The validity of some current tests for organicity.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to compare the results of brain-injured Ss with the results of uninjured Ss on some commonly employed tests for organicity in order to investigate the diagnostic acuity of these techniques. Sixty hospitalized patients were examined, half having brain injuries of fairly recent origin, and half revealing no evidence of neurological involvement. Using the Shipley -Hartford Retreat Scale, the Weigl-Goldstein-Scheerer Color-Form Sorting Test, the Wechsler-Bellevue block-designs, and the Wechsler Memory Scale, only the Wechsler-Bellevue block-design subtest significantly differentiated the two groups. It was made apparent that techniques often used as aids in diagnosing brain damage may be of little or no benefit in this respect.