Description

The Spot-the-Word Test (SWT-60) is a neuropsychological test developed by Baddeley and colleagues in 1993 to estimate verbal intelligence and premorbid intellectual functioning, particularly in individuals with suspected or confirmed cerebral dysfunction.

The test is based on lexical recognition and consists of 60 pairs, each containing one real word and one pseudoword. Participants are asked to identify the real word in each pair.

Objective

The main objective of the SWT-60 is to estimate premorbid cognitive functioning, particularly verbal intellectual ability. It can be used within neuropsychological assessment to investigate possible differences between estimated premorbid functioning and current cognitive performance.

Scoring and Data Analysis

The total score is calculated as the number of correct responses across the 60 word pairs. Higher scores indicate a greater number of correct lexical identifications and, consequently, higher estimated verbal ability.

In research applications, statistical analysis may include descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlations with other cognitive measures, and reliability analyses.

Reliability

The available material reports high internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90, supporting the reliability of the test.

References

Baddeley, A., Emslie, H., & Nimmo-Smith, I. (1993). The Spot-the-Word test: A robust estimate of verbal intelligence based on lexical decision. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 32(1), 55–65.

Mackinnon, A., & Christensen, H. (2007). An investigation of the measurement properties of the Spot-the-Word test in a community sample. Psychological Assessment, 19(4), 459.

Yuspeh, R. L., & Vanderploeg, R. D. (2000). Spot-the-Word: A measure for estimating premorbid intellectual functioning. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 15(4), 319–326.