Measuring lexical-semantic activation over time for an aphasic individual

Abstract

We were interested in whether we could identify priming effects in a mildly aphasic individual and whether these effects would be consistent over time. The method consisted of repeated semantically primed lexical decision tasks across 24 sessions. To compare automatic and controlled processing, we compared short and long stimulus onset asynchronies, and we used a neutral prime to separate facilitation and inhibition as components of overall priming. The long-term goal is to determine whether we can measure the progress of aphasic patients at automatic and controlled levels of cognitive processing. A particular configuration of prime facilitation led us to begin testing certain hypotheses regarding this configuration during the course of the study. In general, priming effects were identified, but they occurred inconsistently with repeated testing.