practice effects.

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William Cuevas
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The Reliable Change Index

Dr Mark Horswill
School of Psychology
University of Queensland
Reliable Change Index (RC or RCI)
• This is a statistic that we can use to work out
whether a change in an individual’s score (e.g.
before and after some intervention) is statistically
significant or not (based on how reliable the
measure is).
• It is defined as the change in a client’s score
divided by the standard error of the difference
for the test(s) being used.
• It is a standardized score representing the change
in a client’s score on a test.
How to calculate the RC
• In words, the RC is equal to the individual’s score
before the intervention minus their score after
the intervention then divided by the standard
error of the difference of the test.

[This taken from Jacobson & Truax 1991]


How to calculate the RC
• This is how to work out the Standard Error of Measurement
(=SEM or SE) for a test – and also how to work out the
Standard Error of the Difference (=SEdiff or SDIFF) directly
from a test’s standard deviation and reliability.
SEM can be estimated using:
•Standard deviation of test- SEM s x (1 rxx )
takers’ scores (sx)
•Reliability of test (rxx)

SEdiff = standard error of the


difference
s.d. = standard deviation of test 1 =
SEdiff s.d . 2 r1 r 2 standard deviation of test 2 (because
they’ve been standardised)
r1 & r2 = reliability of tests 1 & 2
How to use the RCI
• If the RCI is 1.96 or greater then the difference
is statistically significant (1.96 equates to the
95% confidence interval).
• If the RCI is less than 1.96 then the difference
is not significant.
• This is the same as saying the difference
between the two scores has to be at least
twice the SEdiff (to be precise, 1.96 times the
SEdiff) to be significant.
Extensions of the reliable change index
• There are some extensions of the RCI that take into
account practice effects (the fact that people get
better the second time they do a test even if
there’s no change in whatever is being measured).
• The following is taken from Parsons et al (2009) International Journal
of Neuroscience:
Extensions of the reliable change index
• All this means is that you work out the average
improvement in the scores of people who done the
test twice with no intervention (i.e. the
improvement is just a practice effect).
• Then you subtract this number from the change in
the individual’s score.
• Then you divide by the Standard Error of the
Difference.
• The RCI you end up with is now “corrected” for
practice effects – so any significant differences in
your client you find are real changes rather than
just due to the fact they’re doing the same test
twice (see Heaton et al 2001).
References
• Heaton R K, Temkin N, Dikmen S, Avitable N, Taylor M J,
Marcotte T D, Grant I, 2001 "Detecting change: A
comparison of three neuropsychological methods, using
normal and clinical samples" Archives of Clinical
Neuropsychology 16 75-91
• Jacobson N S, Truax P, 1991 "Clinical significance: a
statistical approach to defining meaningful change in
psychotherapy-research" Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology 59 12-19
• Parsons T D, Notebaert A J, Shields E W, Guskiewicz K M,
2009 "Application of Reliable Change Indices to
Computerized Neuropsychological Measures of
Concussion" International Journal of Neuroscience 119 492-
507

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