Reliability and convergent validity of the Rey-Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) against working memory tasks in a Serbian community sample

Objective: The Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT; Rey, 1964) is a widely used neuropsychological instrument that has not been validated in Serbia. Our aim was to determine its internal consistency, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Method: Two hundred subjects from the general population in Serbia (53% female; Mage = 43.45 years, SDage = 16.32) completed a battery of tests via oral examination. In addition to RAVLT, participants completed three working memory tasks: Digit Span, Digit Ordering, and Letter Memory, as well as the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF). Participants also provided information on gender, age, education, parents’ education, household income, and any strategies used on the RAVLT. Results: RAVLT showed good internal consistency. Its scores were negatively correlated with age (r = -.44, p < .001) and positively correlated with participants’ and their parents’ education (r = .31, p < .001). Gender differences in RAVLT performance were moderate to large, with women outperforming men. Correlations with working memory tasks were lower than expected (up to r = .33), and discriminant validity against ROCF was only established when controlling for age (rpartial < .15). Half of the participants reported using strategies (more frequently women), which were associated with better RAVLT performance. Conclusions: The RAVLT is a reliable and valid instrument, although the constructs it measures may be more complex than originally assumed. Our study also highlights the importance of strategy use in memory tests.