Title Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-4 (TVPS-4)
Author (s) Stacy Frauwirth, MS OTR/L
Publisher Academic Therapy Publications, Inc.
Publishing Date 2017
Edition Fourth Edition
Cost ● Full test kit: $225
● Manual: $82
● Record Forms (25): $50
● Test plates: $93
Type of Assessment Norm-referenced visual multiple choice test
Assessment Purpose ● The TVPS-4 assesses the visual-perceptual skills of
individuals ages 5-21 without requiring a motor
response and is designed for both research and
diagnostic purposes.
Intended Age Range Age 5-21 years 11 months
Domains/Subtests ● Visual Discrimination
● Visual Memory
● Spatial Relationships
● Form Constancy
● Sequential Memory
● Visual-Figure-Ground
● Visual Closure
Qualifications to Administer ● Level C Test
● Interpretation of test results should be conducted by
individual with formal training in psychometrics
Administration and Scoring Administration
Methods ● The TVPS-4 takes about 30 minutes to administer and
takes place in an environment where there are little
distractions. The examiner will position in a way where he
or she can point to the front side of the Test Plate and
observe responses. The examiner takes some time to build
rapport with examinee before starting assessment.
● Determine the age of the examinee to determine starting
point. Children aged 5-11 years starts from item 1 at each
subtest while children aged 12-21 years start from item 4.
○ Basal Rule: If the examinee does not answer the
first three items from the start point, administer
backwards until three in a row are answered
correctly.
○ Ceiling: Testing is discontinued when the
examinee gets 5 out of 7 items incorrect.
● Two examples are given for each subtest. These examples
can be used to teach the task if the individual does not
understand.
● Start at the appropriate age-based starting point. Once
testing begins, do not engage in casual conversation. Test
subtest until ceiling is reached.
Scoring
● Answers are recorded on the record form for each test
item. Correct answers are given the point value of 1 and
incorrect responses are given a 0.
● Raw scores are added up for each subtest. Each raw score
can then be converted to standard scores using the
provided tables and can then be interpreted.
Types of Standardized/Norm ● Raw Scores
Scores Used ● Subtest Scaled Scores
● Overall Standard Scores
● Confidence Intervals
● Percentile Ranks
● Age-Equivalent Scores
Psychometric Properties Reliability
● Internal consistency was measured using Cronback’s
alpha coefficients. The average alpha values for the
overall score was 0.94 which falls into the accepted range
for reliability (0.70-0.95).
● The overall test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.97
which provided high evidence that test-retest reliability
for the TVP-4 is stable over time.
Validity
● Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor
analysis was used to confirm validity of assessment
● TVPS- was also compared to the similar Motor-Free
Visual Perception Test (4th ed.) Results showed that there
was no significant difference between the mean scores and
high correlation.
Advantages of Assessment ● Not specific to occupational therapists. Can also be used
by school psychologists, educational specialists,
optometrists, etc.
● Since the TVPS-4 is motor free, it can be effectively used
to assess individuals with certain motor and
developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy and
developmental coordination disorder.
● Wide age range (5-21:11)
● Little setup is needed to administer the test
Disadvantages of Assessment ● Can only be administered individually and not to a group
● The assessment utilizes 126 test images. Individual may
have fatigue and can display decreased attention span and
negative behaviors as subtests progress. If so, assessment
will need to be taken across multiple sessions.
References - Martin, N. A. (2017). Test of visual perceptual skills – 4th
Edition. Novato, CA: Academic Therapy Publications.
Prepared By Kyle Joshua Gusto
Sample Report:
