Predictors of verbal fluency (FAS) in the healthy elderly.

The Verbal Fluency Task (FAS), sensitive indicator of brain injury, was examined in a population of healthy elderly (N = 199, aged 40 to 89 years). The present study was conducted to examine the relative contributions of age, sex, education, verbal intelligence, and specific cognitive abilities to FAS performance. Significant effects were found for vocabulary and sex, although no aging effect was found. Separate norms for sex and level of verbal intelligence are presented. Results indicated that ability to quickly organize information and formulate effective recall strategies played a critical role in good FAS performance.