Towards a situation-and-user-aware multi-modal motorized toilet system to assist older adults with disabilities: A user requirements study.

In the recent decades state of the art technologies appeared in many areas to assist older adults with disabilities. However, one very essential activity of daily life, the toileting remained without any relevant development. The iToilet project of the European Union focuses on the development of an intelligent and motorized toilet system to enable independent toilet use for older adults with disabilities. To begin the development, the user requirements of end-users were assessed by means of focus group interviews and questionnaires. The survey was conducted in Austria and Hungary with the participation of 74 persons in total (41 subjects with movement disorders, 21 caregivers and 12 healthcare managers). From the interviews, the ranking of functions and features based on the number of their mentions was derived. The raw ranking was modulated by the average ratings from the questionnaires that resulted in the final list of priorities. Our results suggest that a safe and intelligent motorized toilet system should have foldable handrails on both sides (especially for wheelchair users), motorized height and tilt adjusting mechanism for the toilet bowl, fixed toilet paper holder on both sides and emergency recognition with call function. Simple operation, storage and retrieval of user specific settings including bowl height, and user identification were also deemed as very important features, while the possibility to control functions with gestures was valued rather low.

Hand test characteristics of dual diagnosed mentally retarded older adults.

The projective Hand Test (Wagner, 1962/1983) was administered to 17 older adults with a dual diagnosis (mental retardation existing concurrently with some form of mental illness) residing in a Midwestern institution for the mentally retarded. Each of these individuals was matched with another resident in the same institution with a single diagnosis of mental retardation on the variables of age, sex, and level of mental retardation to determine differences between the groups on the Hand Test. The dual diagnosis group gave significantly more bizarre (BIZ) responses, whereas the single diagnosis group gave more descriptive (DES) responses. It was contended that these two variables accurately reflect the essential difference between dual and single diagnosed mentally retarded individuals.

Personality stability of institutionalized mentally retarded adults as measured by the Hand Test.

Eighty-two institutionalized mentally retarded individuals were administered the Hand Test and a measure of intellectual/cognitive functioning (Stanford-Binet or WAIS-R) in a 3-year test-retest paradigm (longitudinal research design) to investigate the stability of personality during adulthood. Stability of both personality and intellectual functioning during adulthood was observed. Implications are discussed.

Analysis of individual variability among older adults on the Stroop Color Word Interference Test.

The present study examines systematic variation in the pattern of response to the Stroop test among a sample of older adults (N = 41), as well as the extent to which various configural patterns of response are related to other individual difference factors. Pattern analysis identified four reasonably prototypic patterns of performance. Three significant discriminant functions, capable of differentiating the four response patterns, were significantly and uniquely related to age, level of cautiousness, and verbal intelligence, respectively. The analyses suggest that performance on the Stroop test is multidimensional with significant variation among older adults, and that different components of performance are differentially related to unique individual difference variables. The findings reinforce the importance of recognizing and understanding the nature of individual variation among elderly individuals in aging research.

Cohort differences in Hand Test performance: a time lagged analysis.

In order to examine the impact of cultural differences (cohort and/or time of measurement) on the intrapsychic processes of older adults, two samples (1976, n = 102; 1986, n = 88) of older persons were compared with regard to their Hand Test (HT; Bricklin, Piotrowski, & Wagner, 1962; Wagner, 1983) performance. Relative to those studies investigating cultural effects in personality at the socioadaptational level (Neugarten, 1977), no research to date has examined this issue utilizing projective methods of assessment. Time-lagged analyses of HT scores of these two samples of elderly adults suggested that there appear to be clear age-related variance in HT performance for both content and derived HT variables. Age-related within-sample variability for most HT scores supported this interpretation. These findings are in contrast to those utilizing more standardized, nomothetic measures of personality functioning that suggest stability of personality in adulthood.

Validation of two Hand Test indices of aggressive behavior in an institutional setting.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the Hand Test (Wagner, 1962/1983) in differentiating among mentally retarded adults placed in community housing versus those discharged from an institution due to violent and destructive behavior. Hand Test protocols of 24 mentally retarded adults who were discharged from an institution for violent and destructive behavior were compared with those of 12 mentally retarded adults who were placed in community housing, with regard to the presence of two indices of aggressive behavior (the acting-out score, AOS, and the movement response, ACT-MOV). Results indicated that 20 of the 24 residents discharged for aggressive behavior manifested one or more of the signs, whereas only 3 of the 12 residents discharged to a less restrictive environment exhibited one or more of the signs. The findings further demonstrate the usefulness of the Hand Test in predicting violent and destructive behavior in an institutional setting.

Cautiousness and visual selective attention performance among older adults.

Cautiousness has been implicated in the literature as a possible factor responsible for observed performance decrements among older adults in a number of research paradigms. This study sought to assess whether the speed and accuracy of performance on a perceptual-cognitive task (the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test) differed significantly for more and less cautious older adults. The participants (N = 41), ranging from 55 to 81 years of age, were classified as either more cautious (n = 20) or less cautious (n = 21) on the basis of their responses on a personality test. Results indicated that cautiousness among older adults was manifested more in terms of the accuracy of response (fewer errors of commission) than in terms of the speed of response, and that level of cautiousness increased with increasing age.

