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Research Article  |   March 2006
The Measurement Properties and Factor Structure of the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills–Revised: Implications for Occupational Therapy Assessment and Practice
G. Ted Brown; Isabelle Gaboury
Author Affiliations
  • G. Ted Brown, PhD, MSc, MPA, BScOT(Hons), OT(C), OTR, AccOT, is Senior Lecturer, Occupational Therapy Program, School of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University–Peninsula Campus, PO Box 527, Frankston, Victoria 3199, Australia; ted.brown@med.monash.edu.au
  • Isabelle Gaboury, BSc, MSc, is Biostatistician, Chalmers Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and Doctoral Student, Population Health PhD Program, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Article Information
Vision / Children, Families, and Occupation
Research Article   |   March 2006
The Measurement Properties and Factor Structure of the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills–Revised: Implications for Occupational Therapy Assessment and Practice
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March/April 2006, Vol. 60, 182-193. doi:10.5014/ajot.60.2.182
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, March/April 2006, Vol. 60, 182-193. doi:10.5014/ajot.60.2.182
Abstract

OBJECTIVES. The aim of this study was to examine the measurement properties of the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills–Revised (TVPS–R).

METHODS. A group of 356 typically developing children 5–11 years of age completed the TVPS–R along with three criterion measures.

RESULTS. Several of the TVPS–R items had item–total subscale correlation coefficients were lower than the 0.20 correlation criteria. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients varied between 0.74 and 0.84 for the seven subscales. The perceptual quotient (PQ) reliability coefficient for the age levels ranged between 0.79 and 0.91. The PQ total group reliability coefficient was 0.96.

Results from the principal component analysis indicated that the majority of the TVPS–R items loaded on a dominant first factor. Confirmatory factor analytic models were assessed using four different goodness-of-fit indices. Two of the fit indices supported the unidimensional assumption (RMR and CFI), while two of the fit indices did not support the TVPS–R one-factor model (chi-square and RMSEA). A unitary motor-free visual-perceptual factor was not found.

CONCLUSION. The TVPS–R PQ should not be used as an overall performance summary score. Of the seven TVPS–R subscales, five can be used with confidence (visual discrimination, visual-spatial relationships, visual-sequential memory, visual figure ground, and visual-closure) whereas the visual memory and visual-sequential memory subscales are not recommended.