Utility of half-credit scoring of Russell's revision of the Wechsler Memory Scale

✍ Scribed by James M. Schear

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 310 KB
• Volume: 42
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(198609)42:5<783::aid-jclp2270420517>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

This study examined interrater reliability of Russell's revision of the Wechsler Memory Scale logical memory using an explicit scoring method in a male medical/psychiatric population. Secondly, it examined whether the ratio of full to half-credit scores can be used to differentiate unimpaired patients from patients with documented cerebral dysfunction. Twenty-five unimpaired and 25 brain-impaired patients matched for age and education were used.

Pearson correlations indicate excellent interrater reliability. t-tests indicate that the groups were not significantly different from the ratio of full-to halfcredit responses on immediate memory, but were significantly different on delayed memory. A posteriori analyses indicated that a small ratio score (less than 3) on delayed recall classified patients with modest success. Results indicated that brain-impaired and unimpaired patients not only differ in regard to level of recall performance, but also differ in regard to pattern of recall performance. Cross-validation of these results is suggested.