Auditory Verbal Learning Test in a Large Nonclinical Portuguese Population

TLDR

The study produced adjusted normative data for the Portuguese version of the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). The authors collected data from 1,068 community‑dwelling adults (ages 18–93, mean 56) with varied education (0–24 years) and developed regression‑based algorithms to adjust AVLT scores for sex, age, and education, providing percentile estimates for direct, derived, and recognition recall. Sex, age, and education explained 24–35 % of the variance in direct recall and 8–39 % in derived recall, indicating significant demographic effects on AVLT performance.

Abstract

This study aimed to produce adjusted normative data for the Portuguese version of the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). The study included 1,068 community-dwelling individuals (736 women, 332 men) aged 18 to 93 years old (Mage = 56 years, SD = 18) who had educational backgrounds ranging from 0 to 24 years (M = 9.8 years, SD = 5.3). The results showed that sex, age, and education were significantly associated with AVLT performance. These demographic characteristics accounted for 24% to 35% of the variance of direct recall trials and for 8% to 39% of the variance of derived recall scores. The normative data for direct and derived recall scores are presented as regression-based algorithms to adjust for sex, age, and education with subsequent correspondence between adjusted scores and percentile distribution. The norms for the recognition correct score are presented as algorithms to estimate the recognition scores for 5th, 10th, and 18th percentiles for each combination of the variables sex, age, and education.