Alternative forms parallel to the Czech versions of Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Complex Figure Test and Verbal Fluency

The study evaluates the equivalence of alternative forms of three frequently used neuropsychological testing methods in their Czech versions, i.e. the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), the Complex Figure Test (CFT) and letter and categorical Verbal Fluency (VF).

Methods:
In a within-subject design, 59 healthy volunteers were assessed using the original test forms and their proposed alternative forms, first at baseline and then after three months. The performance of the original and alternative forms of the tests was subjected to the t-test and U-test for paired samples based on the normality of distribution.

Results:
There was no significant mean difference between the original and alternative forms of the RAVLT. In the CFT, the Taylor figure scores were higher than the original Rey-Osterrieth figure scores, suggesting that the figures are not equal in difficulty. In the letter VF, the newly proposed “BTL” set was found to be more difficult than the original “NKP”. For the categorical VF, the category of “given names” can be considered as an alternative form to the “animals” category.

Conclusions:
The RAVLT alternative forms 1 and 2 introduced in the Neuropsychological Battery of Psychiatric Center Prague are equivalent to the original RAVLT. The “BTL” VF set and Taylor Figure were found not to be equivalent to their original test forms “NKP” and Rey-Osterrieth Figure. “Given names” may be a good alternative form to the “animals” category in VF. The study contributes with normative data for the original test forms for a specific demographic sample.