Rethinking the role of drawing tasks in neuropsychological assessment
Dr Alastair D. Smith, University of Plymouth

Drawing is a fundamental component of cognitive assessment – since the activity relies upon a synthesis of processes, errors in graphic production can reveal impairments to a variety of functions, including perception, attention, and memory. Despite the ubiquity of drawing tasks, however, they tend to be analysed qualitatively, and their administration can be open to bias. Moreover, unlike other domains in assessment and therapy, clinical interpretation of drawing production is not usually informed by knowledge of the cognitive processes that underpin it. In this talk I will explore the forms that drawing tasks take in standard assessment practices and discuss the development of quantitative metrics. By illustrating findings from different neuropsychological conditions (including agnosia, hemispatial neglect, and constructional apraxia) I will show how an empirically-oriented approach to designing and interpreting drawing tasks can reveal more nuanced accounts of processes underlying perception and action. I will also discuss some recent findings from my laboratory that call into question the long-term validity of a widely used cognitive screen (the Montreal Cognitive Assessment).