(Morpho)syntactic comprehension in agrammatic aphasia: Evidence from Greek

Background: A number of hypotheses have been formulated to account for comprehension data in agrammatic aphasia. They explain deficits in comprehending specific structures, such as semantically reversible non-canonical sentences, for example, Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH, Grodzinsky, 1986 Grodzinsky, Y. 1986. Language deficit and the theory of syntax. Brain and Language, 27: 135–159. doi:10.1016/0093-934X(86)90009-X[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 1990 Grodzinsky, Y. 1990. Theoretical perspectives on language deficits, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 1995 Grodzinsky, Y. 1995. A restrictive theory of agrammatic comprehension. Brain and Language, 51: 26–51. doi:10.1006/brln.1995.1039[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), or functional categories, for example, Tree Pruning Hypothesis (TPH, e.g., Friedmann, 2006 Friedmann, N. 2006. Generalizations on variations in comprehension and production: A further source of variation and a possible account. Brain and Language, 96: 151–153. doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2005.06.002[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]); Tense Underspecification Hypothesis (TUH, Wenzlaff & Clahsen, 2004 Wenzlaff, M. and Clahsen, H. 2004. Tense and agreement in German agrammatism. Brain and Language, 89: 57–68. doi:10.1016/S0093-934X(03)00298-0[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2005 Wenzlaff, M. and Clahsen, H. 2005. Finiteness and verb-second in German agrammatism. Brain and Language, 92: 33–44. doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2004.05.006[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]); Interpretable Features’ Impairment Hypothesis (IFIH; e.g., Varlokosta et al., 2006 Varlokosta, S., Valeonti, N., Kakavoulia, M., Lazaridou, M., Economou, A. and Protopapas, A. 2006. The breakdown of functional categories in Greek aphasia: Evidence from agreement, tense, and aspect. Aphasiology, 20: 723–743. doi:10.1080/02687030500513703[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Several studies, however, report evidence contradicting these theories (e.g., Caramazza, Capasso, Capitani, & Miceli, 2005 Caramazza, A., Capasso, R., Capitani, E. and Miceli, G. 2005. Patterns of comprehension performance in agrammatic Broca's aphasia: A test of the Trace Deletion Hypothesis. Brain and Language, 94: 43–53. doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2004.11.006[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Dickey, Milman, & Thompson, 2008 Dickey, M. W., Milman, L. H. and Thompson, C. K. 2008. Judgment of functional morphology in agrammatic aphasia. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 21: 35–65. doi:10.1016/j.jneuroling.2007.08.001[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and propose new accounts to explain the comprehension deficits in agrammatic aphasia, for example, Distributed Morphology Account (DMA, Dickey et al., 2008 Dickey, M. W., Milman, L. H. and Thompson, C. K. 2008. Judgment of functional morphology in agrammatic aphasia. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 21: 35–65. doi:10.1016/j.jneuroling.2007.08.001[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).

Aims: Against the background above, this study investigates the ability of three Greek-speaking agrammatic individuals to comprehend a wide range of structures and functional categories: semantically reversible (canonical) active and (non-canonical) passive sentences, Complementizer Phrase, subject-verb Agreement, Tense, and Aspect.

Methods & Procedures: We administered: (a) two sentence-picture matching tasks to test comprehension of reversible active and passive sentences, and Tense; (b) a sentence grammaticality judgement task to test judgement of Tense, Aspect, and subject-verb Agreement; and (c) a picture-pointing task to test comprehension of Complementizer Phrase.

Outcomes & Results: (a) Two of the three agrammatic participants performed at chance on reversible passive sentences and above chance on active sentences. The third participant performed equally high on the two sentence types. Two participants performed at chance on Tense comprehension and one above chance. (b) The three participants were selectively or across-the-board impaired in judgement of Agreement, Tense, and Aspect. One of the two selectively affected participants had chance performance on Aspect and above chance performance on Agreement and Tense. The other one performed at chance on Aspect and Tense, and above chance on Agreement. The third participant's performance was equally poor on all three categories. (c) All three agrammatic participants performed above chance on the comprehension of Complementizer Phrase.

