Auditory and Visual Versions of the WMS III Logical Memory Subtest: The Effect of Relative Importance of Information Units on Forgetting Rate

Abstract

Background: The Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the WMS III is a frequently used clinical assessment measure of memory. The goal of the present study is to evaluate three ways of improving the diagnostic utilization of the LM: First, taking into account the importance of the units of information in scoring the test; second, introducing a visual version in addition to the auditory version of the test; and third, by testing the feasibility of group administration of the test. Methods: We compared the effect of importance of information on the forgetting rate of visual and auditory versions of the test. Sixty-nine participants were randomly allocated into Auditory and Visual groups. Recall was tested immediately, 40 minutes later and after a one-week delay. Results: We found that the forgetting rate was steeper for the less, compared to the more, important units of information. The pattern of findings was similar but not identical in the auditory and visual versions of the test. Conclusions: The present results indicate that utilization of the LM could be improved by taking into account the relative importance of the information units, adding a visual modality and applying group administration. These advantages need to be validated in clinical populations with memory impairment.