Abstract
A total of 134 aphasia cases were examined on average five months after the trauma (mainly CVA). Most of the cases were administered the Schuell test of aphasia, some were given the Coloured Matrices test (CM), and some the Standard Matrices test (SM). In addition, 53 of these cases were retested on average nine months after the trauma, to look for recovery phenomena. It was found that total score on the Schuell test did improve dramatically (error scores reducing by 37%) but that there was no change in either CM or SM (in fact there was a slight decline of about 10%). It was further found that non-verbal intelligence as measured by CM correlated in a negative direction with severity of aphasia and positively with recovery from aphasia (once certain key variables were partialled out statistically, such as initial level of severity). In contrast, SM failed to correlate with either severity or recovery, a finding that could be attributable to the small number of cases tested on SM. Various explanations of the data were considered but no definite conclusions drawn - although the suggestion was made that a more intelligent right-hemisphere could in some way better protect the person from the effects of a left lesion and could better promote recovery.