Picture Interpretation Test (PIT) 360°: An Innovative Measure of Executive Functions

Silvia Serino, Francesca Baglio, Federica Rossetto, Olivia Realdon, Pietro Cipresso, Thomas D. Parsons, Giacomo Cappellini, Fabrizia Mantovani, Gianluca De Leo, Raffaello Nemni, Giuseppe Riva

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

The assessment of executive functions poses researchers with several challenges related to both the complexity of the construct of executive functions itself and/or the methodological difficulties related to its evaluation. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate a 360° version of an ecologically valid assessment called the Picture Interpretation Test (PIT). Participants included 19 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 19 healthy controls. All participants endorsed globally positive experiences of the PIT 360°. Furthermore, findings indicated that patients with PD took longer to correctly interpret the PIT 360° scene and tended to significantly focus on details of the 360° scene instead of the most informative elements. The time needed for a correct interpretation of the presented scene also correlated significantly with performance in conventional paper and pencil tests of executive functions for patients with PD. Classification analysis indicated the potential of the PIT 360° for distinguishing between patients with PD and healthy controls. Overall, these data provide preliminary evidence in support of the PIT 360° for evaluating executive functions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number16000
JournalScientific reports
Volume7
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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