Tests of Verbal Functions

Abstract

Object-naming tasks have been a popular form of evaluation of neurologically impaired individuals. Some form of object naming is included in many standardized procedures, including the Luria—Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery. The use of nonstandardized procedures is risky, as several variables can influence performance on this test, including the familiarity of the subject with the object, the use of an object itself as opposed to a picture of the object, and whether the object word can also be used as a verb (Barker & Lawson, 1968). To subvert these potential problems, Oldfield and Wingfield (1965) developed a set of pictures that can be used in a standardized fashion. Newcombe, Oldfield, Ratcliffe, and Wingfield (1971) found this task to be sensitive to brain injury. However, the reliability and the specific validities of this procedure still need to be evaluated. Lawson and Barker (1968) administered an object-naming test to 100 individuals with organic dementia and 40 volunteers from an elderly persons’ social club. They scored a failure to respond as well as the latency of response and found that both variables discriminated between the two groups significantly. They also found that demonstration facilitated naming in the impaired subjects but not in the control subjects. This information points to the possible clinical utility of the procedure.