The Mechanistic and Clinical Principles of Item-level Scoring Methods Applied to the Category Fluency Test and Other Tests of Semantic Memory

Routinely used as task of semantic memory (SM), the Category Fluency test (CFT) has proven to be a very versatile instrument. Alongside its canonical scoring procedure (i.e., total number of words generated), a number of additional methodologies have been proposed to characterise performance on this test in more detail, e.g., metrics calculated at the item level or based on the associations between items.

From a clinical viewpoint, these approaches are interesting because they appear to be particularly useful to detect the presence of neurodegenerative processes (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease) at a very early stage. From a mechanistic viewpoint, they offer the opportunity to shed light on the various cognitive components that contribute to task performance, which include, beyond SM, also executive functioning, processing speed, language and elements of episodic memory.

Analogously, additional routine SM tests hold clinical potential and are excellent candidates for in-depth characterisation of cognitive mechanisms underlying test performance.

The definition and use of alternative and more sophisticated approaches to scoring performance on the CFT and in other tests of SM (e.g., tests of picture or sound naming) is an area of research that has received significant interest from the worldwide scientific community. Nevertheless, most of this research is scattered across the literature without a clear and comprehensive theoretical framework that can act as reference. This lack is a major gap because item-level methodologies are theoretically sound and have the potential of having a significant impact on clinical activities.

Thus, the goal of this research topic is to define a theoretical landmark that could act as starting point to enable this type of research to fulfil its potential.

The scope of the Research Topic is described based on the following axes:

·      Studies on item-level analyses of the Category Fluency test and other tests of semantic memory, including tests of visual and auditory naming;

·      Studies based on analyses of cognitive functioning with or without neuroimaging;

·      Original articles and targeted reviews;

·      Studies that can improve the theoretical understanding of the abilities underlying item-level task performance or studies that describe their clinical utility;