Validating normative performance on a video-based narrative task of Cantonese speakers aged 50 or above

Abstract

Despite the great demand for objective discourse assessment tools for Cantonesespeaking persons with aphasia to evaluate their functional communication ability, there are currently very few published and validated tools available for use. The present study collected the normative data of 60 neurologically-unimpaired native Cantonese speakers (aged 50 or above), measured by main concept analysis, on a new video-based narrative task. Age stratified normative data were provided. Taking the participants’ cognitive ability into consideration, statistical results indicated an insignificant effect of age on the content and efficiency of narration, but a significant effect of cognitive ability on narration content. Due to the scarcity of published and validated discourse assessment tools, practicing clinicians may randomly select available stimuli and generate their own expected targets in assessments. The present study also validated clinician-generated targets against normative data in the same narrative task, by comparing the targets generated by adult participants, practicing speech therapists and final-year speech and hearing sciences students. The results revealed that the performance of speakers when judged with normative data was significantly different from that when judged with clinician-generated targets. The predictions of both speech therapists and students were significantly different from the normative data.