Comparability of total score performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and a modified Taylor Complex Figure

One of the most commonly used neuropsychological measures of visuo-spatial abilities is the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) Test. Previous research has reliably shown that its companion figure, the Taylor Complex Figure, is not a comparable measure of visuo-spatial memory. The aims of the three studies presented here are to (a) introduce a modified version of the Taylor Figure (MTCF), and (b) examine the comparability of the ROCF and the MTCF using two different administration procedures. The first two studies used a between-subjects design in which half of the study participants received the ROCF and half received the MTCF. In Study 1, an incidental procedure was used in which participants were asked to first copy a figure and then reproduce it from memory without prior warning. In Study 2, an intentional procedure was used in which participants were first asked to observe the figures for the express purpose of reproducing them from memory followed by delay and copy trials. In Study 3, a within-subjects design using counterbalancing and an intentional procedure was used to examine the comparability of the two figures when administered to the same participants as in a true test-retest situation. Overall, the studies demonstrated that learning, memory, and copy score performance on the MTCF was comparable to that on the ROCF.