The Selective Reminding Test is a complex list-learning test that starts in a simple way: the tester recites a list of twelve unrelated words and then asks the subject to recite all twelve words together. Then comes the tricky part: the tester prompts the subject with only those words that the subject missed on the first repetition, following which the subject is again required to repeat all twelve words, that is, recite the words that were missed the first time as well as those that were “kept in
memory” from the first to the second trial.
This sequence continues until the subject either gets all twelve words correct in successive repetitions or a total of twelve trials is completed. In the delayed recall part, the subject is challenged fifteen minutes after the last trial to recall the entire list of twelve words. The large number of trials requires complex scoring procedures and neuropsychological expertise. The Visual Reproduction subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale is a different type of test because it evaluates the ability to remember shapes (recalling visual images).
Each test taps into a slightly different aspect of memory. A neuropsychologist typically administers a whole range of tests and looks for consistent patterns of deficits. If the subject performs well in all except one test, it may be due to a lapse in concentration. On the other hand, if someone scores consistently below normal on several memory tests, further investigation is necessary.
Factors That Affect Your Memory Test Performance
Three well-recognized factors can influence performance on memory tests: age, education, and gender.
Age
Since it is “normal’’ for memory test scores to worsen as people grow older, the standard test scores are adjusted downward to get the “norms” for that age group. Therefore, a “normal” ninety-year-old
person may actually score worse on the standardized memory tests than a fifty-year-old person with moderate memory loss.
These age-adjusted test scores are used to help distinguish a clinical disorder from normal test performance within a particular age group. The flip side, of course, is the risk of dismissing worsening memory as “normal” for a person’s age and doing nothing about it.
Taken From: The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss
and Enhance Memory Power
