Memory Span on the Wechsler Scales

This study had two goals. One was to assess whether the WMS-III Spatial Span subtest operates as a visual analogue of Digit Span while the second was to determine whether backward span is a more sensitive measure of working memory than the forward span condition. Analyses based on the WAIS-III-WMS-I...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology 2004-06, Vol.26 (4), p.539-549
Main Authors: Wilde, Nancy J., Strauss, Esther, Tulsky, David S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Analysis of Variance
Brain Diseases - classification
Brain Diseases - complications
Case-Control Studies
Female
Functional Laterality - physiology
Humans
Male
Memory Disorders - etiology
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Mental Recall - physiology
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Reversal Learning - physiology
Serial Learning - physiology
Verbal Behavior
Wechsler Scales - standards
Wechsler Scales - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:This study had two goals. One was to assess whether the WMS-III Spatial Span subtest operates as a visual analogue of Digit Span while the second was to determine whether backward span is a more sensitive measure of working memory than the forward span condition. Analyses based on the WAIS-III-WMS-III standardization and clinical group data revealed some important distinctions between Digit and Spatial Span. The two tasks exhibited differences in patterns of performance on the forward versus backward conditions, in their relationships with age, and in their methodology. Moreover, the backward conditions of both Digit and Spatial Span did not appear more affected by risk factors such as aging or pathology than the forward scores. This runs contrary to the widespread notion that backward span provides differential sensitivity regarding working memory processing.
ISSN:1380-3395
1744-411X
DOI:10.1080/13803390490496605