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PubMedDate not supplied

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↗

PubMed2004

Chinese-English biliteracy acquisition: cross-language and writing system transfer.

This study investigated cross-language and writing system relationship in biliteracy acquisition of children learning to read two different writing systems-Chinese and English. Forty-six Mandarin-speaking children were tested for their first language (Chinese-L1) and second language (English-L2) reading skills. Comparable experiments in Chinese and English were designed focusing on two reading processes-phonological and orthographic processing. Word reading skills in both writing systems were tested. Results revealed that Chinese onset matching skill was significantly correlated with English onset and rime matching skills. Pinyin, an alphabetic phonetic system used to assist children in learning to read Chinese characters, was highly correlated with English pseudoword reading. Furthermore, Chinese tone processing skill contributed a moderate but significant amount of variance in predicting English pseudoword reading even when English phonemic-level processing skill was taken into consideration. Orthographic processing skill in the two writing systems, on the other hand, did not predict each other's word reading. These findings suggest that bilingual reading acquisition is a joint function of shared phonological processes and orthographic specific skills.

China↗

PubMed1996

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↗

PubMed2003

Priming of strong semantic relations in the left and right visual fields: a time-course investigation.

Prior time-course investigations of cerebral asymmetries in word processing have sometimes reported hemisphere differences in the onset and duration of semantic priming. In the current study, very strongly related word pairs (categorical associates such as arm-leg) were employed in a low relatedness proportion lexical decision priming paradigm. A range of prime-target stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs: 150-800 ms) was included. Only very weak evidence was obtained for a LVF priming lag at the briefest SOA, while priming was bilateral at moderately long SOAs. We consider these data in the context of previous time-course studies and suggest that, when highly semantically similar word pairs are used, a right hemisphere priming lag is, at best, a very small effect.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

[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↗

PubMed2000

Neurophysiological distinction of verb categories.

Neurophysiological brain responses to subcategories of action verbs were recorded using high resolution EEG. Starting 240 ms after word onset, topographies of event-related potentials distinguished between verbs referring to different action types. Current source density estimates revealed that verbs referring to actions executed with the legs (to kick) produced an activity focus close to the vertex, above motor areas involved in the programming of leg movements, whereas face-related verbs (to speak) produced a focus at left-lateral recordings, above perisylvian areas and the cortical representation of the face and articulators. This is evidence that brain mechanisms involved in word processing can differ even between fine-grained lexico-semantic subcategories and already within the first quarter of a second after word onset. We offer an explanation of the data in neurobiological terms.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Phonological and orthographic processing of Hebrew words: electrophysiological aspects.

Brain activity among 15 male, college-level, normal readers in Israel was examined during phonological and orthographic word-recognition tasks. Both electrophysiological (event-related potentials, or ERPs) and behavioral measures were obtained. Data indicated that (a) behavioral accuracy was almost perfect for all the experimental tasks, and (b) although P200 and N400 ERP components were elicited in the experimental tasks, the latencies of those components were significantly longer and their amplitudes significantly higher in the phonological task. Variations in vowel information had no effect on word recognition in either type of task. The results suggest that among skilled readers of Hebrew, phonological processing during word recognition may be more effortful and may demand greater cognitive resources than orthographic processing. Furthermore, the additional phonological information represented in vowels appears to contribute little to word recognition in this population. These findings support earlier research on skilled reading in Hebrew as well as current theoretical models of reading.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

General and specific contributions of the medial prefrontal cortex to knowledge about mental states.

Recent neuroimaging research (Mitchell, J.P., Heatherton, T.F., Macrae, C.N., 2002. Distinct neural systems subserve person and object knowledge. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99, 15238-15243.) has suggested that semantic knowledge about the psychological aspects of other people draws on a pattern of neural activity that differentiates social from nonsocial semantics. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) clearly plays a central role in a range of such social-cognitive tasks, little is known about the precise contributions made by this region to social semantics. The current study addressed two outstanding questions regarding mPFC function. First, do mPFC contributions to processing words that refer to psychological states extend to other, nonhuman targets or are they specific to understanding the psychological experience of conspecifics? Second, does the mPFC respond generally to tasks that require processing another person, or is its activity specific to understanding psychological characteristics? To address these questions, participants were scanned using fMRI while judging the applicability of words to one of two types of targets: people or dogs. For each target, participants made one of two types of semantic judgment: does this word describe a potential psychological state of the target or does this word refer to a physical part of the target? Results demonstrated that greater mPFC activation accompanied judgments of psychological states than of body parts regardless of whether the target was a person or a dog, indicating that mPFC contributions to social semantics are specific for understanding psychological states--directly countering recent suggestions that mPFC responds generally to any judgment about another person--and that mPFC activity extends to targets other than conspecifics.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Atypical brain laterality in adults with ADHD during dichotic listening for emotional intonation and words.

