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WMS Report
WMS Report
Psychodiagnostic Lab
MPS 251
Pallavi Chopra
2239336
Submitted to
Dr Sherin P Antony
`
WMS REPORT 2
Introduction
While there have been many speculations about memory, and how it operates, presently it
is defined as a system that encodes, stores and retrieves information. It is necessary for a person
to have gone through the three major steps of memory—encoding, storage, and retrieval—to
“remember” a piece of information. Encoding is the process through which information derived
from the stimuli in the environment is encrypted into the mind. The second part is storage, where
the encoded information is accumulated. The third part of the process is retrieval, which depends
on the two earlier parts of the process; if there is an issue in encoding or storing the information,
the individual might have a harder time retrieving the information (Frankland et al. 2019).
sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968). The
structural model is presented in a way where stimuli are registered in the sensory memory and
reach the short-term memory before finally reaching the long-term memory. The sensory
memory holds the information for the shortest period of time—just the briefest period to register
the stimuli. There are three types of sensory memory: iconic memory (visual representation),
Echoic Memory (auditory representation), and Haptic memory (sense of touch). However, not all
of the information from stimuli makes it into one’s storage area or even gets encoded into one’s
brain. The existence of more than one stimulus forces the brain to manage, and prioritize which
information gets encoded or stored; this is known as selective attention. Some of the early
selection models provide evidence that the “filter” of selective attention lies just right after the
brain detects the stimuli, while the late-selection models suggest that the information is filtered
after one recognises its meaning, and thus decides if it is important enough to get stored (Alperin
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et al. 2013). Once it gets stored in short-term memory, with the help of recall and rehearsal,
Working Memory
However, thinking the existing model is rudimentary, Braddley and Hitch published the
Working Memory—a revised model of Atkison and Shriffin’s short-term memory, which viewed
it as a space to retain information (Baddeley & Hitch, 1974). The revised model, however, views
short-term memory as a system which has many different parts that work together to both retain
and process information instead of just functioning as a storage system. These elaborated parts
are the central executive system, episodic buffer, the phonological loop and the visuospatial
sketch pad. The phonological loop consists of two components: the phonological store and the
auditory control process. The phonological store (inner ear) functions as a storage and recall area
for speech-based information and the auditory control process (inner voice) allows the constant
The visual-spatial sketchpad functions in a similar way to the phonological loop but is
involved in visual information. It contains a visual cache which deals with information regarding
colour and form, and a component called a visual scribe which focuses on spatial information.
The episodic buffer integrates information from these components and fixes them into a
particular sequence which is sensitive to time into an “episode”. Finally, the central executive
system manages three of these major components and allocates attention accordingly depending
intelligence, medical and mental conditions, emotions, etc. affect the working memory capacity
designed to evaluate an individual's memory abilities. This test is designed to assess various
aspects of memory, including immediate memory, working memory, and delayed memory, as
well as recognition and recall abilities. WMS is used in clinical, rehabilitation and research
The WMS is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and reliable memory
assessment tools available and has been used extensively in both clinical and research settings. It
diagnose and assess memory impairment in individuals with a variety of neurological and
psychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. The
WMS includes 11 subtests that assess different aspects of memory function, including verbal and
visual memory, working memory, immediate and delayed recall, and recognition. The test is
designed to be used with individuals aged 16 years and older, and it takes approximately 60-90
minutes to administer.
History of WMS
David Wechsler first developed the original version of WMS in 1945 after noticing that memory
WMS-I included seven subtests including, a visual memory subtest, several auditory memory
tests and as well as attention tasks. The aim of WMS-I according to Wechsler was to provide a
rapid, simple and practical memory evaluation. It would take only 15-20 minutes to complete the
test and it would give you a single score which was called memory quotient (Dzikon, 2020).
There were a lot of criticisms for WMS-I as the norms were considered inadequate.
Critics also felt that due to the nature of memory, the test was unable to extrapolate norms for
younger and older patients. Other criticisms include that the test gave too much weight to verbal
material and made it difficult to distinguish between problems with visual memory and
visuomotor skills. The single memory quotient number, in the opinion of many psychologists,
failed to adequately reflect the real nature and complexity of memory functioning (Dzikon,
2020).
