Effects of age, sex, and education on California Verbal Learning Test-II performance in a Chinese-speaking population

Abstract

The California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II), is a commonly used tool to assess episodic memory. This study analyzed learning and memory characteristics in a cognitively healthy Chinese population, as well as the effects of age, sex and education on CVLT-II factors. In total, 246 healthy people aged 20–80 years and 29 persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) were included in this study and completed the CVLT-II. Factors including total learning, learning strategy, serial position effects, short-delay free and cued recall, long-delay free and cued recall, repetitions and intrusions during recall, hits and false positives of recognition, and total recognition discriminability were calculated. The effects of age, sex and education on these factors were analyzed using ANCOVA or independent two-sample t-tests and further confirmed by multiple regression analysis. The regression-based normative data were then computed by the equivalent scores method. Moreover, differences in learning and memory were compared between persons with MS and age-, sex- and education-matched healthy individuals. Most CVLT-II factors significantly differed between different age and education groups; in particular, better performance in total learning, recall, semantic clustering and recognition was observed in the younger and more educated groups than in the older and less educated groups. Male participants showed higher recency effect scores, more repetitions and fewer hits than female participants. Compared with healthy individuals, persons with MS showed extensive impairments in memory processes, such as learning, recall, learning strategy and recognition (p < 0.05). These findings indicated that verbal learning and memory were highly dependent on age and educational level but not strongly affected by sex. The CVLT-II effectively assesses episodic memory impairment in the Chinese-speaking population.

Sex and gender correlates of sexually polymorphic cognition

“…On the other hand, birth-assigned females outperformed birth-assigned males on the Perdue Pegboard (η 2 P = 0.049) and on California Verbal Learning Test (η 2 P = 0.020), also with effect sizes ranging between small to medium. Again, both results align with the medium Cohen’s d reported in the literature [ 35 , 183 , 184 ]. Therefore, fine motor skills, verbal memory and verbal learning also exhibit some sexual polymorphism.…”

- Sex and Gender Correlates of Sexually Polymorphic Cognition

“…On the other, birth-assigned females outperformed birth-assigned males on the Perdue Pegboard (η 2 P = 0.049) and on California Verbal Learning Test (η 2 P = 0.020), also with effect sizes ranging between small to medium. Again, both results align with the medium Cohen's d reported in the literature (20,120,121). Therefore, ne motor skills, verbal memory and verbal learning also exhibit some sexual polymorphism.…”

Process approach as a cognitive biomarker related to gray matter volume in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

“…We administered the probable reasons below. First, several studies showed that the wordlist learning test was positively associated with education [ 54 , 55 ], and the words in AVLT are written language and lack context. It might be difficult for illiterates or participants with low education to understand and remember.…”