Patterns of association between real-world performance and measures of executive function

Abstract

This study examined the canonical relationships between a set of real-world performance measures and a set of executive function measures with a sample of community based individuals with schizophrenia (N=80). Participants were given a battery of cognitive tests and evaluated with a real-world performance measure, the Test of Grocery Shopping Skills (TOGSS). Using canonical correlation analysis, executive functions of planning, problem-solving, working memory, and task persistence were significantly related to grocery shopping efficiency and accuracy. Two canonical variates with moderate correlations (.547 and .519) explain that 30% of the variance in the executive function and grocery shopping measures was shared. These results identify patterns of association between executive function performance and the independent living skill of grocery shopping.