Listeners' Perceptions of Aphasic Communication

Author

Lynn R. Wagner, Fontbonne College

Year of Award

1980

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

College

College of Education & Allied Health

Degree Program

Speech Pathology

Department

Communication Disorders and Deaf Education

First Advisor

Patricia J. Dukes

Keywords

language, sophistocated, conversational, sample

Abstract

One problem of growing concern to speech pathologists is the quantification of verbal output performances of fluent aphasic patients. The literature reveals numerous studies (Goodglass and Berko, 1960; Schuell, 19'65, 1975; Porch, 1967; Goodglass, 1967; Goodglass and Hyde, 1969; Goodglass and Kaplan, 1972; Zurif, 1974; Zurif and Caramazza, 1976, etc.) dealing with the identification and assessment of speech and language processes associated with aphasic impairment. However, some investigators (Taylor, 1965; Helmick, et al., 1977; and Beukelman and Yorkston, 1977, 1978, 1980) have suggested that tasks used to sample verbal output on the majority of standardized aphasia tests exclude the evaluation of social parameters involved in the process of communication. This is particularly true in the assessment of the retention of pragmatic rules, those governing language use in a communicative context. Across assessment procedures, the ability of the aphasic to communicate verbally with friends, acquaintances and family has traditionally been overlooked. For example, to this author's knowledge, no assessment procedure has been developed for the purpose of determining the conversational partner's perception of the normalcy or efficiency of communication as displayed by the aphasic individual.

The limitations of this study that should be considered when interpreting results include: a single subject population; no access to video-recording which limited the analysis of non-verbal communication; possible alteration in the subject's responses to the "cookie theft" picture due to the fact that recordings were performed by two different experimenters.

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Recommended Citation

Wagner, Lynn R., "Listeners' Perceptions of Aphasic Communication" (1980). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 380.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/380