Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2025
10:59
Investigations on Alterations of Hippocampal Circuit Function Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: November 19, 2012
15.4K
Exploring Cognitive-Pragmatic Heterogeneity Following Acquired Brain Injury: A Cluster Analysis of Hint Comprehension
Natacha Cordonier1,2, Marion Fossard1, Yves Tillé3
1Institut des sciences logopédiques, Faculté des lettres et sciences humaines, Université de Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
|September 14, 2023
Summary
Individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) show varied difficulties with nonliteral language. This study identified two profiles: one with contextual insensitivity and another struggling with literal statements, linked to executive function and theory of mind deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Linguistics
Background:
- Acquired brain injury (ABI) often leads to challenges in understanding nonliteral language, particularly hints.
- Cognitive factors like context processing, executive functions, and theory of mind (ToM) are implicated but their precise roles are debated due to population heterogeneity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify distinct cognitive-pragmatic profiles in individuals with ABI.
- To investigate the underlying cognitive mechanisms contributing to nonliteral language comprehension deficits post-ABI.
Main Methods:
- Administered a novel hint comprehension task, executive demand manipulation, and neuropsychological tests to 33 participants with frontal ABI and 33 controls.
- Employed cluster analysis and error analysis to identify and characterize cognitive-pragmatic profiles within the ABI group.
Main Results:
- Two distinct cognitive-pragmatic profiles were identified in individuals with ABI.
- Profile 1: Contextual insensitivity, literal interpretation, linked to working memory, inhibition, and ToM deficits.
- Profile 2: Difficulty with literal statements, associated with inhibition and ToM impairments; differences between profiles primarily on ToM tasks.
Conclusions:
- The findings offer valuable insights into the cognitive basis of nonliteral language comprehension disorders following ABI.
- Understanding these distinct profiles has significant clinical implications for rehabilitation and intervention strategies.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Language and Cognition
373
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
373
01:21Cognitive Learning
307
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
307
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
909
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
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...
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...
909
01:17Cognitivism
1.4K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
1.4K
01:27Intelligence
7.7K
The term "intelligence" is complex because it refers to both behavior and individuals, and its interpretation varies across cultures. European Americans tend to link intelligence with reasoning and cognitive skills, while in Kenya, it is tied to responsible participation in family and social life. In Uganda, intelligence is seen as the ability to know the right actions and carry them out effectively, while the Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea associate it with the capacity to remember...
7.7K
01:05Cerebral Hemispheres
382
The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...
382