The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test: Normative data for the Arabic-speaking population and analysis of the differential influence of demographic variables

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is the one of the most widely used neuropsychological tests of verbal memory.It has been translated into numerous languages including Spanish, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Czech, Portuguese, and English. The present study examined the hypothesis that the learning of word lists forms an algorithmic pattern across all cultures. To this end, a sample of 200 Arabic-speaking Omani adults between the ages of 18 and 50 years was collected. The resulting norms were then compared withexisting American and Brazilian samples. The study confirmed that the first trial on the RAVLT correlates with demographic variables, whereas the learning slope on subsequent trials is almost identical across all cultures. Based on the above finding, the slope of the verbal learning test is hypothesized to measure a psychophysiological process linked with the hippocampal formation and allows for the laying down of new memories. In contrast, the first trial of the test is amenable to more cultural, demographic, and environmental factors.