Clendinen, Cherita

Diaz, Jocelyn

Funes, Cynthia

English

ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University

TITLE: The Relationship between Working Memory and Standard Memory Assessment for Older Adults AUTHORS: Cherita Clendinen, Cynthia Funes, Jocelyn Diaz, & Dr. Robin Morris FACULTY SPONSOR: Dr. Robin Morris, Department of Psychology Introduction: While many neuropsychological batteries measure the constructs of working memory and verbal memory separately, there is limited research exploring whether challenges in working memory are associated with verbal memory assessment. One previous study attempting to assess this relationship evaluated word list learning and utilized the Digit span and Arithmetic subtests from the WAIS-IV to measure working memory, and found a weak relationship between these constructs. The Digit Span and Arithmetic subtests of the WAIS-IV, however, primarily evaluate working memory for numerical information.   Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a unique verbal test of working memory will better evaluate the relationship between working memory and memory for verbal information. Specifically, we observed how performance on Understanding Directions, a verbal test that assesses working memory, listening skills and lexical skills, was related to performance on two commonly used memory tests: memory for stories and list learning.  Method: 16 older adults (age >60) were included in this analysis. Participants were administered the CVLT-II and Story Recall from the WMLS-R. The WMLS-R subtest Understanding Directions, which required participants to review a picture with various objects, listen to a series of directions and point to the requested objects, was selected as the verbal working memory measure for analysis.  Results: Participants who performed well on the verbal working memory test performed better on story recall (p<.05) and total list learning (p<.01). Also, individuals who displayed greater amounts of serial clustering and recency effects performed significantly poorer on the verbal working memory test (p<.05).  Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the verbal working memory test is strongly associated with the ability to remember complex stories and even more strongly with the ability to learn lists.  Specific to list learning, poor verbal working memory was associated with reliance on a less effective learning strategy (serial clustering) and a tendency to recall the last words presented on the list.    

The Relationship between Working Memory and Standard Memory Assessment for Older Adults

Georgia State University

TITLE: The Relationship between Working Memory and Standard Memory Assessment 
for Older Adults 
AUTHORS: Cherita Clendinen, Cynthia Funes, Jocelyn Diaz, & Dr. Robin Morris 
FACULTY SPONSOR: Dr. Robin Morris, Department of Psychology 
Introduction: While many neuropsychological batteries measure the constructs of working 
memory and verbal memory separately, there is limited research exploring whether challenges in 
working memory are associated with verbal memory assessment. One previous study attempting 
to assess this relationship evaluated word list learning and utilized the Digit span and Arithmetic 
subtests from the WAIS-IV to measure working memory, and found a weak relationship between 
these constructs. The Digit Span and Arithmetic subtests of the WAIS-IV, however, primarily 
evaluate working memory for numerical information.  
 
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a unique verbal test of working 
memory will better evaluate the relationship between working memory and memory for verbal 
information. Specifically, we observed how performance on Understanding Directions, a verbal 
test that assesses working memory, listening skills and lexical skills, was related to performance 
on two commonly used memory tests: memory for stories and list learning. 
 
Method: 16 older adults (age >60) were included in this analysis. Participants were administered 
the CVLT-II and Story Recall from the WMLS-R. The WMLS-R subtest Understanding 
Directions, which required participants to review a picture with various objects, listen to a series 
of directions and point to the requested objects, was selected as the verbal working memory 
measure for analysis. 
 
Results: Participants who performed well on the verbal working memory test performed better 
on story recall (p<.05) and total list learning (p<.01). Also, individuals who displayed greater 
amounts of serial clustering and recency effects performed significantly poorer on the verbal 
working memory test (p<.05). 
 
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the verbal working memory test is strongly 
associated with the ability to remember complex stories and even more strongly with the ability 
to learn lists.  Specific to list learning, poor verbal working memory was associated with reliance 
on a less effective learning strategy (serial clustering) and a tendency to recall the last words 
presented on the list.  
 
 


https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1267&amp;context=gsurc

The Relationship between Working Memory and Standard Memory Assessment for Older Adults

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