Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The psychological construct of word fluency

R M Ruff1, R H Light, S B Parker

  • 1University of California, San Francisco, USA.

Brain and Language
|May 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Word fluency is linked to attention, word knowledge, and long-term memory. Impaired word fluency may indicate prefrontal lobe damage or other cognitive factors, suggesting distinct underlying causes.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The evolution of white matter microstructural changes after mild traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal DTI and NODDI study.

Science advances·2020
Same author

Ten-year outcome of early childhood traumatic brain injury: Diffusion tensor imaging of the ventral striatum in relation to executive functioning.

Brain injury·2016
Same author

Estimation of premorbid functioning after traumatic brain injury.

NeuroRehabilitation·2014
Same author

Infantile right hemisphere injury: a case report with MRI and 13 year follow-up.

Restorative neurology and neuroscience·2011
Same author

Voxel-based analysis of diffusion tensor imaging in mild traumatic brain injury in adolescents.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2009
Same author

Predictors of individual visual memory decline after unilateral anterior temporal lobe resection.

Neurology·2009

Area of Science:

  • Neuropsychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Word fluency measures are widely used in neuropsychology.
  • Previous research links word fluency deficits to left prefrontal lobe damage.
  • However, word fluency impairment is also observed with diffuse or nonfrontal brain damage, indicating a complex relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the psychological construct underlying word fluency.
  • To identify key determinants of word fluency in healthy adults.
  • To differentiate patterns of word fluency impairment based on underlying cognitive factors.

Main Methods:

  • A sample of 360 healthy adults was recruited.
  • Participants were stratified by age, gender, and education level.
  • Multiple regression analysis was used to identify determinants of word fluency.

Main Results:

  • Auditory attention and word knowledge were significant predictors of word fluency.
  • Long-term memory showed a significant correlation, while short-term memory did not.
  • A substantial portion of word fluency variance remained unexplained, suggesting independent factors.

Conclusions:

  • Word fluency is influenced by verbal attention, word knowledge, and long-term memory.
  • A distinction is proposed between word fluency deficits secondary to these cognitive factors and those occurring independently.
  • Independent word fluency impairment may be more associated with prefrontal lobe damage, whereas deficits linked to cognitive factors could involve diffuse or nonfrontal brain influences.

Related Experiment Videos