Comparison of nondominant and dominant hand performances on the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition Visual...

Using both clinical and nonclinical samples, we investigated the effects of nondominant hand completion of copy and memory components on the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) Visual Reproduction (VR) subtest. Part I of the study revealed statistically significant intermanual differences on the copy component, though discrepancies were not clinically meaningful. Part II showed similar memory scores between the group who used their nondominant hand and the group who used their dominant hand. Findings suggest that when a standard administration is precluded, it is reasonable to use the nondominant hand to complete the VR subtest and to make use of the WMS-IV norms for interpretation.