French version of the Phonological Component Analysis: Stimuli selection and validation

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event French version of the Phonological Component Analysis: Stimuli selection and validation Michele Masson-Trottier1, 2*, Karine Marcotte2, 3, Carol Leonard4, Elizabeth Rochon5 and Ana Inès Ansaldo1, 2 1 Institut Universitaire De Gériatrie De Montréal, Canada 2 Université de Montréal, École d'Orthophonie et d'Audiologie, Canada 3 Hopital Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada 4 Université d'Ottawa, Health Sciences, Canada 5 University of Toronto, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Canada Introduction: Anomia is the main symptom and most persistent aphasia sign. Among anomia therapy procedures Phonological Component Analysis (PCA) has been proven effective in improving the naming capacities persons with chronic aphasia [1]. PCA uses phonological cues associated with the target word to elicit naming. The present work describes the adaptation of the PCA stimuli and cues to Canadian French and discusses the specific challenges and particularities of the adaptation procedure. Method: First, the original list of 235 nouns used in Leonard et al. [1], as well as the cues, were translated into French by two experimented SLPs. For each target word, a picture was chosen from the Bank Of Standardized Stimuli (BOSS) [2]. The entire list of target words and cues were validated with 20 francophone participants, between 60 and 84 years old. A naming validation was also achieved, through a computerized questionnaire, administered to 13 additional francophone participants (between 22 and 70 years old). H-value was calculated for all the target images. The H-value is sensitive to the number and weight of alternative names [2]. Results: Items for which the cues did not reach 50% agreement were removed from the list (n=8). As for the naming, the average H-value was 0.5± 0.5. A hundred and sixteen pictures were named the same by all participants (H-value = 0), and 195 pictures were named the same by a strong majority of the participants (H value < 1). Alternative answers were considered, as well as the rate of the answer. Discussion: A French list of 235 nouns along with their phonological cues was developed and is now available for PCA therapy with Canadian French-speaking persons with aphasia. Two major challenges arise in the validation. First, considering that selected nouns will be treated in PCA therapy, it is essential to think that some pictures can lead to different and correct answers. Second, Canadian French is a language characterized by pronunciation particularities such as assimilation patterns, and variable pronunciations of consonants in word-final position and in clitic pronouns [3]. These particularities are taken into consideration in the cues to give during therapy. This validation constitutes the first step to study the effectiveness of the PCA amongst the French population in Canada.