Comparison of rapid automatic naming performance between elderly individuals with and without cognitive impairment

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of differences in cognitive performance levels on Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) tasks. The study included two groups of participants aged between 60 and 74 years, with equal numbers classified as having low and non-low cognitive performance based on their MoCA scores (a total of 90 individuals). The validity of grouping based on MoCA scores was supported by significant group differences and correlation analyses obtained from the Trail Making and Digit Span tests, which assess attention, executive function, and working memory. All participants completed a RAN task consisting of letter, number, color, and object naming subtests. The number of correct responses, reaction time, number of revisions, and total duration obtained from the RAN tasks were analyzed using multiple linear regression, considering age, years of education, and cognitive performance as variables. The findings indicated that individuals with higher cognitive performance provided more correct responses in the color naming task. Although no significant differences were observed in the number task, composite accuracy scores combining symbolic and non-symbolic tasks revealed significant group differences. In terms of reaction time, significant differences based on cognitive performance were found especially in the object and mixed tasks, with individuals in the low cognitive performance group demonstrating longer response times. Regarding the number of revisions, significant group differences were observed only in the color task and the non-symbolic composite score, with individuals in the low-performance group making more corrections. Significant group differences were found in the completion times of all tasks, with participants in the non-low cognitive performance group completing the tasks more quickly. In conclusion, among the RAN task metrics, time-based measures appear to be more effective in predicting cognitive performance level, and non-symbolic stimuli seem to be more sensitive in reflecting cognitive differences.