scholarly journals Sustained Attention Ability Affects Simple Picture Naming

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne R. Jongman
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Event Rate ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Event Rates ◽  
Speed Accuracy ◽  
Naming Latencies ◽  
Simple Picture

Sustained attention has previously been shown as a requirement for language production. However, this is mostly evident for difficult conditions, such as a dual-task situation. The current study provides corroborating evidence that this relationship holds even for simple picture naming. Sustained attention ability, indexed both by participants’ reaction times and individuals’ hit rate (the proportion of correctly detected targets) on a digit discrimination task, correlated with picture naming latencies. Individuals with poor sustained attention were consistently slower and their RT distributions were more positively skewed when naming pictures compared to individuals with better sustained attention. Additionally, the need to sustain attention was manipulated by changing the speed of stimulus presentation. Research has suggested that fast event rates tax sustained attention resources to a larger degree than slow event rates. However, in this study the fast event rate did not result in increased difficulty, neither for the picture naming task nor for the sustained attention task. Instead, the results point to a speed-accuracy trade-off in the sustained attention task (lower accuracy but faster responses in the fast than in the slow event rate), and to a benefit for faster rates in the picture naming task (shorter naming latencies with no difference in accuracy). Performance on both tasks was largely comparable, supporting previous findings that sustained attention is called upon during language production.

scholarly journals Comparing the cognate effect in spoken and written second language word production

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merel Muylle ◽  
Eva Van Assche ◽  
Robert Hartsuiker
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Error Pattern ◽  
Underlying Processes

Cognates – words that share form and meaning between languages – are processed faster than control words. However, it is unclear whether this effect is merely lexical (i.e., central) in nature, or whether it cascades to phonological/orthographic (i.e., peripheral) processes. This study compared the cognate effect in spoken and typewritten production, which share central, but not peripheral processes. We inquired whether this effect is present in typewriting, and if so, whether its magnitude is similar to spoken production. Dutch-English bilinguals performed either a spoken or written picture naming task in English; picture names were either Dutch-English cognates or control words. Cognates were named faster than controls and there was no cognate-by-modality interaction. Additionally, there was a similar error pattern in both modalities. These results suggest that common underlying processes are responsible for the cognate effect in spoken and written language production, and thus a central locus of the cognate effect.

scholarly journals Hemispheric Lateralization of Visuospatial Attention Is Independent of Language Production on Right-Handers: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaoding Jia ◽  
Guangfang Liu ◽  
Haijing Niu
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Visuospatial Attention ◽  
Hemispheric Lateralization ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
The Right

It is well-established that visuospatial attention is mainly lateralized to the right hemisphere, whereas language production is mainly left-lateralized. However, there is a significant controversy regarding how these two kinds of lateralization interact with each other. The present research used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine whether visuospatial attention is indeed right-lateralized, whereas language production is left-lateralized, and more importantly, whether the extent of lateralization in the visuospatial task is correlated with that in the task involving language. Specifically, fifty-two healthy right-handed participants participated in this study. Multiple-channel fNIRS technique was utilized to record the cerebral hemodynamic changes when participants were engaged in naming objects depicted in pictures (the picture naming task) or judging whether a presented line was bisected correctly (the landmark task). The degree of hemispheric lateralization was quantified according to the activation difference between the left and right hemispheres. We found that the picture-naming task predominantly activated the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) of the left hemisphere. In contrast, the landmark task predominantly activated the inferior parietal sulcus (IPS) and superior parietal lobule (SPL) of the right hemisphere. The quantitative calculation of the laterality index also showed a left-lateralized distribution for the picture-naming task and a right-lateralized distribution for the landmark task. Intriguingly, the correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between the laterality indices of these two tasks. Our findings support the independent hypothesis, suggesting that different cognitive tasks may engender lateralized processing in the brain, but these lateralized activities may be independent of each other. Meanwhile, we stress the importance of handedness in understanding the relationship between functional asymmetries. Methodologically, we demonstrated the effectiveness of using the multichannel fNIRS technique to investigate the hemispheric specialization of different cognitive tasks and their lateralization relations between different tasks. Our findings and methods may have important implications for future research to explore lateralization-related issues in individuals with neural pathologies.

