An application of the background interference procedure to the benton visual retention test

Abstract

This study involved applying Canter's Background Interference Procedure to the Benton Visual Retention Test. In a heterogeneous sample of psychiatric and braindamaged patients, it was found that brain-damaged patients reproduced fewer designs and made more errors in reproducing those designs than did psychiatric patients. Right-hemisphere and diffusely brain-damaged patients reproduced fewer designs correctly and made more errors than did left-hemisphere damaged patients. This pattern was maintained when the effects of level of intellectual functioning and age were statistically controlled. These results suggest that the Background Interference Procedure in conjunction with the Benton Visual Retention Test may make a contribution to the assessment of brain-injured patients.