CVLT (California Verbal Learning Test): Standard verbal learning/memory test

About the CVLT (California Verbal Learning Test)

The California Verbal Learning Test (1987) was developed at UC San Diego by Dean Delis and colleagues as a more detailed alternative to the older Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. CVLT uses a 16-word "Monday shopping list" structured as 4 semantic categories (spices, clothing, fruits, tools) with 4 items per category. The semantic structure allows analysis of learning strategies (does the subject cluster items by category?).

Standard administration: List A presented 5 times for immediate recall; interference List B once; short-delay free and cued recall of A; 20-minute distractor period; long-delay free and cued recall; recognition trial (yes/no for 44 words including List A, List B, and distractors). The test produces 20+ scores capturing different aspects of verbal learning and memory.

CVLT is one of the most-used verbal memory tests worldwide. It is sensitive to amnesia (especially the long-delay vs short-delay decrement), Alzheimer's disease (rapid forgetting + recognition deficits), frontal lobe dysfunction (poor strategy + intrusions), and depression (subjective memory complaints with relatively preserved performance). CVLT-3 (2017) and CVLT-3 Brief Form are current.

The 5 subtests

What the test looks like

CVLT uses a 16-word "Monday shopping list" structured as 4 semantic categories (spices, clothing, fruits, tools), with 4 items per category. The semantic structure lets the examiner analyze whether the test-taker clusters items by category (a learning strategy).

List A trials: The examiner reads the 16-word list at a rate of one word per second. The test-taker immediately recalls as many words as possible in any order. This is repeated for 5 total trials.

List B (interference): The examiner reads a different 16-word list (also 4 categories, but different items). The test-taker recalls List B once.

Short-Delay Free Recall: Immediately after List B, the test-taker recalls List A from memory.

Short-Delay Cued Recall: The examiner names each category ("which spices were on the list?") and the test-taker recalls.

Long-Delay Free Recall (20-minute delay): The test-taker again recalls List A from memory.

Long-Delay Cued Recall: Same cued recall procedure as before.

Recognition: The examiner reads 44 words (16 from List A, 8 from List B, 20 distractors with various relationships to the targets). The test-taker says "yes" or "no" for each.

The CVLT word lists are copyrighted (Pearson). For non-copyrighted verbal learning research, the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (1964) word list is widely reproduced in published literature.

Source

All test materials and historical content on this page are transcribed from:

Delis, D.C., et al. (1987). California Verbal Learning Test. Psychological Corporation.

CVLT is published by Pearson; current edition CVLT-3 (2017). All copyrighted.