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The geometric structure, construction, and interpretation of path‐following (trail‐making) tests
Author(s) -
Vickers Douglas,
Vincent Nicola,
Medvedev Andrei
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4679(199611)52:6<651::aid-jclp7>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - path (computing) , fractal dimension , psychology , interpretation (philosophy) , dimension (graph theory) , path analysis (statistics) , task (project management) , perception , structural complexity , cognitive psychology , fractal , test (biology) , artificial intelligence , mathematics , statistics , computer science , combinatorics , engineering , mathematical analysis , systems engineering , neuroscience , programming language , paleontology , biology
Diagnostic comparisons of performance on parts A and B of the Trail Making Test (TMT) assume that path structure in the two parts is equivalent but that task complexity is greater for B. The two parts are shown to differ with respect to length and angular variability. However, measures of fractal dimension show no difference in structural complexity between paths A and B. This analysis suggests a principled method for generating alternative pathways, varying in complexity, and opens the way for a systematic study of path‐following. It also suggests that path‐following may be interpretable within a general approach, in which perceptual, linguistic, reasoning and motor processes are seen as related through different groups of geometric transformations. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.