A new standardization of semantic verbal fluency test

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psycholinguistics
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The Semantic Verbal Fluency Test (SVFT) is vital for assessing lexical retrieval in neurological and psychiatric conditions.
• Semantic categories are critical factors in evaluating language disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normative data for the SVFT global score and individual semantic categories (animals, fruits, car brands) in a healthy Italian population.
• To analyze the influence of demographic variables on SVFT performance.

Main Methods:

• Collected data from 290 healthy Italian participants aged 18-98.
• Utilized multiple regression analysis to examine correlations between age, education, sex, and SVFT performance.
• Analyzed performance across semantic categories: animals, fruits, and car brands.

Main Results:

• Age and education significantly correlated with both global SVFT scores and performance within specific semantic categories.
• Increasing age was associated with decreased performance, while higher education levels correlated with improved performance.
• Statistically significant sex differences were observed exclusively in the 'brands of cars' semantic category.

Conclusions:

• The study provides valuable normative data for the SVFT, essential for clinical applications.
• Understanding the impact of age and education allows for more accurate interpretation of SVFT results in patients.
• The availability of category-specific norms facilitates detailed analysis of language disorders.