Role of Importance and Distinctiveness of Semantic Features in People With Aphasia

Previous studies suggest that people with aphasia have incomplete lexical-semantic representations with decreased low-importance distinctive (LID) feature knowledge. In addition, decreased LID feature knowledge correlates with ability to discriminate among semantically related words. The current study seeks to replicate and extend previous research that identified patterns of feature knowledge in people with aphasia. Ten adults with aphasia sorted high-, mid-, and low-importance common and distinctive features. Participants formed two groups based on accurate discrimination of semantically related foils. ANOVA results showed significant main effects for feature importance, feature distinctiveness, and group. Participants with difficulty discriminating among related foils had greater difficulty with the identification of LID features as compared with the other group. Previous findings were replicated demonstrating impaired LID feature knowledge in people with aphasia. Careful examination of semantic feature knowledge is needed to enhance the design of future semantic feature treatments.