The development of a comprehensive syntactic assessment: preliminary data.
-
1
Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom
-
2
Université de Genève, Switzerland
One of the most challenging questions in the investigations on how language is implemented at a cognitive level is the definition of a framework compatible with linguistic models and data from adults with aphasia (see Druks, 2017).
The aim of this pilot study is to describe the principles and a set of preliminary data for the validation of a Comprehensive Syntactic Assessment (Synco), short and full versions. Criteria set by the HRQ agency were applied testing for internal consistency of subtests, test-rest reliability and inter-rater reliability (Peña, Spaulding & Plante, 2006). Validity criteria were also derived by metrics of syntactic complexity proposed and tested in both aphasia, language processing and language acquisition (see Garraffa & Grillo, 2009; Friedman, Belletti & Rizzi, 2009).
20 healthy controls English speakers took part to this pilot study (MCA: 28 years). Background information recorded included a digit span task adopted from PALPA (Mean 6.4, SD 1.5) and the Test of Reception of Grammar TROG-2 (Mean block passed 17, SD 5.5). The order of presentation of the tasks was fixed with a second follow up session for the full version (see table 1 for the structure of the test). Testing of older healthy subjects is on going. The test covers different modalities’ including a syntactic priming session. Syntactic structures have different degrees of complexities: Active/Passive sentences (with number match and mismatch), Interrogatives (Who/Which - Subj/Obj), Relative Clauses (Subj/Obj, Passive object relatives, Subject – Verb agreement, pronouns and coordination.
A total of 400 observations were recorded for sentence comprehension, with few errors selectively for more complex relatives and matched items (long version mean 19.8 SD 1.2, Short version 9.6 SD 1), performance on both versions was highly correlated. For production a total of 300 observations were transcribed, with the highest number of errors compared to other modalities (34/300, 11.3%) but no difference between short and long version. The syntactic priming task has 320 observations with few errors 12 (12/320 3.7%) and no differences across the two versions. For repetition, a tendency for more errors in the delayed condition compared to immediate repetition was reported for both versions (Immediate 6/300 2%, delayed 18/280 6.4%).
There was a positive correlation between each subtest and the tests total. High test-retest reliability was also reported (r = 0.998 p < 0.01) and inter-rater reliability (rho = 1.000). The correlation value shows 0.654 for the full version Synco. Meanwhile, the Pearson correlation value for the total score of Synco short version showed positive strong correlation 0.556 for this group of subjects. Therefore, a strong correlation is found between the Synco short and Synco full version, making the test functional in its shorter version with an extra session available for retesting.
Developing a tool with a good balance between theoretical concepts and their application for language assessment is an important outcome for pursuing finer-grained description of the linguistic competence of a person with aphasia. Finer aspects of the structures adopted and the errors recorded will be presented.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2002). Evidence Report / Technology Assessment Number 52 AHRQ Pub.No. 02-E009 EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE CENTERS. Criteria for Determining Disability in Speech-Language Disorders.
Bishop, D. (2003). Test for receptive grammar, TROG-2. Pearson Assessment.
Coltheart, M. & Lesser, R. (1996). PALPA, Psycholinguistic Assessments of Language Processing in Aphasia, 1st Edition. Psychology Press.
Druks, J. (2017). Contemporary and emergent theories of agrammatism. A Neurolinguistics approach. Routledge, London.
Friedman, N., Belletti, A. & Rizzi, L. (2009). Relativized relatives: Types of intervention in the acquisition of A-bar dependencies. Lingua, 119, 67–88.
Garraffa, M. & Grillo, N. (2008). Canonicity effects as a grammatical phenomenon. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 21 (2), 177 – 197. Kay, J.,
Peña, E.D, Spaulding, T.J, & Plante, E. The Composition of Normative Groups and Diagnostic Decision Making. (2006). American Journal of Speech - Language Pathology,15(3), 247 – 260.
Keywords:
Language assessment,
syntax,
Aphasia,
sentence comprehension,
syntactic priming
Conference:
Academy of Aphasia 57th Annual Meeting, Macau, Macao, SAR China, 27 Oct - 29 Oct, 2019.
Presentation Type:
Poster presentation
Topic:
Not eligible for student award
Citation:
Garraffa
M,
Manderson
L,
Hodge
R and
Martini
K
(2019). The development of a comprehensive syntactic assessment: preliminary data..
Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
Academy of Aphasia 57th Annual Meeting.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2019.01.00003
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
29 Apr 2019;
Published Online:
09 Oct 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Mx. Maria Garraffa, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, m.garraffa@uea.ac.uk