Does semantic relatedness help or hurt re-learning of object names in aphasia?
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1
Johns Hopkins University, Neurology Department, School of Medicine, United States
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2
Johns Hopkins University, Department of Cognitive Science, United States
Training picture naming in semantically-related contexts (e.g., a “fruits” block) is common practice in aphasia rehabilitation. Semantic relatedness may help learning by increasing activation of the features of the target, but it may also hurt learning by increasing the activation of competitors that must be inhibited. We investigated the effects of semantic-homogeneity of training blocks on learning in two individuals with post-stroke aphasia, who showed intact comprehension and predominance of semantic errors in production. XR’s main deficit was in activating lexical items from semantic features, characterized by selectively slow response times in picture naming, poor lexical-semantic memory, and intact inhibitory control. QD’s main deficit was in inhibiting competing responses, characterized by good lexical-semantic memory, and marked impairment on inhibitory control tasks.
On two separate baseline tests, 445 pictures were administered and 18 which were unnamed on both occasions were selected for each participant and grouped into related and unrelated conditions (each containing 3 blocks x 3 items/block). Each participant received six training sessions, in which each item was trained twice in its relevant block. Outcome measures were obtained by presenting all pictures, each for 30 seconds in random order, once immediately after the training session (short-term retention), once at the beginning of a session (mid-term retention), and on three occasions 2, 6, and 16 weeks after the last training session (long-term retention).
Figure 1 shows the results. Data were analyzed with multi-level mixed effect models, with fixed effects of subject, condition and session, and random effect of items. Treatment of subjects as fixed effects allowed us to test dissociations between the two participants.
Short-term retention: We found a reliable advantage for the related vs. unrelated condition (z = -1.98, p = 0.047) and a different timeline for the effect of relatedness for the two participants (subject x condition x session interaction: z = -2.0, p = 0.045), with an earlier advantage in QD and a later advantage in XR.
Mid-term retention: There was a reliable subject x condition x session interactions (z = 2.95, p = 0.003), with an early advantage of relatedness for QD which quickly turned into a disadvantage, and a later advantage of relatedness for XR.
Long-term retention: We found a reliable advantage for the unrelated condition (z = 2.31, p = 0.021) with no reliable subject x condition interaction.
To summarize, semantic relatedness benefitted early stages of learning, but this advantage turned into a disadvantage for long-term retention in both participants. Deficit profile only modulated the timing of the effect. The switch between short-term facilitation of semantic similarity turning into more persistent interference is compatible with the priming and interference functions of semantic similarity in production. Better retention of items that were originally more difficult to learn also aligns well with findings from the learning literature (e.g., Bjork & Bjork, 2011). In conclusion, contrary to common practice, training items in a semantically-inhomogeneous context may lead to better long-term learning in individuals with aphasia.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Snyder Center For Aphasia Life Enhancement for allowing us access to their members with aphasia.
References
Bjork, E. L., & Bjork, R. A. (2011). Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning. In M. A. Gernsbacher, R. W. Pew, L. M. Hough, & J. R. Pomerantz (Eds.), Psychology and the Real World: Essays Illustrating Fundamental Contributions to Society (pp. 56–64). New York: Worth Publishers.
Keywords:
Aphasia,
word lrearning,
semantic similarity,
interference,
Inhibitory Control,
Context-dependent learning
Conference:
Academy of Aphasia 55th Annual Meeting , Baltimore, United States, 5 Nov - 7 Nov, 2017.
Presentation Type:
poster or oral
Topic:
Aphasia
Citation:
Freund
M,
Rapp
B and
Nozari
N
(2019). Does semantic relatedness help or hurt re-learning of object names in aphasia?.
Conference Abstract:
Academy of Aphasia 55th Annual Meeting .
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2017.223.00063
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Received:
19 Apr 2017;
Published Online:
25 Jan 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Nazbanou Nozari, Johns Hopkins University, Neurology Department, School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States, bnozariiu@gmail.com