A Clinic-Based Measure of Everyday Planning Ability: The Overnight Trip Task

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology 2024-01, Vol.39 (1), p.51-64
• Main Authors: Brown, Katelyn D, Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Aged; Cognition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Executive Function; Humans; Neuropsychological Tests; Original Empirical
• ISSN: 1873-5843; 0887-6177; 1873-5843
• DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acad052

Abstract Objective Traditional measures of cognitive abilities most used by neuropsychologists are generally low in ecological validity and only capture a small proportion of the variance of a person’s true functional capacity. This study evaluates the association between clinic-based performance and parallel real-world completion of an everyday planning test, the Overnight Trip Task (OTT). Method A cross-sectional cohort of 65 community-dwelling older adults completed a battery of cognitive assessments and two formats of the OTT: the paper-and-pencil clinic OTT, which was completed remotely through video conferencing (Zoom), and the parallel real-world OTT (RW-OTT), which was completed at home between sessions. Both formats required participants to plan for what they would pack and prepare for a hypothetical overnight trip based on a provided story that included rules and embedded contingencies. Results The clinic OTT demonstrated a small-to-moderate relationship with the RW-OTT (r = 0.35) and no relationship with measures of learning, long delay recall, an executive function composite, and a measure of everyday planning. Hierarchical regressions indicated that the clinic OTT demonstrated incremental validity above an executive function composite measure and global cognition when predicting self-reported everyday functioning and RW-OTT performance. Conclusions The clinic OTT showed only modest association with the RW-OTT and discriminate but not convergent validity was demonstrated. The clinic OTT showed incremental validity when predicting self-reported everyday functioning and RW-OTT performance above more traditional measures. Before the clinic OTT could be considered a reliable and valid clinic-based measure for predicting real-world behavior, additional research would be needed.