Verbal Fluency

The aim of the study was the functional neurodevelopmental assessment of children with posterior fossa tumors, specifically examining whether tumor location in particular cerebellar structures determines particular neuropsychological deficits. The examined group consisted of 34 children treated between 1999 and 2007 at the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery Silesian University Medical School in Katowice, Poland. Twelve girls and 22 boys between 5 and 21 years of age were examined. The mean age was 12.3 years. There were 21 total and 8 subtotal resections of tumor, and marsupialization was performed in cases of arachnoid cysts. Hydrocephalus in 19 patients was fixed surgically. Histopathological diagnoses of tumors were as follows: 4 medulloblastomas, 8 pilocytic astrocytomas, 6 fibrillary astrocytomas, 1 anaplastic astrocytoma, 2 oligodendrogliomas, 4 anaplastic ependymomas, 1 choroid plexus papilloma, and 5 arachnoid cysts. The children were assessed by age-appropriate tests that examine higher mental functions such as cognitive processes, visual–spatial functions, verbal fluency, planning, sequential memory, and emotions. Additionally, speech examination and tests were performed. The clinical state of all patients was also evaluated, including a full neurological examination. Posterior fossa tumors can disturb normal development of higher mental functions, especially in the development of linguistic and emotional traits. Our study aimed to better understand the functional anatomy of the cerebellum in the context of behavioral changes. Exploration of the consequences of damage to posterior fossa structures may lead to a better understanding of their function in the emotional and cognitive development of children. Moreover, this work may enable the prediction of neurobehavioral disorders and offer appropriate strategies for rehabilitation, qualification, and surgical procedures.

Objective There is a lack of consensus regarding the extent to which cognitive dysfunctions may recover upon cessation of alcohol intake by alcohol-dependents (AD), and the divergent findings are most likely due to methodological differences between the various studies. The present study was aimed at conducting a very strict longitudinal study of cognitive recovery in terms of assessment points, the duration of abstinence, control of age and duration of the addiction, and by use of individual analyses in addition to mean group comparisons. Our study further focused on the 2–3 week phase of alcohol detoxification that is already known to positively affect many biological, emotional, motivational, as well as neural variables, followed by longer-term therapies for which good cognitive functioning is needed. Methods 41 AD inpatients undergoing a detoxification program, and 41 matched controls, were evaluated twice in terms of five cognitive functions (i.e., short-term memory, working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency) within a three-week interval [on the first day (T1) and the 18 th day (T2) of abstinence for AD patients]. Emotional (positive and negative affectivity and depression) and motivational (craving) variables were also measured at both evaluation times. Results Although verbal fluency, short-term memory, and cognitive flexibility did not appear to be affected, the patients exhibited impaired inhibition and working memory at T1. While no recovery of inhibition was found to occur, the average working memory performance of the patients was comparable to that of the controls at T2. Improvements in emotional and motivational dimensions were also observed, although they did not correlate with the ones in working memory. Individual analysis showed that not all participants were impaired or recover the same functions.

Conclusions
While inhibition deficits appear to persist after 18 days of detoxification, deficits in working memory, which is a central component of cognition, are greatly reduced after alcohol detoxification. Individual differences in the trajectory of recovery do arise however, and it might be worth implementing individual assessments of impaired functions at the end of the detoxification phase in order to maximize the chances of success in longer-term treatments and abstinence.

Detey, S., Fontan, L., Le Coz, M. & Jmel, S. (2020). Computer-assisted assessment of phonetic fluency in a second language: a longitudinal study of Japanese learners of French. Speech Communication 125: 69-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2020.10.001

Available here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344594440_Computer-assisted_assessment_of_phonetic_fluency_in_a_second_language_a_longitudinal_study_of_Japanese_learners_of_French

