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Discourse behaviors in older adults
1University of Arkansas, Speech and Hearing Clinic, Fayetteville 72701, USA.
Seminars in Speech and Language
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Older adults experience changes in language comprehension and production, often using simpler sentences and ambiguous references. However, their fundamental conversational abilities remain largely intact as they age.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Aging impacts language comprehension and discourse production in older adults.
- Understanding these age-related linguistic changes is crucial for gerontology and cognitive psychology.
- Previous research has explored various facets of discourse, including semantics, syntax, and conversation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of age-related changes in language comprehension.
- To detail age-related changes in discourse production.
- To analyze specific linguistic features affected by aging.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on language comprehension in older adults.
- Detailed examination of studies focusing on discourse production.
- Analysis of semantic skills, syntactic complexity, verbal fragmentation, information load, cohesion, macrostructural elements, and conversational abilities.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibit heterogeneity in discourse behaviors.
- A tendency towards shorter, less complex sentences and more ambiguous references was observed.
- Basic conversational skills are generally well-preserved in normally aging individuals.
Conclusions:
- While some linguistic complexities decrease with age, fundamental communication skills persist.
- The study highlights specific areas of change and resilience in older adults' language use.
- Further research can build upon these findings to support effective communication strategies for the elderly.