Abstract
Purpose :
We examined how participants with visual impairment (VI) rated their own ability to carry out three everyday tasks and compared that to the performance measured objectively.
Methods :
Fifteen participants with bilateral macular degeneration and 10 age matched normals were requested to self-report their perceived difficulty with three everyday tasks: pouring water from a jug, picking food from a plate and turning a key in a lock. The ratings used ranged from 0 (impossible) to 4 (not difficult). The self-report was based on how they would perform the tasks at home using any habitual strategies they may have adopted. An objective assessment of their actual performance was then measured using a Vicon movement analysis system to assess various kinematic indices. After the objective assessment, participants were asked to self–report again on their perceived ability to perform the specific tasks.
Results :
Self-report suggested that turning a key task was deemed to be more difficult than the pouring task. Picking up food from a plate was perceived to be easiest (p<0.05). Objective assessment demonstrated various habitual strategies that participants adopt to carry out these tasks including shorter working distance, use of both hands etc. In order to assess objectively which task was more difficult the percentage difference in overall time and the number of movement corrections needed to complete each task, between VI participants and normals were compared. The pouring task was the easiest while the key in the lock and food on the plate showed similar differences between the two groups. In addition, the difficulty reported once the participants had actually completed the task was significantly less (p<0.05) than initial self-reported difficulty for all tasks.
Conclusions :
Our data demonstrate a lack of agreement between the difficulty reported subjectively and that measured objectively for these everyday tasks. In addition participants reported less difficulty immediately after they had actually performed the task. The disconnect between self-reported visual difficulty and assessed difficulty, as well the difference between pre- and post- measurement shows that other factors, such as self- confidence, play a substantial part in self-report scores.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.