During the 1960s- 70s, memory and its components were extensively studied. New
research revealed a number of memory subcomponents, including verbal and visual memory, and
indicated that the various types were localized to various regions of the brain. Numerous
investigations also demonstrated the existence of both short-term and long-term memory. Elbert
Russell, a neuropsychologist developed a new test called the WMS-R where he included two
original subtests: a story recall, and a visual recall of information. Additionally, he added a
"delay condition" that assessed how much knowledge was retained after 30 minutes of delivering
Weschler’s second edition, WMS- II included eight subtests, including tests to measure
delayed recollection. Additional tests were added to measure visual memory and a concentration
test. Additionally, the scoring system was modified to provide more precise criteria and to enable
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the computation of scores for each memory component rather than just a single memory
quotient, which increased the test's reliability across examiners. Criticisms for WMS-II included
that a number of the visual memory tests seemed to involve several cognitive processes, and
some were observed to test attention rather than visual memory. The test was also criticized as it
may not have been able to accurately reflect how high or low some individuals could have scored
because it was difficult to distinguish between people at the extreme ends of the scoring range.
Additionally, critics pointed out that the exam did not evaluate recognition memory (Dzikon,
2020).
WMS-III
The third edition of WMS was published in 1997 and was called WMS-III. This version
included several optional tests the examiner could use when more information was required, as
well as six subtests that took about 45 minutes to give. As the scoring system developed, it
became possible to calculate working memory, total memory, immediate and delayed memory,
and recognition of both auditory and visual material. Additionally, you could calculate scores
that represented the quantity of information retained from a first trial and the learning slope
(Dzikon, 2020).
The scores could be interpreted by comparing them to the normative data which was
gathered from over 1000 individuals with ages ranging from 16-89. In order to compare various
cognitive skills, the normative sample for the WMS-III was also the sample used for the third
version of the Wechsler Scale of Intelligence. WMS-III has been praised for its improved
reliability and for the inclusion of subtests that made it possible to distinguish between problems
with psychomotor and visual memory and the addition of more visual memory tasks. By
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differentiating between encoding and retrieval impairments, the ability to evaluate recognition
WMS-III was published after a lot of revision. Abstract visual designs were removed and
replaced with common stimuli like pictures of faces (Faces subtest) and pictures of a family
doing various activities (Family Pictures subtest). WMS-III also added a subtest to measure
delayed recognition memory. These changes increased the ecological validity of the test.
WMS-III also incorporated process scores and reconceptualized attention and concentration
factors in the working memory index. Eight main index scores, three global composite scores
(working memory, general memory (delayed recall), and immediate memory), and five
additional index scores (assessing auditory and visual immediate and delayed memory, as well as
Criticism
Criticisms in the WMS-III were revealed after extensive use of the test in. It was found
that while one of the visual subtests was sensitive to individuals with social awareness deficits, it
was insufficient for evaluating visual memory in other individuals. Another visual subtest
frequently left older people perplexed and seemed prejudiced against particular cultural groups.
Since the sample was completing both the WMS and the WAIS, concerns about fatigue emerged,
leading to criticism of the norms as well. There were also worries that the sample might have
included individuals with undiagnosed dementia, which would have decreased the test's
Scoring
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Five of the 11 subtests in the WMS-III are optional and does not affect any of the index
results. The subtests assess working memory, auditory memory (immediate and delayed), visual
memory (immediate and delayed), and delayed recollection and recognition. Each subtest is
administered in its entirety, except for spatial span and letter-number sequencing which follow a
discontinuity rule, where the test is stopped after two or three consecutive failures of a single
trial. The main subtests take 30-35 minutes to administer, while the supplemental subtests take
15-20 minutes. Age-adjusted scaled scores are created from raw scores, using the scoring
manual. These scores are then added to produce Index scores and percentile ratings (Chlebowski,
2011).
