Convergent validity and ecological validity of the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4th Edition in people with schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION: Visual perceptual deficit commonly occurs in people with schizophrenia. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4th Edition (TVPS-4) is a motor-free visual perceptual measure, which includes seven subtests: visual discrimination, visual memory, spatial relationships, form constancy, sequential memory, visual figure-ground, and visual closure. However, convergent validity and ecological validity of the TVPS-4 is largely unknown, which limits its use in clinical and research settings. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine convergent validity and ecological validity in people with schizophrenia. METHODS: Ninety-nine people with schizophrenia were assessed the TVPS-4, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS), and the Activities of Daily Living Rating Scale III (ADLRS-III). To evaluate convergent validity, Pearson’s r were calculated among the TVPS-4 and two cognitive measures (the MMSE and the BADS). To evaluate ecological validity, we computed correlation (r) between the TVPS-4 and the ADLRS-III. RESULTS: The TVPS-4 total score showed moderate correlations with two cognitive measures (r=0.65-0.70). The seven TVSP-4 domains revealed moderate correlations with two cognitive measures (r=0.42-0.69). Moderate correlation (r=0.56) was found between the TVPS-4 total score and the ADLRS-III. Moderate to high correlations (r=0.33-0.61) were noticed among the seven TVPS-4 domains and the ADLRS-III. CONCLUSIONS: The TVPS-4 has good convergent validity and ecological validity in people with schizophrenia. The multiple domains of the TVPS-4 are useful to comprehensively identify visual perception deficits in people with schizophrenia. The TVPS-4 can adequately exhibit the degree of living independently in people with schizophrenia. DISCLOSURE: No significant relationships.