AIM AND PURPOSE: The aim of this research project is to investigate within-language and cross-language semantic facilitation and interference effects in English-Spanish bilingual persons with aphasia and neurotypical adults. The purpose of the project described in this protocol is to gain insight into how languages are initiated in bilingual speakers who present with aphasia, specifically when presented with semantically related stimuli.
METHODS: To achieve this aim, participants wore an eye-tracking device and were presented with an image and four word choices. They were asked to match the picture to the most correct word. The word choices included the correct target word, semantically related words in English or Spanish, and at least two semantically unrelated words. The exact distribution of word type was dependent on the experimental condition. Their trial duration, dwell time per area of interest, and total fixation count per area of interest was collected for each trial and analyzed using mixed linear effects models.
RESULTS: The results of this study showed that bilinguals with aphasia (BWA) spent significantly more time on trials that included a semantically related word in Spanish, compared to semantically unrelated words in either language or semantically related words in English. This pattern was not seen in neurologically healthy control participants. We also showed that across group all participants spent more time on the target word compared to semantically related words, however, BWA demonstrated increased fixation measures in trials that included a Spanish semantically related word. This pattern was not seen in neurologically healthy control participants. These results demonstrate increased semantic interference in BWA when compared to neurologically healthy control participants.
CONCLUSION: Spanish-English BWA may be more susceptible to cross-language semantic interference compared to neurologically healthy bilingual individuals. However, both BWA and neurologically healthy individuals may experience within language semantic interference.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/46273 |
| Date | 25 May 2023 |
| Creators | Blankenheim, Sophie |
| Contributors | Varkanitsa, Maria, Kiran, Swathi |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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