Hooper Visual Organization Test performance in lateralized brain injury

The Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT) is frequently used in measuring the cognitive functioning of brain-damaged patients. It is not clear, however, whether the VOT measures general or specific neurological dysfunction, specifically those resulting from right parietal lesions. The present study addressed this issue by examining archival data from 41 brain-damaged patients who were seen in a medical hospital's acute rehabilitation unit. Patients were selected on the basis of a diagnosis of either right or left hemisphere damage, and VOT scores on these two patient groups were compared. Additionally, lesion site, as measured primarily by CT scan, was compared with VOT scores. No significant hemispheric differences were found on VOT scores. However, VOT scores, when adjusted for age and education, were significantly lower in patients with lesions involving the right parietal lobe. The implications of the findings for the use of the VOT with brain-damaged individuals are discussed.