Examination of the global and local features of the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure using faceted smallest space analysis

Clinicians often use the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) to distinguish between global and local information processing deficits, despite the fact that its validity for making such a distinction has not been empirically evaluated. To address this question; a statistical procedure that examines the similarity between variables, also known as Faceted Smallest Space Analysis, was applied to the ROCF test protocols of patients with well- documented structural brain lesions. The study confirms the differentiation between global and local elements of the ROCF, particularly among left hemisphere-injured patients. Discriminant Function Analysis, however, shows that the right-sided local elements of the ROCF are the most useful for discriminating between right- and left-hemisphere-damaged patients. The present study suggests that the processing of the ROCF is dependent on both the spatial characteristics and location of its elements.