Visual reproduction subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised: analysis of construct validity

This study assessed the construct validity of Visual Reproduction (VR) Cards A (Flags) and B (Boxes) from the original Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) compared to Flags and Boxes from the revised edition of the WMS (WMS-R). Independent raters scored Flags and Boxes using both the original and revised scoring criteria and correlations were obtained with age, education, IQ, and four separate criterion memory measures. Results show that for Flags, there is a tendency for the revised scoring criteria to produce improved construct validity. For Boxes, however, there was a trend in the opposite direction, with the revised scoring criteria demonstrating worse construct validity. Factor analysis suggests that Flags are a more distinct measure of visual memory, whereas Boxes are more complex and significantly associated with conceptual reasoning abilities. Using the revised scoring criteria, Boxes were found to be more strongly related to IQ than Flags. This difference was not found using the original scoring criteria.