Abstract: Automatic second language (L2) speech fluency assessment has been one of the ultimate goals of several projects aiming at designing Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) tools for L2 learners. Usually, three challenges must be tackled in order to solve the issues at stake: 1) Defining fluency from a threefold interdisciplinary perspective (acoustic and perceptual phonetics, computer science, L2 education); 2) Using a cost-effective algorithm; 3) Testing the procedure with actual learners' data. Despite rapid technical developments in the field of automatic speech processing, the tools which are actually available for learners are still scarce, and most of them rely on automatic speech recognition (ASR). Moreover, most research on the topic is focusing on English as the target L2. Therefore, in this article, we address the following research questions: (a) is it possible to use a non-ASR-based low-level signal segmentation algorithm to predict human expert assessment of phonetic fluency in beginner Japanese learners of French in a text-reading task during the first stages of their learning? (b) if the answer to (a) is positive, then what are the best predictors of phonetic fluency among a set of available measures (see below for more details)? (c) is it possible to use this algorithm to monitor the evolution of phonetic fluency (and of its associated predictors) in these learners in a longitudinal study? As a first step, a corpus of French sentences read aloud by 12 Japanese learners of different proficiency levels in French was used to design a prediction system. 2 speech fluency, speech rate, regularity of speech rate, speech fluidity (i.e. smoothness of transitions between phones). Inter-rater agreement and reliability were high for all dimensions, and the average human ratings were compared with the scores provided by our prediction system. The results show strong correlations between human and automatic scores of speech rate and regularity of speech rate, and a weak correlation for speech fluidity. Automatic scores were finally combined together through a multiple linear regression model in order to predict overall speech fluency. The best model led to a correlation coefficient of .92 between automatic and human ratings, with a root-mean-square error of .38. In the second step of this study, a corpus of identical sentences read aloud four times over two years by 12 Japanese learners of French (after 4, 7, 12, and 19 months of French courses in Japan) was fed to the automatic system. The results show regular progress in overall speech fluency, which fits with the regular progress the Japanese learners under scrutiny were expected to make through their academic program in French at their university in Japan every semester. Our study suggests a positive answer to our first and third research questions, with speech rate as the best predictor to answer our second research question. In a pedagogical perspective, it seems that such a simple algorithm could be integrated in a CAPT tool to monitor learners' progress in phonetic fluency in reading-aloud tasks.S

Executive dysfunction is a characteristic impairment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However whether such deficits are related to autism per se, or to associated intellectual disability is unclear. This paper examines executive functions in a group of children with ASD (N = 54, all IQ⩾70) in relation to a typically developing control group individually matched on the basis of age, gender, IQ and vocabulary. Significant impairments in the inhibition of prepotent responses (Stroop, Junior Hayling Test) and planning (Tower of London) were reported for children with ASD, with preserved performance for mental flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task) and generativity (Verbal Fluency). Atypical age-related patterns of performance were reported on tasks tapping response inhibition and self-monitoring for children with ASD compared to controls. The disparity between these and previous research findings are discussed. A multidimensional notion of executive functions is proposed, with difficulties in planning, the inhibition of prepotent responses and self-monitoring reflecting characteristic features of ASD that are independent of IQ and verbal ability, and relatively stable across the childhood years.

The Semantic Verbal Fluency (SVF) test entails the generation of words from a given category within a pre-set time of 60 seconds. Objectives: To verify whether socio-demographic and clinical data of individuals with dementia correlate with the performance on the SVF test and to ascertain whether differences among the criteria of number of answers, clusters and data spread over the intervals, predict clinical results. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 49 charts of demented patients classified according to the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. We correlated education, age and gender, as well as CDR and Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores with the number of answers, clustering and switching distributed over four 15-second intervals on the SVF test. Results: The correlation between number of answers and quartiles was weak (r=0.407, p=0.004; r=0.484, p<0.001) but correlation between the number of clusters and responses was strong (r=0.883, p<0.001). The number of item...

Objective fluency judgment has always been a formidable task in language testing. Nonetheless, temporal fluency is the type of fluency which can be measured and quantified. Given that, temporal fluency is also known as temporal measures of fluency (Luoma, 2004). Furthermore, it has aroused considerable interest in analyzing speech of language learners in terms of quantitative measures (Kormos & Denes, 2004; Freed, 1995; Riggenbach, 1991; Lennon, 1990). They suggested that certain measures of fluency can more objectively specify fluency level and that perceptual understanding of fluency to a high extent correlate with these measures. Following these studies, the present study was an endeavor to relate quantitative measures of fluency and assessment of fluency in oral speech of L2 learners. To do so 30 advanced EFL learners whose speaking score on TOEFL iBT scale was between 19 to 22, i.e. B2 on CEFR scale, were selected. Then, they were given a picture strip as the elicitation task and asked to make up a story based on that. Their voice was recorded, transcribed and further analyzed by voice analysis software called PRAAT to calculate seven measures of fluency. Meanwhile, two trained listeners were required to rate the recordings, scoring them from 1 to 9. Finally, the relationship between these variables was calculated. The results showed that judge listeners' ratings of fluency were highly correlated with speech rate, phonation time ratio, and mean length of runs. Moreover, among the measures of temporal fluency speech rate proved significantly correlated with articulation rate, phonation time ratio, and mean length of runs.

