Clustering and switching as two components of verbal fluency: Evidence from younger and older healthy adults.
Abstract
Although verbal fluency is a frequently used neuropsychological test, little is known about the underlying cognitive processes. The authors proposed that 2 important components of fluency performance are clustering (i.e., the production of words within semantic or phonemic subcategories) and switching (i.e., the ability to shift between clusters). In Experiment 1, correlational data from 54 older and 41 younger adults indicated that both components were highly correlated with the number of words generated on semantic fluency, whereas switching was more highly correlated than clustering with the number of words generated on phonemic fluency. On semantic fluency, younger participants generated more words and switched more frequently than older participants; on phonemic fluency, older participants produced larger clusters than younger participants. In Experiment 2, among 22 young adults, divided attention decreased the number of words generated and decreased switching on phonemic fluency only. Overall, findings suggest that clustering and switching are dissociable fluency components and that switching is related to frontal-lobe functioning.
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By increasing people's confidence, such cues can affect their metacognitive control, leading people to decrease the effort they invest into further deliberate processing, as measured by thinking time and changes-of-mind.
“By increasing people's confidence, such cues can affect their metacognitive control, leading people to decrease the effort they invest into further deliberate processing, as measured by thinking time and changes-of-mind [4,183,184].”
From The Metacognitive Demands and Opportunities of Generative AI (2024) · cites this paper as [184]
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- Authors
- Troyer, A. K., Moscovitch, M., & Winocur, G.
- Affiliations
- Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care (CA)
- Venue
- Neuropsychology
- Published
- 1997
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 138-146
- ISSN
- 0894-4105 (ISSN-L)
- 1931-1559
- OpenAlex
- W2147230519
- Cited by
- 1,241
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 58 · 2025: 75 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 80 · 2022: 81 · 2021: 72 · 2020: 61 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 58 · 2017: 63 · 2016: 61 · 2015: 55 · 2014: 68 · 2013: 68 · 2012: 62
- FWCI
- 5.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuropsychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Historical and Modern Theater Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- verbal fluency, semantic clustering, switching, semantic fluency, phonemic fluency, divided attention, aging, older adults, frontal lobe function, cognitive aging
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Attention, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Semantics
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