Comparison of the Efficacy of the Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic and Bender-Gestalt in Assessing Brain Damage in Adolescents

Abstract

The Minnesota Percepto-Diagnostic Test-Revised (MPD-R) and Bender-Gestalt (BG) were administered to 34 brain-damaged (BD) and 34 functional psychiatric individuals (NBD) 17 years of age or younger. The order of administration for the MPD-R and BG was counterbalanced to control for practice effects. The MPD-R used a two-step procedure for diagnosis, while the BG was scored according to the Hutt system. Correlations (Phi) and chi-squares were computed for the MPD-R and BG for test diagnosis compared to actual (correct) diagnosis. The MPD-R diagnosis was found to be associated significantly with frequency of actual (correct) diagnosis, while the BG demonstrated a low association with frequency of actual (correct) diagnosis. The MPD-R correctly identified 78% of all subjects; the BG identified 60%. The results were interpreted as evidence that the MPD-R provides a more sensitive and accurate measure for identifying BD and NBD than does the Hutt-scored BG. It appears from this study that the MPD-R is a better test than the Bender-Gestalt for visual-motor perception.

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