Value of Signal Detection Theory Indexes for Wechsler Memory Scale-III Recognition Measures

This study investigated the utility of signal detection theory (SDT) indexes in conjunction with the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) to supplement the age-scaled scores that are typically calculated for recognition measures. Participants included 23 dementia patients and 22 patients with major depressive disorder who were administered the WMS-III as part of a larger neuropsychological evaluation. Each clinical group was compared against a demographically matched control group drawn from the WMS-III standardization sample. Discriminability indexes (e.g., d′) identified significant group differences in the dementia patients relative to their control group on Faces 1, Logical Memory, and Verbal Paired Associates (VPA), as well as in the depressed patients relative to their controls on VPA. A liberal response bias (e.g., c) was revealed for the dementia patients relative to their controls for VPA. False alarms, but not hits, were significantly different between dementia patients and their controls. Our re...