Test of Memory

TEST OF MEMORY
Sr.Supriti February 2010

MEMORY
The ability of an organism to store, retain
and recall information.
the means by which individual retains and
draws on her past experiences to use this
information in the present.

MEMORY
Encoding
Storage
Retrieval

A. Short term storage
the capability of storing information for limited capacity.
it holds memories for matters of seconds or a couple of
minutes.
Ted Mark Edward

Can you recall who he is?
Edward

B. Long term storage
the capability of storing information for large capacity,
perhaps indefinitely.
Emilie Flora Jean

Benazir Bhutto Russell Crowe Ramon Magsaysay

The Statue of Jesus Redeemer
Brazil

The Factors affecting Memory Impairment
1. Head Injuries/ Head trauma
2. Brain tumors or Brain infections
3. Stroke
4. Vitamin deficiency
5. Depression
6. Thyroid disorders
7. Illnesses (Amnesia, Dementia, Alzheimer, etc)

Types of Tasks Used for Measuring Memory
Tasks Requiring Explicit Memory for
Declarative Knowledge
Description of What the Tasks Require
Explicit-memory tasks Consciously recall particular information
Declarative-knowledge tasks Recall the facts
Recall tasks Produce a fact, a word, or other items from memory
Serial-recall task Repeat the items in a list in the exact order in which have been
heard or read
Free-recall task Repeat the items in a list in any order in which ones can recall them
Cued-recall task Memorize a list of paired items; then when ones is given one item
in the pair, she must recall the mate for that item
Recognition tasks Select or otherwise identify an item as being one that has been
previously learned
Implicit-memory tasks Draw on information in memory without consciously realizing that
the individual is doing so
Tasks involving procedural
knowledge
Remember learned skills and automatic behaviours , rather than
facts.

Types of Memory Test
A. Verbal Memory Test
involves remembering a short story or word pairs and long list of
words.
example;
Wechsler Memory Scale-III
Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)
B. Nonverbal Memory Test
requires the visual memory
The Wechsler Memory Scale-III

Word Pairs:
time – city
mist – home
switch – paper
credit – day
fist – cloud
number - branch

TEST INSTRUMENTS
1. Auditory Consonant Trigrams
2. Autobiographical Memory Interview
3.Benton Visual Retention Test-Revised
4.Buschke Selective Reminding Test
5.California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)
a. CVLT for Adult
b. CVLT for Children
6.Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test
7.Wechsler Memory Scale-III
a. WAIS-III (aged 16-89 years old)
b. WISC-III (children aged 6-16 years old)
c. WPPSI (children aged 2-7 years old & 3 months)

I. Auditory Consonant Trigrams
The test was designed to evaluate the working memory in which it
requires a division of attentional processes to complete two cognitive
tasks.
Clinically, the modified Brown–Peterson task (MBPT), also known as the
auditory consonant trigrams uses consonants as the verbal stimuli to be
remembered and is comprised of an immediate recall condition, a
delayed recall and an interference condition during which the participant
is asked to count backwards from a given start number.

II. Autobiographical Memory
Autobiographical Memory refers to memory of an individual’s
history. It is constructive, meaning, one does not remember exactly what
has happened, rather, she/he remembers the construction or
reconstruction of what happened.
One techniques of Autobiographical memory is through diary studies.

Example:
ones kept a diary for a 6-year period; recorded at least two
experiences per day on index cards.
then each month she chose two cards at random and tried to recall the
events she had written on the cards including the dates of the events.
rated each memory for its salience and its emotional content.
surprisingly, her rate of forgetting of events was linear (usually
curvilinear)
In order words, a typical memory curve shows substantial forgetting over
short time intervals and then a slowing in the rate of forgetting over longer
time intervals.

III. Benton Visual Retention Test (Benton test)
The Benton test is used to measure the visual perception & visual
memory. It can also identify the possible learning disabilities
(particularly among children).
The application of the Benton test:
 Sensitivity of reading disabilities
 nonverbal learning disabilities
 Traumatic brain injury
 Attention-Deficit Disorder
 Alzheimer’s disease
 and other forms of Dementia

The Benton Test
administered to individuals aged 8-adult
requires 15-20 minutes administration
The Procedure:
The client is shown 10 different designs one at a time, then the client is
asked to reproduce each one as exactly as possible on plain paper (recalling
from memory)
The results of the test are attained from the shape, pattern, and the
arrangement on the paper.

