Benton Visual Retention Test

Purpose: Designed to assess visual perception, visual memory, and visuoconstructive

abilities.
Population: Ages 8 and over.
Score: Difference between error score and correct score.
Time: Not reported.
Author: Arthur Benton.
Publisher: The Psychological Corporation.
Description: The Benton Revised Visual Retention Test is a widely used instrument
that assesses visual perception, visual memory, and visuoconstructive abilities.
Because it measures perception of spatial relations and memory for newly learned
material, it is used in clinical diagnosis of brain damage and dysfunction in children
and adults, as well as in research. The Benton, as it is usually called, has three
alternate forms, each of which consists of ten designs. In addition, there are four
possible modes of administration.
Scoring: Test interpretation is based on an assessment of the number and types of
errors made and involves several levels of analysis for diagnostic purposes. The
examiner compares the examinees obtained scores with the expected scores found in
the norm tables. When examining the difference between these scores for the number
correct, the wider the discrepancy in favor of the expected score, the more probable it
is that the examinee has suffered neurological impairment.
Reliability: The interscorer agreement for total error score is high (r = .95) and for
major categories of errors reliability is moderate to high (r = .66 to .97). The category
of errors having the lowest interscorer reliability is substitutions (.66), whereas
distortion and omission/addition categories produce a correlation of .75. All other
categories have correlations over .85. Alternate form reliability for Forms C, D, and E
is high (r= .85) for Administration A. The multiple-choice forms (F and G) are
reported to have a moderate internal consistency, split-half reliability is .76. To
determine test-retest reliability, Administration C was given to 194 Kindergarten
children twice in a four-month interval. The correlation of .75 between the two sets of
scores is very promising.

Validity: A correlation of .42 was found between the Benton and the Digit Span
WAIS subtest. This low correlation indicates discriminate validity since the Benton
was created to supplement the Digit Span test. Various studies have examined the
ability of the Benton to assist in the diagnosis. Using a cutoff score of -3, the test
identified as brain-injured 22% of the suspected brain injured, 24% of the true brain
injured, and 6% of normals.
Norms: 600 people were used in the norming of this test, but the manual does not
indicate the demographic distribution of its sample.
Suggested Uses: The Benton is recommended for use as part of a neuropsychological
battery to assess specific dysfunction