A) INTRODUCTIONIn the present study, picture recognition matched with its corresponding name is considered a language indicator of semantic memory. As a result, we believed that spontaneous performance and the semantically cued performance should not be given the same score28-30 since, in the former case, only a visual stimulus is enough to trigger the entire process of correctly remembering the name while, in the second case, the interviewer's help is required to favor semantic (visual) recognition. Instead, we intended the CACNE to have three cycles scored differently according to the interviewer's interventions (i.e. the more attempts in remembering a name, the more performance facilitation, thus the lower the score (see below)).Moreover, from the initial 30 items, and during cued performance, each interviewee has his/her own list of difficult items visually presented with auditory cues. We propose the use of repetition priming to gradually select the items with anomia as a function of their difficulty to be remembered by each interviewee. Specifically, in the first cycle we evaluate spontaneous performance and, in the second and third cycles, we evaluate cued performance by only showing those stimuli that could not be remembered in the previous cycles. The procedure was designed based on the following premise: any previous effort that a person makes to place a perceived object into its corresponding semantic and phonological family of representations activates a memory network, which will subsequently facilitate the recall of the object name. Therefore, a semantic or phonemic cue, along with a new presentation of the object, will act like repetition (direct) priming because the same object is presented in complementary ways.Hamberger9 has suggested that the auditory presentation of the stimulus is more sensitive than the visual one for detecting anomia. Additionally, in the process of naming, which implicitly includes the process of language evolution,3 the phonemic/phonological information is considered to be the second step after picture recognition or semantic retrieval.11,31,36 Therefore, in the CACNE, after verifying and scoring with the maximum value spontaneous recall, using just visual stimuli, we successively used the semantic and phonemic cues, with decreasing scores, as complementary auditory presentations. Since the phonemic cue not only induces the recall of the name more explicitly in language terms, but has also proven to be more effective than the semantic cue to improve naming accuracy,31 then in the CACNE, phonemic cued performance is scored with the minimum value.[Note: From now on, we indistinctly use the terms 'phonemic' and 'phonetic' as well as the terms 'cues' and 'helps'.]Anomia can be inferred in the CACNE from the successive results described in each cycle, including the number of correct responses and the type of errors according to the provided cues or helps. The scores in each cycle reflect both the interviewee's accuracy and all the interviewer's interventions, together with their respective weights (the effect of priming can be inferred from the results obtained in the second and third cycles).Consequently, in one session we may observe not only if the person failed to remember a name, but also if some of the processes the brain uses to successively retrieve that name were successful; i.e., if the interviewee recalls the name after anomia, this can be taken as an indication that the name was in the interviewee's repertory and that the link between the picture and the name had probably been weakened for the reasons (or results) explained in the evaluation. Considering the limiting difficulties that may be found in public hospitals, the CACNE was designed to be administered offline, using Flash Player.
B) INSTRUCTIONSb1) Instructions for the InterviewerThere are three cycles in the evaluation. Each cycle is specified in the title and in the upper left corner of the screen with a red circle, which is highlighted within the other two cycles. During the first cycle, the interviewer must register, in the bottom left corner of the screen, either if the answer was right or, otherwise, the type of cue needed in the next cycle as a function of the type of error. Specifically: in this corner there are four options, the right answer and three types of cues or helps, which have to be administered in the next cycles according to the following criteria:a) If the interviewee did not visually recognize the picture (if he/she said: "I do not know" or if the picture was misidentified or incorrectly described), a semantic cue should be offered in the second cycle, by briefly describing the object in simple words; b) If the interviewee said a similar name, i.e. a name of the same family of objects or a name with similar pronunciation, but not the exact name, a better answer should be requested in the second cycle, up to a maximum of two requests; c) If the interviewee did recognize the picture by correctly describing its meaning, but the name was not remembered (anomia), a phonetic cue should be offered in the third cycle, up to a maximum of two requests if the name has more than two syllables (the first request by saying the initial sound of the name, the second request by saying the two initial sounds). This last cue will also be offered if the interviewee failed with the previous cues. [Note: Each type of selected cue is automatically recognized by the program to be administered in the corresponding cycle]. In the second and third cycles, the interviewer will only register if the final answer was right or wrong.
