The Development and Validation of a Spanish Verbal Memory Test for Children (SVMT-C): A Pilot Study

As acknowledged by the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) Relevance 2050 Initiative, there is a growing need in the field of clinical neuropsychology to develop new assessment methods that are inclusive of the rising heterogeneous population in the U.S. There is a scarcity of measures available to evaluate verbal memory in Spanish-speaking, Hispanic children in the U.S. Available verbal memory measures in Spanish, such as word lists, were developed and standardized in other countries but have limited clinical use in the U.S. because of vernacular differences that may invalidate results. The purpose of the overall project is to help address this problem by developing and norming a new measure, the SVMT-C in the U.S. The current pilot study was conducted to: 1) examine the psychometric properties of the SVMT-C, 2) examine the relationship between the SVMT-C and established neuropsychological measures, and 3) derive a normative sample that is representative of the Spanish-speaking pediatric population of the current Southwest geographical region, Dallas, Texas. Preliminary findings revealed the SVMT-C is an unbiased measure across sex and age, contains familiar and appropriate terms for all groups, and shows excellent emerging reliability (i.e., internal consistency). Support for emerging validity was evidenced by participants' learning over trials (i.e., slope), significant correlation with the related construct of verbal retention span (i.e., convergent validity), and non-significant correlation with the construct of vocabulary (i.e., discriminant validity). The current study sample consisted of 26 healthy, neurotypically developing children ages 6 through 16, most of whom were Spanish-English bilingual (92%). Five countries of Hispanic origin were represented with Mexican heritage accounting for the majority, which aligns with Dallas, Texas' demographics. A multivariate linear regression model was generated to derive normative data for the SVMT-C. Due to sample size limitations, the final model for this pilot study included age only (p < .05). Overall findings provide preliminary support for the validity and cultural appropriateness of the test, but a larger sample is still needed to confirm this and provide normative data. Recruitment challenges that impacted sample size included the COVID-19 public health crisis and lack of funds to support participation.

Author dc:creator

• Orobio, Jessica

Contributors dc:contributor

• Neumann, Joy
• Harder, Lana
• Canas, Angela
• Bordes Edgar, Veronica
• Salter, Amber

• Adolescent
• Child
• Hispanic or Latino
• Language
• Memory
• Neuropsychological Tests
• Verbal Behavior
• Verbal Learning

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

1535537227

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utswmed-ir.tdl.org:2152.5/10711