Project Description
Nonword repetition tasks entail listening to and repeating unfamiliar but word-like utterances that vary in length between one and three syllables (e.g., slurch, pelter, and ipical). Performance on such a task provide indicators about a participant's ability to process phonological (word form) information without relying on understanding of the word meaning. Phonological deficits are common in aphasia, a language disorder caused by stroke, that affects the person's ability to understand and express themselves. We are particularly interested in the exploration of how phonological deficits contribute to word finding difficulty in people with aphasia. However, normative data for the performance on nonword repetition tasks in people without aphasia is scarce. We aim to analyze data of 20 healthy college-age adults who completed the nonword repetition task of a widely used aphasia assessment, the Psycholinguistic Assessment of Language Processing in Aphasia (PALPA, Kay, Lesser, & Coltheart, 1992). The data was collected and recorded in the UWM Aphasia Lab and needs to be analyzed for accuracy and error types.
Tasks and Responsibilites
Students play a critical role in the analysis of the data. They will:
• Judge the accuracy of verbal responses
• Code the response as correct or with an error code.
• Learn how to manage and save the data in accordance with established IRB procedures.
• Communicate regularly with their mentor
• Participate in the preparation of the data for submissions to national and international conferences
Desired Qualifications
None Listed.