This study investigated (1) whether attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is associated with executive functioning (EF) deficits while controlling for oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD), (2) whether ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits while controlling for AD/HD, and (3)~whether a combination of AD/HD and ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits (and the possibility that there is no association between EF deficits and AD/HD or ODD/CD in isolation). Subjects were 99~children ages 6–12 years. Three putative domains of EF were investigated using well-validated tests: verbal fluency, working memory, and planning. Independent of ODD/CD, AD/HD was associated with deficits in planning and working memory, but not in verbal fluency. Only teacher rated AD/HD, but not parent rated AD/HD, significantly contributed to the prediction of EF task performance. No EF deficits were associated with ODD/CD. The presence of comorbid AD/HD accounts for the EF deficits in children with comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD. These results suggest that EF deficits are unique to AD/HD and support the model proposed by R. A. Barkley (1997).

The lexical approach identifies lexis as the basis of language and focuses on principle that language consists of grammaticalised lexis. in second language acquisition, over the past few years, this approach has generated great interest as an alternative to traditional grammar-based teaching methods. From a psycholinguistic point of view, the lexical approach consists of the capacity of understanding and producing lexical phrases as non-analysed entities (chunks). A growing body of literature concerning spoken fluency is in favour of integrating automaticity and formulaic language units into classroom practice. in line with the latest theories on SlA, we recommend the inclusion of a language awareness component as an integral part of this approach. The purpose is to induce what Schmidt (1990) calls noticing, i.e., registering forms in the input so as to store them in memory. This paper, which is in keeping with the interuniversity Research Project “Evidentiality in a multidisciplinary corpus of English research papers” of the University of las Palmas de Gran Canaria, provides a theoretical overview on the research of this approach taking into account both the methodological foundations on the subject and its pedagogical implications for SLA.

This article contains the script, or the conference speech of my 45-minute talk that was presented on September 19th, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event (titled ELT Day II) took place at Disal Botafogo and provided a setting for discussing recent developments in ELT. I hope this article equips you with better solutions for global challenges on fostering an atmosphere that is conducive to fluency and language development. Motivating students and caring about the learning environment is what keeps me going. Devising solutions usually brings challenges to any setting, and that is part of an inclusive environment, which embraces critical thinking and positive dissent.

Resumen:
Introducción. El presente estudio analiza si una tarea de fluidez verbal escrita es útil para discriminar el deterioro cognitivo leve (DCL) frente al envejecimiento normal con quejas subjetivas de memoria (EN). Método. Se reclutaron 140 participantes con un juicio clínico de EN (n=64) o DCL (n=76) diagnosticado ad hoc a los que se les administró una tarea de fluidez verbal fonológica y semántica escrita. Resultados. El análisis descrip-tivo muestra una composición homogénea de los grupos en función de la edad, sexo y años de escolaridad. Se observa cómo, tanto la puntuación en cada criterio de evocación particular, como los sumatorios de los tres criterios fonológicos (FAS) y semánticos (SEMÁNTICA) son superiores en el grupo con EN que en el grupo con DCL (F=1.899, p<.005, para FAS y F=24.200, p<.001, para SEMÁNTICA). El trabajo analiza también las correlaciones con diferentes pruebas clásicas de cribado. Discusión. Los resultados muestran la utilidad de la fluidez verbal escrita en el cribado del DCL. Esta modalidad ofrece frente a la modalidad oral, además, la ventaja añadida de su posible aplicación grupal. Se han observado las diferencias ya conocidas entre los criterios de evocación fonológica y semántica, con-cluyendo que los segundos aportan más información para el cribado de pacientes con DCL.
Palabras clave:
Neuropsicología; fluidez verbal; fluidez fonológica; fluidez semántica; envejecimiento; quejas de memoria; deterioro cognitivo leve; datos normativos.

