Loss-of-Set and Strategy Application on the Menu Task: An Exploratory Study.

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Cognitive assessment
• Neuropsychology

Background:

• The Menu Task (MT) is a screening tool for functional cognitive (FC) assessment.
• Identifying individuals needing further FC evaluation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if test-taker strategy selection on the MT provides clinically relevant information.
• Investigating the diagnostic value of observed strategies during the MT.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 55 community-dwelling adults.
• Administered FC assessments including the MT and post-task interviews.
• Qualitative analysis of interview responses categorized into 'loss of set,' 'calorie counting,' and 'planning' strategies.

Main Results:

• 'Loss of set' strategy correlated with poorer performance across multiple cognitive and functional measures.
• 'Calorie counting' strategy was associated with superior performance on most measures.
• The 'planning' strategy did not show significant associations with performance.

Conclusions:

• Test-taker strategy on the MT offers additional clinical information beyond the standard score.
• Understanding MT strategies can enhance the interpretation of functional cognitive assessments.
• This approach may refine the identification of cognitive deficits and strengths.