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What does the Object Decision Task Measure? Reflections on the Basis of Evidence from Semantic Dementia
Authors:
Hovius, M., KELLENBACH, M.L., GRAHAM , K.S., HODGES, J.R., PATTERSON, K. & ,
Reference:
Neuropsychology, 17(1), 100-107
Year of publication:
2003
CBU number:
5228
Abstract:
The impact of semantic knowledge on visual object analysis was investigated by assessing the performance of patients with semantic dementia on an object matching test (Humphreys & Riddoch, 1984) and two object decision tests designed on different principles (Warrington and James, 1991b; Riddoch and Humphreys, 1987a). On average, the patients achieved normal scores on both the object matching and the former object decision test, but were impaired on the latter object decision test, which was also the only visual object test that correlated significantly with degree of semantic impairment. These findings (a) demonstrate that object decision cannot be treated as a single task or ability and (b) suggest that it is not necessarily independent of conceptual knowledge.