scholarly journals Joint language production: an electrophysiological investigation of simulated lexical access on behalf of task partner

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K. Kuhlen ◽  
Rasha Abdel Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Access ◽  
Joint Action ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Naming Latency ◽  
Semantic Category ◽  
Electrophysiological Investigation ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Naming Response ◽  
Naming Latencies

AbstractThis study investigates in a joint action setting a well-established effect in speech production, cumulative semantic interference, an increase in naming latencies when naming a series of semantically related pictures. In a joint action setting, two task partners take turns naming pictures. Previous work in this setting demonstrated that naming latencies increase not only with each semantically related picture speakers named themselves, but also with each picture named by the partner (Hoedemaker, Ernst, Meyer, & Belke, 2017; Kuhlen & Abdel Rahman, 2017). This suggests that speakers pursue lexical access on behalf of their partner. In two electrophysiological experiments (N=30 each) we investigated the neuro-cognitive signatures of such simulated lexical access. As expected, in both experiments speakers’ naming latency increased with successive naming instances within a given semantic category. Correspondingly, speakers’ EEG showed an increasing posterior positivity between 250-400ms, an ERP modulation typically associated with lexical access. However, unlike previous experiments, speakers were not influenced by their partner’s picture naming. Accordingly, we found no electrophysiological evidence of lexical access on behalf of the partner. We conclude that speakers do not always represent their partner’s naming response and discuss possible factors that may have limited the participants’ evaluation of the task as a joint action.

scholarly journals Changes in Naming and Semantic Abilities With Aging From 50 to 90 years

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clémence Verhaegen ◽  
Martine Poncelet
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Palm Trees ◽  
General Slowing ◽  
Specific Degradation ◽  
Cognitive Processing Speed ◽  
Naming Latencies ◽  
Naming Performance

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine whether naming difficulties arise in individuals as young as their 50s. Participants of 25–35, 50–59, 60–69, and above 70 years of age were given a picture naming task. To uncover subtle naming difficulties, latencies were analyzed in addition to accuracy. To control whether the expected slower naming latencies could be due to a general slowing affecting all cognitive tasks, participants were also given an odd/even judgment task to assess cognitive processing speed. The results confirmed that participants in their 50s presented decline in naming performance, reflected by an increase in naming latencies, whereas adults in their 60s and their 70s showed both a decrease in accuracy and an increase in latency. Moreover, the increase in naming latencies remained significant even after controlling for odd/even judgment latencies, suggesting a degradation specific to the picture naming task. We assumed that these slower latencies may result from a language-specific impairment. As a further test for language-specific degradation, participants’ semantic capacities were also assessed with a synonym judgment task and the Pyramids and Palm Trees test. The above-70 group showed semantic degradation. The contributions of multiple factors to naming difficulties in aging are discussed. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–8)

scholarly journals Picture naming yields highly consistent cortical activation patterns: test-retest reliability of magnetoencephalography recordings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Ala-Salomäki ◽  
Jan Kujala ◽  
Mia Liljeström ◽  
Riitta Salmelin
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Evoked Activity ◽  
The Right ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
High Test

