Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Examining Gesture Production in the Presence of Communication Challenges
Published on: January 26, 2024
Interactivity and continuity in normal and aphasic language production
Wheeler Ruml1, Alfonso Caramazza, Rita Capasso
1Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.
Abstract:
Current research in cognitive modelling has assumed that the interactive nature of processing during language production has been supported by fits to the behaviour of brain-damaged patients. In this paper, several previously proposed theories of word production, all based on the interactive spreading-activation theory of Dell (1986), are evaluated in the context of picture naming. Using a new corpus of data from 50 Italian aphasic patients, we find that patient patterns do not seem to demand an interactive theory. We also explore the corollary ideas of continuity between normal and random performance, and global damage in aphasia, and we find that they are incompatible with our data. We argue that it is very difficult for a modelling study to yield strong constraints on cognitive theory. Although valuable, such efforts currently do not contribute evidence for interactive processing in language production.
Related Concept Videos
Language and Cognition
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Components of Language
Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
Interference and Decay
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Lateralization
