Advanced Methods: The BCCD and the Network Structure of the WMS-IV-NL and its Older Adult Battery

Abstract

The WMS-IV-NL (Wechsler Memory Scale: Fourth edition, Dutch version) is a memory test that has a version for older adults as well, the so called Older Adult Battery (OAA). The present study investigated the underlying network structure of the WMS-IV-NL in comparison to the one of the OAA. This was addressed by the means of different Bayesian-construct-based-causal-discovery algorithms with the standardized or obtained scores on the variables Logical Memory (LM), Verbal Paired Association (VPA), Visual Reproduction (VR), a total WMS-IV-NL score and age as well as gender. The study had 1213 participants. It has been found that VPA I (immediate verbal paired association), LM II (delayed logical memory) and VR I (immediate visual reproduction) show some links to gender. Post-hoc analyses were done to investigate the direction of these relationships. The results are in line with literature that proposes that women have higher verbal abilities through which they can solve auditory tasks more easily than men. Furthermore, no relationship between LM I or LM II and the WMS-IV-NL total score was found. Moreover, between VR I and its delayed subtest VR II no relation has been found. In general, the hypothesized two-factor structure of the WMS-IV-NL with auditory and visual memory could not be confirmed. Instead, a general memory factor has been found. For older adults however, another factor for delayed memory emerged. Keywords: WMS, WMS-IV-NL, OAA, BCCD, causal discovery