The Indian edition of the WMS, called the Wechsler Memory Scale - Indian Adaptation
(WMS-IA), was developed by Dr Pushpalatha Gurappa of the Department of Mental Health and
Social Psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS),
Bangalore, India in collaboration with Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment. The WMS-IA
has been standardized on a sample of Indian individuals, and it is used by clinicians and
researchers in India to assess memory function in a range of settings, including clinical and
forensic contexts. Adaptation changes were made to 6 of the 11 subtests including Faces and
Family Pictures. Indian norms are also presented in the form of percentile ranks. New reliability
coefficients were also developed based on Indian normative data. Several verbal subtests have
Clinical Application
The WMS-III can be applied in a variety of contexts to evaluate memory and its different
identify dementias and neurodegenerative diseases. WMS-III can also be used in educational
environments to identify how memory deficiencies could contribute to academic challenges and
learning disorders. The WMS-III is also useful in rehabilitation settings for identifying areas of
weakness that need to be addressed through interventions and those spared memory functions
that can be used for compensation. Furthermore, it can also be used to monitor development and
The WMS-III has been used extensively in clinical research settings. It has been used to
patients who have Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease. An accurate diagnosis helps in
understanding cognitive decline and aids treatment. WMS-III has also been used to understand
the learning deficits that people with schizophrenia face. Additionally, WMS-III has also been
effective in identifying malingering. The primary indices of WMS-III can also accurately
identify neurocognitive dysfunction and malingering in patients with mild Traumatic Brain
Test description
The auditory immediate memory is the ability to listen to oral information and be able to
repeat it immediately.
The auditory delayed memory is the ability to listen to oral information and be able to
recall it after time has passed since the initial presentation of the stimulus.
3. Auditory Recognition
auditory recognition memory is the ability to listen to oral information and be able to
recognise it when presented with it usually after some time has passed.
visual immediate memory is the ability to remember visual information in the context of
its spatial location immediately after the visual stimulus is presented. It includes the
ability to relate the visual information and the relationship among the elements of the
The visual delayed memory is the ability to remember visual information in the context
of its spatial location after some time has passed since the initial presentation of the
stimulus. It includes the ability to relate the visual information and the relationship
among the elements of the visual stimulus within the spatial context it is presented in
6. Immediate Memory
The immediate memory is the ability to recall both auditory and visual information
immediately after the stimuli have been presented while delayed memory is the ability to
recall both visual and auditory information after a significant amount of time has passed
7. General Memory
The general memory is the ability to remember general details in life that are helpful in
8. Working memory
There are two main components of working memory that have been assessed in WMS.
The auditory working memory is the ability to temporarily store and manipulate auditory
information. The visual working memory is the ability to temporarily store and
This includes taking basic demographic information from the client, including name, age,
date of birth, and questions regarding their mental status and orientation including asking
2. Logical memory
There are two components for this subtest: Logical Memory I and Logical Memory II.
The first subtest includes a narration of story A and B and then the participant is asked to
repeat the stories with as much detail as possible one after another. This component is
used to measure narrative memory using a free-recall method. Narrative memory is part
of episodic and semantic memory that allow for an individual to remember the details in
a narrative format.
The second component of the subtest is administered 20-25 minutes after the first test and
the participant is asked to recall the story A and B with as much detail as possible without
being presented the story again. This is meant to measure long-term narrative memory.
After this, the participant is given the details of the test and is asked to respond in positive
This subtest aims to measure auditory memory and auditory recognition. It has 2 parts,
VPA-I and VPA-II. It involves narrating a list of eight word pairs, and asking the client to
recall the word pair after being asked for one of the words. The same list of word pairs is
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repeated over four trials but in different sequences and the response for each of them are
noted. VPA-II includes both recall and recognition and is done after 25-35 minutes after
the administration of VPA-I. In the recall condition the client is asked to recall the word
pairs after the first word is given and in the recognition condition a list of 24 word pairs
are narrated to the client and they are asked to recognise the first eight word pairs that
4. Faces
This subtest is also done in two parts. The first part involves showing the client 24
pictures of human faces for two seconds and asking them to remember the face. After
which you show the client a set of 48 pictures and ask them to recognise the faces from
the first set of 24 pictures that were shown. The subtest is scored based on whether the
client is able to correctly identify the faces or not. The subtest measures visual immediate
memory, visual delayed memory, and general memory. Faces-II is a recognition condition
where the client is shown a set of 48 faces and is asked to recognise the set of 24 faces
5. Family Pictures
Family pictures subtest also includes two parts and is used to assess visual immediate
memory, visual delayed memory and general memory. Family picture includes
introducing the client to a family by showing them a picture with all of the family
members including parents, grandparents, children and a pet. The client is then shown
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different activities. The client is asked to remember as much of the scene as possible.
