Normative data for Verbal Fluency and Object Naming Tests in a sample of European Portuguese adult population

Abstract Phonemic verbal fluency tests assess the production of words beginning with specific letters. Of these letters, the most frequently used are F, A and S. It is a sensitive test for assessing frontal lobe functions. Objective: To provide normative data for the elderly Brazilian population on the FAS test and to investigate the effects of age and schooling on test performance. Methods: The individuals were divided into three age groups (60-69, 70-79 and ³80 years), and into four groups according to education (1-3, 4-7, 8-11 and ³12 years). All subjects were assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination and the FAS. Data were analyzed with Student's t test, ANOVA, simple linear regression and Spearman's correlation. Results: We evaluated 345 cognitively healthy volunteers, 66.66% being female, aged 60 to 93 years, with an educational level ranging from one to 24 years. The average (number of items) ±SD for the whole sample was 28.28±11.53. No significant effect of gender was observed (p=0.5). Performance on the MMSE and education exerted a direct influence on FAS scores (p<0.001), with education being the most significant factor. A positive correlation was found between FAS and the MMSE (r=0.404; p<0.001). Conclusion: The performance of Brazilian elderly on the phonemic verbal fluency tests-FAS is significantly influenced by education, where individuals with higher educational level present better performance than those with fewer years of schooling. Age and gender did not prove significant with the FAS.

Download Full-text

Verbal Fluency Performance in Normal Adult Population in Iran: Norms and Effects of Age, Education and Gender

Basic and Clinical Neuroscience Journal ◽

10.32598/bcn.2021.363.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Saeedeh Shirdel ◽

◽

Setareh Esmaeeli ◽

Kaveh Alavi ◽

Pezhman Ghaemmaghami ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Assessment ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Standardized Test ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

Adult Population ◽

Semantic Fluency ◽

Semantic Categories ◽

Persian Language ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean

Objective: Verbal fluency is a cognitive function that can be easily assessed in bedside and provide useful data for clinical assessment of a variety of cognitive functions. We decided to provide a standardized test for the assessment of verbal fluency in Persian language, including both phonemic and semantic fluency subtests. Method: First, three letters (P, D, and Sh) and three categories (animals, fruits, and objects of kitchen) were selected based on a pilot study and a panel of specialists. Then, we selected 500 Persian speaking participants (47.8% male) that were 18 to 65 years old via convenient sampling from general population. Participants were stratified according to age, gender, and education. They performed the verbal fluency test. Results: The mean number of generated words in letter fluency and semantic fluency (±SD) were 8.3±4.1 and 18.0±5.5, respectively. Age, educational level, and mother tongue were associated with letter fluency. Semantic fluency was associated with age, gender, education level, and mother tongue. Conclusion: For a more reliable clinical assessment, we suggest to use all of the three letters and three semantic categories for each subject, calculate the mean of the produced words and compare them with the suggested cut-points provided for each subcategory. Age was negatively correlated with the number of generated words in letter fluency (r=-0.33; p<0.001) and semantic fluency tasks (r=-0.26; p<0.001). In letter fluency task, there was not a statistically significant difference between males and females according to the number of generated words (P=0.057). However, in semantic fluency, female participants generated more words (p=0.005). Mother tongue (Farsi) showed a significant effect both on letter fluency (t=5.55, p<0.001) and semantic fluency (t=9.41, p<0.001). Level of education had a significant association with both letter fluency (F=117.23, p<0.001) and semantic fluency (F=64.48, p<0.001).

Download Full-text

Wideband Tympanometry Normative Data for Turkish Young Adult Population

The Journal of International Advanced Otology ◽

10.5152/iao.2015.809 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 157-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Zahra Polat ◽

Burcu Bas ◽

Duygu Hayir ◽

Erdogan Bulut ◽

Ahmet Atas

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Normative Data ◽

Adult Population ◽

Young Adult Population

Download Full-text

Normative data on hand grip strength in a Greek adult population

International Orthopaedics ◽

10.1007/s00264-008-0551-x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 713-717 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Gregory Mitsionis ◽

Emilios E. Pakos ◽

Kosmas S. Stafilas ◽

Nikolaos Paschos ◽

Theodore Papakostas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grip Strength ◽

Normative Data ◽

Adult Population ◽

Hand Grip Strength ◽

Hand Grip

Download Full-text

Action (verb) fluency: Test–retest reliability, normative standards, and construct validity

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617705050460 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 408-415 ◽

Cited By ~ 108

Author(s):

STEVEN PAUL WOODS ◽

J. COBB SCOTT ◽

DANIELLE A. SIRES ◽

IGOR GRANT ◽

ROBERT K. HEATON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Construct Validity ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Normative Data ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Information Processing Speed ◽

Verbal Fluency Task ◽

Action Verb ◽

Test Retest Reliability ◽

Fluency Task ◽

Fluency Test

Action (verb) fluency is a newly developed verbal fluency task that requires the examinee to rapidly generate as many verbs (i.e., “things that people do”) as possible within 1 min. Existing literature indicates that action fluency may be more sensitive to frontal–basal ganglia loop pathophysiology than traditional noun fluency tasks (e.g., animal fluency), which is consistent with the hypothesized neural dissociation between noun and verb retrieval. In the current study, a series of analyses were undertaken to examine the psychometric properties of action fluency in a sample of 174 younger healthy participants. The first set of analyses describes the development of demographically adjusted normative data for action fluency. Next, a group of hypothesis-driven correlational analyses reveals significant associations between action fluency and putative tests of executive functions, verbal working memory, verbal fluency, and information processing speed, but not between action fluency and tests of learning or constructional praxis. The final set of analyses demonstrates the test–retest stability of the action fluency test and provides standards for determining statistically reliable changes in performance. In sum, this study enhances the potential clinical applicability of action fluency by providing demographically adjusted normative data and demonstrating evidence for its reliability and construct validity. (JINS, 2005,11, 408–415.)

Download Full-text