AbstractReliable paradigms and imaging measures of individual-level brain activity are paramount when reaching from group-level research studies to clinical assessment of individual patients. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) provides a direct, non-invasive measure of cortical processing with high spatiotemporal accuracy, and is thus well suited for assessment of functional brain damage in patients with language difficulties. This MEG study aimed to identify, in a picture naming paradigm, source-localized evoked activity and modulations of cortical oscillations that show high test-retest reliability across measurement days in healthy individuals, demonstrating their applicability in clinical settings. For patients with a severe language disorder picture naming can be a challenging task. Therefore, we also determined whether a semantic judgement task (‘is this item living’) with a spoken response (‘yes’/’no’) would suffice to induce comparably consistent activity within brain regions related to language production. The MEG data was collected from 19 healthy participants on two separate days. In picture naming, evoked activity was consistent across measurement days (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)>0.4) in the left frontal (400–800 ms after image onset), sensorimotor (200–800 ms), parietal (200–600 ms), temporal (200–800 ms), occipital (400–800 ms) and cingulate (600–800 ms) regions, as well as the right temporal (600–800 ms) region. In the semantic judgement task, consistent evoked activity was spatially more limited, occurring in the left temporal (200–800 ms), sensorimotor (400–800 ms), occipital (400–600 ms) and subparietal (600–800 ms) regions, and the right supramarginal cortex (600–800 ms). The naming task showed typical beta oscillatory suppression in premotor and sensorimotor regions (800–1200 ms) but other consistent modulations of oscillatory activity were mostly observed in posterior cortical regions that have not typically been associated with language processing. The high test-retest consistency of MEG evoked activity in the picture naming task testifies to its applicability in clinical evaluations of language function, as well as in longitudinal MEG studies of language production in clinical and healthy populations.

scholarly journals Behavioral interference or facilitation does not distinguish between competitive and noncompetitive accounts of lexical selection in word production.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Oppenheim ◽  
Nazbanou Nozari
Keyword(s):  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Threshold Models ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Lexical Selection ◽  
Semantic Interference ◽  
Relative Threshold ◽  
Selection Algorithms ◽  
Naming Latencies

One of the major debates in the field of word production is whether lexical selection is competitive or not. For nearly half a century, semantic interference effects in picture naming latencies have been claimed as evidence for competitive (relative threshold) models of lexical selection, while semantic facilitation effects have been claimed as evidence for non-competitive (simple threshold) models instead. In this paper, we use a computational modeling approach to compare the consequences of competitive and noncompetitive selection algorithms for blocked cyclic picture naming latencies, combined with two approaches to representing taxonomic and thematic semantic features. We show that although our simple model can capture both semantic interference and facilitation, the presence or absence of competition in the selection mechanism is unrelated to the polarity of these semantic effects. These results question the validity of prior assumptions and offer new perspectives on the origins of interference and facilitation in language production.

Lexical Access Problems Lead to Disfluencies in Speech

2010 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Hartsuiker ◽  
Lies Notebaert
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Access ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Name Agreement ◽  
Access Problems ◽  
Agreement Condition

A picture naming experiment in Dutch tested whether disfluencies in speech can arise from difficulties in lexical access. Speakers described networks consisting of line drawings and paths connecting these drawings, and we manipulated picture name agreement. Consistent with our hypothesis, there were more pauses and more self-corrections in the low name agreement condition than the high name agreement condition, but there was no effect on repetitions. We also considered determiner frequency. There were more self-corrections and more repetitions when the picture name required the less frequent (neuter-gender) determiner “het” than the more frequent (common-gender) determiner “de”. These data suggest that difficulties in distinct stages of language production result in distinct patterns of disfluencies.

Planning the Size of Clinical Trials with Allowance for Patient Noncompliance

1990 ◽  
Vol 29 (03) ◽  
pp. 243-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. A. Moussa
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Event Rate ◽  
Survival Functions ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Patient Noncompliance ◽  
Event Rates ◽  
Larger Sample

AbstractVarious approaches are considered for adjustment of clinical trial size for patient noncompliance. Such approaches either model the effect of noncompliance through comparison of two survival distributions or two simple proportions. Models that allow for variation of noncompliance and event rates between time intervals are also considered. The approach that models the noncompliance adjustment on the basis of survival functions is conservative and hence requires larger sample size. The model to be selected for noncompliance adjustment depends upon available estimates of noncompliance and event rate patterns.

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