Psychometric validation and normative data of a second Chinese version of the Hooper Visual Organization Test in children

The neural substrates of visual organization in children and adolescents: An fMRI study

Deficient visual organization ability not only indicates possible brain dysfunctions but further affects an individual's daily activities. This study aimed to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural network contributing to visual organization abilities in children and adolescents. A two-choice version of the Hooper Visual Organization Test (T-HVOT) was adapted as the fMRI task for the present study. The effects of age and gender on overall visual perceptual functions and related neural foundations were also analyzed. Seventy children and adolescents were administered with the Test of Visual Perceptual Skill-Third Edition and 41 completed the fMRI scans. The whole-brain fMRI mapping results showed the cortical activation of multiple brain areas relating to visual organization. The greatest cortical activities were seen in the middle occipital gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus, and two age groups showed significant differences in cortical activation patterns as well. Gender had no significant effects on visual perceptual functions nor related cortical activation patterns. The overall visual perception functions improve with age, and the different cortical activation patterns indicated that the two groups adopt different strategies while performing visual organization tasks. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of fMRI allowed us to make specific conclusions about cortical regions involved in visual organization function and to provide a reference for objectively judging rehabilitative outcomes.

Hooper visual organization test: Psychometric properties and regression-based norms for the Venezuelan population

The Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT) is used to assess visual organization and visual synthesis. Psychometric studies reveal cultural biases and associations between demographic variables and test performance capable of compromising the test's clinical utility. The present study aimed to adapt the HVOT, explore the psychometric properties of this test, and develop regression-based norms for the Venezuelan population. Using a cross-sectional design, the HVOT was administered to a stratified sample of 351 healthy adults (20-85 years of age and 0-23 years of education) from the Metropolitan Area of Caracas. The results revealed good levels of internal consistency and reliability. Confirmatory Factor Analysis suggests that the HVOT is unidimensional. Item difficulty, types and rate of errors and inappropriateness of some items indicated a potential cultural bias in our Venezuelan sample. Spearman's Correlation and Wilcoxon Rank test analysis (p<.001) showed a significant association between HVOT total score and age, education, and gender, but not with socioeconomic status. We present regression-norms stratified by age, years of education, and gender. Cultural biases were noted, which highlights the need for a revision of items in terms of inclusion, scoring, and order of presentation. Future studies of concurrent and predictive validity are needed.