EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS DURING DELAYED RECOGNITION OF WECHSLER-MEMORY-SCALE-R PAIRED-ASSOCIATE LEARNING

The P300 is a component of cortical event related-potentials that has been linked to memory and recognition. This study examined P300 amplit ude and latency during recognition of pairs of words from the WMS-R Ve rbal Paired Associate Learning subscale. After 24 subjects learned the pairs of words, they were shown pairs of words taken directly from th e subscale that were combined to form matching or nonmatching pairs. T his parallels the Delayed Recall subtest of the WMS-R. P300 amplitude was greater during recognition of matching word pairs and most promine nt at central and parietal recording sites. P300 latency was shorter f or matching than for non-matching pairs. This points to a degree of ps ychophysiological validity of the WMS-R paired associate learning dela yed recall task.