Which task is included in the MoCA to assess attention and concentration?

The serial subtraction task is included in the MoCA to assess attention and concentration effectively. This task requires the individual to perform mental calculations, specifically subtracting a series of numbers (often starting from 100) by a set value (like 7). This exercise gauges not only the person's ability to maintain concentration but also their working memory and executive functioning, as they need to keep track of their previous answers while performing the calculations.

In contrast, the clock-drawing task primarily evaluates visuospatial abilities and executive functions, the word repetition task is designed to assess language and memory, and the picture naming task focuses on language skills and recognition. Each of these tasks serves a different purpose within the cognitive assessment framework of the MoCA but does not specifically measure attention and concentration to the same extent as the serial subtraction task.