Factor analysis of the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status

A sample of 175 veterans' scores on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS; Randolph, 1998) was examined to investigate the factor structure of this scale. First, we attempted to replicate a five-factor model to reflect the five Index Scores of the RBANS (immediate memory, visuospatial/constructional, language, attention, and delayed memory) from the 12 individual subtests, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We were unable to identify a five-factor structure of the RBANS. The RBANS subtests were then subjected to an exploratory factor analysis with a maximum likelihood extraction and orthogonal rotation to determine a new dimensional model. Results indicated a two-factor structure that can roughly be described as memory and visuospatial function. CFA of this new structure indicated an adequate fit for this sample. Findings suggest that it may be appropriate to place more emphasis on the individual subtest scores than the index scores during interpretation.