Synonyms

WRAML-2

Description

The wide range assessment of memory and learning-2 (WRAML-2) is a revised update to the original instrument, published in 1990, that was designed to assess memory in children. The WRAML-2 was designed as a comprehensive tool for the assessment of memory throughout the life span.

The WRAML-2 was developed in an attempt to update the test structure to conform to contemporary ideas about memory. It incorporated a variety of components of memory concepts: primacy and recency effects, immediate and delayed recall, recall of rote learning vs. meaningful learning, visual and verbal memory, sustained attention, short-term memory, recognition vs. retrieval systems, incremental trial learning, semantic vs. acoustic memory errors, working memory, learning curve, and memory decay.

The new version of the WRAML-2 contains 17 subtests to allow for a more detailed analysis of memory. The WRAML-2 Core Battery consists of two Verbal (Story Memory, Verbal Learning), two Visual (Design Memory, Picture Memory), and two Attention/Concentration (Finger Windows, Number-Letter) subtests. Three Index Scores are derived from these six subtests: a Verbal Memory Index, a Visual Memory Index, and an Attention/Concentration Index. Confirmed by factor analysis, the three indexes together form a General Memory Index.

In addition to the core subtests, the WRAML-2 offers 11 optional subtests. From a neuropsychological point these optional tests are important components of memory assessment. A newly added Working Memory Index is comprised of the Symbolic Working Memory and Verbal Working Memory subtests. Both tests are only used for individuals 9 years of age or older. In contrast, Sound Symbol and Sound Symbol Delay Recall subtests retained from the original WRAML are only used for individuals 8 years of age or younger. In addition to the three optional delay memory subtests of the original WRAML (Story Memory Delay Recall, Verbal Learning Delay Recall, and Sound Symbol Delay Recall), the WRAML-2 contains four new recognition subtests: Design Recognition, Picture Recognition, Verbal Recognition, and Story Memory Recognition. Four recognition subtests form the Verbal Recognition Index, the Visual Recognition Index, and a combined General Recognition Index.

Raw scores for each subtest are converted to age-based scaled scores. Summed subtest scaled scores can be converted to index scores. Percentile ranks and stanines are available for all age groups. Index score discrepancy analyses allow the identification of significant differences between subareas of memory ability.

The WRAML-2 was normed using a national stratified sampling technique, controlling for age, sex, race, region, and education. The standardization sample included 1,200 children and adults aged 5–90 years from 22 the US states, with 80 individuals assigned to each of 15 age groups. The sample was highly representative of the US population in terms of gender, ethnicity, and education.

Historical Background

Both versions of the test were developed by David Sheslow and Wayne Adams. The original WRAML was designed for comprehensive assessment of memory in children and adolescents and had norms for up to 17 years of age. The original WRAML was one of the first clinical instruments for a comprehensive evaluation of memory with a child population. The new WRAML-2 extended assessment age of the WRAML from 5–17 to 5–90 years to allow appropriate follow-up from childhood through adulthood.

The manual states that the goal for the revision was also to enhance the WRAML to better reflect development in the field since its original release, while preserving those parts that had been identified by users as especially valuable. The process of revision and norming of the WRAML-2 was extensive. It started with clinician focus groups in 1998, followed by “item tryout” with a relatively small group of subjects, and a subsequent standardization procedure.

With the total of 17 subtests, the new WRAML-2 provides clinicians with a wider range of optional subtests. Two subtests measuring working memory and four subtests measuring recognition memory were added in the second edition to provide a more dynamic and inclusive view of memory functioning.

Psychometric Data

Internal consistency reliabilities measured by Cronbach’s coefficient alpha ranged from 0.86 to 0.93 for Core Index scores. Alpha reliabilities for the Core Battery Verbal Memory Index, Visual Memory Index, Attention/Concentration Index, and General Memory Index are 0.92, 0.89, 0.86, and 0.93, respectively. The median alphas ranged from 0.81 to 0.92 for the six core subtests and from 0.40 to 0.92 for the 11 optional subtests.

Test-retest reliability indicated a learning effect from one test to another, with a the median interval of 49 days between administrations. The average gain for the General Memory Index was 6.7 standard score points. Core and optional subtest gains ranged from 1.6 to 0.2, and 1.8 to 0.3 scaled score points, respectively.

High inter-rater reliability of 0.98 was reported for Design Memory, a test that is assumed to rely most on subjective judgment.

Internal validity was evaluated through item content, intercorrelations among subtests and index scores, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and differential item functioning. Subtest item separation reliabilities ranged from 0.98 to 1.00. Most of the correlations among indexes and subtest scores showed low to moderate relationships. Factor analysis studies supported the internal validity of the test. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of six core subtests demonstrated a three-factor model that was consistent with the hypothesized framework.

The manual reports a variety of studies documenting external validity of the test via correlations with other psychometric tests of memory, including the Wechsler memory scale – III (WMS-III), the Children’s memory scale (CMS), the Test of memory and learning (TOMAL), the California verbal learning test (CVLT), and the California verbal learning test – II (CVLT-II). Moderate convergent and discriminant validities were generally reported between respective indexes of the WRAML-2 and other measures. Moderate correlations were also found between the WRAML-2 and tests of cognitive ability and academic achievement, including the Wechsler adult intelligence scale – III (WAIS-III), the Wechsler intelligence scale for children – III (WISC-III), the Wide range achievement test-3 (WRAT-3), and the Woodcock-Johnson – III tests of achievement (WJ-III). The WRAML-2 manual includes five small clinical studies aimed at investigating differences between clinical groups (Alzheimer’s Disease, Learning Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alcohol Abuse) and matched normal controls. Effect sizes are reported for WRAML-2 subtests and indexes for the clinical-control group comparisons.

Clinical Uses

From a clinical standpoint, the WRAML-2 is a psychometrically solid, flexible instrument for assessment of memory. It can be used as a comprehensive fixed battery for assessment of memory, or as a flexible screening measure. The manual is well organized and easy to follow. The examiner has a choice of manual scoring or computerized scoring at an additional cost.

The WRAML-2 offers a wider age range for assessment of memory than both the original WRAML (5–17 years), and the Wechsler memory scale-IV (WMS-IV; 16–89 years). Due to the extended age range, the WRAML-2 offers an economic and practical advantage for examiners performing assessments for different age groups. The wide age range of the test allows for follow-up assessments as the child gets older.

The Core Battery of the WRAML-2 takes less than an hour to administer. The test also offers a memory screening option when time limitations prevent a more extensive evaluation. The Screening Memory Index consists of four subtests: Story Memory, Picture Memory, Design Memory, and Verbal Learning. Administration requires approximately 20 min. The Screening Memory Index highly correlates at 0.91 with the General Memory Index.

Compared to the original WRAML, which has been available since 1990, the WRAML-2 has only been available for clinical use and research since 2004. Due to the instrument’s novelty, it has been sparsely mentioned in the literature (Atkinson 2008; Atkinson et al. 2008; Giesbrecht 2008; Hall 2007; Hartman 2007; Mcauliffe 2007; Shaver 2005), with the majority of published studies as dissertation abstracts. The authors suggest that due to similarity between the WRAML and WRAML-2 Core subtests, many of the findings from the original test may still have clinical relevance and value. The WRAML-2 manual provides a topically arranged bibliography, with more than 50 clinical and population studies where the original WRAML was used in memory assessment.

Cross-References