Abstract
Background: Even if both phonological and semantic cues can facilitate word retrieval in aphasia, it remains unclear if their respective effectiveness varies according to the underlying anomic profile.Aim: The aim of the present facilitation study is to compare the effect of phonological and semantic cues on picture naming accuracy and speed in different types of anomia.Methods: In the present within-subject design study, 15 aphasic persons following brain damage underwent picture naming paradigms with semantic cues (categorically- or associatively related) and phonological cues (initial phoneme presented auditorily, visually or both).Results: At the group level, semantic cueing was as effective as phonological cueing to significantly speed up picture naming. However, while phonological cues were effective regardless of the anomic profile, semantic cueing effects varied depending on the type of anomia. Participants with mixed anomia showed facilitation after both semantic categorical and associative cues, but individuals with lexical-phonological anomia only after categorical cues. Crucially, semantic cues were ineffective for participants with lexical-semantic anomia. These disparities were confirmed by categorical semantic facilitation decreasing when semantic/omission errors prevailed in the anomic profile, but increasing alongside phonological errors.Conclusion: The effectiveness of phonological vs semantic cues seems related to the underlying anomic profile: phonological cues benefit any type of anomia, but semantic cues only lexical-phonological or mixed anomia.
Highlights
For several decades, different kinds of semantic or phonological cues have been used in aphasia research to investigate their effects on impaired word production
The underlying impairment may modulate the sensitivity to semantic vs phonological cues, as it has been reported that phonological cueing was effective for persons with Broca and conduction aphasia, while semantic cueing led to better responses in persons with anomic aphasia (Li and Williams, 1990)
The study of errors has a long tradition in aphasia research, it seems that careful measurements of naming latencies in mild anomia could provide complementary information about the impact of cues on word retrieval following a brain lesion
Summary
Different kinds of semantic or phonological cues have been used in aphasia research to investigate their (often facilitative) effects on impaired word production. First studies comparing both facilitation techniques within the same aphasic individuals suggested an advantage of semantic cueing over phonological cueing (Howard et al, 1985). The aim is to identify which types of phonological or semantic cues are most facilitative for immediate word retrieval in aphasic speakers according to their underlying anomic profile, both in terms of errors and naming latencies. Even if both phonological and semantic cues can facilitate word retrieval in aphasia, it remains unclear if their respective effectiveness varies according to the underlying anomic profile
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