A normative study of the free and cued selective reminding test in Mandarin-speaking adults in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE: Episodic memory decline is among the earliest and most prominent cognitive changes observed in both normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT) enhances differentiation of memory deficits through controlled semantic encoding and cue-based retrieval. However, culturally appropriate normative data for Mandarin-speaking adult populations have been lacking. This study aimed to establish normative data for the Taiwan version of the FCSRT (T-FCSRT), examine demographic effects on test performance, and evaluate its psychometric properties and clinical applicability. METHOD: A total of 372 cognitively healthy adults aged 45-86 years were recruited using stratified sampling to reflect the Taiwanese population across sex, age, and education levels. Participants completed the T-FCSRT, and regression-based analyses were used to adjust for demographic effects. Reliability and validity were assessed using test-retest data and correlations with established neuropsychological measures. RESULTS: All T-FCSRT core indices were significantly influenced by age and education level, whereas sex effects were confined to immediate and delayed free-recall measures. The T-FCSRT demonstrated good test-retest reliability, criterion-related and construct validity, and regression-based percentile norms that provide population-representative benchmarks. CONCLUSION: The T-FCSRT demonstrates strong psychometric properties and provides culturally appropriate normative data for Mandarin-speaking adults in Taiwan. These findings support its utility for clinical assessment and research on episodic memory, enabling more accurate differentiation between normal and pathological aging.