COGNITIVE DISCOURSE PROCESSING IN ELDERLY POPULATIONS

阿尔茨海默病（AD）和老年人的语言变化 被比作韦尼克型失语症（WAPH）患者。 事实上，类似的语言变化的表面表现已经被 描述了AD、WAPH和老年人群： 话语变化包括信息量减少，不连贯， 切向性和冗长性。 这项研究试图解释 在四个不同的人群中，类似的表面话语中断： 两个神经功能受损（AD和WAPH）和两个正常老年组 年龄不同（55-70岁; OE 85-95岁）。 AD和失语症受试者 由于认知和语言的匡威关系， 能力. AD和老年人群之间的比较探索了 AD是否代表行为上的加速老化过程。 这 研究是由一个话语模式，概念化的 话语的复杂性是在语言的多层次上实现的， 信息结构和各种信息处理过程。 调查研究了不同的中断方面， 信息性、连贯性、信息处理操作等 标准化的认知和语言测量。 它是假设 OE科目的信息性和连贯性的变化将模仿这些 然而，在AD中观察到，潜在的机制将不同。 为 AD和OE，意义的全球组织结构（宏观结构） 将受到损害。 相反，AD会在故事中表现出损害 结构的损失的基本信息，而故事结构将 相对来说，对于受试者来说， 与AD和OE类似，WAPH将 显示信息量减少和连贯性受损。 与OE不同， 或AD，WAPH将显示宏观结构和故事结构的保存 和微结构的损伤， 赤字 从理论上讲，这项研究将提供深入了解 构成交际能力基础的过程。 从经验上讲，这项研究将提供宝贵的比较数据。 在临床上，识别话语轮廓是必要的， 制定诊断工具和干预方案。 这 拟议的工作增加了一个关键的话语评估在ADRC在 UTSWMCD。

Language change in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and elderly individuals has been likened to that of patients with Wernicke's type aphasia (WAPH). Indeed, similar surface level manifestations of language change have been described for AD, WAPH and elderly population: The shared features of discourse change include reduced informativity, incoherence, tangentiality, and verbosity. This research seeks explanations for the similar surface disruptions of discourse across four diverse populations: Two neurologically impaired (AD and WAPH) and two normal elderly groups differing in age (55-70; OE 85-95 years). AD and aphasic subjects are of interest because of the converse relations in cognitive and linguistic abilities. The comparison between AD and elderly populations explores whether AD represents behaviorally an accelerated aging process. This research is guided by a discourse model which conceptualizes the complexity of discourse that is realized at multilevels of language and information structures and by various information handling processes. The investigation examines differential disruptions in aspects of informativity, coherence, information handling operations, and on standardized cognitive and linguistic measures. It is hypothesized that changes in informativity and coherence for OE subjects will mimic those observed in AD, however, the underlying mechanisms will differ. For both AD and OE, global organization structures of meaning (macrostructure) will be impaired. Contrastively, AD will manifest impairment in story structure by loss of essential information, whereas story structure will be relatively preserved for OE subjects. Similar to AD and OE, WAPH will show reduction in informativity and impaired coherence. Unlike either OE or AD, WAPH will show preservation of macrostructure and story structure and impairment of microstructures disrupted as a result of linguistic deficits. Theoretically, this research will provide insight into component processes which underlie communicative competence. Empirically, the study will provide valuable comparative data. Clinically, identification of the discourse profiles are necessary for development of diagnostic tools and intervention protocols. This proposed work adds a critical discourse evaluation at the ADRC at UTSWMCD.