Performance of Korean–English bilinguals on an adaptation of the screening bilingual aphasia test

Abstract

Background: The use of standardized tests specifically designed for and normed on bilingual groups is crucial for the accurate diagnosis and language profiling of bilingual speakers with aphasia. Currently, there is a dearth of norms and supporting psychometric data for the few available bilingual aphasia assessments. The only available aphasia test for Korean-English (KE) bilinguals is the Korean-English Bilingual Aphasia Test (KE-BAT). The absence of bilingual normative data for the KE-BAT limits its clinical and research utility. Aims:(1) To revise the original screening KE-BAT to clarify ambiguities in its instructions and stimuli; and (2) to examine subtest and item performance across the two languages for the revised screening KE-BAT with a local sample of highly proficient KE bilinguals. Methods & Procedures:The original screening KE-BAT was first revised to replace unrecognizable drawings, address ambiguities in the instructions and stimuli, and increase the number of items on naming subtests. This revised test is henceforth referred to as the adapted screening KE-BAT (AS KE-BAT). A total of 21 neurologically healthy, highly proficient and college-educated KE bilinguals (19-34 years old) were recruited from a large city in the United States. Participants completed three measures of language proficiency and the AS KE-BAT including the KE translation test (Part C). Total and subtest scores were compared across the two languages, and individual item accuracy was calculated. Incorrect responses of low scoring items were examined.Outcomes & Results: Performance was comparable across Korean and English for all subtests, except for the spontaneous speech subtest. The item accuracy of 17 items (7% of total items) in the AS KE-BAT fell to < 80%, and four items (1.6% of total items) had an accuracy < 60%. Incorrect responses of low scoring items were caused by phoneme misperception, lexical substitution and morphosyntactic L2 patterns. Conclusions & Implications:The results of the study highlight the importance of empirically examining the performance of neurotypical bilinguals on bilingual aphasia assessments to establish their psychometric properties. Based on the small-sized local bilingual normative sample obtained in this study, appropriate cut-off criteria, recommendations for clinical interpretation and further modifications of the AS KE-BAT are proposed.

Worldwide Trend Analysis of Psycholinguistic Research on Code Switching Using Bibliometrix R-tool

“…The analysis reveals interesting patterns in the trajectory of code-switching research over time. One notable finding is the continuous attention toward code switching in aphasia (Jomaa et al, 2022; Lee & Faroqi-Shah, 2021). This persistent interest suggests that researchers recognize the significance of understanding code switching in individuals with language disorders, and it highlights the relevance of code-switching studies in clinical and neuropsychological contexts.…”

A Systematic Review of diagnostic instruments for Spanish-English bilingual speakers with aphasia

“…The subtests for which 80% accuracy is allowed are listed in Table 4.2 of the test manual. However, this expectation has not been borne out in empirical examinations of the BAT in neurologically healthy SE speakers (Short version by Muñoz & Marquardt, 2008; full version by Manuel-Dupont, Ardila, Rosselli, & Puente, 1992; for similar results in Korean-English, see Lee & Faroqi-Shah, 2021). Spanish BAT (Part B) is available in American Spanish (Paradis & Ardila, 1989) and European Spanish (Gomez- Ruiz, 2008) (Goodglass, 2005).…”