B – 104 What Does Visual Puzzles Measure? A Factor Analysis

Abstract Objective To clarify how the WAIS-IV Visual Puzzles subtest fits into the factor structure of a neuropsychological battery in a mixed clinical population. Method Participants were 104 patients (52.9% men; 68.3% White) seen for neuropsychological evaluation at a university outpatient clinic (M/SD: age = 33.9/12.4; education = 12.9/2.4). Principal axis factoring with a direct oblimin rotation was conducted with 20 neuropsychological tests. Tests were selected to represent each of the five cognitive domains: executive functioning, language, working memory/processing speed, memory, and visuospatial processing. Results The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin was .84 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant [χ2 (190) = 1040.54, p < .001]. Initial communalities ranged from .30 to .77. Using Kaiser’s rule, Velicer’s minimal average partial (MAP), and parallel analysis, five factors emerged: visuospatial ability, delayed memory, language, verbal learning, and complex drawing/recall. Visual puzzles loaded on to the factor broadly capturing visuospatial ability (.67), with loadings from WAIS-IV: Symbol Search (.70), Coding (.64), Block Design (.62), Arithmetic (.61), Digit Span (.56), Judgement of Line Orientation (.58), and DKEFS Trails 4: Number-Letter Switching (.48). Conclusion Visual Puzzles is not a pure measure of visuospatial ability. Task performance requires working memory, processing speed and mental flexibility. To reduce ambiguity, practitioners should consider testing the limits after using standard administration and scoring procedures. Adjusting the timing restrictions could mitigate the impact of processing speed on task performance and improve optimal testing conditions.