BVMT-R™

Technical information

Reliability coefficients range from .96 to .97 for the three Learning trials, .97 for Total Recall, and .97 for Delayed Recall. Test-retest reliability coefficients range from .60 for Trial 1 to .84 for Trial 3. The BVMT-R correlates most strongly with other tests of visual memory and less strongly with tests of verbal memory.

Reliability, Validity, and Norms

• The interrater reliability for the BVMT-R was assessed in randomly selected subtests of the normative and patient groups.
• All of the BVMT-R protocols were scored by the author, who served as a primary rater.
• The BVMT-R was administered to 83 neurologic and psychiatric patients (diagnoses included head trauma, psychiatric disorder, adult learning disability or mental retardation, and mixed diagnoses such as stroke, vascular dementia, progressive basal ganglia disease, chronic alcoholism, and HIV-1 associated dementia.)

Test structure

• In three Learning Trials, the respondent views the stimulus page for 10 seconds and is asked to draw as many of the figures as possible in their correct location on a page in the response booklet. A Delayed Recall Trial is administered after a 25-minute delay. Last, a Recognition Trial, in which the respondent is asked to identify which of 12 figures were included among the original geometric figures, is administered.
• An optional Copy Trial may be administered to screen for severe visuoconstructive deficits and to help in scoring recall responses.

Administration

• Respondents should have normal or corrected vision and hearing sufficient to perceive the test stimuli and comprehend the test instructions accurately.
• Among clinical populations with known or suspected brain dysfunction, these requirements may not be fully met. In such cases, reliability and validity of the BVMT-R data will depend upon the expertise of the examiner.
• Before presentation of each learning trial, the respondent’s attention should be fixed at the point where the Recall Stimulus Booklet will be positioned.
• The respondent is permitted as much time as necessary for the task, and he or she is encouraged to draw the designs as precisely as possibly (use of an eraser is permitted).

Scoring and Reporting

• Twelve scores may be derived from BVMT-R performance.
• Recall performance is recorded for each of the immediate recall trials (Trial 1, Trail 2, and Trial 3) and for the delayed recall trial (Delayed Recall).
• The recall scores are combined to form three additional summary measures of learning and memory.
• Recognition Hits and False Alarms are recorded during the delayed recognition task. Recognition Hits are calculated as the number of correct “YES” responses to target items, and Recognition False Alarms are calculated as the number of incorrect “yes” responses to nontarget items.