[The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test in the Bantu population. Preliminary results]

The purpose of this work was to establish in this first report the age standards of the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue in Zaire. The Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test was performed in 132 normal subjects. All subjects were Zairian blacks aged from 20 to 49 years. The test was administered binocularly, once, to each subject. Subjects were divided in three age groups. The first age group had 35 subjects aged between 20 and 29 years, the second age group had 48 subjects aged between 30 and 39 years and the third 49 subjects aged between 40-49 years. The total error scores were 7.06 +/- 2.10 for the first age group, 9.03 +/- 1.80 for the second age group and 9.80 +/- 2 for the third age group. These results were aged related (r = 0.42, p inferior to 0.05). Scores of Zairian subjects in this study were higher when compared to those reported in Europe and U.S.A. Interpretation of results of the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test must take in account this difference in ethnic origin.