The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test: Normative data for the Brazilian population and analysis of the influence of demographic variables.

Abstract

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is an efficient neuropsychological instrument for testing episodic declarative memory. Performance on this test can be influenced by demographic and cultural variables. The objective of the present study was to analyze the influence of demographics variables, such as age, gender, and education, on RAVLT performance in young and elderly adults. A Portuguese version of the RAVLT was administered to 302 healthy participants. Subjects were from both genders, ranging in age from 17 to 85 years (mean 50.6 ± 15.9 years) and in education from 1 to 20 years (mean 11.3 ± 3.7 years). Participants were grouped by age: 17-34 years old, 34-49 years old, 50-64 years old, and 65-85 years old. Pearson's Correlation analysis showed a significant association between RAVLT performance and both age and education (p < .001), but not between RAVLT performance and gender. Two-way analysis of variance revealed significant effects of age on all RAVLT measurements and significant effects of years of education on all measurements, with the exception of recognition. The present data indicate that participant age and education significantly influence performance on the RAVLT.

Validade discriminante do Teste de Aprendizagem Auditivo-Verbal de Rey: comparação entre idosos normais e idosos na fase inicial da doença de Alzheimer

“…O estudo apresenta limitações no tamanho da amostra e em relação à diferença da frequência de homens e mulheres na amostra. Cabe salientar, entretanto, que o efeito do gênero no RAVLT é controverso, existindo dados que apontam para um melhor desempenho feminino em alguns itens do teste 11,18,[25][26][27][28] e outros que não encontraram tais diferenças 8,12,13,[29][30][31] . De forma a avaliar o papel do gênero no desempenho, subdividiu-se cada grupo em homens e mulheres, comparando seus desempenhos por meio do teste Mann--Whitney.…”

Low educational level effects on the performance of healthy adults on a Neuropsychological Protocol suggested by the Commission on Neuropsychology of the Liga Brasileira de Epilepsia

“…We postulate that the familiarity factor may have played a facilitating role in this passage of RAVLT. Moreover, life experience of adults may have contributed to these findings 21 .…”

Depression and Memory Decline in the Elderly

“…In the context of lower education levels and more advanced age, impoverished cognition declares itself more readily (Fichman et al, 2010;Magalhães & Hamdan, 2010). In verbal learning tests, such as lists of words, the elderly tend to remember more of the fi rst and last words, and improve their performance with repetition (Brehmer, Westerberg, & Bäckman, 2012;Spinnler, Sala, Bandera, & Baddeley, 1988).…”