Transfer of refractory states across languages in a global aphasic patient

Author(s): Humphreys, G. W.

Journal/Book: Cognitive Neuropsychol. 1996; 13: 27 Church Rd, Hove, East Sussex, England BN3 2FA. Psychology Press. 1163-1191.

Abstract: We report new data on (1) the nature of category-specific deficits, and (2) the transfer of refractory behaviour across languages, in a premorbidly fluent bilingual (English-French) patient. Previous studies (Forde & Humphreys, 1995, in press) have shown that the present patient, JM, shows a category-specific breakdown in auditory written word-matching tasks, along with impaired (refractory) performance when stimuli are tested repeatedly. In the present paper we show that there is a similar pattern of category-specific breakdown in French as well as English, and that there is symmetric transfer of the refractory state from one language to the other. We discuss the implications of the findings for understanding bilingual language representations and for understanding the nature of the functional deficit in JM and similar patients.

Note: Article Ferrand L, CNRS, Expt Psychol Lab, 28 Rue Serpente, F-75006 Paris, FRANCE

Keyword(s): LEXICAL REPRESENTATION; SEMANTIC FACILITATION; BILINGUAL LEXICON; WORD TRANSLATION; ACCESS; DISTINCTION; SYSTEMS; COMMON; BRAIN

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