Strategy use on the Ruff Figural Fluency Test.

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Figural fluency tests are increasingly used in cognitive assessments.
• Understanding spontaneous strategy use on these tests is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of strategy use on the Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT).
• To determine the relationship between strategy use and executive functions.
• To assess the learnability of strategies on the RFFT.

Main Methods:

• Administered the Ruff Figural Fluency Test (RFFT) to healthy college students.
• Correlated strategy use metrics with executive function measures (e.g., D-KEFS Tower Test, Sorting, Verbal Fluency).
• Trained non-strategy users on RFFT strategies and assessed subsequent performance.

Main Results:

• Nearly 70% of students spontaneously used at least one strategy on the RFFT.
• Strategy use showed modest correlations with planning, reasoning, and cognitive flexibility measures.
• Participants who did not initially use strategies learned to do so after instruction.

Conclusions:

• Spontaneous strategy use is common but not universal on the RFFT.
• Strategy use on figural fluency tests may indicate underlying executive function strengths.
• The ability to learn and apply strategies suggests potential for cognitive intervention.