Cognitive impairments of aphasics in picture sorting and matching tasks

On the basis of earlier experiments showing a differential deficit of aphasics in picture sorting and matching tasks, two experiments were conducted to test the conjecture of a specific deficit of aphasics in the analytical appraisal of individual features. Broca's and Wernicke's aphasics-according to clinical diagnoses and the Aachener Aphasie Test-were compared with patients having right-hemisphere lesions or left-hemisphere lesions without aphasia. Both groups of aphasics differed from the control groups in the sorting task, irrespective of the sorting criterion, but the differences were small. The picture matching task did not discriminate between groups. Obviously, the basic assumption has to be modified with respect to specific conditions of task requirements. The experimental literature is reviewed.This research was supported by a Research Grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.The research was conducted at the following clinics and rehabilitation centers. We are grateful for their support: Abteilung Neurologie der Med. Fak., RWTH, Aachen. Poliklinik für Stimm-und Sprachkranke, Universitätsklinikum Steglitz, Freie Universität Berlin. Neurologisches Rehabilitationszentrum Godeshöhe e. V., Bonn. Rheinische Landesklinik für Sprachgestörte, Bonn. Neurologische Klinik der Universität Ulm, Dietenbronn. Kliniken Schmieder, Gailingen und Allensbach. Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie, München. Neurologiches Krankenhaus, München. Neurologisches und Hirneverletzten-Versorgungskrankenhaus, Tübingen.We are also most grateful for the kind help of K. Willmes, Aachen, in carrying out the discriminant analyses to classify the aphasics on the basis of the Aachener Aphasie Test.