Clinical utility of considering Digits Forward and Digits Backward as separate components of the wechsler adult intelligence Scale-Revised

This study investigated the utility of considering Digits Forward (DF) and Digits Backward (DB) as separate components of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R). Protocols of WAIS-Rs, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests-Revised (PPVT-Rs), and Standard Progressive Matrices (SPMs) were examined (N = 50). Pearson correlations of Forward and Backward digit repetition and scores from PPVT-Rs and SPMs were calculated. Repetitions of DF were correlated significantly (p < .01) with SPM performance. Repetitions of DB were correlated significantly with performance on the PPVT-R (p < .02), although a stronger correlation was obtained between DB and SPM performance (p < .001). These findings indicate that although DF and DB tasks are related, the combination of these tasks into a single score might obscure important information.