Initial phase performance in a 30-s verbal fluency task as being reflective of aging effect

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Gerontology

Background:

• Verbal semantic fluency tasks assess cognitive function in aging.
• Understanding age-related cognitive changes is crucial for healthy aging research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effect of aging on verbal semantic fluency performance.
• To identify age-related differences in animal naming tasks across five elderly age groups.

Main Methods:

• A 30-second verbal semantic fluency task (animal naming) was administered.
• Performance was analyzed across 5-second intervals and initial word production time.
• Five age groups (60-84 years) were compared.

Main Results:

• Total word production significantly decreased with increasing age (P < 0.001).
• Significant performance differences were observed between age groups in the 0-5s, 6-10s, and 16-20s phases (P < 0.05).
• Delayed first word production in the first 5 seconds was noted in the 75-79 and 80-84 year age groups.

Conclusions:

• Early performance (first 5 seconds) in verbal semantic fluency tasks may be a sensitive indicator of cognitive changes in aging adults.
• The initial phase of the task is crucial for detecting age-related cognitive decline.