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The Plan-a-Day Approach to Measuring Planning Ability in Patients with Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2011

Daniel V. Holt ,
Katlehn Rodewald ,
Mirjam Rentrop ,
Joachim Funke ,
Matthias Weisbrod  and
Stefan Kaiser
Daniel V. Holt*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Katlehn Rodewald
Affiliation:
Section of Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Mirjam Rentrop
Affiliation:
Section of Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Joachim Funke
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Matthias Weisbrod
Affiliation:
Section of Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Department of Psychiatry, SRH Klinikum Karlsbad-Langensteinbach, Karlsbad-Langensteinbach, Germany
Stefan Kaiser
Affiliation:
Section of Experimental Psychopathology, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Daniel V. Holt, Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Haupstr. 47-51, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany. E-mail: daniel.holt@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de
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Abstract

Deficits in executive functioning are closely related to the level of everyday functioning in patients with schizophrenia. However, many existing neuropsychological measures are limited in their ability to predict functional outcome. To contribute towards closing this gap, we developed a computer-based test of planning ability (“Plan-a-Day”) that requires participants to create daily activity schedules in a simulated work setting. Eighty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were tested with Plan-a-Day and a battery of cognitive ability tests. Plan-a-Day showed satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of consistency, reliability, and construct validity. Compared to other neuropsychological tests used in this study, it also demonstrated incremental validity with regard to the Global Assessment of Functioning. The Plan-a-Day approach, therefore, seems to represent a valid alternative for measuring planning ability in patients with executive function deficits, occupying a middle ground between traditional neuropsychological tests and real-life assessments. (JINS, 2011, 17, 327–335)

Keywords

Executive functioningPlanningCognitive abilitiesComputer-based testingSchizophreniaNeuropsychological testingEcological validity
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , 28 February 2011 , pp. 327 - 335
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2011

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