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Ecological Assessment of Executive Functions: A New Virtual Reality Paradigm

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2014

Ashok S. Jansari ,
Alex Devlin ,
Rob Agnew ,
Katarina Akesson ,
Lesley Murphy  and
Tony Leadbetter
Ashok S. Jansari*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
Alex Devlin
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom
Rob Agnew
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom
Katarina Akesson
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom
Lesley Murphy
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom
Tony Leadbetter
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of East London, Water Lane, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom
*
Address for correspondence: Ashok S. Jansari, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE 14 6NW, UK. E-mail: A.Jansari@gold.ac.uk
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Abstract

Acquired brain injury (ABI) can lead to a constellation of higher-order executive problems, which can impact significantly on everyday behaviour. While some neuropsychological assessments are able to measure these impairments objectively, increasingly, clinicians are finding that a subset of their patients passes these tests while still exhibiting difficulties in day-to-day living. Calls have therefore been made to develop assessments that are more sensitive and that are more ecologically valid. In this study, in Experiment 1, a multiple errands task (MET) based around a business office was created to assess concurrently nine aspects of executive functioning (planning, prioritisation, selective-thinking, creative-thinking, adaptive-thinking, multi-tasking, action-based prospective memory (PM), event-based PM and time-based PM). This new paradigm, the Jansari assessment of Executive Functions (JEF©) showed a significant difference between six individuals with ABI and matched healthy controls; further, it showed that across the nine constructs there was a range of performance. In Experiment 2, JEF© was recreated in a virtual environment resembling a computer game, and it was found that this version significantly differentiated between 17 individuals with ABI and 30 healthy controls. These results suggest that the virtual version of JEF© could be used as a new assessment of executive function. The profile of performance across the nine constructs for each individual provides a wealth of objective information that could potentially inform targeted rehabilitation.

Keywords

executive functionsecological validityvirtual realityassessmentmultiple errand task

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Type
Articles
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Brain Impairment , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , September 2014 , pp. 71 - 87
Copyright
Copyright © Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment 2014 

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