Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Verbal Paired Associates tests limits on validity and reliability.

Bob Uttl1, Peter Graf, Laura K Richter

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Oregon State, 204C Moreland Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-5303, USA. bob.utt@orst.edu

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology : the Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists
|November 1, 2003
PubMed
Summary

A new Verbal Paired Associates test was developed to address ceiling effects in existing memory assessments. This new test shows significant age-related memory decline and is influenced by education and verbal IQ.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI): obsolete norms identify psychopathology in nearly everyone.

PeerJ·2025
Same author

Comparing incomparables: commentary on "measuring the frequency of inner-experience characteristics".

Frontiers in psychology·2024
Same author

Age differences in the experience of everyday happiness: The role of thinking about the future.

Psychology and aging·2023
Same author

Everyday Pain in Middle and Later Life: Associations with Daily and Momentary Present-Moment Awareness as One Key Facet of Mindfulness.

Canadian journal on aging = La revue canadienne du vieillissement·2023
Same author

Effect of Exercise Training or Complex Mental and Social Activities on Cognitive Function in Adults With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA network open·2022
Same author

Small-world complex network generation on a digital quantum processor.

Nature communications·2022

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • The Verbal Paired Associates (VPA) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) is a key tool for evaluating explicit episodic memory.
  • Existing WMS-III VPA normative data exhibit ceiling effects, limiting its diagnostic utility in high-performing individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a new 15-item Verbal Paired Associates test with improved sensitivity across the performance spectrum.
  • To establish normative data for the new VPA test in a diverse adult population.

Main Methods:

  • A new 15-item Verbal Paired Associates test was administered to 351 healthy adults aged 18–91.
  • Normative data were collected and analyzed, examining effects of age, education, verbal IQ, and sex.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The new VPA test demonstrated minimal ceiling effects, with few participants achieving perfect scores.
  • Significant age-related decline was observed in initial memory acquisition, with a smaller age effect on learning across trials.
  • Performance on the VPA test was correlated with education, verbal IQ, and, to a lesser extent, sex.

Conclusions:

  • The new Verbal Paired Associates test offers a more sensitive measure of episodic memory compared to the WMS-III VPA.
  • The normative data and predictive equations provided will aid in the precise assessment of memory performance in clinical and research settings.