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Noun and verb retrieval in healthy aging
Anna I Mackay1, Lisa Tabor Connor, Martin L Albert
1Boston University School of Medicine and VA Boston Healthcare System, Harold Goodglass Aphasia Research Center, MA 02130, USA.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS
|September 21, 2002
Summary
Aging affects object and action name retrieval similarly. This study found no difference in how quickly older adults lose the ability to recall object names versus action names.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Age-related decline in language processing is a significant area of research.
- Previous studies suggested differential aging rates for object versus action name retrieval.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if object and action name retrieval decline at different rates with age.
- To investigate age-related changes in naming abilities using standardized tests.
Main Methods:
- 171 participants aged 50-88 were tested on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and Action Naming Test (ANT).
- A matched subset of items controlled for baseline difficulty across age groups.
- Uncued and cued naming performance was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Age-related decline in name retrieval was observed for both object and action names.
- No significant differences were found in the rate of decline between object and action naming.
- Findings contradict previous research suggesting differential aging of these naming processes.
Conclusions:
- Object and action name retrieval appear to decline at comparable rates with aging.
- The study's findings challenge existing models of age-related naming differences.
- Further research is needed to reconcile these findings with neurological evidence of dissociations.