A-12 Relationships between Performance on the Virtual Environment Grocery Store and Adaptive Functioning among Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract Background/Problem Neuropsychologists are often asked to evaluate patients’ functional capacities, yet traditional neuropsychological tests have limited correspondence with real-world outcomes. The Virtual Environment Grocery store (VEGS) is a virtual environment that stimulates shopping tasks. Previous research has found support for the construct validity of the VEGS among older adults (Parsons & Barnett, 2017); however, no extant research has examined relationships between the VEGS and adaptive functioning among older adults. Method Older adults (n = 30; age 43–90 M = 77.09, SD = 12.94) were administered the Virtual Reality Grocery Store (VEGS) and the Texas Functional Living Scale (TFLS) and completed the Instruments of Daily Activities (IADLS) Questionnaire. Results VEGS variables explained 39.6% of the variance in self-reported adaptive functioning (I, e., the IADLS) and 60.0% of the variance in performance-based adaptive functioning (i.e., the TFLS). Conclusion These results suggest that the VEGS is a predictor of adaptive functioning – particularly when measured with a performance-based measure – among older adults.