Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
The potential of language tasks for identifying senile dementia
Abstract:
More than two million elderly Americans suffer from senile dementia, an age-related disease affecting memory, intellect, and communication. The purpose of this study was to explore the diagnostic efficacy of language tasks for identifying senile dementia. The performance of 35 dementia patients was compared to that of 28 normal senescents on five language tasks and certain psychological measures reputed to be sensitive to the disease such as the Block Design and Similarities subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ), and the Nonsense Syllable Learning Tests. Language tasks presented were: Story-retelling, Naming, Sentence Disambiguation, Verbal Expression, and Sentence Correction. A discriminant analysis found the Sentence Correction Task, the MSQ, and the Verbal Expression Test to best discriminate patients with senile dementia from normal aged subjects. Semantic functions were found to be more vulnerable than phonologic and syntactic to the effects of progressive cortical atrophy.
Related Concept Videos
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Language and Cognition
Dementia
The progression of dementia is generally gradual.
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Dementia l: Introduction

