Table 2.
Language Functions, Corresponding Test Items and Factors to be Controlled
| Language functions and associated deficits | Test items | Linguistic/cognitive factors to be controlled in test design |
|---|---|---|
| Auditory comprehension: -phonemic and semantic comprehension errors -receptive agrammatism |
-lexical decision (word vs. non-word discrimination) -selection of a multiple-choice image corresponding to a verbal stimulus -commands -yes/no questions -true/false statements -questions following a story (complex ideational material) -story retell tasks -spontaneous conversation |
-word frequency -word familiarity -noun case and gender -age of acquisition -imageability -concreteness/abstractness -word, phrase, sentence length -phonemic complexity -grammatical complexity (e.g., semantically constrained vs. not; canononicity; clausal types, verb tense, mood) -plausibility of content |
| Reading: - reduced reading ability (dyslexia/alexia) |
-matching cases/script/numbers -copying letters, words, phrases, sentences -orthographic lexical decision -reading aloud -word/sentence/paragraph reading with picture matching -paragraph/text reading with comprehension questions |
-script, font -word frequency -word familiarity -noun case and gender -age of acquisition -imageability -concreteness/abstractness -word, phrase, sentence length -phonemic composition and articulatory difficulty -grammatical complexity -plausibility of content |
| Repetition: -inability to repeat -inaccurate repetition -perseveration |
- repetition of phonemes, words (nonsense words, single words, series of words), phrases, sentences | -phonetic/phonemic composition and articulatory difficulty -word, phrase, sentence length -grammatical complexity -grammatical and semantic -plausibility |
| Automatic speech: - limited automatic (rote, highly learned) speech - perseveration |
- recitation of automatic sequences (numbers, days of the week, months) - recitation of nursery rhymes, poems, songs - spontaneous automatic utterances during conversation |
-articulatory difficulty -familiarity of rote sequences |
| Naming: -word retrieval difficulties -paraphasias (literal/phonemic, semantic/global) -perseverations -circumlocution |
-confrontation naming -word descriptions/definitions requiring naming response -cloze sentences or phrases -word fluency (i.e., produce words starting with a certain letter or within a given semantic category) |
-word frequency -word familiarity -age of acquisition -imageability -concreteness/abstractness -phonemic composition and articulatory difficulty -word length -semantic category -visual/tactile stimulation -real objects versus images -degree of control of physical stimulus properties of images |
| Spontaneous speech: -expressive agrammatism, telegraphic speech -dysnomia/anomia -paraphasias -perseverations |
-picture description -conversation/discussion of a topic (assessment of expressive speech greatly depends on selected performance measures - rating scales) |
-degree of conversational structure and support -topic complexity -topic familiarity and personal significance -relationship to conversational partner |
| Writing: - reduced writing ability (dysgraphia/agraphia) |
-letter matching -writing of words, phrases, sentences to dictation -copying -written picture naming -narrative writing |
-word frequency -word familiarity -age of acquisition -imageability -concreteness/abstractness -word, phrase, sentence length -phonemic complexity -regular vs. irregular words -complexity of target text -topic familiarity and personal significance -type of writing instrument/keyboard |