On-line sensitivity to local and long-distance syntactic dependencies in Broca's aphasia

Brain Lang. 1989 Aug;37(2):327-38. doi: 10.1016/0093-934x(89)90021-7.

Abstract

Seven agrammatic Broca's aphasics and ten normal control subjects performed a word-monitoring task to determine the degree to which violations of syntax would affect word-monitoring performance. Both local and long-distance dependencies were explored, as well as the effects of additional interceding words. Results indicated that normal subjects' word-monitoring latencies were significantly slower to target words in ungrammatical contexts for both local and long-distance dependencies. Aphasic subjects showed a significant sensitivity to ungrammaticality in the local dependency condition; for the long-distance dependencies, however, no reaction time difference emerged between grammatical and ungrammatical stimuli. Results are discussed in relation to current theories of the nature of agrammatic deficits.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aphasia / psychology*
  • Aphasia, Broca / psychology*
  • Attention*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Reaction Time
  • Semantics*
  • Speech Perception*