Distinguishing normal and demented elderly with the selective reminding test

• Published in: Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology 1989-10, Vol.11 (5), p.615-630
• Main Authors: Masur, D M, Fuld, P A, Blau, A D, Thal, L J, Levin, H S, Aronson, M K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer Disease - psychology; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Mental Recall; Neuropsychological Tests; Predictive Value of Tests; Reference Values
• ISSN: 1380-3395
• DOI: 10.1080/01688638908400920

The selective reminding (SR) procedure, a popular technique for the study of verbal memory, was used to investigate aspects of memory functioning in a large group of normal elderly and in a smaller group of elderly subjects with Alzheimer Type Dementia (ATD). One hundred thirty-four normal elderly (mean age = 79.53 years) subjects and 21 ATD subjects (mean age = 68.3 years) were administered four versions of the SR test as part of a longitudinal study of risk factors in the development of dementia. Normative data were obtained for multiple components of memory functioning within the elderly sample. Test-retest reliability was .84 for long-term retrieval (LTR), .89 for sum of recall, and .92 for consistent retrieval. Clinical validity studies revealed that the components of sum of recall, storage estimate, LTR, and consistent long-term storage (CLTS) were most valuable in distinguishing mild ATD from normal aging. Positive predictive values ranged from 86% for CLTS, 89% for LTR, 91% for sum of recall, and 100% for storage estimate. These findings suggest that the SR test has considerable clinical utility in differentiating normal aging from dementia, and has promise as a useful tool in the preclinical detection of ATA.