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Electrocortical distinction of vocabulary types.

Psycholinguistic theories propose that words of the 2 major vocabulary classes, content (open-class) and function (closed-class) words, are computationally distinct and have different neuronal generators. This predicts distinct EEG patterns elicited by words of these 2 classes. To test this prediction, content and function words, together with matched pseudowords, were presented in a lexical decision task (where subjects had to decide whether stimuli were meaningful words or not). Evoked potentials were recorded from 17 electrodes 12 of which were located in close vicinity of the perisylvian cortices. Already 160 msec post stimulus onset, substantial differences in activity patterns distinguish the 2 vocabulary classes. A hemisphere by word class interaction revealed interhemispheric differences for function words but not for content words. Potentials evoked by function words were more negative over the left hemisphere compared to the right. These results evidence that brain mechanisms underlying function and content word processing are different. The following explanation of the data is proposed: content words correspond to neuronal assemblies equally distributed over both hemispheres, while assemblies corresponding to function words are strongly lateralized to the left hemisphere and primarily located in the perisylvian region.

Adult↗

Converging evidence for the role of occipital regions in orthographic processing: a case of developmental surface dyslexia.

Recently, there have been several reports focusing on the neural basis for word recognition. Two different views have emerged: one emphasizing the role of the left angular gyrus in recognizing printed words, and the second view suggesting that visual word processing activates the left extrastriate cortex. This paper describes the case of EBON, a 14-year-old girl with an extensive early (most likely congenital) brain lesion in the left occipital lobe. She demonstrates a clear pattern of developmental surface dyslexia in that she is more successful at reading and spelling regular words than irregular words and makes frequent regularization errors. Thus, EBON is the first case reported with the potential to establish converging evidence for the role of extrastriate regions in the left hemisphere in the acquisition of orthographic representations.

Adolescent↗

Selective processing of food words in anorexia nervosa.

The selective processing of food- and body size-related information was investigated using a modified version of the Stroop task. Anorexic subjects were generally slower than controls in colour-naming all words, and particularly slow with food-related words. This interference effect appeared to operate maximally amongst subjects who fell into the higher end of the anorexic weight range. The findings appeared to be a reflection of current concerns with food and eating.

Anorexia Nervosa↗

On the role of word frequency in the detection of component letters.

The experiments reported in this study were conducted to explore the issue of race models versus holistic models of word processing. In both types of model, it is assumed that an available word-level encoding for a display will conceal letter information, and thereby inhibit component-letter detection. However, whereas in holistic models it is assumed that encoding always should occur at the word or pattern level first, in the race models it is assumed that encoding occurs at all levels (e.g., feature, letter, and word) simultaneously, with the final level of encoding being at whatever level has been completed first. If the rate of word-level encoding is facilitated by increasing word frequency, the holistic models predict a generally declining latency for letter detection, because the initial step in letter detection (i.e., word-level encoding) will be occurring more rapidly. The race models, on the other hand, predict that with increasing word frequency there will be an increasing chance that the word-level encoding will win the encoding race, resulting in an increase in the latency for letter detection (i.e., the word code will conceal the letter codes). Two experiments are reported, and the obtained pattern of latency data appears to be most consistent with the race models.

Adult↗

Use of a database for managing qualitative research data.

In this article, a process for handling text data in qualitative research projects by using existing word-processing and database programs is described. When qualitative data are managed using this method, the information is more readily available and the coding and organization of the data are enhanced. Furthermore, the narrative always remains intact regardless of how it is arranged or re-arranged, and there is a concomitant time savings and increased accuracy. The author hopes that this article will inspire some readers to explore additional methods and processes for computer-aided, nonstatistical data management. The study referred to in this article (Ross, 1991) was a qualitative research project which sought to find out how teaching faculty in nursing and education used computers in their professional work. Ajzen and Fishbein's (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action formed the theoretical basis for this work. This theory proposes that behavior, in this study the use of computers, is the result of intentions and that intentions are the result of attitudes and social norms. The study found that although computer use was sometimes the result of attitudes, more often it seemed to be the result of subjective (perceived) norms or intervening variables. Teaching faculty apparently did not initially make reasoned judgments about the computers or the programs they used, but chose to use whatever was required or available.

Data Collection↗

Naming multisyllabic words.

The process of reading multisyllabic words aloud from print was examined in 4 experiments. Experiment 1 used multisyllabic words that vary in terms of the consistency of component spelling-sound correspondences. The stimuli were regular, regular inconsistent, and exception words analogous to the monosyllabic items used in previous studies. Both regular inconsistent and exception words produced longer naming latencies than regular words. In Experiment 2 these differences between word types were found to be limited to lower frequency items. Experiment 3 showed that effects of number of syllables on naming latency are also limited to lower frequency words when the stimulus display forced subjects to use syllabic units. Thus, frequency modulates the effects of two aspects of lexical structure-consistency of spelling-sound correspondences and number of syllables. The results suggest that the naming of multisyllabic words draws on some of the same knowledge representations and processes as monosyllabic words; however, naming does not require syllabic decomposition. The results are discussed in the context of current models of naming.

