What type of language skills does the MoCA assess?

The MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) is designed to evaluate multiple cognitive domains, one of which includes language skills. Specifically, it assesses naming and verbal fluency as part of its language component. This is accomplished through tasks that require the individual to name objects and generate words within certain constraints, reflecting both their capacity to recognize and articulate language.

Naming ability examines the individual’s capacity to identify and label various items presented during the test, which can indicate their language comprehension and retrieval functions. Verbal fluency tasks, such as those requiring the individual to produce words that begin with a specific letter within a time limit, measure aspects of language productivity and cognitive speed.

While reading, writing, listening comprehension, grammar, and syntax are all important aspects of language use, the MoCA specifically focuses on the efficiency of naming and generating words as indicators of cognitive function related to language. Thus, this focus on naming and verbal fluency makes it the correct choice when describing the language skills assessed by the MoCA.