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Left and right hemispheric contributions to discourse coherence and cohesion
R L Bloom1, J C Borod, C Santschi-Haywood
1Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11550, USA.
The International Journal of Neuroscience
|November 1, 1996
Summary
Patients with left brain damage (LBD) showed impaired linguistic coherence, not cohesion, unlike right brain damage (RBD) patients. Coherence and cohesion appear to be independent linguistic systems.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Psychology
Background:
- Linguistic coherence and cohesion are crucial for discourse.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results on how brain damage affects these abilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate linguistic coherence and cohesion in patients with unilateral left brain damage (LBD) and unilateral right brain damage (RBD).
- To compare these abilities between brain-damaged groups and normal controls (NC).
- To examine the relationship between coherence and cohesion measures.
Main Methods:
- A study involving right-handed adults, including LBD, RBD, and NC groups.
- Groups were matched for age, gender, occupation, and education.
- Analysis of linguistic coherence and cohesion, considering lesion site and time post-onset.
Main Results:
- LBD patients, all with aphasia, exhibited impaired coherence but not cohesion compared to NC and RBD groups.
- RBD patients showed intact coherence and cohesion.
- Few significant correlations were found between coherence and cohesion measures.
Conclusions:
- Coherence and cohesion function as distinct and independent linguistic systems.
- Discourse integrity descriptions should consider both speaker and listener perspectives.
- Findings challenge previous literature on brain damage and discourse processing.