Category concept generation in aphasia: The influence of context

Category concept generation in aphasia: The influence of context Article

Hough, MS. (1989). Category concept generation in aphasia: The influence of context . APHASIOLOGY, 3(6), 553-568. 10.1080/02687038908249022

The influence of context on the generation of category concepts for ad hoc and common categories was examined in adults with fluent and nonfluent aphasia and nonbrain-damaged controls. Common categories are natural object concepts, such as ‘furniture’. Ad hoc categories are those that are constructed for use in specialized contexts and are considered instrumental in achieving goals. An example of an ad hoc category is ‘things not to eat on a diet’. Both types of categories have a graded structure which indicates that all members of a category are not equally representative of the category, with some members being better examples than others. Subjects performed a category concept generation task in which they were required to generate category labels for groups of category exemplars presented in isolation or preceded by a contextual vignette. Both groups with aphasia were able to utilize context as effectively as nonbrain-damaged subjects to prime category labels for the ad hoc categories. There were no significant differences between the groups with aphasia. The introduction of context had no impact on concept generation for the common categories as all groups were highly accurate without context. Category structure and the ability to relate category instances and functional goals within a context appears to be intact for adults with fluent and nonfluent aphasia. © 1989, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.