A score of 70 or less on the Wechsler Memory Scale may indicate which range?

A score of 70 or less on the Wechsler Memory Scale may indicate which range?

• A. Borderline intellectual functioning
• B. Average intelligence
• C. Intellectual Disability - extremely low range
• D. Mild memory problems

Answer: (C)

A standard memory score of 70 or below on the Wechsler Memory Scale signals substantial memory impairment, because scores on this test are set with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Being two standard deviations below the mean (70) places you in the severe impairment range. In clinical assessment, such a level of memory difficulty tends to reflect very low overall cognitive functioning, which is described as the extremely low range of intellectual functioning. That’s why this option best fits the result. Mild memory problems would show only small to moderate deficits, not a two-standard-deviation drop; average functioning centers around the mean; borderline intellectual functioning covers the lower end of average to below-average range but not the extreme level indicated by 70 or below.

A standard memory score of 70 or below on the Wechsler Memory Scale signals substantial memory impairment, because scores on this test are set with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Being two standard deviations below the mean (70) places you in the severe impairment range. In clinical assessment, such a level of memory difficulty tends to reflect very low overall cognitive functioning, which is described as the extremely low range of intellectual functioning. That’s why this option best fits the result.

Mild memory problems would show only small to moderate deficits, not a two-standard-deviation drop; average functioning centers around the mean; borderline intellectual functioning covers the lower end of average to below-average range but not the extreme level indicated by 70 or below.