IV. Buschke Selective Reminding Test
It is a multiple-trial free-recall auditory-verbal learning task
which firstly developed by Buschke (1973) as a test for
adults.
The BSRT enables the simultaneous evaluation on initial
storage, retention, and retrieval of auditory verbal
information.

The latter Development of BSRT
 Buschke (1974) developed the test to be applied to the normal
children
 Levin, Benton & Grossman (1976) normal and head-injured
adolescents
 Morgan (1982) applied the test to normal and hospitalized
children
 Taylor, Michaels, Mazur, Bauer & Liden (1984) applied the test to
children who suffered from Haemophilus influenza meningitis

Levin et al (1982) discovered that the problems with
consistent long-term retrieval was particularly the
characteristics of patients who had experienced prolonged
coma following head injury.

The BSRT Instrument
Buschke (1974) used the list of 20 animal names with 12 recall
trials
Morgan (1982) used three 8-item lists, each confined to nouns of
a single class (e.g. Foods)
Clodfelter, Dickson, Wilkes, and Johnson (1987) reported the
equivalence of two forms of SRT with children aged 9-12 years
old. The forms consist of 12 selected words. Clodfelter also used
a four-footed animal version adapted form Buschke.

V. California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)
 To determine how errors are made in learning tasks
 Intends to identify various strategies, processes, and
errors associated with specific deficits
 Attempts to link memory deficits with impaired
performance; given specific tasks for people who have
neurological problems.

The CVLT has been used to compared patients with Alzheimer’s
disease, Korsakoff syndrome, and Huntington’s disease.
a. Alzheimer’s disease; a neurological disorder that causes loss of
short-term memory
b. Korsakoff syndrome; an organic brain disorder (alcohol use) that
results in the short-tem memory loss.
c. Huntington’s disease; an inherited disorder emerging in adulthood
associated with memory loss.

The CVLT Assessments
 Levels of recall & recognition
 Semantic & serial strategies
 Serial position effects
 Learning rates across trial
 Consistency of item recall across trials
 Degree of vulnerability to proactive and retroactive interference
 Retention of information (short & long delays)
 Learning errors in recall & recognition

The Procedure
In one component of CVLT,
 the client is asked to imagine that he or she is going to go shopping
 then he or she will receive a list of items to buy (verbally presented)
 the client is asked to repeat the given list
 the process is reiterated through a series of five trials

The example list:
1. Grapes
2. Strawberry
3. Toothpaste
4. Honey
5. Cookies
6. Carrot
7. Peanut
8. Tablecloth
9.Sugar
10. Tablecloth

Another features (derived from experimental cognitive
psychology)
 after the five trials of exposure to the 16-word lists, an
interference list of 16 words is presented
 the client is tested immediately to recall the first 16-word lists
presented earlier.
 after the next 20 minutes delay, the client is asked for free
recall, cued recall, and recognition for the first list.

The CVLT Children Version (CVLT-C)
the CVLT of children version was released in 1994 by Denis and his
colleagues. It is designed appropriately for children aged 5 to 16 years
old.
The Use:
 Severe learning disabilities
 Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
 Mental Retardation, and
 other neurological disorders.

The Assessment
o The child may receive a list of 15 words on Monday
o Then receives an interference list of 15 words on Tuesday
o After the interference list of 15 words, the child is tested to recall the
Monday list
o After a 20-minutes delay, a nonverbal test is administered, followed
by tests of long-delay free recall and long-delay cued recall
o Subsequently, the test to assess recognition of the words
administered the day before is designed.

VI. Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)
(a 15-item word list)
The RAVLT was initially developed by Rey (1964) then later
revised for English usage by Lezak (1983) & Taylor (1959).
The test is intended to measure rote of verbal memory that
assess multiple memory domain, including immediate
memory span, new learning, retroactive & proactive
inference & recognition.
The impaired performance on RAVLT has been associated
with left temporal lobe dysfunction, mild head injury,
entrenched Alzheimer, alcoholism)

 Test Administration Procedure
a list of 15-item word list is presented, after which the patient is recall as
many words as possible in any order. The list is presented a total of 5
times, with the patient recalling all the words he or she remembers after
each administration.
A distracter list of 15 new words is then presented for the patient to
recall. At this point, the patient is now asked to recall the words from the
first list.
Delayed recall of the original list is also requested 20 to 30 minutes
afterward. Recognition memory is assessed by having the patient
identify the words from the original list from among distracter words.