Abstract:
Introduction. The present study analyzes whether a written verbal fluency task is suitable to differentiate between Mild Cognitive Impair-ment (MCI) and Normal Aging with subjective memory complaints (NA). Method. 140 subjects with a clinical judgement of NA (n=64) and MCI (n=76), diagnosed ad hoc, were administered both a verbal phonological fluency task and a verbal semantic fluency task. Results. The descriptive analysis of the data shows a homogeneous distribution of both groups taking into account age, gender and education. The group with NA scores significantly higher than the group with MCI on every indivicual criterion of evocation and also on both the summation of the three phonological criteria (FAS) and the summation of the three semantic criteria (SEMAN-TIC), being F=1.899, p<.005, for FAS and F=24.200, p<.001, for SE-MANTIC. The study also analyzes the correlations of the written verbal tasks with several classical screening tests. Discussion. The results support the suitability of the written verbal fluency tasks on the screening of MCI. Further, this assessment procedure offers, too, the benefit of its possibility of administration to a group of people. Differences between the phono-logical evocation criteria and the semantic evocation criteria were con-firmed in this study, concluding that the latter are more reliable at the screening of people with MCI than the former.
Key words:
Neuropsychology; verbal fluency; phonological fluency; se-mantic fluency; aging; memory complaints; mild cognitive impairment; normative data.

Pronunciation teaching of the segmental aspects needs to be

balanced with the inclusion of learner awareness of stress, rhythm, intonation and meaningful production. Yet many formats for pronunciation teaching do not place these skills and an awareness of the suprasegmental
features in either a communicative format or a specific speaking situation.

Learners' reasons for improving pronunciation may, however, be quite specific. For many ESL and EFL learners skilful pronunciation is linked with effective presentation in an international context of developing globalization. The paper presents a case for the application of pronunciation development to the needs of learners who are undertaking presentation skills courses or speech communication training. A range of pronunciation skills applicable to presentation speaking courses are presented within a framework of integrating accuracy skills with fluency development. Evidence of the importance of the links between suprasegmental awareness and production is discussed. Secondly, the practical application of speech production approaches will be linked to the growing marketplace demand for presentation skills in both EFL and ESL situations.

The purpose of this study was to examine verbal fluency and verbal short-term memory in 12 adults with Down syndrome (DS) and 12 adults with Intellectual Disability (ID) of unspecified origin, matched for receptive vocabulary and chronological age. Participants’ performance was assessed on two conditions of a verbal fluency test, namely, semantic and phonemic fluency. In addition to the total number of correct words produced, the use of clustering and switching strategies was also evaluated. In order to investigate the likely relations of verbal short-term memory with the test variables, a digit span task was administered. According to the results of the study, the two groups differed significantly on the average phonemic cluster size, with the ID group outperforming the DS group. Regarding the within-group comparisons, a relatively similar pattern of results was found for the two groups, indicating higher scores on all the measures involved in the semantic test than the phonemic one. The examination of the relation of verbal short-term memory with the verbal fluency test measures revealed that, in the DS group, only the total words produced in the semantic and the phonemic test and the number of phonemic switches were significantly associated with verbal short-term memory. Additionally, in both groups, word productivity in the semantic and the phonemic test was positively associated with the number of switches. The observed similarities and differences in the performance of the two groups, as well as the associations that emerged among the test variables in each group, are discussed.

Research on the chameleon effect has demonstrated that social benefits such as liking, safety, rapport, affiliation, and cohesion can be evoked through nonverbal imitation (e.g., body language and mannerisms).  Herein we introduce the echo effect, a less researched phenomenon of verbal mimicry, in a real-world setting.  Study participants, three-hundred and thirty currency exchange office customers, were assigned into one of three experimental and two control conditions.  Careful attention to research design produced results that address issues raised in the mimicry literature, and more clearly define the boundaries of verbal mimicry.  The results demonstrate that: while repetition of words is important in increasing an individual’s tendency to perform prosocial behaviors, the order in which they are repeated back is not; verbal mimicry is more powerful mechanism than dialogue; and, for non-mimicry control conditions, no response produces the same result as a brief response.

Dirección Postal: Lic. Marina Drake. Laboratorio de Neuropsicología, Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires. Perdriel 74, Buenos Aires. Email: drake@fibertel.com.ar ... UNA BATERÍA NEUROCOGNITIVA PARA DETECCIÓN DE ENFERMEDAD DE ALZHEIMER EN SIETE MINUTOS. ...