Few studies directly examined the nature of hemispheric specialization and interaction in ADHD. The present experiment investigated left/right brain dynamics in unmedicated right handed adults with ADHD (n = 19) and in controls (n = 19), using a dichotic listening task to assess hemispheric differences in word and emotion recognition. We also assessed how focusing attention on a single ear modulated lateralized performance and affected cross-callosal interference effects. Analysis of variance indicated that ADHD subjects showed reduced left hemisphere specialization, were better at processing emotions, and worse at processing words compared to controls. These differences were eliminated during focused attention. Finally, during presumed right hemisphere processing of linguistic stimuli, subjects with ADHD showed reduced left hemisphere interference. We concluded that ADHD subjects demonstrated greater right hemisphere and reduced left hemisphere contribution during this task relative to controls. We posit that these hemispheric differences were due to management or use of available cognitive resources rather than inherent capacity.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed2003

Semantic processing of unattended words and pseudowords in first and second language: an ERP study.

We recorded event related brain potentials to assess stages of linguistic processing of first (L1) and second (L2) language and of pseudowords when subjects were engaged in a different task and did not attend to the words. Young adults (n = 15) were presented with pairs of auditory stimuli consisting of words and pseudowords in L1 and L2 with different voice onset times (VOT), which served as distracters in a short-term memory task. ERPs were recorded from 11 scalp electrodes. The ERP peak amplitudes and latencies were subjected to analysis of variance for the effects of language, meaning and scalp location as well as priming of the second word in the pair by the preceding word. Behavioral results showed that attention was drawn to the primary task and away from the words; yet significant, including semantic, processing was evident in the ERPs to the words, with significant effects of language, meaning and priming. Even with barely any awareness of the stimuli, the brain processes words including distinguishing between L1 and L2 and relating to the stimuli's context.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dissociation of normal feature analysis and deficient processing of letter-strings in dyslexic adults.

Neuroimaging studies have revealed that the functional organization of reading differs between developmentally dyslexic and non-impaired individuals. However, it is not clear how early in the reading process the differences between fluent and dyslexic readers start to emerge. We studied cortical activity of ten dyslexic adults using magnetoencephalography (MEG), as they silently read words or viewed symbol-strings which were clearly visible or degraded with Gaussian noise. This method has previously been used to dissociate between analysis of local features and pre-lexical word processing in fluent adult readers. Signals peaking around 100 ms after stimulus onset and originating in the postero-medial extrastriate cortex were associated with increasing local luminance contrast in the noise patches. These early visual responses were similar in dyslexic and non-impaired readers. In contrast, the letter-string-specific responses peaking around 150 ms predominantly in the left inferior occipito-temporal cortex in fluent readers were undetectable in dyslexic readers. Thus, while the early visual processing seems intact in dyslexic adults, the pattern of cortical activation starts to differ from that of fluent readers at the point where letter-string-specific signals first emerge during reading.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Research in physical medicine and rehabilitation. V. Data entry and early exploratory data analysis.

The process of data entry and initial analysis to locate data errors is described. Basic terms are defined and a simple method of entering data by using word processing software is illustrated. Data checking is done by using visual check of the raw data. Statistical programs are then used to locate possible data errors by finding data points (outliers) that are very different from the average. Special graphic output of statistical programs, scatterplots and box and whisker plots can be used to further locate questionable data. Examples of data entry forms and annotated step by step data cleaning with the use of inexpensive programs for personal computers are presented.

Computers↗

PubMed1994

Temporal invariance for picture-word translation: evidence from drawing-writing and naming-reading tasks.

In two experiments, picture-word processing was investigated using graphic (drawing-writing) and verbal (naming-reading) production tasks. In both experiments, the subjects drew a picture or wrote a word upon presentation of a picture or a word stimulus. Additionally, the subjects in Experiment 2 named a picture or read a word stimulus. Production onset latency was assessed. In both experiments, drawing production was initiated more slowly than was writing production. In Experiment 2, graphic production was initiated more slowly than was verbal production. Equivalent latency increases were found for cross-modality trials (e.g., drawing a picture given a word stimulus) relative to within-modality trials (e.g., drawing a picture given a picture stimulus), independent of stimulus modality (word or picture), production modality (word or picture), or task (graphic or verbal production). These results strongly support a mathematical model which incorporates temporal invariance for pictures and words concerning encoding, cross-modality transfer, and retrieval.

Attention↗

PubMed1995

[Radiology reporting system based on the concept of hierarchical structure].

