The semantic organization and classification of fourteen words by aphasic patients

The purpose of this study was to assess both conceptual knowledge and classification skills in nonfluent and fluent aphasia by focusing on the aphasics' appreciation of class and function relations. The results illustrated that fluent and nonfluent aphasics appreciated both class and function relations. However, further study revealed that even though the fluent aphasic may know the function of an item, he is impaired in his ability to use this information. The nonfluent aphasics also illustrated this tendency not to use their knowledge about function, but to a lesser extent and without the consistency found in the performance of fluent aphasics.