Differential clinical sensitivity of specific parameters of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test

Six 38-77 yr old amnesiacs, 6 25-53 yr old severe head-trauma victims, 6 17-56 yr old schizophrenics, 6 13-30 yr olds with attention deficit disorders, and 6 15-61 yr old psychiatric nonpsychotics were administered a comprehensive clinical neuropsychological evaluation that included the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) and the WAIS. Findings show that the AVLT did not discriminate among groups on the 1st learning trial but did so dramatically after 5 learning trials. A delayed-recall trial following a distractor list showed the most clear-cut discrimination of groups, with results providing a preliminary indication that the amount of loss from the last learning trial to the delayed-recall trial is a sensitive and specific index of primary impairment of learning. Differential results were found on a sequential-organization measure, suggesting that such measures may have clinical utility in evaluating memory disorders. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).