title: Utility of half-credit scoring of Russell's revision of the Wechsler Memory Scale.
abstract: This study examined interrater reliability of Russell's revision of the Wechsler Memory Scale logical memory using an explicit scoring method in a male medical/psychiatric population. Secondly, it examined whether the ratio of full to half-credit scores can be used to differentiate unimpaired patients from patients with documented cerebral dysfunction. Twenty-five unimpaired and 25 brain-impaired patients matched for age and education were used. Pearson correlations indicate excellent interrater reliability. t-tests indicate that the groups were not significantly different from the ratio of full- to half-credit responses on immediate memory, but were significantly different on delayed memory. A posteriori analyses indicated that a small ratio score (less than 3) on delayed recall classified patients with modest success. Results indicated that brain-impaired and unimpaired patients not only differ in regard to level of recall performance, but also differ in regard to pattern of recall performance. Cross-validation of these results is suggested.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D014888:Wechsler Scales