A review of the Boston Naming Test and multiple-occasion normative data for older adults on 15-item versions.

The literature reveals numerous versions of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) but normative data for very old people are scarce. Using four shortened versions of the BNT we produced normative data and examined naming ability longitudinally in a population-based sample of community dwelling elderly people. Our initial sample comprised 803 people with an average age of 76 years (range 65-93) who were examined twice, 2 years apart. A sub-sample of 326 people were followed-up 6 years later and re-examined. Results indicated that age and education level, but not gender, affected naming ability.