Wechsler memory scale is a poor screening test for brain dysfunction

The effectiveness of the Wechsler Memory Scale as a screening test for brain dysfunction when used with "new" scoring procedures was assessed in this cross-validation study. The scoring procedures studied were those reported by Bachrach and Mintz (1974) and Kljajic (1975). In general, these procedures were found to be unreliable methods to separate brain dysfunctional patients from psychiatric patients. While the Wechsler Memory Scale may be a good test of short-term verbal memory, it samples too narrow a band of behaviors to be a reliable screening instrument of brain dysfunction in a large range of patients.