Changing frequencies: Boston Naming Test normative data for Australian young adults.

Abstract

Background: The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a commonly used measure of visual confrontation naming, where performance is quantified relative to demographically representative normative data. Given that there are currently no BNT normative data for Australian young adults, the present study aimed to create normative data and determine item familiarity among this population.

Methods: Participants were 73 Australian university students (mean age 20.04 years, range 18-34 years old, 73% assigned female at birth). Participants were sampled on the standard BNT-2 items 1-60 and three additional Australian items. Normative data were created for this sample, producing z, T and percentile scores for raw BNT scores. Additionally, the number of correct responses to each item was calculated as the index of item familiarity.

Results: Mean BNT scores (mean 52.23/60, s.d. 4.44) were determined. At an item level, the current sample was uniquely unfamiliar with items 'yoke', 'trellis' and 'latch', and more familiar with items 'pretzel' and 'beaver' than normative samples from Australia and New Zealand.

Conclusions: Normative BNT data were produced for Australian young adults, the unique performance of which highlights the importance of representative and iteratively updated BNT normative data for accurate clinical decision-making.