title: Factors affecting the retrieval of famous names.
abstract: Tests of famous faces are used to study language and memory. Yet, the effect of stimulus properties on performance has not been fully investigated. To identify factors influencing proper name retrieval and to probe stimulus-specific parameters within proper name lexicon, we analysed the results obtained by 300 healthy participants on a test of famous faces that includes 74 personalities. A factor analysis yielded five main factors that were characterized by language (national or foreign names), epoch of peak popularity (current, recent or past) and occupation (politicians, entertainment and sports) of the personalities. Multiple regression analysis showed that participants' education, age and gender accounted for 10-32% of the variance in factor scores. These results indicate that there are variables of the stimulus and participants' that must be taken into account in proper name testing and in designing tests aimed to differentiate age-associated difficulties from cognitive decline.
authors.affiliation: Language Research Laboratory, Unidade Neurológica de Investigação Clínica (UNIC), Lisbon Faculty of Medicine, IMM, Hospital de Sta Maria, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal. isabel_martins@fm.ul.pt
authors.forename: Isabel Pavão
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loureiro
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slade
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D004522:Educational Status; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005197:Famous Persons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009275:Names; D009790:Occupations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult