Adapting the Pyramids and Palm Trees Test and the Kissing and Dancing Test and developing other semantic tests for the Chinese population

ABSTRACT The semantic system is a core component underlying many cognitive functions, and its deterioration can lead to various behavioral deficits. The Pyramids and Palm Trees Test (Howard & Patterson, 1992) and the Kissing and Dancing Test (Bak & Hodges, 2003) are among the most widely used semantic assessments, and they have been adapted into many languages and for many populations. We adapted these tests to the Mainland Chinese population by adopting culturally appropriate items and collecting normative data in healthy Chinese participants. In addition, accumulating research has shown that semantic representations have multidimensional structures that include various types of knowledge, and in the Pyramids and Palm Trees Test mainly evaluates associative relationships. Therefore, we developed additional tests to examine three other aspects of semantic knowledge: taxonomic, functional, and manipulative. We found significant correlations among all tests in healthy participants. Moreover, the level of education and age affected performance on the tests of associative relationships, taxonomic relationships, and manipulation similarity.