Functioning of Semantic Distractors in a Neuropsychological Test of Taxonomic Relationships

Knowing how conceptual relationships work is extremely important for neuropsychological evaluation, as many neuropsychological syndromes affect them. Selecting appropriate distractors is crucial for grading the difficulty of tests. This study examined the effect of correspondence strength (CS) betwe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fernández-Zaionz, Axel Ramiro, Vivas, Leticia Yanina
Format: Online
Language:spa
Published: Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPSI, Conicet-UNC) 2023
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Online Access:https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/revaluar/article/view/43898
Description
Summary:Knowing how conceptual relationships work is extremely important for neuropsychological evaluation, as many neuropsychological syndromes affect them. Selecting appropriate distractors is crucial for grading the difficulty of tests. This study examined the effect of correspondence strength (CS) between response options in a semantic association test called TAXON, which evaluates the ability to identify taxonomic relationships. The sample included 43 adults over 65 years old without pathology. The correlation between the difference in CS of stimuli and response times (RT) and response rate (RR) was analyzed, as well as if the semantic domain of items (living/non-living) and the presentation format (verbal/pictorial) had an influence. The results showed lower RT and higher RR when the correspondence difference between distractor and target was greater. Additionally, a greater effect was observed in the pictorial format.