Examination of the concurrent validity of the California verbal learning test

Abstract

This study examines the concurrent validity of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) by comparing the CVLT indices with scores on selected subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), a modified Selective Reminding (SR) Procedure -Form I and the WAIS-R. The sample was composed of 49 male patients routinely evaluated at a VA Medical Center. Mean age was 47.1 years (SD = 13.49) and mean educational achievement was 11.7 years (SD = 2.59) The results indicate a modest level of intercorrelation between the CVLT indices and both WMS and SR subtest scores. The correlations between the CVLT indices and the WMS subtests are remarkably consistent with those reported by the CVLT developers. The correlations between WAIS-R IQs and CVLT indices are modest and suggest that the CVLT is not measuring some dimension of intelligence. The results of this study provide needed information about the relationship among three verbal memory tests and the most widely used adult individual intelligence test.