Barbara A. Wilson, Eve Greenfield, Linda Clare, Alan Baddeley, Janet Cockburn, Peter Watson, Robyn Tate, Sara Sopena, Rory Nannery &

John Crawford (2008)

BACKGROUND

History

• The original RBMT was published in 1985, with an update in 2003 (RBMT-II)

• Designed to predict everyday memory problems and to monitor change over time

• Original data was collected on adults aged 16-65 and older adult and child samples were also collected post-publication

• Later versions included a development of RBMT-C (1991) and RBMT-E (1998)

• Numerous studies since publication of the RBMT have shown that the tool is a valid instrument for detecting everyday memory problems in patient groups

Why do we need a new version?

• Some changes were needed to improve the clinical effectiveness of the test

• In 2003 RBMT-II was published but this only included an update of materials, e.g. included more multiracial stimuli to reflect ethnic diversity of UK

• RBMT-3 includes new items on tests, new materials, a new subtest (Novel task) and increased normative sample

• The difficulty level of the RBMT-3 is between that of the RBMT-II and RBMT-E

Features of the new tool

• The RBMT-3 contains 14 scored subtests• 12 of these are the same or slightly altered from

the RBMT-E. • New ‘Novel task’ is included to assess new

learning• 30 minutes administration• 2 versions allowing retesting• Can be used by a range of professionals• Intervention chapter• Scoring examples reported in the manual to aid

interpretation

Core capabilities of RBMT-3

• Predict everyday memory problems

• For use in neuropsychological and older adult settings

• Helpful with assessment of patients with more severe cognitive difficulties, e.g. acute settings, older adults

• Meaningful to clients – reflects everyday memory skills

• Links to rehabilitation intervention

THE TEST

The Subtests

• First & Second Names – Delayed Recall• Belongings – Delayed Recall• Appointments – Delayed Recall• Picture Recognition – Delayed Recognition• Story – Immediate Recall• Story – Delayed Recall• Face Recognition – Delayed Recognition• Route – Immediate Recall• Route – Delayed Recall • Messages – Immediate Recall• Messages – Delayed Recall • Orientation & date• Novel Task – Immediate Recall NEW!• Novel Task – Delayed Recall NEW!

New Subtest – Novel Task

• Assesses ability to learn a new task• Deficits in this skill impact on everyday life, and also influence the individual’s capacity to benefit from compensatory aids used in rehabilitation.

Why a Novel Task test?

•It is important to establish the level of ability in learning new tasks before attempting to teach them for rehabilitation

– NOVEL TASK• Based on a mathematical dissection• 6 piece puzzle• Assembled in a set order• 3 learning trials and a delayed trial• Scoring criteria:

– Order– Position

STANDARDISATION

Standardisation

• 333 Normative Controls

– 172 females 161 males– 16-89 years of age (mean age = 44.3 years)– Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests revealed that

the sample distribution of age, education, gender and ethnicity did not differ significantly from the expected UK 2001 census figures

Standardisation

• Exclusionary criteria for Normative Controls– A history of hospitalisation or treatment for

severe psychiatric disturbance, drug or alcohol abuse

– Spoken English inadequate for understanding test materials or instructions

– Severe visual impairment– Brain damage or loss of consciousness for five

minutes or more

Clinical sample

• 75 participants

Category N

Traumatic Brain Injury 19

Stroke 24

Encephalitis 20

Progressive Conditions 12

Total 75

SCORING STUDIES

Subtest Scoring Studies

• Raw scores on the 14 RBMT-3 subtests are converted to subtest scaled scores with a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3

• Percentile ranks for scaled scores are provided• Subtests take into account an individual’s age

and data is reported for the following age bands:– 16-24 years of age– 25-34 years of age– 35-44 years of age– 45-54 years of age– 55-64 years of age– 65-74 years of age– 75-89 years of age

General Memory Index

• A General Memory Index (GMI), representing overall memory performance can also be calculated

• GMI is standardised to have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15

• GMI scores are calculated by summing the scaled scores on the RBMT-3 subtests and then converting this sum to a GMI using the appropriate conversion table

• Conversion tables also report the confidence intervals and percentile ranks for each GMI

Reliability

• Alternate form reliability coefficients for each subtest for Version 1 and Version 2 of the test with the normative and clinical sample combined ranged from 0.57 to 0.86.

• The reliability coefficient of the GMI was 0.87 for both Versions 1 and 2

• With the exception of the Messages - Delayed Recall subtest the inter-scorer reliability for the RBMT-3 subtests were 0.9 or higher, indicating a high level of agreement between scorers– The lower level of agreement on the Messages – Delayed Recall

subtest was attributable to only two of the 18 pairs who completed the inter-scorer study and is thought to be due to two examinees whose results were particularly difficult to score on this subtest.

Validity

• Factor analytic results confirmed the construct validity of forming a GMI

• Ecological validity (as supported by performance against the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire; Smith et al., 2000) was moderate (r =-.43 Version 1; r=-.44 Version 2)

• Performance of the clinical sample compared to the normative sample provided strong evidence of the sensitivity of the RBMT-3 to memory problems

Contact Us

For additional information or to place an order:

• 800.627.7271

• Psychcorp.com