Age-related differences in word-retrieval but not in meaning generation

This study examines age-associated changes in retrieval on a picture-naming task,
phonemic and semantic fluency tasks, and the Homophone Meaning Generation Test
(HMGT). The sample included 152 Hebrew-speaking adults, half young (mean age
22.75) and half old (mean age 76.05). Groups differed on the picture-naming task and
on both verbal fluency tasks, but not on the HMGT. Age explained a greater share of
the variance than did education level on these three tests, whereas the opposite pattern
of results was seen on the HMGT. We suggest that age-related word finding difficulties
are attenuated when performance allows for semantic rather than phonological access.