Inference Processes in Adults with Right Brain Damage

右脑损伤成人的推理过程

• 批准号: 6998457
• 负责人: MARGARET LEHMAN BLAKE
• 金额: $ 7.25万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6998457
• 关键词: behavior test; bias; brain injury; clinical research; communication disorders; comprehension; human subject; memory; mental process; performance; reading; stroke

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) in adults frequently causes comprehension difficulties. One particular aspect of comprehension, inferencing, has been implicated as a source of these difficulties, although it is not clear what stage(s) of the inferencing process could be impaired. Studies of normal inferencing processes suggest that characteristics of contexts, such as recency of mention of inferences and strength of contextual bias, may affect such inferencing processes. Individual differences in comprehension skill and working memory capacity also play a role. These factors have received little attention in the RHD literature. The long-term objective of the proposed project is to build a theory of inferencing deficits in adults with RHD. These objectives are related to the health and well being of stroke patients, as the results of the study will provide a clearer understanding of RHD communication disorders and may improve the efficacy and efficiency of therapy approaches. The specific aims are to: (a) test competing hypotheses regarding recency of mention effects, such that predictive inferences 'disappear' when tested at a point distant from where they were suggested, (b) examine the influence of contextual bias on predictive inferencing, (c) test the assumption that specific inferencing processes are related to discourse comprehension skill and working memory, and (d) explore brain behavior relationships associated with inferencing processes. Two studies will be conducted to address these aims. Methods: Both studies will employ a line-by-line reading time task using experimental stories constructed to bias toward a specific predictive inference, with a target sentence that disconfirms the intended inference. Slowed reading time on the target sentence in experimental versus control conditions will indicate activation of the intended inference. Study A will address recency of mention effects by manipulating the distance between when an inference is suggested and the point of measurement. Reading times for target and post-target sentences will provide evidence for the source of recency of mention effects. In Study B, strength of contextual bias will be manipulated to examine inferencing under contexts will contain either weak or strong bias toward a specific predictive inference. Data from the reading time studies will be correlated with performance on a general discourse comprehension test and a working memory task to evaluate the relationship between inferencing and these participant characteristics. For both studies, the research design will be a mixed design, with group (RHD and non-brain-damaged) as the between-subjects variable and story condition as the within-subjects variable.

描述（由申请人提供）：成人右半球脑损伤（RHD）经常引起理解困难。理解的一个特定方面，推论，已被认为是这些困难的根源，尽管尚不清楚推论过程的哪个阶段会受到损害。对正常推论过程的研究表明，上下文的特征，例如提及推论和上下文偏见的强度的重新汇率，可能会影响这种推论过程。理解技能和工作记忆能力的个体差异也起着作用。这些因素在RHD文献中很少受到关注。拟议项目的长期目标是建立一种在患有RHD的成年人中推断出缺陷的理论。这些目标与中风患者的健康和健康有关，因为该研究的结果将对RHD沟通障碍有更清晰的了解，并可能提高治疗方法的疗效和效率。 The specific aims are to: (a) test competing hypotheses regarding recency of mention effects, such that predictive inferences 'disappear' when tested at a point distant from where they were suggested, (b) examine the influence of contextual bias on predictive inferencing, (c) test the assumption that specific inferencing processes are related to discourse comprehension skill and working memory, and (d) explore brain behavior relationships associated with inferencing processes.将进行两项研究以解决这些目标。方法：两项研究都将使用构建的实验故事采用逐条阅读时间任务，该故事构建为特定的预测推断，目标句子否定了预期的推论。在实验条件下对目标句子的阅读时间减慢了，将表明预期推断的激活。研究A将通过操纵建议推断与测量点之间的距离来解决提及效应的新近度。目标和目标后句子的阅读时间将为提及效果的新兴来源提供证据。在研究B中，将操纵上下文偏见的强度以检查在上下文下的推论，将包含针对特定预测推断的弱偏见。阅读时间研究的数据将与一般话语理解测试的性能以及工作记忆任务相关联 评估推论与这些参与者特征之间的关系。对于两项研究，研究设计将是一种混合设计，将组（RHD和非脑受损）作为受试者间变量和故事条件作为对象内部的变量。