Related Experiment Videos
Normative data for the Boston naming test in native Dutch-speaking Belgian elderly
P Mariën1, E Mampaey, A Vervaet
1Department of Neurology, General Hospital Middelheim, Antwerp, Belgium.
Brain and Language
|December 9, 1998
Summary
This study on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in Dutch elderly found age, education, and gender impact scores. Surprisingly, language did not affect overall scores but influenced error types, necessitating adapted norms.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Linguistics
- Gerontology
Background:
- The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a widely used tool for assessing confrontation naming abilities.
- Normative data is crucial for accurate interpretation of BNT performance across different populations.
- Previous studies have explored BNT performance in various linguistic groups, but cross-linguistic comparisons of error patterns require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish normative data for the 60-item Boston Naming Test (BNT) in a Dutch-speaking elderly population.
- To investigate the influence of demographic factors (age, education, gender) on BNT performance in this group.
- To analyze error patterns and compare them with findings from other linguistic versions of the BNT.
Main Methods:
- A normative study was conducted with 200 native Dutch-speaking Flemish elderly participants.
- The 60-item version of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) was administered.
- Statistical analyses were performed to assess the impact of age, education, and gender on BNT scores. Error types were systematically analyzed.
Main Results:
- BNT performance in Dutch was significantly affected by age, years of education, and gender.
- Verbal semantic paraphasias were the most frequent error type, accounting for one-third of all errors.
- "Don't know" responses, verbal semantic paraphasias, and adequate circumlocutions were diffusely distributed across numerous items.
- Linguistics did not impact overall mean BNT scores across Dutch, American-English, and Australian-English elderly.
- Qualitative performance, specifically error distribution, showed fundamental differences across languages, indicating a linguistic impact.
Conclusions:
- Demographic factors significantly influence Boston Naming Test (BNT) performance in Dutch elderly.
- While overall BNT scores may not differ significantly across languages, the types and distribution of errors do.
- These language-specific BNT characteristics highlight the necessity for tailored normative adaptations for accurate cross-linguistic assessment.