Edouard Claparede and the auditory verbal learning test

This paper describes the role of the Swiss psychologist Edouard Claparede ( 1873-1940) in developing the Test de memoire des mots (Test of Memory for W ords), a test consisting of one free-recall trial of a 15-word list that is the antecedent of the auditory verbal learning tests (AVLT) of Rey and oth ers. The fact that Claparede's test has survived in modified form for 80 ye ars makes it one of the oldest mental tests in continuous use. In addition to developing the AVLT, Claparede's pioneering contributions to neuropsycho logy include forensic assessment of cognitive deficits and research on impl icit learning in amnesia.