Complementary auditory and Visual Naming Tests: Revised and updated for ages 16–55 years

Abstract

Objective: Historically, naming has been assessed with visual object naming; however, we have found that auditory description naming significantly enhances lateralization and localization of dysfunction. We previously published auditory naming (ANT) and complementary Visual Naming Tests (VNT) for young adults, and recently developed these measures for children (ages 6–15 years) and older adults (ages 56–100 years). Here, we update the original stimuli and more rigorously norm the tests for ages 16–55, addressing prior limitations. Methods: Test stimuli were selected based on item characteristics and preliminary screening, eliminating those with less than 90% name agreement. A sample of 178 healthy individuals ages 16–55 years were administered the updated ANT and VNT, and other standardized measures, either in person (n = 114) or via telehealth (n = 64). Results: With no effect of age, yet a significant influence of education, education-based normative data are provided for accuracy, tips-of-the-tongue (i.e. delayed, accurate responses plus correct responses following phonemic cueing), and an aggregate Summary Score. Internal and test–retest reliability coefficients were reasonable (.67–.90). Conclusions: These measures provide updated and improved naming assessment for ages 16–55 years, contributing to a contiguous set of naming tests for school-aged children through elderly adults. Compared to the original ANT and VNT, these measures were designed to have stimuli longevity, and offer reduced item burden and evidence-based recommendations for performance measures with the greatest clinical sensitivity. The addition of these measures enables continuity in assessment across the age span, facilitating longitudinal assessment related to disease progression or therapeutic intervention.

Keywords:

• Naming
• word finding
• word retrieval
• tip-of the-tongue

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [MH]. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke under grant R03 NS111180 (M.J.H.). The authors thank Audrey Li and Tess Jacobson for assistance with subject recruitment and testing, and Dr. Jeffrey Cole for editorial comments.