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The Relationship between Visual Perception and Confrontation Naming Abilities of Elderly and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease

HARNISH, STACY M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1217438958

Abstract Details

2008, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Allied Health Sciences : Communication Science and Disorders.
Confrontation naming abilities decline with normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The focus of this research was to investigate at which stage the breakdown in processing occurs for typically aging elderly and individuals with AD. This research investigated the hypothesis that naming impairment in AD is a result of visual perceptual deficits occurring prior to accessing semantic memory. Sixty subjects participated in this study; 30 young control subject, 30 elderly control subjects and 30 individuals with early to mid-stage AD. Subjects were given a neuropsychological battery of tests related to visual perception (BVFDT, BFRT), semantic abilities (P&PT) and confrontation naming abilities (BNT). In addition, subjects participated in a visual discrimination task and a visual naming task created for this research. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed significant group differences between the performance of elderly control subjects and individuals with AD on each of the standardized tests, indicating visual perceptual, semantic and confrontation naming impairment in subjects with AD. Regression analysis confirmed that semantic abilities (as measured by performance on the P&PT) were a better predictor of AD participants' performance on a visual discrimination task and a visual naming task than were visual perceptual abilities (as measured by the BVFDT and the BFRT). There were visual perceptual deficits in AD, but no significant correlation between confrontation naming abilities and visual perceptual abilities (as measured by the BVFDT and BFRT). Post hoc analyses confirmed a positive relationship between AD participants' performance on the P&PT and measures of confrontation naming (BNT and visual naming task), which support the theory that naming impairment in AD stems from degradation of semantic knowledge. Although no causal relationship was found between visual perception and naming impairment in AD, there were subjects who presented with evidence of visual distortions or visual confusion.
Jean Neils-Strunjas (Committee Chair)
James Eliassen (Committee Member)
John Clark (Committee Member)
71 p.
Speech Therapy
Alzheimer's Disease; Aging; Confrontation Naming; Visual Perception; Semantic Memory

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • HARNISH, S. M. (2008). The Relationship between Visual Perception and Confrontation Naming Abilities of Elderly and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1217438958

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • HARNISH, STACY. The Relationship between Visual Perception and Confrontation Naming Abilities of Elderly and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease. 2008. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1217438958.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • HARNISH, STACY. "The Relationship between Visual Perception and Confrontation Naming Abilities of Elderly and Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1217438958

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1217438958
865
© 2008, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.