AN ECOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTIONAL TEST

We describe a simple, three-dimensional constructional test (the Box t est), which reflects common daily-living activities, to be used for th e assessment of constructional disability in elderly brain-lesioned pa tients. Subjects are required to put as many of 12 objects of varied s hape and volume as they can into a box. To carry out the task successf ully subjects have to arrange the items according to an efficient cons tructional strategy. We administered this test to 68 normal subjects a nd to 50 brain-damaged patients. Analysis indicated the Box test is ea sy and simple to administer and can be used without difficulty by elde rly patients having focal brain damage. Performance correlated well wi th general intelligence and other bidimensional, conventional construc tional tasks. Right or left brain lesions have a similar, significant detrimental effect on performance but probably through different mecha nisms.