Normative data for measuring performance change on parallel forms of a 15-word list recall test.
Declarative memory evaluation is an essential step in the clinical and neuropsychological assessment of a variety of neurological disorders. It typically addresses the issue of normality/abnormality of an individual's performance. Another clinical application of the neuropsychological assessment of declarative memory is the longitudinal evaluation of an individual's performance change. In fact, in a variety of neurological conditions repeated assessments are needed to evaluate the modifications of a memory disorder as a function of time or in response to a pharmacological or rehabilitation treatment. This study was aimed at collecting data for measuring and interpreting performance change on a memory test for verbal material. For this purpose, we administered to 100 healthy subjects (age range 20-80 years; years of formal education range 8-17 years) three parallel forms of a test requiring the immediate and delayed recall of a 15-word list. The subjects performed the recall test three times (each time with a different list) at least 1 week apart. The order of the lists was randomized across subjects. Results revealed that performance on the three lists was highly correlated and did not vary as a function of the order of presentation. However, accuracy of recall was slightly better on a list compared to the others. Based on a method devised by Payne and Jones (J Clin Psychol 13:115-121, 1957), we provide normative data for establishing whether a discrepancy in recall accuracy on two versions of the test exceeds the discrepancy expected based on the performance of normal controls.
Neurology Clinic, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy, memolab@hsantalucia.it.
Giovanni A
GA
Carlesimo
Marco
M
De Risi
Marco
M
Monaco
Alberto
A
Costa
Lucia
L
Fadda
Angelo
A
Picardi
Giancarlo
G
Di Gennaro
Carlo
C
Caltagirone
Liliana
L
Grammaldo
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013060:Speech; D013067:Speech Perception; D013997:Time Factors; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014825:Vocabulary; D055815:Young Adult