Abstract
Date Presented 03/23/24
This study examines the performance of the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA), a cognitive functional task, and highlights factors that promote accurate performance among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HCs).
Primary Author and Speaker: Meirav Rosenfeld
Contributing Authors: Yael Goverover
The Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA; Toglia, 2015) is a functional cognition performance-based test assessing the ability to list appointments on a weekly calendar while adhering to specific rules. Previous studies indicated that the WCPA distinguishes between healthy controls (HC) and people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who had impairment in executive function (EF). While the WCPA has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of functional cognition, there is still a need to understand the specific factors that contribute to accurate performance on this task. This study aims to investigate several key factors and their impact on WCPA performance among both HC and MS groups. In addition, it examines what factors predict accurate WCPA performance. This is a cross-sectional study with 135 participants (23-65 years of age) who were classified into three groups: HC who performed the WCPA accurately (n=36), MS who performed the WCPA accurately (MS Accurate; n=40), and MS who performed the WCPA inaccurately (MS Inaccurate; n=59). In addition to the WCPA, neuropsychological assessments were administered to assess processing speed, EF, and memory. The results show statistically significant differences in strategy use, the total time to complete the WCPA, and cognitive functions between MS Accurate and MS Inaccurate groups. Only planning time was not statistically different between the groups. Interestingly, no significant differences were found in any of the examined variables between HC and MS Accurate groups. Memory, total performance time, and planning time significantly predicted accurate WCPA performance. This study enhances the understanding of the factors influencing performance on the WCPA among people with MS and specifically cognitive impairments. These findings can have important implications for clinical assessment and intervention strategies, providing valuable insights into cognitive functioning and executive dysfunction in various populations.
References
Arora, C., Frantz, C., & Toglia, J. (2021). Awareness of Performance on a Functional Cognitive Performance-Based Assessment Across the Adult Lifespan. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753016
Goverover, Y., Toglia, J., & DeLuca, J. (2020). The weekly calendar planning activity in multiple sclerosis: A top-down assessment of executive functions. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 30(7), 1372–1387. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2019.1584573
Toglia, J. (2015). Weekly calendar planning activity: A performance test of executive function. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.
