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. 2019 Jan-Mar;13(1):89-96.
doi: 10.1590/1980-57642018dn13-010010.

The Von Restorff effect in the Brazilian version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test in an elderly population

Gabriel Lima  1 , Alina Teldeschi  1   2 , Natália Oliveira  1   2 , Camila Bernardes  1   3   4 , Cláudia Drummond  1   3 , Naima Assunção  4 , Tiago Bortolini  4 , Paulo Mattos  1   4
Affiliations

The Von Restorff effect in the Brazilian version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test in an elderly population

Gabriel Lima et al. Dement Neuropsychol. 2019 Jan-Mar.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

The Von Restorff (isolation) effect refers to a stimulus that is more likely to be remembered amongst other stimuli in memory tasks. It has been demonstrated with different age ranges and methodologies.

Objective: To investigate: a) the presence of the isolation effect in elders tested with the new Brazilian Portuguese version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Task (RAVLT) in which a word with potential emotional weight (mother) was introduced; b) whether isolation effects persist in memory disorders of different degrees of severity (Mild Cognitive Impairment [MCI]; Alzheimer's Dementia [AD]).

Methods: The RAVLT was administered to 287 consecutive volunteers. Individuals underwent medical and neuropsychological evaluation and were further sub-grouped into normal controls (n=114), MCI (n=87) and AD (n=86) patients. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Chi-squared tests were performed. Post-hoc Tukey analysis was conducted to assess significance of group differences.

Results: There were significant group effects on the learning curve. A W-shape - instead of the classical U-shape - was found for the serial position curve in all groups.

Conclusion: The new Brazilian version of the RAVLT exhibited the Von Restorff effect, where this phenomenon was evident not only in older adults but also patients with MCI and AD, providing further psychometric measures for inter-group analyses.

Efeito de von Restorff (efeito de isolamento) refere-se ao estímulo que é mais facilmente lembrado em relação a outros em tarefas de memória. Tal efeito foi demonstrado em diferentes faixas etárias com diferentes metodologias.

Objetivo: Investigar: a) presença do efeito de isolamento numa população idosa avaliada com a nova versão brasileira do Teste de Aprendizagem Auditivo-Verbal de Rey (RAVLT), em que uma palavra com potencial carga emocional (‘mãe’) foi introduzida; b) se o efeito de isolamento persiste em distúrbios de memória de diferentes gravidades (Comprometimento Cognitivo Leve [MCI]; Demência de Alzheimer [AD]).

Métodos: RAVLT foi aplicado em 287 voluntários. Indivíduos participaram de avaliações médica e neuropsicológica e foram posteriormente agrupados em controles normais (n=114), MCI (n=87) e DA (n=86). Análises de variância e testes de Chi-quadrado foram realizados. Análises post-hoc foram conduzidas para avaliar diferenças de características entre os grupos.

Resultados: Observaram-se efeitos significativos de grupo na curva de aprendizagem. Todos os grupos apresentaram curva de posição serial em formato W - invés do clássico formato em U.

Conclusão: A nova versão brasileira do RAVLT evidenciou um efeito de von Restorff. Tal fenômeno foi visto não apenas em idosos, mas também em pacientes com MCI e AD, fornecendo medidas psicométricas adicionais para análises de diferenças intergrupais.

Keywords: dementia; memory; memory disorders; neuropsychological tests; verbal learning.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Performance curve for all three groups across RAVLT trials. Dotted lines show the linear tendency of each group serial recall curve.
*p <.001. A1-A7: repetitions of list A from the RAVLT. MCI: Mild Cognitive Impairment. AD: Alzheimer’s disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Serial position curve for all three groups. Original words (in Portuguese) from the RAVLT are shown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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