Development of suprathreshold word recognition test for Russian-speaking patients

This paper describes the development and normalization of a computerized word recognition test for speakers of the Russian language: the Russian Picture Identification Task (RPIT). The test uses a picture-pointing response, in which a patient selects, on a computer screen, a picture corresponding to a target word from a foil of four rhyming alternatives. The auditory portion of the test is recorded digitally and is recalled from a clinician's computer by clicking a mouse on the English translation of the target word. Thus, an English-speaking clinician can assess reliably word recognition abilities of Russian-speaking patients-a task that has become important in view of the recent surge of immigration from the former Soviet Union. Normative performance of normal-hearing native speakers of Russian was obtained in oral response conditions and picture-pointing conditions intended for clinical use. Psychometric functions provide norms for clinical decision making. Error patterns, individual confusions, and cognitive aspects of the experiment are discussed.