The Category-Specific Names Test

The Category Specific Names Test is a test of both naming objects and matching objects with their names in four semantic categories. The test is unique in allowing for the detection of a category-specific deficit both in naming and in comprehension of the spoken or written name within four semantic categories. Two of the categories are living things: animals, and fruits and vegetables. The other two categories are man-made objects: praxic objects, which need a particular skilled action for their use, and non-praxic objects, which are not associated with a specific action.
Each object is presented in a clear coloured photograph. There are 30 objects in each category which are graded in difficulty to sample the full range of knowledge within that category, making the test appropriate for all levels of ability within the normal population.
The test has been standardised on a large representative sample of the normal population of adults and children and has been validated on a series of patients with focal lesions restricted to the right or left cerebral hemisphere. The test has separate norms for men and women and children. For each item the percentage of adults and children (in 4 age groups) who correctly named the item is given as well as a frequency count of the specific misnamings which occurred in the adult population. The test is thus appropriate for all age groups, including children and the elderly, and can be used as both a clinical and research tool. It is very easy to administer and can also be used to monitor cognitive recovery in early stages of recovery in brain trauma or disease.