Discordance between WMS-III Word Lists subtest and RAVLT scores in older patients: four case examples

To examine the adequacy of the WMS-III in the identification of memory deficits in older individuals, we administered the Word Lists subtest, along with a comparison measure, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), to four patients referred for assessment of dementia. Although the number of words recalled by the patients on the delayed trials of the Word Lists subtest and RAVLT were nearly identical, norms for the Word Lists subtest indicated that memory performance was within normal limits (i.e., low average or higher), while the RAVLT norms accurately characterized performance as impaired. We suspect that normative data for the WMS-III were compromised by inadvertent inclusion of older subjects with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The findings from our cases call into question the use of the WMS-III Word Lists for older patients.