Investigation of parameters of implicit priming in anomia

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current models of spoken language production postulate that the linguistic system is composed of a network of lexical and semantic nodes that automatically spread activation to each other as part of linguistic processing. This automatic spread of activation is implicit, in that it occurs outside of conscious awareness or control. Intact implicit processing is thought to underlie the automatic, fluent, rapid use of language in typical adults. Implicit processing is also a component of learning and, therefore, a component of any language rehabilitation that may be undertaken to remediate language deficits following stroke (i.e., aphasia). Previous research has raised the question of whether automatic activation of the linguistic system is preserved or impaired in aphasia. If there is a deficit in the spread of automatic activation in individuals with aphasia, this may underlie their language deficits, and/or may influence their response to treatment. The studies proposed here will investigate the nature of implicit learning, in the form of priming, in individuals with anomia, a ubiquitous symptom of aphasia. Using a masked priming picture naming paradigm, it will use accuracy and reaction time data to compare thresholds of explicit awareness in anomic and typical adults, and will compare the response of anomic and typical adults to implicit vs. explicit identity primes across three prime-target latencies. Findings from this research will inform our understanding of implicit, automatic activation processes in aphasia as they relate both to models of language use and to methods of learning in aphasia rehabilitation.