The UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA) is a role-play test designed to evaluate a person’s functional capacity in four selected areas of basic living skills. These areas include Comprehension & Planning (e.g., plan a trip to the beach or the zoo), Finance (e.g., count cash and pay bills), Communication (e.g., reschedule a doctor’s appointment, and Mobility (e.g., read a bus schedule). Test-takers are asked to utilize on-screen props to demonstrate how they perform everyday activities and are assessed on their actual performance.
The original UPSA and the UPSA-Brief have been extensively published on in highly impactful peer-review scientific journals. Research studies utilizing the UPSA have demonstrated the following psychometric strengths:
-Relationship between the UPSA-Brief and employment status, including the ability to predict patients who were employed based on their UPSA-Brief scores
-Ability of the UPSA and UPSA-Brief to predict residential independence in patients with schizophrenia
Strong positive correlations between neuropsychological test performance and the UPSA
-Mediation of the UPSA between neuropsychological functioning and real-world functional outcomes
Additionally, we previously developed a computerized version of the UPSA (C-UPSA), which was validated in a sample of patients with schizophrenia and control participants (Moore, R.C. et al., (2013) Initial validation of a computerized version of the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (C-UPSA) for assessing functioning in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 144(1-3): 87-92. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2012.12.028). Both the C-UPSA and this mobile application version of the test have removed the Household Chores subtest from the UPSA as it has not been found to significantly contribute to UPSA total scores. A validation study of this mobile application version of the test is currently underway at UCSD.
Features include:
-Ease of administration and scoring
-Option to administer the full UPSA or the UPSA-Brief. UPSA-Brief is a shorter version of the test that consists of the Finance and Communication subtests.
-Standardized audio files of instructions and test questions. No examiner manual necessary.
-Participants verbal responses are recorded for the examiner to listen to at a later time and score.
-Touch screen capacity for participants to manipulate money, write a check, dial phone numbers, and make selections on bus maps. All responses are recorded for easy scoring.
The UPSA-M is intended for use by health professionals. We are providing this test free of change. However, in accordance with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, you will be required to provide qualifications demonstrating that you are appropriately trained to administer, score, and interpret the test before being granted access to the test. The UPSA-M requires approximately 30 minutes total to administer and score. A scoring algorithm and score sheet will be emailed to you once your educational requirements have been approved.
Please send questions, comments or feedback to [email protected].