Characteristics of Word-Finding Behaviors in Healthy Elderly Adults according to the Type of Spontaneous Speech Task

Abstract

Objectives: Spontaneous speech is known to be a task that can efficiently assess communication problems in the healthy elderly adults. In this study, we aimed to investigate the differences in word-finding behaviors according to three types of spontaneous speech tasks (picture description, story telling, and topic telling) in healthy elderly adults. In addition, this study aimed to investigate the differences in word-finding behaviors by gender and age group in healthy elderly adults. Methods: One hundred sixty-seven healthy elderly adults were asked to perform three tasks: picture description, story telling, and topic telling. Word-finding behaviors were analyzed using global index and word reformulations, repetitions, empty words, time fillers, insertions, and delays. Results: First, the main effects of gender and task type were significant for the number of words, with women producing more utterances in topic telling. Second, the main effects of gender and task type were significant for global index, with males showing higher global index in topic telling. Third, men produced higher rates of word reformulations and repetitions than women in the word-finding behavior. Among the word-finding behaviors, the production rates of word reformulations, empty words, insertions, and delays were significant by task type, and the difference between age groups was significant only for empty words. Conclusion: This study is significant because it examined the differences in the rate of word-finding behaviors across types of spontaneous speech tasks and also analyzed differences across gender and age groups.