By looking at the patient’s performance across the first 5
trials, one can see whether or not learning has occurred.
Normally, most people learn about 5 words from trial 1 to
trial 5. they often “lose” 2 words when recalling the words
after the presentation of the distracter list. Retention is
typically good after the delay, with patients displaying good
recognition memory.

VII. The Wechsler Memory Scale-III
The test was developed by David Wechsler in the 1940s. The WMS is
one of the core instrument used in neuropsychological assessment to
evaluate cognitive Abilities and intellectual abilities in children and adults.
It provides information about the over-all level of intellectual functioning
and the presence or absence of significant intellectual disability.
Likewise, it provides clues to altered function.

There are three different kinds of WMS;
1. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) “Whisk”; used for
ages 6-16 years old.
2. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III); used for ages 16-89
years old.
3. WPPSI “Whipsy”; for children under age (ages 2-7 years & 3 months)

The Characteristics of all Subtest (WAIS-III, WISC-III & WPPSI-R)
A. Verbal Scale
Information; covered knowledge of general information
“In what continent is Brazil”
Comprehension; the ability to organize and apply social knowledge.
“why should children be cautious in speaking to strangers?
Similarities; the ability to analyze relationships and engage in logical abstract
thinking.
“how are a pen and a pencil alike?”
Arithmetic; the ability to work with arithmetic problems.
Vocabulary; the ability to learn words and express its meaning.

Digit Span/ Sentences;
 Digit span to WISC-III; the examinee is asked to repeat the
series of numbers in the sequence
 Sentence to WPPSI-R; the examinee is tasked to repeat
sentence verbatim.
Both sub assess tab attention, concentration, and short-term
auditory memory.
Letter-Number Sequencing

B. Performance Scale
Picture Completion; the ability to perceive & visually organize a sketch then
recognize the missing parts.
Picture Arrangement; the ability to comprehend a whole situation & able to see
the cause & relationship.
Block Design;
Object Assembly; to assemble skills and psychomotor speed
Coding/ Anima Pegs; to tap learning ability, rote recall ability, psychomotor
speed, concentration & attention.

Mazes; perceptual motor skills, psychomotor speed, concentration
and attention.
Geometric Design; to provide child’s perceptual skills
Symbol Search; to tap cognitive processing speed.
Matrix Reasoning; to tap the perceptual organizing and reasoning.

A. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test-Revised (WAIS-R)
to demonstrate different areas of intellectual capabilities.
 Administered to individuals aged 16 to 89 years old
 Approximate time of administration is 75 minutes
 The two scales; Verbal & Performance can be administered separately or
together.
Test data of four factors:
1. Verbal Comprehension; Vocabulary, Similarities, Information
2. Working Memory; Arithmetic, Digit Span, Letter-Number, Sequence
3. Perceptual Organization; Picture Completion, Block Design, Matrix Reasoning
4. Processing Speed; Digit Symbol, Symbol Reach

Note:
 Physical conditions (testing room)
 Testing time (60-90 minutes); consider the older subjects
 Rapport
 Material supplied

B. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
to assess child’s capacity to understand and cope with the world
around them.
 Administered to children aged 6-16 years old
 Approximate time is 1 hour
 The Verbal Scale measures the child’s ability to respond orally
 The Performance Scale intends to tap child’s ability to solve problems
requiring visual-spatial reasoning
 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)- III
 Children aged 6-16 years old & 11 months
 10 core tests; 50-70 minutes; 3 supplemental subtests; 10-15 minutes.

C. WPPSI “Whipsy”; for children under age (ages 2-7 years & 3 months)
to determine the presence of a learning disability or a developmental
delay, to identify the giftedness, and to track the intellectual
development.
 Designed for children aged 3-7 years old & 3 months
 Approximate time is 1 hour & 15 minutes
 The test is divided into six verbal & five performance subtests which
contain information, animal house & animal house re-test, vocabulary,
picture completion, arithmetic, mazes, geometric design, similarities,
block design, comprehension, and sentences. (PICTURES NEXT...)

The Shopping List
1. Grapes
2. Strawberry
3. Toothpaste
4. Honey
5. Cookies
6. Carrot
7. Peanut
8. Tablecloth
9.Sugar
10. Tablecloth

Test of Memory

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to Test of Memory

More from Supriti Rozario

Recently uploaded

In this document

Test of Memory