Does memory test performance in children become more consistent with age? Cross-sectional comparisons using the...

This study examined intertask consistency on the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), using two age cohorts of children. Eighty-one neurologically impaired children and 76 matched (i.e., age, gender, race) controls were separated into two age groups, 5- to 9- and 10- to 14-year-olds. Performance on four subtests from the WRAML Memory Screening Index were examined. For the older neurologic sample, all six intertask correlations were significant (mean r = .58) while only three of the six correlation coefficients were significant among the younger neurologic group (mean r = .26). In contrast, only three of the six intertask coefficients were statistically significant in both the younger and older controls. A possible explanation for these divergent findings and clinical implications of intertask variability on memory measures are discussed.