The Selective Reminding Test measures memory performance and norms are provided based on a large group of 3257 healthy Flemish individuals. The effects of age, gender and education level on memory performance have been studied (Huybrechts, S., 2011). All three demographic variables seem to have an important influence on all measures of the Selective Reminding Test. First, memory performance declines with increasing age. In addition men show a more rapid decline than women. Second, women outperform men in this verbal list learning. Third, the current results show a significant influence of education level as well, favouring the higher educated subjects. Normative data quantified through percentile ranks and stratified by age, gender and education level, are provided.

The total sample was stratified according to six age groups ranging from 18 to 29 years, 30 to 39 years, 40 to 49 years, 50 to 59 years, 60 to 69 years and all ages above 70. In addition, the sample was divided into four levels of education: level 1 included only basic education (maximum until the age of 16, no diploma of secondary school), level 2 consisted of a diploma of secondary school with the emphasis on preparation for specific jobs (Technical Secondary Education and Vocational Secundary Education), level 3 included diplomas of general secondary education and 3 years of high school maximum, level 4 consisted of all type of education with minimum 4 years of high school or university (masters degree).

Scoring of the test has been automated according the instructions of Buschke (1973; Buschke & Fuld, 1974). The test measures:

  • Total Recall (TR)
  • Long Term Retrieval (LTR)
  • Long Term Storage (LTS)
  • Short Term Retrieval (STR)
  • Consistent Long Term Retrieval (CLTR)
  • number of correct recognised Multiple Choice items (MCR)
  • and Delayed Recall (DR)

TR includes the number of words recalled over 12 trials. If a word is recalled on two successive trials without a reminder, it is assumed to have entered LTS on the first of these two trials. With or without retrieval of this word on the subsequent trials, it is scored as LTS on all following trials. A word is scored as LTR when the subject recalls a word that has entered LTS. CLTR refers to consistent recall of this word on all succeeding trials. When the subject recalls a word that has not entered LTS, it is scored as STR. MCR includes the number of recognised words and DR contains the number of words the subject recalls after a delay of 30 minutes.

Manually scoring the Selective Reminding Test requires great accuracy and is quite time consuming. Metrisquare DiagnoseIS allows for convenient registration of the responses given, as well as fully automated analysis of the responses and comparison to the norms defined in the study described above.