Naming Test

Background

Word Naming Tests are simple assessment tests of word retrieval performance or 'naming' abilities. They are often used to assess the severity of language disturbances—such as aphasia—caused by stroke, brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias.

One of the most widely used examples is the Boston Naming Test (BNT), a standardized neuropsychological assessment used to evaluate confrontational word-retrieval (naming) abilities. In the BNT, participants view a sequence of 60 black-and-white drawings of images progressing from easy to name objects such as a 'tree' to difficult to name objects such as 'abacus'. Each image is presented for 20 seconds and participants should name the object. When they struggle, test administrators are instructed to provide some standardized cues. The final score reflects how easily the individual can recall and articulate words. A high number of naming errors or the inability to name common objects often indicates cognitive decline, particularly involving the left hemisphere of the brain, considered the powerhouse for human language production and comprehension.

The Millisecond Naming Test (MNT) is inspired by the BNT. It presents 60 photographs of the items listed by Linda E. Nicholas and colleagues in their 1988 publication on the need for improving test instructions for the BNT. The Millisecond Naming Test is intended for one-on-one testing. It is not suitable for online self-administration.

Task Procedure

Before testing starts, test administrators select which parts of the scripts to run (Testing and/or Scoring) and if the testing session should be automatically recorded. The test itself presents each participant with the sequence of 60 items, ordered from easiest to hardest. Each item is presented for 20 seconds (with a clock on screen). During that time, the participant is instructed to name the item and/or give as much information about the object as they can. Test administratorsare instructed to write down the response for later scoring. Once the time is up, a visual alert is presented on screen, and the test administrator can either decide to add additional testing time or continue to the next image via a spacebar press. At the end of the testing session, test administrators have the option to enter the participant's responses and score them.

What it Measures

The Millisecond Naming Test (MNT) an assessment tool for word retrieval abilities

Psychological domains

• Lexical Access and Retrieval: The speed and success of searching through one's mental dictionary to find the precise word to use
• Phonological Encoding: The ability to assemble the correct sounds to articulately vocalize the retrieved word

Main Performance Metrics

• Total Score: Number of correct responses (Range: 0-60); measure of word retrieval success

Psychiatric Conditions

Naming Tests such as the BNT are routinely used to assess the following patient groups:

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Stroke
• Alzheimer Disease (AD)
• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

References

Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Naming Test.

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Kaplan; Goodglass, Harold; Weintraub, Sandra (1983). Boston Naming Test. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.

Nicholas, L.E.; Brookshire, R.H.; MacLennan, D.L.; Schumacher, J.G. & Porrazzo, S.A. (1988). The Boston Naming Test: Revised Administration and Scoring Procedureds and Normative Information for Non-Brain-Damaged Adults. In: Clinical Aphasiology. Boston: College-Hill Press. pp. 103–15.

Knesevich, John Wm., LaBarge, Emily, & Edwards, Dorothy. (1986). Predictive value of the Boston naming test in mild senile dementia of the alzheimer type. Psychiatry Research, 19(2), 155-161.

Busch, R., Frazier, T., Iampietro, M., Chapin, J., & Kubu, C. (2009). Clinical utility of the Boston Naming Test in predicting ultimate side of surgery in patients with medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy: A double cross‐validation study. Epilepsia, 50(5), 1270-1273.