Validity of the TEMPA: A Measurement Instrument for Upper Extremity Performance

Abstract

Motivated by the important role played by the upper extremities in daily activities and the limitations of existing tests for measurement of upper extremity performance for the elderly, an evaluation instrument, the TEMPA, was developed. Reliability studies having been previously reported, this study investigates two types of validity for the TEMPA. Concurrent validity was tested by examining the instrument's agreement with two tests measuring similar concepts: the Action Research Armtest (ARA) and the Box and Block Test (B&BT). The TEMPA's construct validity was simultaneously explored by testing two hypotheses relating the concept of upper limb performance to that of functional independence. One hundred four men and women, aged between 60 and 94 years old, with various living arrangements and presenting different types of upper limb impairment, participated in the study. The TEMPA correlated significantly with the ARA and the B&BT. Correlation with independence was significantly higher with the TEMPA than with the ARA.