| Abstract: | A study of the efficacy of a new technique, the background interference procedure (BIP), to measure visuomotor impairment. 30 brain-damaged psychiatric patients, 22 psychotic nonorganic patients, and 34 nonpsychotic, nonorganic psychiatric patients were compared on performance decrements on the Bender-Gestalt Test using standard paper and BIP paper and scored by the Pascal-Suttell method. The results indicated that the brain-damaged patients showed decrements in Bender performance under BIP compared to standard conditions whereas little or no change was shown by other patients. Tentative criteria for screening the brain-damaged among psychiatric patients were formulated and tested on a fresh sample of 65 patients. The results suggest that the BIP is highly sensitive to the effects of brain damage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
