A short version of the Hooper Visual Organization Test: reliability and validity

Based on a detailed item analysis, Merten (2002) developed a 15-item short version of the Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT) intended to resolve a number of shortcomings of the original scale. Problematic test items were eliminated, scoring rules were clarified, and new instructions and a graphic illustration of the task were introduced. This revision was aimed at reducing testing time by maintaining or even improving the scale's potential as a screener for visuospatial dysfunction. In this study, the short version was given for the first time "in its own right" to a sample of 153 neurological patients with a mean age of 60.0 years. Estimates of internal consistency for the resulting short form yielded acceptable results (.82 and .84). A retest analysis for a subsample of n = 72 at an interval of 2 to 3 days showed a mean increase in test scores of .6 points and a test-retest correlation of .93. Correlations with other test data are presented. The results indicate that the short version is comparable with the full scale in important psychometric aspects. With the elimination of a number of weak points, it may constitute a good substitute for the full VOT.