A - 11 Organizational Strategies and Delayed Recall in Older Adults: Insights from the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence older adults’ ability to recall complex figure in the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) test. Method 172 participants (50% female; M = 74.64) between the ages of 60 and 100 were recruited through the Israel Interior Ministry. Participants were asked to complete the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF), which involved two tasks: A) participants were first instructed to replicate the complex figure exactly as shown (copy task). Subsequently, they were asked to B) recall and redraw the figure after a 30-minute delay (delayed recall task). The evaluations were conducted at the participants’ homes. The participants were evaluated on three criteria: accuracy, continuation, and the symmetry. To analyze the relationship between participants’ scores on the accuracy, continuation, and symmetry, a linear regression analysis was performed. Results A linear regression model predicting delayed recall score was significant F(3,48) = 9.61, p < 0.001. Among the predictors, continuation (b = 0.75, p = 0.01) and copy scores (b = 0.39, p 0.02) displayed a significant positive relationship with delayed recall score. Conclusion(s) The ROCF test serves as a comprehensive measure of cognitive functions, such as visuospatial memory, executive and organizational abilities, and retrieval. The significant influence of organizational score underscores the important link between planning abilities and declarative memory. This supports previous findings that organizing ROCF into meaningful clusters of units during the copy task improves performance in delayed recall task.