title: An "ecological" constructional test.
abstract: We describe a simple, three-dimensional constructional test (the Box test), which reflects common daily-living activities, to be used for the assessment of constructional disability in elderly brain-lesioned patients. Subjects are required to put as may of 12 objects of varied shape and volume as they can into a box. To carry out the task successfully subjects have to arrange the items according to an efficient constructional strategy. We administered this test to 68 normal subjects and to 50 brain-damaged patients. Analysis indicated the Box test is easy and simple to administer and can be used without difficulty by elderly patients having focal brain damage. Performance correlated well with general intelligence and other bidimensional, conventional constructional tasks. Right or left brain lesions have a similar, significant detrimental effect on performance but probably through different mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Salvatore Maugeri Foundation-IRCCS, Rebabilitation Center of Campoli M.T. BN, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trojano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Angelini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grossi
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001072:Apraxias / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D012737:Sex Factors