Verbal vs. visual categories on the Wechsler Memory Scale-revised: how meaningful a distinction?

This study investigated whether the a priori classification of Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) subtests into separate Verbal and Visual categories is warranted. Correlational and hierarchical clustering analyses found that (a) memory test performance correlated significantly with performance on subtests of Form II of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB-II) that measure substrates of particular memory processes; and (b) subtests that appeared a priori to involve verbal skills clustered separately from those that appeared to involve nonverbal (visual) skills. However, the WMS-R Visual Paired Associates subtest did not cluster with the nonverbal scales as expected, and the LNNB-II Memory Scale appeared to be predominantly a test of verbal memory. Practical consequences of these findings were discussed.