Narrative and visual spatial recall: Assessment incorporating learning and delayed retention

Abstract

Abstract We determined whether memory for a complex figure improves (learning occurs) after re-presentation of the stimulus despite a delay, as it does for verbal narrative information in the Babcock-Levy recall procedure. In addition, we compared interdigitated administrations of the verbal and nonverbal tests, which reduce delays to 5 minutes, to separate administrations of each test with delays of 20 minutes. Scoring manuals were written, and interscorer reliabilities in the .90's were obtained. Results indicated that visual-spatial recall improves, that the two delays generated equivalent results and that these measures of visual-spatial and verbal memory are not correlated. The interdigitated sequence may be an efficient battery for measuring deliberate recall and learning of verbal and nonverbal complex information.