Following a 3-Stage Command Flashcards
7 cards from real MMSE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Following a 3-Stage Command flashcards as text
Which of the following modifications to the 3-stage command would most directly impair a patient with frontal lobe damage but intact temporal lobe function?
Answer: Increasing the number of sequential stages from 3 to 5
Frontal lobe damage impairs working memory and sequencing; increasing the number of stages amplifies demands on these exact functions.
On the MMSE, the 3-stage command is classified under which broad domain?
Answer: Language
The 3-stage command falls within the Language domain of the MMSE, alongside reading, writing, and naming tasks.
A patient successfully picks up the paper, folds it, and places it correctly on the floor but then immediately picks it back up. How should stage 3 be scored?
Answer: Full credit, because the stage action was completed
Credit is given for completing the stage action; what the patient does afterward does not affect the score.
In Alzheimer's disease, failure on the 3-stage command is most closely associated with deficits in which cognitive process?
Answer: Working memory and executive function
AD causes progressive working memory and executive dysfunction, making multi-step sequential commands increasingly difficult to retain and execute.
Why is placing the paper 'on the floor' chosen as the final stage rather than a simpler action like handing it back?
Answer: It is an unusual action that is less likely to be done automatically, requiring deliberate instruction-following
Unusual actions like placing paper on the floor require deliberate comprehension of the instruction rather than habitual automatic behavior, making them better probes of command-following.
A patient who scores 0 on the 3-stage command but 5/5 on orientation is MOST likely experiencing:
Answer: A dissociation with a specific deficit in language comprehension or executive function
Intact orientation with impaired command-following suggests a domain-specific deficit in language or executive processing rather than global dementia.
Which of the following instructions represents the correct standard wording of the MMSE 3-stage command?
Answer: 'Take this paper in your right hand, fold it in half, and put it on the floor.'
The original Folstein MMSE 3-stage command specifies: 'Take this paper in your right hand, fold it in half, and put it on the floor.'