Article

Though aphasia is primarily characterized by impairments in the comprehension
and/or expression of language, research has shown that patients with aphasia also
show deficits in cognitive-linguistic domains such as attention, executive
function, concept knowledge and memory. Research in aphasia suggests that
cognitive impairments can impact the online construction of language, new verbal
learning, and transactional success. In our research, we extend this hypothesis
to suggest that general cognitive deficits influence progress with therapy. The
aim of our study is to explore learning, a cognitive process that is integral to
relearning language, yet underexplored in the field of aphasia rehabilitation. We
examine non-linguistic category learning in patients with aphasia (n=19) and in
healthy controls (n=12), comparing feedback and non-feedback based instruction.
Participants complete two computer-based learning tasks that require them to
categorize novel animals based on the percentage of features shared with one of
two prototypes. As hypothesized, healthy controls showed successful category
learning following both methods of instruction. In contrast, only 60% of our
patient population demonstrated successful non-linguistic category learning.
Patient performance was not predictable by standardized measures of cognitive
ability. Results suggest that general learning is affected in aphasia and is a
unique, important factor to consider in the field of aphasia rehabilitation.
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Langue : ANGLAIS