Effect of speed of presentation on administration of the logical memory subtest of the wechsler memory scale-revised

The Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) is widely used in the clinical assessment of memory. Two studies were designed to determine (I) how the absence of standardised administration guidelines for the Logical Memory subtest would affect the speed of presentation, and (2) how variations in speeds of presentation would impact on test performance. Fifty-seven trainee psychologists were tape-recorded in a simulated administration of the Logical Memory subtest. The results revealed considerable variability in speeds of presentation. The second study examined the performances of three groups of subjects under three conditions of presentation (viz., fast, medium, and slow). Results revealed that subjects in the fast group recalled significantly fewer memory items than did subjects in the slow group. Clinical implications of the effect of speed of presentation on test performance are discussed, together with suggestions for improvement in the administration of the WMS-R Logical Memory subtest.