Imageability ratings across languages

Imageability is a psycholinguistic variable that indicates how well a word gives rise to a mental image or sensory experience. Imageability ratings are used extensively in psycholinguistic, neuropsychological, and aphasiological studies. However, little formal knowledge exists about whether and how these ratings are associated between and within languages. Fifteen imageability databases were cross-correlated using nonparametric statistics. Some of these corresponded to unpublished data collected within a European research network-the Collaboration of Aphasia Trialists (COST IS1208). All but four of the correlations were significant. The average strength of the correlations (rho = .68) and the variance explained (R (2) = 46%) were moderate. This implies that factors other than imageability may explain 54% of the results. Imageability ratings often correlate across languages. Different possibly interacting factors may explain the moderate strength and variance explained in the correlations: (1) linguistic and cultural factors; (2) intrinsic differences between the databases; (3) range effects; (4) small numbers of words in each database, equivalent words, and participants; and (5) mean age of the participants. The results suggest that imageability ratings may be used cross-linguistically. However, further understanding of the factors explaining the variance in the correlations will be needed before research and practical recommendations can be made

Argument structure and the representation of abstract semantics

According to the dual coding theory, differences in the ease of retrieval between concrete and abstract words are related to the exclusive dependence of abstract semantics on linguistic information. Argument structure can be considered a measure of the complexity of the linguistic contexts that accompany a verb. If the retrieval of abstract verbs relies more on the linguistic codes they are associated to, we could expect a larger effect of argument structure for the processing of abstract verbs. In this study, sets of length-and frequency-matched verbs including 40 intransitive verbs, 40 transitive verbs taking simple complements, and 40 transitive verbs taking sentential complements were presented in separate lexical and grammatical decision tasks. Half of the verbs were concrete and half were abstract. Similar results were obtained in the two tasks, with significant effects of imageability and transitivity. However, the interaction between these two variables was not significant. These results conflict with hypotheses assuming a stronger reliance of abstract semantics on linguistic codes. In contrast, our data are in line with theories that link the ease of retrieval with availability and robustness of semantic information

Atenção seletiva: PSI em crianças com distúrbio de aprendizagem Selective attention: psi performance in children with learning disabilities

A atenção seletiva é importante para o aprendizado da leitura e escrita. OBJETIVO: Estudar os processos de atenção seletiva de crianças com e sem distúrbio de aprendizagem. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: O Grupo I foi constituído de quarenta indivíduos com idades entre nove anos e seis meses a dez anos e 11 meses, que apresentavam baixo risco para alteração no desenvolvimento das habilidades auditivas, linguagem e aprendizagem. O Grupo II foi constituído de 20 indivíduos com idades entre nove anos e cinco meses a 11 anos e dez meses, diagnosticados como portadores de distúrbio de aprendizagem. Foi realizado estudo prospectivo através do Teste Pediátrico de Inteligibilidade de Fala (PSI). RESULTADO: O teste PSI com mensagem competitiva ipsilateral, à orelha direita, na relação fala/ruído 0 e -10 foi apropriado para diferenciar o Grupo I e o Grupo II de forma estatisticamente significante. Atenção ao desempenho do Grupo II na performance da primeira orelha testada deve ser dada, por subsidiar características importantes de desempenho e reabilitação. CONCLUSÃO: O PSI foi adequado para diferenciar os grupos, havendo uma associação com o grupo com distúrbio de aprendizagem, que revelou alteração nos processos de atenção seletiva.<br>Selective attention is essential for learning how to write and read. AIM: The objective of this study was to examine the process of selective auditory attention in children with learning disabilities. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Group I included forty subjects aged between 9 years and six months and 10 years and eleven months, who had a low risk of altered hearing, language and learning development. Group II included 20 subjects aged between 9 years and five months and 11 years and ten months, who presented learning disabilities. A prospective study was done using the Pediatric Speech Intelligibility Test (PSI). RESULT: Right ear PSI with an ipsilateral competing message at speech/noise ratios of 0 and -10 was sufficient to differentiate Group I and Group II. Special attention should be given to the performance of Group II on the first tested ear, which may substantiate important signs of improvements in performance and rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: The PSI - MCI of the right ear at speech/noise ratios of 0 and -10 was appropriate to differentiate Groups I and II. There was an association with the group that presented learning disabilities: this group showed problems in selective attention

Dyslexia in Chinese: clues from cognitive neuropsychology

In this review, we describe a series of cognitive neuropsychological studies of Chinese speaking aphasic patients that reveal subtypes of acquired dyslexia and dysgraphia in Chinese. These subtypes can be understood with reference to a cognitive framework that assumes reading and writing to dictation in Chinese depends on the division of labor between two pathways: a lexical-semantic pathway and a direct or nonsemantic pathway. This framework generates a number of predictions about the types of literacy problems that might be observed in native Chinese speakers who are learning to read and write. We argue that the language environment, and specifically the type of script used to read and write, will play a role in determining the phenotype of dyslexia in Chinese. We conclude that dyslexia in Chinese can be caused by psycholinguistic impairments at multiple levels including orthographic, semantic (morphological), and phonological processing.link_to_subscribed_fulltex