Beyond frequency: Predicting auditory word recognition in normal elderly adults

This study examined the contributions of several lexical variables to prediction of the variance in spoken word recognition performance in a sample of 29 normal older adults. Subjects responded to 50 experimental stimulus words varying in frequency, age-of-acquisition, and familiarity, in a speeded auditory lexical decision task. The contributions of familiarity and age of acquisition were examined alter accounting for word frequency, the variable most often controlled in such studies. Strong age of acquisition effects were observed after accounting for frequency, whereas familiarity did not contribute to predicting lexical decision reaction times. Clinical and research implications are discussed.