Korean J Geriatr Gerontol.  2022 Dec;23(2):90-95. 10.15656/kjcg.2022.23.2.90.

Efficiency of Semantic-Lexical Processing Evaluation Tasks for Early Detection of Cognitive Decline

• Park S
• Kim J

• KMID: 2566378
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15656/kjcg.2022.23.2.90

Abstract

This study aims to examine the type of tasks which are commonly carried out for clinical use, performance of target group, and method of analysis for task, in order to clarify the type of semantic-lexical tasks to be applicable to identifying those with mild cognitive decline in early stages. Naming tasks, word definition, correct information unit analysis, and semantic association task are usually used in the clinical field to estimate the features of semantic-lexical processing. In this context, as the stimulus word suggested had lower frequency, rather than higher, and was more abstract, rather than more concrete, it sensitively showed significant differences. In addition, there is a result that the correct/error response calculation does not distinguish the difference between the normal group and the group with small cognitive differences such as the subjective memory impairment group. In this case, it was found that the reaction time measurement could be more useful in discriminating the cognitive decline group. It is considered that it would be possible to distinguish the cognitively impaired groups more efficiently by applying the low frequency word that is not familiar to ordinary daily life or stimulus that requires more complicated cognitive processing, as the test stimulus.

Keyword

Cognition; Language; Semantics