The adaptation of the Object and Action Naming Battery into Saudi Arabic

Abstract

Background: The Object and Action Naming Battery (OANB) was developed by Druks and Masterson in 2000 in response to the lack of materials for investigating the difference between the availability of nouns and verbs. This battery has been extensively used in psycholinguistic and aphasia research. The battery has also proved to be a useful tool in clinical practice by speech and language therapists.Aims: Till date, there are no published aphasia assessment tools specifically developed for the use of Saudi Arabic speakers. Therefore, the present study aimed to adapt the OANB for the use of Saudi Arabic speakers. This paper describes the adaptation process.Methods & Procedures: Name agreement data for the items in the OANB was collected from 30 non-brain-damaged Saudi Arabic-speaking adults. This was followed by collecting values for the psycholinguistic variables available in the original battery, which are spoken-word frequency, imageability, age of acquisition, and visual complexity.Outcomes & Results: The Saudi Arabic version of the OANB consists of 50 object and 50 action pictures with high level of name agreement (100% for object pictures, and at least 93% for action pictures), along with the normative data for the variables of spoken-word frequency, imageability, age of acquisition, and visual complexity of the verbal labels for the object and action pictures included in the Saudi Arabic version of the battery.Conclusions: This battery makes a significant contribution to aphasia resources available in Saudi Arabia as it can be used in clinical settings at the assessment stage and for therapeutic purposes for individuals with aphasia. The battery can also be used in aphasia and psycholinguistic research with Arabic speakers.