Generalization of Word Retrieval Following Semantic Feature Treatment

The purpose of this research was to analyze generalization effects following semantic feature treatment (SFT) for aphasia. The effectiveness of SFT at improving accuracy and speed of word retrieval, generalization to untreated words and discourse tasks and the influence of shared features was examined. The three participants improved in retrieval accuracy of treated words. Accuracy of untreated words improved for two participants; retrieval accuracy for words with shared features improved slightly more than for words with no-shared features. Two participants showed variable generalization to discourse tasks and improved speed of accurate responses. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed