Inference Processes in Adults with Right Brain Damage

描述（由申请人提供）：成人右半球损伤（RHD）经常导致理解困难。理解的一个特定方面，即推理，被认为是这些困难的根源，尽管尚不清楚推理过程的哪个阶段可能会受到损害。对正常推理过程的研究表明，上下文的特征，例如提及推理的新近度和上下文偏差的强度，可能会影响此类推理过程。理解能力和工作记忆能力的个体差异也发挥了作用。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一种 RHD 成人推理缺陷理论。这些目标与中风患者的健康和福祉相关，因为研究结果将使人们更清楚地了解 RHD 沟通障碍，并可能提高治疗方法的功效和效率。具体目标是：（a）测试关于提及效应的新近度的竞争假设，使得当在远离建议的位置进行测试时预测推理“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。将进行两项研究来实现这些目标。方法：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，并使用一个目标句子来否定预期的推理。在实验条件与对照条件下目标句子的阅读时间减慢将表明预期推理的激活。研究 A 将通过操纵提出推论时与测量点之间的距离来解决提及效应的新近度。目标句子和目标后句子的阅读时间将为提及效果的新近度来源提供证据。在研究 B 中，将操纵上下文偏差的强度来检查上下文中的推理，该上下文将包含对特定预测推理的弱偏差或强偏差。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联，以 评估推理与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，以群体（RHD 和非脑损伤）作为受试者间变量，以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.