Adult↗

Geometric and semantic similarity in visual masking.

Semantic and geometric or physical similarity were manipulated separately in a backward-masking situation. When the target was a word to be read aloud, formal similarity between the letters of target and mask facilitated target recognition, as did associative similarity. Masking a target word by its own anagram also facilitated whole word report. In contrast, formal similarity was inhibitory rather than facilitatory of report when the target was spelled letter-by-letter, rather than read whole. This was true even for the same target words whose whole report was facilitated by formal similarity. A model to account for this reversal in the broader context of the neural substrate of reading is advanced. It is proposed that letter and word processing are fundamentally different in that letters are recognized by hierarchical feature analysis while words are stored and recognized wholistically by diffuse and redundant networks. Implications of the results for the study of reading are discussed.

Female↗

Learned changes of brain states alter cognitive processing in humans.

Humans can learn to intentionally control their brain states based on information about their own electrocortical activity. Using an operant conditioning technique, twelve healthy volunteers were trained to shift their slow cortical potentials recorded from left-hemispheric language cortices in the positive versus negative direction. After training, six subjects who achieved reliable control of left-hemispheric brain responses showed substantial modification of word processing. During conditioned negative shifts of cortical potentials (activation condition), responses to words were substantially speeded, whereas lexical decisions were slower during positive shifts of slow cortical potentials (inhibition condition). No comparable difference was seen in trained participants who failed to achieve control over slow cortical potentials. Additional data suggest that the effect was not related to perception, attention, or motor processes. Thus, operant conditioning can produce focal cortical activity dynamics and thereby modify specific higher cortical processes such as access to words. This finding may open new perspectives on neuropsychological rehabilitation based on operant conditioning of brain responses.

Adult↗

Quick, automatic, and general activation of orthographic and phonological representations in young readers.

Second through 6th graders were presented with nonword primes (orthographic, pseudohomophone, and control) and target words displayed for durations (30 and 60 ms) that were brief enough to prevent complete processing. Word reading skills were assessed by 3 word and nonword naming tasks. Good readers exhibited more orthographic priming than poor readers at both durations and more pseudohomophone priming at the short duration only. This suggests that good readers activate letter and phonemic information more efficiently than poor readers. Good readers also exhibited an equal amount of priming at both durations, whereas poor readers showed greater priming at the longer duration. This suggests that activation was not under strategic control. Finally, priming was reliable for both high- and low-frequency targets. This suggests that readers activate consistent information regardless of target word characteristics. Thus, quick, automatic, and general activation of orthographic and phonological information in skilled readers results from the precision and redundancy of their lexical representations.

Age Factors↗

Free recall of lists of word and sign labels by severely handicapped children.

Two experiments are reported which tested short-term recall of lists of four sign or four word labels by severely handicapped children. The findings suggest that the subjects were more efficient at processing words than signs in short-term memory, and that their organization of sign and word lists were affected by the length of time the material had to be held in short-term store. Both of these effects were influenced by whether or not the subjects had to use the stimuli as labels when making a response.

Adolescent↗

[Data processing in radiology: summary and prospects].

The technical aspects of radiology are particularly suitable for electronic data processing. In addition to automation of radiological apparatus and tumour registration, there are three areas in radiology particularly suitable for electronic data processing: treatment planning, dose calculations and supervision of radiotherapy techniques in radio-oncology. It can be used for word processing in the office and for documentation, both in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology, and digital techniques can be employed for image transmission, storage and manipulation. Computers for treatment planning and dose calculation are standard techniques and suitable computers allow one to spot occasional and systematic errors during radiation treatment and to eliminate these. They also provide for the automatic generation of the required protocols. Word processors have proved particularly valuable in private practice. They are valuable for composing reports from their basic elements, but less valuable for texts that are stereotypes. The most important developments are in digital imaging, image storage and image transmission. The storage of images on video discs, transmission through fibre-optic cables and computer manipulation of images are described and the consequences and problems, which may affect the radiologist, are discussed.

Computers↗

Reading aloud in jargonaphasia: an unusual dissociation in speech output.

A patient is described who showed several dissociations between oral and written language processing after bilateral retrorolandic vascular lesion. Dissociation was firstly between abolished auditory comprehension and preserved written comprehension and then involved confrontation naming, clearly superior in the written modality. The third striking dissociation involved oral output; spontaneous speech, although fluent and well articulated, consisted of neologistic jargon, while reading aloud was clearly superior though not perfect. Data are discussed with reference to a cognitive model of word processing. The pattern of dissociation in word production may be due to a failure in retrieving the phonological word form from the semantic system.

Aged↗

Hemispheric specialization in learning disabled readers' recall as a function of age and level of processing.

