Rey AVLT: Developmental norms for adults and the sensitivity of different memory measures to age

Abstract

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) has been found to be differentially affected by age, intelligence, and population type. However, previous studies did not specifically report which scores differentiate between age groups. Five hundred and twenty-eight males and females, ranging in age from 21 to 91 years, were administered the Hebrew version of the Rey AVLT. Resulting norms are, therefore, based upon a very large sample of males and females. In addition, findings provide a detailed description of the differential sensitivity of 22 extracted scores on six sequential age groups. Some of these scores were found to be sensitive to age, whereas others were not. The results also show a significant and consistent advantage for females over males on most of the verbal memory measures. The pattern of verbal memory change until the age of 60 years is moderate, as compared to the changes observed from the age of 60 onward. This type of analysis contributes to both the validity of the Rey AVLT, and to its usefulness as a diagnostic tool.