The Effect of Repeated Testing Upon Comprehension of Informed Consent Materials by Elderly Volunteers

One hundred elderly adults (mean = 71.3 years of age, range = 59-88 years) in four WAIS vocabulary subgroups (less than 40, 40-49, 50-59, greater than or equal to 60) served in an evaluation of the effects of using multiple comprehension test trials to improve informed consent procedures. Participants in Group I were given a single comprehension test and feedback before signing consent documents, while those in Group II were provided with as many as three comprehension trials, if necessary. All participants were tested for memory of the information 2-3 weeks later. Results indicated that both comprehension and memory performance varied directly with vocabulary level. The multi-trial approach improved comprehension scores at all vocabulary levels, but had no effect upon memory.