Patterns of performance for two age groups of normal adults on a test of oral form discrimination

Two age groups of 12 normal adult subjects were tested to determine patterns of performance on a test of oral form discrimination. All subjects were asked whether or not two consecutively presented unseen forms were identical, by pointing to a “yes” or “no” response printed on a card. The younger subject group performed significantly better than the older group on oral form discrimination and, with few exceptions, were classified within their proper age group. In addition, the number of subjects discriminated from each other and assigned to their respective age groups using selected response categories was comparable to that using total, within-class, and between-class scores. This established the possible use for a shortened form of the test.