The differential facilitatory effects of gesture and visualisation processes on object naming in aphasia

Abstract

This study investigated the differential facilitation effects of gesture and visualisation processes on object naming in individuals with aphasia. Six participants with word production deficits resulting from varying levels of impairment in the word production system, underwent a series of naming trials. Baseline measures of naming were compared to those obtained following instructions to point, visualise, and produce gesture. The results supported the superiority of iconic gesture as a facilitator of object naming in aphasia. In particular, individuals with phonological access, storage, or encoding difficulties demonstrated significantly enhanced naming abilities with the use of iconic gesture as compared to individuals with a semantic impairment or an apraxia of speech. Pointing, cued articulation, and visualisation processes did not significantly enhance naming skills in these individuals. These results are discussed within the model of lexical gesture and word production proposed by Krauss and Hadar (1999).