Hand Test personality variables related to automotive moving violations in female drivers.

The Hand Test was administered to 170 females ranging in age from 17 to 72 years to determine if specific personality traits would be significantly related to automotive moving violations. Although personality traits derived from the Hand Test were found to be associated with aggressive and directive behavior (direction, acting-out score), the relationships differed as a function of age.

Response pattern analysis of the Hand Test: age differences.

Extended the literature on age differences on the Hand Test using a multivariate model to examine absolute and relative differences in response. Participants were 47 adults (M age = 22.47 yrs.), 24 males and 23 females; and 45 older adults (M age = 64.87 yrs.), 21 males and 24 females. Data were analyzed in terms of percentage of response and absolute frequency of specific responses, between the age groups. Results indicated similar findings to those previously reported for the Hand Test, though magnitude of personality deterioration or withdrawal was lessened, for the percentage analysis. Results indicated the importance of using both absolute frequency of response and percentage of response in the interpretation of projective test data, especially for older adults.

Age differences in field dependence/independence.

The present study investigated age and sex differences in field-dependence/independence controlling statistically for IQ. The Group Embedded Figures Test and Quick Test were administered to 46 young adults, 22 male and 24 female (M age = 18.65 years) and 45 old adults, 22 male and 23 female (M age = 73.96 years). Results indicated significant age differences in field dependence/independence existed even after controlling statistically for intelligence. No significant sex differences were found in either age group; for young adults this is inconsistent with extensive research. Implications of results were discussed.

Self-evaluation, actual performance and preference across the life-span.

The relationship between self-evaluation and actual performance, and self-evaluation and preference was investigated with 175 females from seven distinct age groups (17 to 72 years). Participants were administered a complex reaction time task, after which they evaluated both their performance on, and preference for, the task using the Semantic Differential Technique. Results indicated that at all age levels individuals were inaccurate in evaluating their performance. Also, individuals' rated preference for the task was significantly related to how well they felt they performed on the task. Implications of results were discussed.

A review of projective test findings with older adults.

The projective test literature on aging is reviewed. It was concluded that, while much critical research remains to be done and many of the studies are flawed, projective testing has contributed a great deal to the understanding of the aging process and has yielded a core of consistent findings. Suggestions for future research which would help resolve some current ambiguities were made.

Hand test personality correlates of aging in institutionalized mentally retarded adults.

To investigate the relation of aging and personality in the institutionalized mentally retarded the projective Hand Test was administered to 103 mentally retarded adults, ranging in age from 18 to 73 yr. (M age = 40.10 yr., SD = 15.80), residing in a midwestern facility for mentally retarded persons. Partial correlation coefficients, with Stanford-Binet IQ as the controlled variable, were computed between age and the 23 Hand Test scoring variables. Results indicated the personality characteristics of aging mentally retarded persons appeared to mirror those for "normal" adults. Implications of results were discussed.

Physical self-maintenance, mental status, and personality in institutionalized elderly adults.

Administered the projective Hand Test (HT) to 52 institutionalized elderly adults in order to establish its validity in measuring individual differences in relationships between mental status and physical self-maintenance ability. Results suggested substantial covariance among level of self-care, organic dysfunction, and personality, independent of length of institutionalization. Implications of these data for the functional assessment of institutionalized older adults are discussed.

Construct validation of the Hand Test with the aged: replication and extension.

The Hand Test (HT) was administered to 52 institutionalized elderly adults in an effort to cross-validate previous research dealing with the construct validity of the Hand Test in assessing organic dysfunction as assessed by Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ) scores. Results suggested that, consistent with previous research, HT scores of Withdrawal and Pathology seem to be valid indicators of cognitive loss, independent of age and length of institutionalization, among elderly persons who reside in long term care facilities. Implications of these data for the care of impaired elderly persons by family and staff are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.

Relationship between field-dependence/independence and personality in older adult females.

To investigate the relationship between field-dependence/independence and personality in older adults, the Group Embedded Figures Test and the Hand Test were administered to 64 community-living, female, older adults ranging from 60 to 81 yr. (M = 69.05 yr.; SD = 5.98). Seven low but significant correlations (Spearman rhos) were obtained between personality variables and the field-dependence/independence dimension. In general, findings were both consistent and inconsistent with the theoretical assumptions with personality/behavioral characteristics that underlie the field-dependence/independence construct which suggests the personality relationships appear to change with old age.

Age and sex differences on the hand test.

Investigated age and sex differences on the Hand Test across the life span, while statistically partialing-out the effects of educational level and verbal ability. Subjects were 150 individuals (75 males, 75 females) ranging in age from 20 to 86 years, assigned to one of three age groups on the basis of their chronological age. Participants were administered the Hand Test and the WAIS vocabulary subtest; in addition, years of formal education completed for each subject was obtained. Results indicated that even after statistically adjusting for the effects of education and verbal ability, a number of significant Age. Sex, Age and Sex, as well as Age x Sex interactions were obtained on the Hand Test. It was suggested that, as previous criticisms of projective research with the aged are met, a residue of important personality trends persists.