The Effect of Visuospatial/Visuoconstructional Impairment on Construct Validity of Figure Copy and Recall: A Test of...

We evaluated interrater reliability and construct validity of two scoring systems for the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Figure subtests in individuals with mild or major neurocognitive disorder grouped by presence/absence of visuospatial/visuoconstructional (VS/VC) impairment.

Older adults (N = 67) with mild or major neurocognitive disorder completed RBANS Form A and other cognitive tests. The manual scoring system and a system adapted from the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure were compared in terms of interrater reliability and relationship to other related tests.

In those without VS/VC impairment, there were no differences between scoring systems in interrater reliability or relationship of Figure Copy or Figure Recall scores to measures of visuospatial skills or memory, respectively. However, Figure Copy was less reliably scored in those without VS/VC impairment, regardless of the scoring system. In those with VS/VC impairment, the adapted scoring showed stronger relationships to measures of memory and visuospatial skills, and, for Figure Recall, was more reliably scored than the manual scoring.

Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Figure Recall may be affected by VS/VC skills, potentially interfering with its validity as a test of visual memory. An adapted scoring system for RBANS Figure subtests may be less confounded by deficits in VS/VC skills.