An Examination of the Word Memory Test as a Measure of Memory

This study examined the utility of the Word Memory Test (WMT) as a measure of verbal episodic memory by comparing select WMT subtests to the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) First and Second Editions (CVLT-II) across two samples. Correlations between the WMT and CVLT/CVLT-II subtests were statistically significant in the expected direction. Effect sizes were examined to assess the degree to which the WMT memory subtests and the CVLT First Edition subtests discriminated between groups of people who would be expected to differ from each other in verbal memory abilities. Comparison groups included cases of mild, moderate, and severe traumatic brain injury, mixed neurological patients, healthy adult controls, and patients with possible early dementia. Once invalid data were removed by studying only those who passed performance validity testing, it was found that the effect sizes between these groups were comparable. The WMT, CVLT, and CVLT-II were found to discriminate to about the same degree between people differing from each other in age, intelligence levels, and gender. Based on these data from a total sample of more than 3,000 cases, it is concluded that select WMT subtests are commensurate with the CVLT subtests as measures of memory within primarily disability-seeking samples.