Additional Comments:1) Interviewee's self-corrections are not counted as errors.2) Wrong answers, which are registered verbatim in the three cycles, include picture descriptions.3) Words or expressions that are distorted or not related to the picture represent wrong answers or descriptions; the offered help will depend on the cycle in which they occur.4) Errors in the third cycle are taken as indicators that, under the current conditions, those names are unknown.5) When the last picture of each cycle has been administered, interviewers can examine the "Partial Results" in the first and second cycles, or the "Final Results" (including the partial ones) in the third cycle.6) Interviewers should never press 'New Test' unless they want to start all over again from the first picture.7) Although each researcher will have prepared in advance his/her own list of semantic cues according to the particular sample recruited, when the partial results are observed, interviewers will have the opportunity to think about the cues for the wrong answers because the time record stops at that stage.8) The list of correct names shown in part (d) of this table is tentative, based on our experience, but researchers will be able to adapt it to their language or cultures, including the corresponding cues.
b2) Instructions for the IntervieweeInitial or Spontaneous PerformanceI am going to show you some pictures and I want you to tell me their names. If you cannot say the exact name, give your best answer or say "I don't know" to go to the next item. Later you will be able to tell me what you know about that object.What's this?Cued PerformanceNow you can tell me the name or what you know about those pictures that you couldn't remember the name of before. I am going to help you.What's this?
C) TRANSLATION OF THE INSTRUCTIONS AND TERMS USED IN CACNE[Note: Spanish terms in italic, English terms in bold. see Fig. 2]Evaluación de Nombres, por Confrontación, Asistida por Computadora (ENCAC)Computer-Aided Confrontation-Naming Evaluation (CACNE)
Test de denominación - Ciclo 1: Desempeño espontáneo/Naming test
- Cycle 1: Spontaneous performance
Tenga la lista de palabras correctas / Have the list of correct wordsEscriba textualmente las palabras erradas / Write the wrong words verbatim
[Confirme las actividades para continuar... / Confirm the activities to continue...]
1: Desempeño espontáneo / 1: Spontaneous performance2: Desempeño con 1º ayuda / 2: Performance with 1st help3: Desempeño con 2º ayuda / 3: Performance with 2nd help
Bien / GoodSemántica / SemanticMejor Resp./ Better AnswerFonética / Phonetic
[Seleccione una opción... / Choose an option...]
Nuevo Test / New Test[¿Desea interrumpir el test en curso? SI NO/Do you want to interrupt the test in progress? YES NO]
Test de denominación / Naming testNuevo ciclo / New cycle
Test de denominación - Ciclo 2: Desempeño con 1º ayuda /Naming test - Cycle 2: Performance with 1st help
Ofrezca una ayuda semántica / Offer a semantic helpPida una mejor respuesta / Ask for a better answer
Test de denominación - Ciclo 3: Desempeño con 2º ayuda /Naming test - Cycle 3: Performance with 2nd help
Ofrezca una ayuda fonética / Offer a phonetic help
Resultados Parciales / Partial ResultsResultados Finales / Final Results
Test de denominación - Resultados Finales/Naming test - Final Results
Tiempo Empleado: minutos (mm) y segundos (ss) /Completion Time: minutes (mm) and seconds (ss)
Puntaje Total / Total Score
Ciclo 1: Desempeño espontáneo / Cycle 1: Spontaneous performanceTiempo (mm:ss) / Time (mm:ss)Figuras Puntaje Correctas Semántica Mejor Resp. Fonética /Figures Score Correct Semantic Better Answer Phonetic
Ciclo 2: Desempeño con ayuda / Cycle 2: Performance with helpTiempo (mm:ss) / Time (mm:ss)Figuras Puntaje Correctas Semánticas Correctas Mejor Resp. ErróneasFigures Score Correct Semantic Correct Better Answer Wrong
Ciclo 3: Desempeño con ayuda / Cycle 3: Performance with helpTiempo (mm:ss) / Time (mm:ss)Figuras Puntaje Correctas ErróneasFigures Score Correct Wrong
D) LIST OF CORRECT WORDS IN OUR SAMPLE OF SPANISH SPEAKERS AND TRANSLATION[Note: Items are in order of difficulty]
Spanish1) reloj2) teléfono3) libro4) cama5) silla6) sobre (carta)7) rastrillo8) piano9) molino -de viento-10) cigarrillo11) lámpara (velador)12) helicóptero13) cepillo de dientes14) pulpo15) jeringa (inyección)16) dado17) cafetera18) grúa (guinche)19) caballete20) candelabro (candelero)21) verja (cerca/o)22) matafuego (extintor, extinguidor)23) guadaña24) cono25) puntilla (guarda)26) clave de sol27) yunque (bigornia)28) cilindro29) gaita30) diapasón
English1) clock2) telephone3) book4) bed5) chair6) envelope (letter)7) rake8) piano9) windmill10) cigarette11) lamp12) helicopter13) toothbrush14) octopus15) syringe (injection)16) die (dice)17) coffee pot18) crane19) sawhorse (trestle)20) candelabrum (candlestick)21) fence22) fire extinguisher23) scythe24) cone25) lace (lace edging)26) treble clef27) anvil28) cylinder29) bagpipe30) tuning fork
