Bender Gestalt signs as indicants of conceptual impulsivity

The Psychological Assessment of Impulsivity: A Review

A review of the clinical assessment of impulsivity with common psychological tests is presented. Although the term impulsivity is well known in the field of psychology and psychiatry, there are often misconceptions of the definition of the term and related psychometric aspects on both the empirical and clinical levels. Proposed is a definition that is in agreement with the different perspectives of the concept such that impulsivity is viewed as disordered behavior occurring with little or no premeditation or psychological capacity for delay. The assessment of impulsivity with the Bender Gestalt and Draw-A-Person tests, Wechsler scales, Rorschach, Self-Report, and Behavior Rating Scales cited in Psychological Abstracts and Dissertation Abstracts through 1984 is reviewed. It is concluded that the validity of these tests for assessing impulsivity has yet to be shown due to methodological and conceptual problems.

A standardized scoring method for the copy of cube test, developed to be suitable for use in psychiatric populations

BACKGROUND

Although the 'copy of cube test', a version of which is included in the Short Test of Mental Status (STMS), has existed for years, little has been done to standardize it in detail. The aim of the current study was to develop a novel and detailed standardized method of administration and scoring this test.

METHODS

The study sample included 93 healthy control subjects (53 women and 40 men) aged 35.87 ± 12.62 and 127 patients suffering from schizophrenia (54 women and 73 men) aged 34.07 ± 9.83 years. The psychometric assessment included the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).

RESULTS

A scoring method was developed based on the frequencies of responses of healthy controls. Cronbach's α was equal to 0.75 and inter-rater reliability was 0.90. Three indices and five subscales of the Standardized Copy of the Cube Test (SCCT) were eventually developed. They included the Deficit Index (DcI), which includes the Missing Elements (ME) Mirror Image (M) subscales, the Deformation Index (DfI) which includes the Deformation (D) and the Rotation (R) subscales and the Closing-In Index (CiI).

DISCUSSION

The SCCT seems to be a reliable, valid and sensitive to change instrument for the testing of psychiatric patients. The great advantage of this instrument is the fact that it only requires paper and a pencil, and is this easily administered and brief. Further research is necessary to test its usefulness as a neuropsychological test.

The standardised copy of pentagons test

BACKGROUND

The 'double-diamond copy' task is a simple paper and pencil test part of the Bender-Gestalt Test and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Although it is a widely used test, its method of scoring is crude and its psychometric properties are not adequately known. The aim of the present study was to develop a sensitive and reliable method of administration and scoring.

METHODS

The study sample included 93 normal control subjects (53 women and 40 men) aged 35.87 ± 12.62 and 127 patients suffering from schizophrenia (54 women and 73 men) aged 34.07 ± 9.83.

RESULTS

The scoring method was based on the frequencies of responses of healthy controls and proved to be relatively reliable with Cronbach's α equal to 0.61, test-retest correlation coefficient equal to 0.41 and inter-rater reliability equal to 0.52. The factor analysis produced two indices and six subscales of the Standardised Copy of Pentagons Test (SCPT). The total score as well as most of the individual items and subscales distinguished between controls and patients. The discriminant function correctly classified 63.44% of controls and 75.59% of patients.

DISCUSSION

The SCPT seems to be a satisfactory, reliable and valid instrument, which is easy to administer, suitable for use in non-organic psychiatric patients and demands minimal time. Further research is necessary to test its psychometric properties and its usefulness and applications as a neuropsychological test.

Utility of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test-Second Edition in the assessment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

This study examined the use of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test-Second Edition (BGT-II) with children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous research has examined the relationship of ADHD and visual-motor functioning based on overall developmental scores or specific emotional indicators. Although several studies have examined the relationship of the previous edition of the BGT-II and ADHD symptoms, psychometric issues associated with the original edition limit the validity of the results. The current study examined the utility of the BGT-II in the assessment of behaviors associated with ADHD. A group of 62 subjects diagnosed with ADHD (M=11 yr., 5 mo.; 45 male, 17 female) was compared to a control group of 62 subjects randomly selected from the BGT-II standardization data (M=11 yr., 6 mo; 33 male, 29 female). Several hypotheses were made regarding how areas of deficit, e.g., self-regulation, planning, working memory, and motor control, were expected to manifest in BGT-II performance. With IQ controlled, subjects with ADHD performed more poorly on the BGT-II than subjects with no known disorders; however, the effect size was small (eta(p)=.07). Emotional indicators intended to assess symptoms of ADHD did not demonstrate diagnostic utility.

Children's human figure drawings and impulsive style at two levels of socioeconomic status

The relationship between children's reflection-impulsivity styles and their human figure drawings was examined for a sample of Mexican children of middle (n = 97) and low (n = 110) socioeconomic status. Drawings were scored for Developmental, Emotional, and Impulsivity indicators. As in previous research with American preschoolers, the drawings of 23 Mexican preschoolers did not correlate with the styles; however, significant relationships between the styles and Impulsivity scores of older children of low status (n = 87) were also found, suggesting that, when a higher-level of impulsivity is present in a population, a relationship between styles and drawings may be observed. The findings for low-status preschoolers, even their higher Impulsivity scores, support the notion that Kagan's measure of impulsivity is not appropriate for use with younger children.

Cognitive styles and learning disabilities

Research is reviewed relating the cognitive style dimensions of field dependence and reflection-impulsivity to underachievement, process deficits (minimal brain dysfunction), and hyperactivity. In general, field independence and a reflective cognitive style are associated with better performance. The importance of modifying the learner's cognitive style and matching the learning environment to the learner's cognitive style also are examined.