Clinical memory tests and everyday memory

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between clinical memory tests and everyday memory abilities. Fifty older adults were given clinical memory tests, a battery of everyday tasks and a self-report questionnaire of memory problems. The interrelationships among these groups of memory assessment measures were studied using Pearson correlations and multivariate canonical analysis. The resulting intercorrelations and canonical variate loadings were low to moderate in overall magnitude. The self-assessment of memory problems had a much lower relationship to everyday and clinical memory tasks. The self-assessment of memory for reading material had the strongest relationship to clinical memory tests. In general, these results moderately support the use of clinical memory tests to predict everyday memory ability.