Semantic memory for objects, actions, and events: A novel test of event-related conceptual semantic knowledge

People possess significant knowledge about how real-world events typically unfold. Such event-related semantic memory connects action and object knowledge, is essential for multiple stages of language processing, and may be impaired in neurological conditions like aphasia. However, current assessments are not well designed for measuring this knowledge. This study presents and tests a novel measure of event-related semantic memory. Task-performance data were collected from unimpaired adults across the lifespan and a sample of stroke survivors with aphasia. Individuals with aphasia also completed measures of language processing and action-/object-related semantic memory, to establish the novel measure's convergent validity. Results demonstrate that performance on the event-knowledge measure correlated with action and object semantic-memory measures and was also associated with a broader range of language-processing performance than other semantic-memory measures. These findings suggest that the novel measure can be used to detect the presence and impact of event-knowledge impairments in neurological conditions.