Factor analysis of the WMS-R and the WAIS

A principal components factor analysis of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) was performed on 133 patients referred for neuropsychological assessment al a university medical center. Six factors were selected according to the Scree test, percentage of variance extracted, and the meaningfulness of the factors. The factors were labelled as follows: Perceptual Organization, Verbal Comprehension, Attention/Concentration, Complex Verbal Memory, Verbal Paired-Associate Memory, and Visual Paired Associate Memory. The Figurai Memory and Visual Reproduction I & II failed to emerge as a factor separate from the Performance subtests of the WAIS. Two verbal memory factors were found apart from the Verbal subtests of the WAIS.