Comparing the Rey and Taylor complex figures: a test-retest study in young and older adults

The Rey and Taylor figures, two visual perception and memory tests, are not equivalent in terms of their difficulty. The purpose of this study was to examine factors such as age, gender, order of administration, copy time, and copy score that could account for the variability in recall performance. Copy score was shown to be the best overall predictor of recall. Younger participants recalled more units than older participants on both complex figures. Furthermore, older participants appeared to benefit more from the presentation of the Taylor figure first compared to when they were presented with the Rey figure first. The present findings reveal the importance of test order and provide equations that can be used to facilitate the comparison of scores derived from the two figures in test-retest situations.