Application of semantic feature analysis to retrieval of action names in aphasia

Abstract

Abstract-This investigation examined the effects of a semantic feature training procedure on retrieval of action names in a participant with anomic aphasia. Treatment was applied sequentially across two sets of action names in the context of a multiple baseline design across behaviors. Treatment effects were evaluated in terms of naming of trained and untrained actions. Discourse production effects were also examined with respect to verbal productivity, informativeness, and production of nouns and verbs. Increased accuracy of naming was observed for both sets of trained action names, with increases being maintained at 6 weeks posttreatment. However, accuracy of responding did not reach preestablished criterion levels. Repeated exposure to stimulus items without training resulted in unstable and temporary increases in naming accuracy. No changes were observed in accuracy of naming of untrained actions that were measured only at pre-and posttreatment intervals. Increases in verbal productivity and informativeness in discourse production were associated with the treatment.

Making treatment effect inferences from multiple-baseline data: The utility of multilevel modeling approaches

“…Third, it is valuable for one to have research designs with features that are closely aligned design across participants was used to examine the effect of a treatment on clinical perfectionism in participants with Axis I disorders (Glover, Brown, Fairburn, & Shafran, 2007). Furthermore, a multiple-baseline design across behaviors was used to examine the effects of treatment on verbal productivity in a participant with anomic aphasia (Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007). Other multiplebaseline applications included a study of the effects of a treatment for depression in a primary care setting (Naylor, Antonuccio, Johnson, Spogen, & O'Donohue, 2007), a study of the effects of an instructional intervention on phoneme-segmentation fluency with at-risk kindergarten children (Musti-Rao & Cartledge, 2007), and a study of the effects of training on the aggressive behaviors of individuals with mild mental retardation (Singh et al, 2007).…”

Effect of Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) in Persons With Aphasia: Extension and Replication of Previous Findings

“…The findings also suggest high potential clinical utility of VNeST. We controlled treatment dosage to 35 hr per week over 10 weeks, consistent with a traditional aphasia treatment plan and treated only 10 verbs per participant (fewer than other verb treatments; e.g., Raymer & Ellsworth, 2002;Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007;Webster, Morris, & Franklin, 2005), though personal and salient responses to verb prompts were encouraged from participants to promote relevance and interest. Treatment is also low-tech (only pen and paper required) and as such is transportable and easily delivered in multiple settings.…”

“…Promoting semantic relationships between verbs and their thematic roles could potentially promote more generalized improvement to sentence production and discourse (e.g., Edmonds & Babb, 2011;Edmonds, Nadeau, & Kiran, 2009). Some studies have attempted this with tasks such as identifying agents and themes in pictures and picture description (Fink, Martin, Schwartz, Saffran, & Myers, 1992), story production with an emphasis on verb-noun associations (Kim, Adingono, & Revoir, 2007), descriptions of a verb's semantics and thematic roles (Schneider & Thompson, 2003), semantic feature analysis (SFA) with verbs (which focuses on single verbs but includes thematic roles) (Faroqi-Shah & Graham, 2011 [modified SFA]; Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007;Wambaugh, Mauszycki, & Wright, 2014), and tasks targeting associations between verbs and nouns, sometimes in conjunction with sentence production (Webster & Gordon, 2009;Webster et al, 2005).…”

Semantic feature analysis: Application to confrontation naming of actions in aphasia

“…Additionally, by Downloaded by [The University of Manchester Library] at 12:28 13 April 2015 repeatedly and systematically requiring production of semantic features for treatment items, SFA may promote development of a feature generation strategy that facilitates naming of untrained items (Boyle, 2004(Boyle, , 2010. Although SFA has received a significant amount of study in terms of its effects on object naming, its effects on action naming have been examined in only one pilot investigation (Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007). Wambaugh and Ferguson (2007) examined the effects of SFA applied to action naming with one participant with anomic aphasia.…”

“…Although SFA has received a significant amount of study in terms of its effects on object naming, its effects on action naming have been examined in only one pilot investigation (Wambaugh & Ferguson, 2007). Wambaugh and Ferguson (2007) examined the effects of SFA applied to action naming with one participant with anomic aphasia. Treatment was applied sequentially to two sets of action names in a multiple baseline design.…”