Confirmatory factor analysis of the Spanish version of the California Verbal Learning Test in a sample of middle-aged and older adults with subjective memory complaints

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Assessment of the ability to retain new information is of special interest in the second half of life because of age-related changes, especially in those individuals at risk of cognitive impairment. The California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) is one of the most common auditory–verbal learning tests used to test episodic memory. The objective of this paper is to study the stability of the factorial structure of the Spanish version of CVLT in a sample of adults aged 50–87 years with subjective memory complaints (SMCs). Method: Performance at baseline and follow-up assessment (about 18 months later) was analyzed in 301 participants. Models including one, two, three, and four factors were tested, by comparing the results of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models of relations between the factors at baseline and follow-up. Results: The two-factor models (accurate and inaccurate memory) yielded the best fit. The model establishing a relationship between these two factors at baseline and follow-up provided a good fit. Conclusion: CVLT performance in a sample of middle-aged and old adults with SMCs was separated into two factors differentiating accurate recollection and errors. A structural equation modeling (SEM) model relating data from both assessments replicated these findings.

KEYWORDS:

• Verbal-learning tests
• episodic memory
• cognitive complaints
• structural equation models
• follow-up study

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Spanish Directorate General for Science and Technology [grant number SEJ2007-67964-CO2-01], [grant number PSI2010-22224-C03-01]; and by the Galician Government, Consellería de Industria e Innovación/Economía e Industria [grant number PGIDIT07PXIB211018PR], [grant number 10PXIB2011070 PR]. The first author received financial support from the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SEGG).