Inference Processes in Adults with Right Brain Damage

描述（由申请人提供）：成年人的右半球脑损伤（RHD）经常导致理解困难。理解的一个特殊方面，推理，被认为是这些困难的来源，尽管还不清楚推理过程的哪个（些）阶段可能会受到损害。对正常推理过程的研究表明，语境的特征，如提及推理的新近性和语境偏见的强度，可能会影响这种推理过程。理解能力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。该项目的长期目标是建立成人RHD推理缺陷的理论。这些目标与卒中患者的健康和福祉有关，因为研究结果将更清楚地了解RHD沟通障碍，并可能提高治疗方法的疗效和效率。具体目标是：（a）测试关于提及效应的近因性的竞争性假设，使得预测推理在远离它们被建议的地方测试时“消失”，（B）检查上下文偏差对预测推理的影响，（c）测试特定推理过程与话语理解技能和工作记忆相关的假设，以及（d）探索与推理过程相关的大脑行为关系。为实现这些目标，将开展两项研究。研究方法：这两项研究都将采用逐行阅读时间任务，使用实验故事构建偏向于特定的预测推理，目标句子否定预期的推理。在实验和控制条件下，目标句子的缓慢阅读时间将表明预期推理的激活。研究A将通过操纵推断被提出和测量点之间的距离来解决提及效应的新近性。目标句和后目标句的阅读次数可以为近因效应的来源提供证据。在研究B中，将操纵语境偏见的强度来检验在语境中对特定预测推理的弱或强偏见。阅读时间研究的数据将与一般话语理解测试和工作记忆任务的表现相关， 评估推理和这些参与者特征之间的关系。对于这两项研究，研究设计将是混合设计，组（RHD和非脑损伤）作为受试者间变量，故事条件作为受试者内变量。

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.