Helgard Kremin

Spared naming without comprehension

Abstract The performance of two aphasic subjects is discussed with reference to the mean performance of 40 aphasies on a test battery exploring oral naming of objects and the comprehension of those words in several different task requirements. Study of the individual cases suggests that oral naming can be spared in spite of generally perturbed comprehension of isolated words. The described dissociation thus favors the notion of a “direct” nonsemantic pathway to lexical phonology for naming. Such direct connections have received experimental support from oral reading but are refuted with regard to oral naming in current models of word recognition and production (cf. Morton, 1984 ).

Picture-naming norms for Canadian French: name agreement, familiarity, visual complexity, and age of acquisition.

The present study provides Canadian French normative data for 388 line drawings from the European Picture Pool for Oral Naming (Protocole européen de dénomination orale d’images; PEDOI; Kremin et al., 2003). One hundred eighty subjects were equally distributed for age group (18–39, 40–59, 60–85), educational level (low, high), and sex. They rated pictures of objects on age of acquisition, name agreement, familiarity, and visual complexity. Syllable length and word frequency were also taken into account. The present study suggests that age of acquisition and name agreement show significant age-related differences. These results show that unequivocal interpretation of age-related differences can be made when age-appropriate norms are used.

Confrontation naming rehabilitation in aphasics: A computerised written technique

Abstract This group study presents the structure, content, and results of a computerised rehabilitation technique of confrontation naming applied to aphasics patients (n = 18). The global analyses indicated specific effects of written confrontation naming training. Improvements generalized from drilled to non-drilled items in written naming, but also from written trained modality to verbal non-trained namings. This rinding is of practical importance for the rehabilitation of word-finding and naming difficulties in aphasic patients.

The effects of age, educational background and sex on confrontation naming in normals; principles for testing naming ability

Abstract In clinical researsch one is constantly confronted with the question of normality since pathological behaviour can only be defined with regard to data establishing normal functioning. Confrontation naming is one of the most commonly explored performances in neuropsychological examination and in assessing aphasia. The task of picture naming is not only part of the initial assessment of pathologcal deficits but is also used to evaluate longitudinal changes in pathologcal performance related to treatment effects or to the spontaneous COUI-se of the disease.

Diversity of patterns of improvement in confrontation naming rehabilitation: Some tentative hypotheses

A previous group analysis of the effects of a computerized written naming rehabilitation program revealed global improvement with generalization of benefits to untrained items and to untreated oral naming (Deloche et al., 1992). The present multiple single-case analysis of the data indicates a variety of patterns of improvement and of generalization effects among individual patients. Patterns of relationships between written and oral naming behaviors help to explain the type of improvement that was observed.

Homogeneity of the syndrome of acquired aphasia in childhood revisited: Case study of a child with transcortical aphasia

Abstract We describe a case of aphasia in childhood due to the presence of a tumor in the left hemisphere. The childs language dissolution and neurological impairments were observed from age 9 to 12. At the age of twelve, A.D.s spontaneous language was reduced with difficulties in confrontation naming, writing and reading aloud, whereas oral repetition and verbal comprehension were preserved. The case is discussed with respect to the standard description of aphasia in childhood, and in the framework of an information processing approach.

The relative effects of imageability and age-of-acquisition on aphasic misnaming

investigation of the psycholinguistic variables influencing success in picture naming of 11 aphasic patients

Picture written naming: Performance parallels and divergencies between aphasic patients and normal subjects

Abstract The study compares the performance of a group of aphasic patients and a group of normal subjects submitted to the same picture confrontation naming task with written responses. Analyses concerned on the one hand the effects of variables characterizing pictures and their names, and on the other hand the types of misnamings. In both cases, results indicated some similarities (e.g. prominent role of orthographic variables) as well as some dissimilarities (e.g. differential effects of variables). In addition, the classical hypothesis relating the production of verbal misnamings in aphasic patients to the production of associate names in normal subjects (Rinnert and Whitaker 1973) received little support. Non-dominant picture naming responses incidentally observed in normal subjects accounted for a higher proportion of verbal misnamings than associates.