After this the client is asked to remember all the four different scenes and identify the
characters in them, their location in the scene as well as the activity that they were
performing. The client’s responses are recorded verbatim and scored based on how
accurately they were able to remember the entire scene, including all the accurate
Family Pictures-II is a delayed recall condition and is administered after 25-35 minutes
after the administration of Family Pictures-I. Here the client is asked to recall all the four
scenes from the first trial and asked to name the characters involved, their location and
6. Word Lists
Word list is an optional test in WMS-III that measures general and working memory in
the client. This subtest involves two lists of words of 12 words each. List A is narrated to
the client and then in Trial 1 they are asked to recall all the words that they can in any
order and the responses are noted. After this List A is repeated again and the client is
asked to repeat as many words as they can in any order. There are a total of 4 trials that
After this another list of words of 12 words each, List B is narrated immediately after the
first four trials of List A. The client is asked to recall as many words as they can from the
new list and repeat them back in any order. After this is done, the client is asked to
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remember the words from List A without narrating the list again and asked to repeat as
many words as they can from List A in any order. The test aims to measure any latency
Word list-II has both recall and recognition conditions and is administered after 25-35
minutes after Word List-I. First the client is asked to recall words from List A and repeat
as many as they can in any order. After which a recognition condition is there where the
client is presented with a list of 24 words one by one and is asked to recognise words
7. Visual Reproduction
This subtest is used to assess spatial memory for unfamiliar non-verbal visual stimuli
Visual Reproduction I and Visual Reproduction II. During the first component, a set of
designs are shown for 10 seconds and the participant is asked to recreate the drawing
without aid. This is meant to assess the immediate visual-spatial memory. Once the test is
administered, the participant is informed that they are going to be asked to recall them
later.
During the delayed condition, the participant is asked to draw the figures from the
immediate condition in any order. Later, to assess recognition, the participant is shown a
set of six designs and is asked to choose the right design that has been shown during the
immediate condition.
This subtest is used as a part of measuring working memory capacity. It contains 7 items
with 7 trials each. The participant is orally presented with a list of letters and numbers
jumbled together and is asked to repeat the sequence with the letters in the alphabetical
order and the numbers in ascending numerical order. The subtest increases in difficulty
with the sequence growing longer as the test progresses. This subtest allows for
measuring the visual-spatial and auditory working memory, especially language, and the
9. Spatial Span
be the non-verbal equivalent of the digit span test. In this test, there is a set of blocks
which are tapped in a specific order by the examiner, and the participant is expected to
tap the blocks in the same order after each trial. The difficulty is increased as the test
This optional subtest is administered to assess working memory capacity mainly auditory
Digit Span. In the Forward Digit Span, the participant is orally presented with 8 items
containing two trials each. Each item contains a set of numbers with the first item
containing 2 digits while the last item containing 9 digits. The participant is expected to
repeat the numbers in the sequence they are presented with. In the Backward Digit Span,
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the participant is once again presented with 7 items containing 2 trials each, and the
participant is dictated to a sequence of digits and then they are expected to recall the
The subtest includes 8 trials in which the participant is asked to count from 1 to 20, say
the alphabet from A to Z, report the days in order from Sunday to Saturday, and say the
months from January to December in their correct order. After this, the same trails are
repeated but the participant is expected to do them in the reverse order–count from 20 to
1, say the alphabet backwards, relay the days from Saturday to Sunday and recall the
months from December to January. The mental control of the participant is assessed
A stratified representative group of 1,250 people between the ages of 16 and 89 was used
to norm the WMS-III. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) was co-normed with
WMS-III which allows for meaningful comparisons between intellectual ability and memory
functioning. For WMS-III subtest results across age groups, the average reliability coefficients
vary from 0.74 to 0.93, with a median reliability of 0.81. The Primary Indexes' average reliability
coefficients vary from 0.74 to 0.93, with 0.87 serving as the median reliability.
