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Knowledge and strategies for processing lexical metaphor after right or left hemisphere brain damage
1Department of Communication, University of Pittsburgh.
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
|June 1, 1990
Summary
Unilateral right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) impacts metaphor processing. Patients with RHD show preserved metaphor knowledge in automatic conditions but struggle with effortful processing without explicit strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Unilateral right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) can affect cognitive functions.
- Understanding metaphoric language processing is crucial for comprehending complex communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of RHD on the knowledge and processing of metaphoric word meanings.
- To compare metaphor processing in RHD patients with left-brain-damaged and normal control subjects.
Main Methods:
- Auditory lexical decision tasks using ambiguous adjectives (metaphoric vs. literal meanings).
- Prime-target word pairs presented under automatic and effortful processing conditions.
- Reaction time data collected from RHD, left-brain-damaged, and control groups.
Main Results:
- RHD patients performed similarly to controls in automatic processing conditions.
- Patients with RHD demonstrated retained metaphor knowledge when explicit strategies were provided.
- Both brain-damaged groups exhibited difficulties in metaphor processing when relying on self-generated strategies.
Conclusions:
- RHD affects the ability to flexibly process metaphoric language, particularly in effortful conditions.
- Attentional resource capacity and allocation models may explain the observed deficits in metaphor comprehension following RHD.