Further Validation of the Pillbox Test in a Mixed Clinical Sample

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to provide further criterion and construct validation of the Pillbox Test, a brief, ecologically valid measure designed to assess executive functioning(EF). METHOD: Participants were 179 older male veterans who completed the Pillbox Test as part of a neuropsychological evaluation. RESULTS: Performance on the Pillbox Test differed significantly between patients with and without dementia, with total error scores of ≥ 5 and ≥ 7 showing similar levels of sensitivity and specificity at 67% and at or near 70%, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that measures of EF predicted performance on the Pillbox Test above and beyond measures of processing speed, but not above and beyond measures in other cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the Pillbox Test is a promising new performance-based measure of executive functioning that can discriminate between patients with and without dementia.