Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing
Background: Category Fluency Test (CFT) is a common measure of semantic memory (SM). Test performance, however, is also influenced by other cognitive functions. We here propose a scoring procedure that quantifies the correlation between the serial recall order (SRO) of words retrieved during the CFT...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.678588/full |
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| author | Matteo De Marco Matteo De Marco Daniel J. Blackburn Annalena Venneri Annalena Venneri |
| author_facet | Matteo De Marco Matteo De Marco Daniel J. Blackburn Annalena Venneri Annalena Venneri |
| author_sort | Matteo De Marco |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Category Fluency Test (CFT) is a common measure of semantic memory (SM). Test performance, however, is also influenced by other cognitive functions. We here propose a scoring procedure that quantifies the correlation between the serial recall order (SRO) of words retrieved during the CFT and a number of linguistic features, to obtain purer SM measures. To put this methodology to the test, we addressed a proof-of-concept hypothesis whereby, in alignment with the literature, older adults would show better SM.Methods: Ninety participants (45 aged 18–21 years; 45 aged 70–81 years) with normal neurological and cognitive functioning completed a 1-min CFT. SRO was scored as an ordinal variable incrementing by one unit for each valid entry. Each word was also scored for 16 additional linguistic features. Participant-specific normalised correlation coefficients were calculated between SRO and each feature and were analysed with group comparisons and graph theory.Results: Younger adults showed more negative correlations between SRO and “valence” (a feature of words pleasantness). This was driven by the first five words generated. When analysed with graph theory, SRO had significantly higher degree and lower betweenness centrality among older adults.Conclusion: In older adults, SM relies significantly less on pleasantness of entries typically retrieved without semantic control. Moreover, graph-theory metrics indicated better optimised links between SRO and linguistic features in this group. These findings are aligned with the principle whereby SM processes tend to solidify with ageing. Although additional work is needed in support of an SRO-based item-level scoring procedure of CFT performance, these initial findings suggest that this methodology could be of help in characterising SM in a purer form. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T09:01:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-49150e0882984282b35eda65b817d831 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T09:01:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-49150e0882984282b35eda65b817d8312022-12-21T18:31:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652021-08-011310.3389/fnagi.2021.678588678588Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal AgeingMatteo De Marco0Matteo De Marco1Daniel J. Blackburn2Annalena Venneri3Annalena Venneri4Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United KingdomDepartment of Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United KingdomDepartment of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United KingdomBackground: Category Fluency Test (CFT) is a common measure of semantic memory (SM). Test performance, however, is also influenced by other cognitive functions. We here propose a scoring procedure that quantifies the correlation between the serial recall order (SRO) of words retrieved during the CFT and a number of linguistic features, to obtain purer SM measures. To put this methodology to the test, we addressed a proof-of-concept hypothesis whereby, in alignment with the literature, older adults would show better SM.Methods: Ninety participants (45 aged 18–21 years; 45 aged 70–81 years) with normal neurological and cognitive functioning completed a 1-min CFT. SRO was scored as an ordinal variable incrementing by one unit for each valid entry. Each word was also scored for 16 additional linguistic features. Participant-specific normalised correlation coefficients were calculated between SRO and each feature and were analysed with group comparisons and graph theory.Results: Younger adults showed more negative correlations between SRO and “valence” (a feature of words pleasantness). This was driven by the first five words generated. When analysed with graph theory, SRO had significantly higher degree and lower betweenness centrality among older adults.Conclusion: In older adults, SM relies significantly less on pleasantness of entries typically retrieved without semantic control. Moreover, graph-theory metrics indicated better optimised links between SRO and linguistic features in this group. These findings are aligned with the principle whereby SM processes tend to solidify with ageing. Although additional work is needed in support of an SRO-based item-level scoring procedure of CFT performance, these initial findings suggest that this methodology could be of help in characterising SM in a purer form.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.678588/fullsemantic memoryefficiencycentralityhippocampusAlzheimer’s diseasepre-clinical |
| spellingShingle | Matteo De Marco Matteo De Marco Daniel J. Blackburn Annalena Venneri Annalena Venneri Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience semantic memory efficiency centrality hippocampus Alzheimer’s disease pre-clinical |
| title | Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing |
| title_full | Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing |
| title_fullStr | Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing |
| title_short | Serial Recall Order and Semantic Features of Category Fluency Words to Study Semantic Memory in Normal Ageing |
| title_sort | serial recall order and semantic features of category fluency words to study semantic memory in normal ageing |
| topic | semantic memory efficiency centrality hippocampus Alzheimer’s disease pre-clinical |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.678588/full |
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