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Association between Visual Perception and Socioeconomic Status in Malaysian Preschool Children: Results from the Test
Mariah Asem1, Sumithira Narayanasamy1, Mahadir Ahmad1
1Centre for Community Health Studies (ReaCH), Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia.
Insights
Malaysian preschoolers demonstrated superior visual perception skills compared to U.S. norms on the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4th edition (TVPS-4). Socioeconomic factors influenced specific visual skills but not overall performance.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4th edition (TVPS-4) is a standard tool for assessing visual perception in children.
- Existing research suggests potential differences in visual perception between Asian and U.S. children.
- The TVPS-4, normed on a U.S. population, is utilized in Malaysia despite these suggestions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the visual perceptual skills of Malaysian preschoolers with U.S. norms using the TVPS-4.
- To investigate the relationship between socioeconomic factors and TVPS-4 scores in Malaysian preschoolers.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-two Malaysian preschool children participated in the study.
- TVPS-4 scores were collected and compared against established U.S. normative data.
- Multiple linear regression analyses were employed to examine associations between socioeconomic variables and TVPS-4 scores.
Main Results:
- Malaysian preschoolers achieved significantly higher standard and scaled scores on all TVPS-4 subtests compared to U.S. norms (p < 0.001).
- Socioeconomic variables did not predict five visual perception subtests or the overall standard score.
- Ethnicity predicted visual form constancy, while parental employment and household income predicted visual sequential memory.
Conclusions:
- Malaysian preschoolers exhibit significantly higher visual perceptual skills than their U.S. counterparts as measured by the TVPS-4.
- Socioeconomic factors are associated with specific visual perceptual skills (visual form constancy, visual sequential memory) but not overall performance in this population.
Abstract:
Visual perception in children can be evaluated using the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4th edition (TVPS-4) with normative data developed for the U.S. population. It is widely used by healthcare practitioners in Malaysia, despite reports that children in Asia outperform their U.S. peers in visual perception assessment. We compared TVPS-4 scores among 72 Malaysian preschool children (mean age: 5.06 ± 0.11 years) with U.S. norms and investigated the association between socioeconomic factors and TVPS-4 scores. Malaysian preschoolers had significantly higher standard scores (116.60 ± 7.16) than the U.S. norms (100 ± 15; p < 0.001). They also had significantly higher scaled scores (between 12.57 ± 2.10 and 13.89 ± 2.54) than the U.S. norms (10 ± 3, all p < 0.001) for all subtests. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that socioeconomic variables were not significant predictors for five visual perception subtests and the overall standard score. The visual form constancy score could be predicted by ethnicity (β = -1.874, p = 0.03). The visual sequential memory score could be predicted by the father's employment status (β = 2.399, p < 0.001), mother's employment status (β = 1.303, p = 0.007), and low household income (β = -1.430, p < 0.037). In conclusion, Malaysian preschoolers outperformed their U.S. peers in all TVPS-4 subtests. Socioeconomic variables were associated with visual form constancy and visual sequential memory, but not with the other five subtests or TVPS-4's overall standard scores.
