Is the Bender Gestalt Test an Important Tool for Neuropsychologists?

Abstract

The title Bender Gestalt: Screening for Brain Dysfunction (2nd ed.) indicates that the primary utility of the Bender Gestalt Test (BGT) is one of screening for the presence of brain impairment. The author, Patricia Lacks, quickly dispels this notion in the preface to her book where she states, “My book is not about how to use the BGT as a single test of ‘organicity’, a long outdated practice. Instead, the focus is on neuropsychological assessment as a continuum” (p. vii). Indeed, Lacks advocates, throughout her book, the more general use of the BGT as an important part of any standard neuropsychological test battery. She writes, “Even though the BGT has been shown to be useful for identifying persons with a wide range of cognitive impairment, it primarily assesses disordered perceptual-motor and executive functions” (p. 27). Unfortunately, Lacks does not provide the reader with any data to support her above statement regarding what the BGT actually measures. Before taking the latter point any further, allow me to briefly describe the BGT and its history.