Wechsler Test Memory Scale (WMS-IV) Visual and Verbal Memory 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient recalls a story well immediately but poorly after 25 minutes. This pattern most suggests a deficit in:
- Encoding only
- Delayed retention/retrieval (Correct answer)
- Visual perception
- Motor coordination
Correct answer: Delayed retention/retrieval
Good immediate but poor delayed recall points to difficulty retaining or retrieving stored information.
Question 2: On Verbal Paired Associates, an examinee improves across learning trials. This demonstrates:
- A learning curve (Correct answer)
- A ceiling effect
- Retroactive interference
- Confabulation
Correct answer: A learning curve
Improvement over repeated trials reflects a normal learning curve.
Question 3: Which subtest pairing would best contrast verbal versus visual memory in WMS-IV?
- Logical Memory vs. Visual Reproduction (Correct answer)
- Symbol Span vs. Spatial Addition
- Digit Span vs. Coding
- Vocabulary vs. Matrix Reasoning
Correct answer: Logical Memory vs. Visual Reproduction
Logical Memory taps verbal memory while Visual Reproduction taps visual memory, making them a clear contrast.
Question 4: A very low Visual Memory Index with an average Auditory Memory Index suggests difficulty primarily with:
- Spoken information
- Visually presented information (Correct answer)
- Reading comprehension
- Speech production
Correct answer: Visually presented information
A selectively low Visual Memory Index indicates specific trouble remembering visual material.
Question 5: WMS-IV scaled scores for subtests typically have a mean of:
- 5
- 10 (Correct answer)
- 50
- 100
Correct answer: 10
Subtest scaled scores have a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3.
Question 6: WMS-IV index scores are reported on a scale with a mean of:
- 10
- 50
- 100 (Correct answer)
- 115
Correct answer: 100
Index scores use a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
Question 7: Recognition trials in WMS-IV help distinguish between problems with:
- Encoding versus retrieval (Correct answer)
- Vision versus hearing
- Reading versus writing
- Attention versus mood
Correct answer: Encoding versus retrieval
If recognition is better than free recall, the issue is more retrieval than encoding.
Wechsler Test Memory Scale (WMS-IV) Visual and Verbal Memory 3
A patient recalls a story well immediately but poorly after 25 minutes.
This pattern most suggests a deficit in: