What do Hooper-like tests measure?

The validity of the Hooper Visual Organization Test (VOT) has been questioned by different authors. A set of Hooper-like puzzle tasks and a One-Detail VOT were developed. The items of the latter contain only the most informative detail of the object to be recognized. Thirty-eight patients after first-time stroke (mean age: 58.2 years; range: 32-70) were given both tests and a number of other instruments. The two tests correlated at 0.85, and similar correlation patterns emerged for both of them and the Wechsler Block Design with the rest of the battery. Furthermore, a case-matched comparison group was drawn from archival data for which original VOT scores were available. These were slightly, but not significantly higher than the One-Detail VOT scores of the experimental group. The results indicate that for the test as a whole, visuosynthetic abilities are not relevant, but most items can be successfully solved if one detail is presented which contains the relevant information for object recognition. With this in mind, Hooper-like puzzle tasks might not be the most effective way of measuring the different kinds of mental operations which are relevant in that class of visual problems.