The California Verbal Learning Test-III (CVLT-III): Adaptation, validation, and initial norms in the Hebrew-speaking Israeli population

Objective: Neuropsychological assessments commonly include word list learning tasks to assess verbal memory and learning. The California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) provides multiple outcome measures and information regarding strategies used to enhance the coding and retrieval of information. Despite its popularity, the CVLT has not yet been formally translated into Hebrew and adapted to the Israeli population. Methods: The CVLT-III was adapted to Hebrew (CVLT-III_Hebrew), and normative data of healthy Hebrew-speaking adults living in Israel (age range: 20-65, education range: 9-20) were collected (N = 235). Results: CVLT-III_Hebrew core scores were influenced by age, education level, and, to a lesser extent, sex. Normative data for the Hebrew-speaking Israeli population were generated using an overlapping interval strategy, and regression models were used to evaluate the necessity of adjusting core scale scores for sociodemographic variables. Internal reliability was very high. Clinicians can employ an easy-to-use calculator for adjusting CVLT-III_Hebrew core scores. Conclusions: The adapted CVLT-III_Hebrew provides a valuable tool for evaluating the verbal memory of Hebrew speakers. Caution, however, is warranted when assessing individuals with lower education levels, as the normative sample was relatively highly educated. This highlights the importance of expanding the normative sample to include a broader spectrum of educational levels and ages. Moreover, the inclusion of Israeli minority groups, currently unrepresented in this normative sample, is of importance.