The latent structure of the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II) was examined in a clinical sample of 223 persons with traumatic brain injury that had been screened to remove individuals with complicating premorbid (e.g., psychiatric) or comorbid (e.g., financial compensation seeking) histories. Analyses incorporated the z scores from 12 CVLT-II variables. Maximum-likelihood confirmatory analyses were performed to test the fit and parsimony of four hypothetical models. A four-factor model, consisting of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Delayed Memory, and Inaccurate Memory, met all the a priori specified criteria for model fit and parsimony. This model was consistent with that identified previously in a confirmatory factor analysis of the CVLT-II standardization sample. The results support the construct validity of the CVLT-II in individuals with traumatic brain injury and indicate that a multifactorial interpretation is appropriate for clinical practice.

Subtypes of learning and memory on the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 2000) were examined in a clinical sample of 223 persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI), screened to remove individuals with complicating premorbid (e.g., psychiatric) or comorbid (e.g., financial compensation-seeking) histories. The z scores from 4 key CVLT-II variables were entered into a two-stage cluster analysis. These variables were selected to represent 4 latent constructs, identified in a recent confirmatory factor analysis: List A1 (Attention Span), List A5 (Learning Efficiency), Long Delay Free Recall (Delayed Memory), and False Positives (Inaccurate Memory). Six reliable subtypes were found (similar to those in the standardization sample) that were differentiated by both level and pattern of performance, with differences in level of performance meaningfully related to length of coma. In conclusion, the impact of TBI on CVLT-II performance can be manifested in various patterns that are not specifically unique, but are affected by injury severity.