Factor Structure of the Benton Visual Retention Tests: Dimensionalization of the Benton Visual Retention Test, Benton Visual Retention Test–Multiple Choice, and the Visual Form Discrimination Test

Abstract

Six sequential experiments were conducted on archival data of 610 U.S. Veterans seen at the Palo Alto Veteran's Affairs Hospital, to understand the dimensionalization of the Benton Visual retention test in both the recall (BVRT) and multiple-choice (BVRT-MC) format as well as the Visual Form Discrimination Test (VFDT). These tests were dimensionalized by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised (WAIS-R) revealing a four-component model that explains 81.04% of the shared variance: the moderately difficult items (BVRT-MC and VFDT items 13–16) loaded with the WAIS-R Perceptual Organization, the easiest items (VFDT items 1–12, BVRT-MC items 1–12, and BVRT items 1–4) loaded separately with both WAIS-R Verbal Comprehension and Freedom from Distractibility, and the most difficult items (BVRT items 3–10) loaded weakly with WAIS-R Perceptual Organization.