Category fluency test: normative data for English- and Spanish-speaking elderly

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Assessment

Background:

• Category fluency tasks are crucial for dementia evaluation.
• Growing Spanish-speaking elderly population requires tailored neuropsychological tools.
• Need for normative data in diverse elderly populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Provide normative data for category fluency (animals, vegetables, fruits) for English and Spanish speakers over 50.
• Examine the influence of age, education, gender, language, and mood on fluency scores.

Main Methods:

• Study included 702 cognitively intact elderly (424 English, 278 Spanish speakers).
• Normative data stratified by language, age, education, and gender.
• Analysis of factors impacting total and specific category fluency scores.

Main Results:

• Age, education, and gender are primary predictors of total category fluency.
• Gender is the strongest predictor after accounting for age and education.
• English speakers scored higher on vegetable fluency than Spanish speakers; similar scores for animals and fruits.

Conclusions:

• Normative data are essential for accurate neuropsychological assessment in diverse elderly populations.
• Demographic factors significantly influence category fluency performance.
• Different fluency measures are differentially affected by various predictors.