All of the subtests had excellent inter-rater reliability, averaging over 0.90. WMS-III has
strong associations with other tests, such as the WMS-R, Children's Memory Scale (CMS), and
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the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), which provides evidence of its concurrent
Demographic Details
Name: MM
Age: 23
Sex: Female
Occupation: Student
Purpose of Test
This test was administered to assess the participants' current cognitive and memory functions. It
Behavioural Observation
The participant seemed enthusiastic about performing the tasks and wasn’t stressed about them.
She seemed to prefer the tasks which involved the use of her immediate memory and had issues
with the tasks that involved delayed memory. This was observed by her fidgeting and twitching
Test Results
Table 1
Index Score
The capacity to temporarily store knowledge in mind for a little amount of time,
typically just a few seconds or less, is known as immediate or short-term memory. It is important
for performing daily tasks like memorising a phone number or paying attention to directions. In
contrast, storing information for a longer length of time—typically 20 minutes or longer—is
what is meant by general, delayed, or long-term memory. Personal experiences, general
knowledge, and skills are just a few examples of the information that can be stored and retrieved
from this sort of memory over the course of a lifetime. In the Auditory Immediate memory
index, the participant performed better than 99% in her age group and was in the range of very
superior in tasks that required her to remember information after a single auditory presentation.
The participant scored better than 73% of individuals in her age group in the Visual Immediate
memory index and was in the high average category in tasks that required her to remember
information after a single visual presentation. However, her Immediate Memory score is above
only 39% of individuals in her age group and was in the average category.
For Auditory Delayed Memory, her index score falls in the superior range and she is
better than 98% of people in her age group in tasks that required her to recall recently learned
auditory information after a 25- to 35-minute delay. In Visual Delayed Memory, the participant
fell in the average category and is above 50% of those in her age group. The task involved the
retrieval of visual information that was acquired after a delay of 25-35 minutes from the initial
presentation.
The participant’s Auditory Recognition Delayed percentile was 84% which is impressive
and she fell in the high average category for a task that required her to recognize information
20-25 minutes after it was recently obtained auditory information.
The participant is better than 50% of those in her age group in General Memory and falls
under the average category on tasks that measured her diverse auditory and visual memory
abilities. On Working Memory the participant is better than 84% of those in her age group and
falls under the high average category in tasks that required her to manage multitasking demands
using visual information.
The participant’s auditory immediate memory is 29 points more than the visual
immediate and her auditory delayed is 32 points more than the visual delayed. It can be inferred
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that the participant’s ability to store and retrieve auditory information is better than visual
information, in both short and long-term memory. Clinicians can use auditory-memory strategies
such as mnemonic devices to help the participant grasp visual information better. Good auditory
memory is very beneficial to professionals like telephone operators. customer service
representatives as they need to process and recall information which they receive via the phone.
The difference between the participant’s visual immediate and visual delayed index
scores is 9 points and 6 points between auditory immediate and auditory delayed. This difference
suggests that the participant’s short-term retention of auditory and visual information is better
than long-term memory retention. This ability can be advantageous in professions where quick
decision-making and multi-tasking are required such as emergency response, sales, etc.
The participant’s working memory score is 19 points more than her immediate memory
and 15 points more than her general memory. This implies that she can multitask better than
learning information after a single presentation of the material. Working memory is also better
than immediate and general memory. Working memory is a predictor of academic success, and
working memory deficiencies have been connected to a variety of neuropsychological problems
like ADHD, dyslexia, and schizophrenia. Therefore, this has clinical implications.
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References
Alperin, B. R., Haring, A. E., Zhuravleva, T. Y., Holcomb, P. J., Rentz, D. M., & Daffner,
K. R. (2013). The dissociation between early and late selection in older adults.
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Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its
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Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. (1974). Working memory. Psychology of Learning and
Blasiman, R. N., & Was, C. A. (2018). Why Is Working Memory Performance Unstable?
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Dzikon, C. (2020). The Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS‐IV). The Wiley Encyclopedia of
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Frankland, P. W., Josselyn, S. A., & Köhler, S. (2019). The neurobiological foundation of
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