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Cohesion, coherence, and declarative memory: Discourse patterns in individuals with hippocampal amnesia.
1Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA ; Neuroscience Graduate Programme, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Aphasiology
|November 9, 2012
Summary
Declarative memory impairments affect discourse cohesion and coherence. Patients with amnesia produced fewer and less adequate cohesive ties, impacting their communication continuity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Discourse cohesion and coherence are vital for communication continuity.
- Deficits are observed in cognitive-communication disorders like TBI and dementia.
- Identifying neural substrates for these functions is challenging due to diffuse pathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate the contribution of declarative memory to discourse cohesion and coherence.
- To investigate the role of hippocampal amnesia in these linguistic abilities.
Main Methods:
- Examined discourse cohesion and coherence in individuals with hippocampal amnesia and healthy controls.
- Analyzed frequency, type, and completeness of cohesive ties.
- Evaluated local and global coherence and compared ratings between groups.
Main Results:
- Amnesia participants produced fewer cohesive ties per T-unit.
- Cohesive ties in amnesia participants were often incomplete.
- Lower local coherence ratings were consistently observed in amnesia participants.
Conclusions:
- Declarative memory appears to contribute to the use of cohesion and coherence in discourse.
- Further research is needed on interactional cohesion due to potential under/overestimation in current tasks.
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