A new radiology reporting system based on the concept of hierarchical structure is proposed. The system generates an intermediate language file made up of semantically linked key words. The hierarchical structure refers to the model of Open System Interconnection (OSI) proposed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The intermediate language is managed and stored along with free sentences (descriptive language) to form a hierarchical structure. Reports of 57 echographies including 65 liver diseases and 7 normal studies done by two medical doctors and two radiologic technicians were tested to evaluate the feasibility and utility of this reporting system. The model system was developed using a personal computer (EPSON PC-486GF) and Japanese word processing software (Justsystem Ichitaro Ver.5/Windows). The hit ratio of the number of picked up keywords (intermediate language) against the number of key findings contained in the free sentences (descriptive language) was 97.4%, and the ratio of hit cases out of total cases was 88.7%. This reporting system with free-text process and hierarchical structure is feasible and useful for improvement of radiological information passage and formation of a radiology database, whereas the strict standardization of descriptive words and criteria of findings will be required for the construction of a practical system.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Recognition memory for high- and low-frequency words in adult normal and dyslexic readers: an event-related brain potential study.

Differences in word processing between adult developmental dyslexic (n = 12) and normal readers (n = 12) were studied using event-related brain potentials recorded while subjects performed a recognition memory task. During the first part of the experiment, words were presented consecutively, and within this phase one third of the words were repeated. Subjects had to indicate whether a given word had previously been seen or not. After a delay of 1 hr, a second phase was administered. Here, another list containing 33% old words (presented in Phase 1) and 66% new words was shown and an old/new decision was required. In both categories, half of the words presented in either phase were of high normative frequency, and the other half were of low-frequency in the German language. Recognition performance was superior in normal readers for both high- and low-frequency words. In Phase 1, a fronto-centrally distributed N400 repetition effect discriminated between correctly identified old and new words (new words more negative). This effect was present for dyslexic as well as normal readers and for high- and low-frequency words. Between 450 and 800 ms, a 'P600 old/new effect' emerged (ERPs evoked by old words were more positive than those for new words). This effect was larger for low-frequency words. In Phase 2, an old/new effect was obtained for normal readers only. These findings are discussed in relation to current concepts of dyslexia and of semantic processing.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Effects of sentential context on the processing of unambiguous words by the two cerebral hemispheres.

The effect of sentence context on the processing of different aspects of meaning of unambiguous nouns by the two cerebral hemispheres was examined. Participants performed a lexical decision task on target words following two primes, an unambiguous noun preceded by an incomplete sentence. Priming sentences were consistent with either the dominant or the subordinate aspect of meaning of their final unambiguous word. Short and long SOAs were used. A principal finding of this study was that, when compared to unrelated aspects of meaning, for both the short and the long SOAs, the dominant and subordinate aspects of meaning of the unambiguous words were activated regardless of context in both hemispheres. However, the activation of the subordinate aspect of meaning of unambiguous words appears to be more sensitive to sentential context, especially when the unambiguous word is being processed by the left hemisphere.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Expressive writing for high-risk drug dependent patients in a primary care clinic: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that expressive writing is beneficial in terms of both physical and emotional health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and acceptability of a brief expressive writing intervention for high-risk drug dependent patients in a primary care clinic, and to determine the relationship between linguistic features of writing and health outcomes. METHODS: Participants completed four 15-minute expressive writing tasks over a week, in which they described their thoughts and feelings about a recent stressful event. Self-report measures of physical (SF-12) and psychological health (DASS-21) were administered at baseline and at a two-week follow-up. Fifty-three participants were recruited and 14 (26%) completed all measures. RESULTS: No statistically significant benefits in physical or psychological health were found, although all outcomes changed in the direction of improvement. The intervention was well-received and was rated as beneficial by participants. The use of more positive emotion words in writing was associated with improvements in depression and stress, and flexibility in first person pronoun use was associated with improvements in anxiety. Increasing use of cognitive process words was associated with worsening depressive mood. CONCLUSION: Although no significant benefits in physical and psychological health were found, improvements in psychological wellbeing were associated with certain writing styles and expressive writing was deemed acceptable by high-risk drug dependent patients. Given the difficulties in implementing psychosocial interventions in this population, further research using a larger sample is warranted.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Theory-based approach to computer skill development in nursing administration.

The authors describe a theory-based approach to computer skill development in nursing administration that is a strategy for preparing nurse administrators to meet the challenge for effective decision making in the rapidly changing health care environment. A framework is presented using theories of decision making and information processing to integrate the development of knowledge and skills for decision making with knowledge and skills associated with computer decision support. Computerized support is available to help managers be effective at each stage of the decision-making process. Focusing on five stages of the decision-making process, the authors discuss how computers can facilitate decision-making. Computer applications introduced throughout a three-semester program in nursing administration include bibliographic databases, thought and word processing, database programs, decision analysis programs, spreadsheets, and project management programs. The curriculum and course activities are described.

Computer User Training↗