The relationship between ethnicity and word fluency

The impact of ethnicity on word fluency measures, i.e., the FAS (Benton & Hamsher, 1976) and Animal Naming (AN) (Spreen Be Strauss, 1991) tests, was explored The groups included: White (n = 200), Black (n = 200), and Hispanic (n = 200) veterans. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed significant main effects for FAS and AN total scores both before and after covarying for income, education, and Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised Reading scores (p < .05). The largest unadjusted group mean difference approximated a medium effect size. No differences were found between FAS and AN standardized scores within each group. The findings are discussed as they relate to clinical practice and research. (C) 1998 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.