Sources of errors on visuoperceptual tasks: role of education, literacy, and search strategy.
The current study explored possible sources of demographic effects through analyses of errors from modified formats of the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) completed by African American elders. Results indicate that: (1) reading level was a stronger predictor of BVRT performance than years of education; (2) on the single-item matching format of the task, individuals with lower reading levels disproportionately produced errors on items that differed in geometric, rather than spatial features; and (3) on a multiple-choice matching format, individuals with lower reading levels committed more errors on items where the target was located in the lower half of a 2 x 2 matrix.
Byrd
Desiree A
DA
G. H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Jacobs
Diane M
DM
Hilton
H John
HJ
Stern
Yaakov
Y
Manly
Jennifer J
JJ
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D011932:Reading; D012016:Reference Values; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014706:Verbal Learning