This study was designed to test the inadequacy of two theoretical accounts of learning disabled readers' memory deficiencies. Two age groups of learning disabled and nondisabled readers were compared on diotic and dichotic listening recall tasks for semantically organized, phonemically organized, and categorically unrelated word lists presented in either the left, right, or both ears. Dependent measures were free recall, serial recall, recall organization, and hierarchical organization. As expected, recall increases were a function of age, group, and level of word processing. However, the results clearly demonstrated that age and group recall differences were an interaction of both mode of presentation and level of processing. The recall differences between reading groups were attributed to word knowledge (superordinate categorization) rather than recall organization within cerebral hemispheres or differences in hemispheric capacity, per se.

Adolescent↗

The effect of motivation and word characteristics on recognition.

Two tachistoscopic studies assessed the effects of motivation on high-speed word processing. Study 1 assessed the effect of anxiety and Study 2 the effect of hunger compared to satiation. Words differed in interletter associative frequency (generated value), Thorndike-Lorge word frequency, and categories. In both studies, all three word variables yielded significant main effects. Motivational relevance of words did not significantly alter word recognition, the food words being most readily recognized and negatively emotional words least readily recognized in both studies. Anxiety did not have a significant effect, but hunger in interaction with word characteristics was found to be facilitating. Contrary to Hullian theory regarding word dominance and drive interaction and to Broadbent's "filtering" hypothesis, hunger in comparison to satiation increasingly facilitated word recognition the more infrequent the words and the more rare were the interletter associations.

Anxiety↗

Syntactic processing of Hebrew sentences in normal and dyslexic readers: electrophysiological evidence.

The authors examined differences in brain activity as measured by amplitudes and latencies of event-related potential (ERP) components in Hebrew-speaking adult dyslexic and normal readers. The participants were measured while processing words' syntactic functions during reading of sentences with subject-verb-object syntactic order. The results suggested that among dyslexic and normal readers, N100 and P300 ERP components were sensitive to certain constituents of syntactic analysis for target words in accordance with their grammatical roles. The findings further demonstrated significant differences in ERP measures between dyslexic and normal readers. Compared with normal readers, dyslexic readers exhibited consistently higher amplitudes and longer latencies in both ERP components for the subject of the sentence. Significant, though less consistent, ERP variations were observed for other sentence elements. In addition, dyslexic readers differed from normal readers in their processing strategies. For normal readers, the verb-oriented, morphologically based strategy was found to be the most efficient for sentence processing in Hebrew, whereas the dyslexic readers demonstrated a more primitive mode of identification of words' grammatical roles, namely, the word-order strategy. The results support the hypothesis that there is a syntactic processing "weakness" in dyslexics.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Grapheme-phoneme processing of single words.

Often used in cognitive studies measuring reaction times and in functional imaging studies, the subtraction paradigm is based on the comparison of performance on tasks presupposed to refer to different cognitive levels of processing. Within the framework of the study of phonological processing of words, manipulating the grapheme-phoneme transparency of stimuli can represent a means of counteracting the methodological drawbacks inherent to the subtraction paradigm. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the level of difficulty of grapheme-phoneme matching on the processing of transparent and nontransparent words. Grapheme-phoneme matching was carried out both on the final syllable of words and on sublexical segments within the word. The results indicate that processing is faster for the transparent than for the nontransparent stimuli. This task will now have to be reintroduced in brain imaging studies aiming to look at different levels of difficulty for grapheme-phoneme matching.

Adult↗

The treatment of anomia resulting from output lexical damage: analysis of two cases.

This study describes a treatment project, carried out with two anomic subjects, RBO and GMA failed to name pictures correctly as a consequence of damage to phonological lexical forms; their ability to process word meaning was unimpaired. Words that were consistently comprehended correctly, but produced incorrectly by each subject, were identified. Some words were treated, whereas some served as the control set. A significant improvement was observed in both subjects. As predicted by the model of lexical-semantic processing used as the theoretical background for the study, improvement was restricted to treated items and did not generalize to untreated words, not even to words that were semantically related to those administered during treatment. Improvement was long-lasting, as shown by the fact that 17 months post-therapy GMA's performance on treated words was still significantly better than before treatment. These results are discussed in relation to the claim that cognitive models can be profitably used in the treatment of language disorders.

Adult↗

[Cognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Project CASCADE Kraków. III. Assessment of cognitive function in elderly women and men (65-78 years old)].

There are commonly used simple tests for cognitive function that allow for rather superficial assessment in population based study. The goal of the paper was to present the results of cognitive function assessment in elderly men and women recruited from Polish rural population obtained using the battery of tests designed for the CASCADE Project and to assess the relations between the results of tests included in the battery. Studied group were 182 persons at the age of 65-78 years. The battery of tests included: MMSE, Stroop Test, Test Purdue Pegboard (TPP), letter-digit substitution test, word recall test (3 word lists including one with distraction), word fluency test and prospective memory test. The battery allowed for the assessment of short, semantic and prospective memory, attention, speed of perception and processing, word fluency and motoric function. The results of all tests were strongly correlated and indicated for a decreased cognitive function in men and women at the age of 65-78 years with low level of education. Decreased level of cognitive function could be related both to physiological ageing of the brain and to the presence of pathological process.

Aged↗