ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B

›› 2009, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (11): 1049-1053.

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Differential Age and Sex Effects in Semantic Recognition of Odors and Words

Maria Larsson, Margareta Hedner, and Jonas Olofsson   

  1. (1Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden) (2Stockholm Brain Institute, Stockholm, Sweden)
  • Received:2009-02-20 Revised:1900-01-01 Published:2009-11-30 Online:2009-11-30
  • Contact: Maria Larsson

Abstract: This study examined the impact of age and sex on olfactory function as determined by a cued odor identification test and on semantic knowledge as indexed by a vocabulary test using a large population-based sample. 1497 healthy adults varying in age from 35 to 95 years were assessed in odor identification and in vocabulary proficiency. The results showed that aging exhibited negative repercussions on performance in both tests, although the age effect was stronger in the olfactory task. Corroborating previous observations, females identified more odors than men irrespective of age. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Key words: olfactory function, semantic knowledge, age, sex