Ahern, Megan
(2019)
Using Data from Comprehension and Production to Test Competing Theories in Sentence Impairments in Individuals with Aphasia.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
This is the latest version of this item.
Abstract
The ability to use language is essential for the communication of ideas, wants and needs. It is through language that human beings are able to participate in meaningful exchanges from having a conversation with a friend or family member, to understanding detailed instructions an employer, to accessing important information regarding personal health and wellness. Language is necessary to share information as well as request it. It is estimated that nearly 180,000 Americans acquire aphasia each year (NIDC, 2018), causing potentially devastating deficits in their ability to use language. In order to assess and treat individuals with aphasia (IWA), it is important to have an understanding of the linguistic deficits that occur. The current study aims to investigate syntactic deficits in the linguistic production and comprehension of 99 IWA. Two competing theories (Resource Reduction Theory and Specific Impairment Theory) are evaluated based on the results and conclusions of the current study. Research questions in the current study ask how several variables (canonicity, modality, severity and length) impact or predict participant performance on comprehension tasks (SOAP; Love & Oster) and on production tasks (NAT; Thompson, Weintraub & Mesulam, 2012): canonicity, modality, severity, and length. Findings suggest that increasing linguistic complexity in the presence of linguistic deficits results in poor performance in both production and comprehension across the variables outlined in the research questions. Overall, findings of the current study are more consistent with Resource Reduction Theory than Specific Impairment Theory.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
4 June 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
22 March 2019 |
| Approval Date: |
4 June 2019 |
| Submission Date: |
16 April 2019 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
77 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Communication Science and Disorders |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
aphasia, linguistic complexity, sentence impairment, syntactic deficit, Resource Reduction Theory, Specific Impairment Theory, trace movement |
| Date Deposited: |
04 Jun 2019 19:22 |
| Last Modified: |
04 Jun 2019 19:22 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/36352 |
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Using Data from Comprehension and Production to Test Competing Theories in Sentence Impairments in Individuals with Aphasia. (deposited 04 Jun 2019 19:22)
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