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KMID : 0921420120170010107
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Korean Journal of Communication Disorders
2012 Volume.17 No. 1 p.107 ~ p.117
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Characteristics of Verbal Definitions in Normal Elderly Koreans
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Kim Soo-jung
Choi Hyun-Joo
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Abstract
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Background & Objectives : Language impairment is an aspect of cognitive impairment that may be related to aging. The present study investigated the characteristics of verbal definition in normal elderly Koreans and compared their performance with those of younger people. In addition, the study confirmed the effects of gender and educational level on performance of verbal definition.
Methods: Forty-one normal elderly and 50 younger people participated in the present study. The verbal definitions task included 24 concrete nouns, six words for each of four categories (food, furniture, animal, electrical and appliance). The types of definition were divided into four groups, functional, relational, physical and categorical.
Results: First, the definition score of the normal elderly group was significantly lower than the younger people group. Second, the appearance ratio of type of definition was found to be in the order of functional, relational, physical, and categorical in normal elderly and in the order of functional, physical, categorical, and relational in younger people. Third, there was no difference in definition score according to gender. Fourth, significant correlations among the educational level, definition score, and the ratio of categorical definition were found.
Discussion & Conclusion: The results from the present study suggested that normal elderly Koreans have impairment in verbal definition that is related to cognitive impairment caused by aging.
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KEYWORD
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normal elderly, verbal definition, definition score, type of definition
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