Conclusions: In comprehension/judgement, canonical and non-canonical sentences do not dissociate in all agrammatic speakers, while functional categories associated with the verb morphology may be compromised in the face of relatively well-preserved categories that are located higher in the syntactic hierarchy. All three agrammatic participants support the DMA, and two of them support the TDH. Instead, none of them provided support to the TPH, TUH, and IFIH.     

The face is the thing: Faces,not emotions,are responsible for chimeric perceptual asymmetry

ABSTRACT

We used factor analysis to examine relationships among tasks that have previously shown right hemispheric processing asymmetries. We were interested in whether processing emotion displayed by a face constitutes a distinct perceptual process from processing other facial characteristics. Interest in this topic arose after Boles [1991 Boles, D. B. (1991). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Pilot study and parietal functions. Neuropsychologia, 29(1), 59–91. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(91)90094-O[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Pilot study and parietal functions. Neuropsychologia, 29 Boles, D. B. (1991). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Pilot study and parietal functions. Neuropsychologia, 29(1), 59–91. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(91)90094-O[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar](1 Boles, D. B. (1991). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Pilot study and parietal functions. Neuropsychologia, 29(1), 59–91. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(91)90094-O[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), 59 Boles, D. B. (1991). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Pilot study and parietal functions. Neuropsychologia, 29(1), 59–91. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(91)90094-O[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]–91 Boles, D. B. (1991). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Pilot study and parietal functions. Neuropsychologia, 29(1), 59–91. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(91)90094-O[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]] found evidence of a common process underlying face processing and then Boles [1992 Boles, D. B. (1992). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Temporal, occipital and frontal functions. Neuropsychologia, 30(11), 963–988. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(92)90049-R[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Temporal, occipital and frontal functions. Neuropsychologia, 30 Boles, D. B. (1992). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Temporal, occipital and frontal functions. Neuropsychologia, 30(11), 963–988. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(92)90049-R[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar](11 Boles, D. B. (1992). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Temporal, occipital and frontal functions. Neuropsychologia, 30(11), 963–988. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(92)90049-R[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), 963 Boles, D. B. (1992). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Temporal, occipital and frontal functions. Neuropsychologia, 30(11), 963–988. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(92)90049-R[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]–988 Boles, D. B. (1992). Factor analysis and the cerebral hemispheres: Temporal, occipital and frontal functions. Neuropsychologia, 30(11), 963–988. doi: 10.1016/0028-3932(92)90049-R[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]] found evidence of a distinct process for the processing of the facial emotion. We used seven tasks that measured both face and non-face perception. Analysis of the asymmetries revealed measures from the five face tasks resulted in a single factor, thus failing to support the hypothesis that emotional face perception would involve a separate process from non-emotional face perception. A second factor revealed a separate process underlying enumeration, and a third factor revealed yet another process underlying line bisection. The results indicate that perceiving facial emotion results in right hemisphere processing, and faces as a whole are responsible for such processing.     

Extracting variant and invariant information from faces: The neural substrates of gaze detection and sex categorization

Abstract

Guided by influential models of face processing, efforts have been expended to uncover the neural substrates subserving the many facets of face perception. Extending this work, the present study used functional brain imaging (fMRI) to explore the relationship between the operations supporting the explicit extraction of sex and gaze-related information from faces. The brain imaging data showed the right superior temporal sulcus to be preferentially involved during assessments of gaze direction and a region of the left fusiform gyrus to be involved during sex categorization. These results provide support for the distributed face-processing model advanced by Haxby and colleagues (2000 Haxby, J. V., Hoffman, E. A. and Gobbini, I. M. 2000. The distributed human neural system for face perception. Trends in Cognitive Science, 4: 223–233. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 and the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form with Children and Adolescents

This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of 2 assessment instruments, the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01; Rojahn, Matson, Lott, Esbensen, & Smalls, 2001 Rojahn, J., Matson, J. L., Lott, D., Esbensen, A. J. and Smalls, Y. 2001. The Behavior Problems Inventory: An instrument for the assessment of self-injury, stereotyped behavior, and aggressive/destructive behavior in individuals with developmental disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31: 577–588. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF; Aman, Tassé, Rojahn, & Hammer, 1996 Aman, M. G., Tassé, M. J., Rojahn, J. and Hammer, D. 1996. The Nisonger CBRF: A child behavior rating form for children with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 17: 41–57. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The sample consisted of 237 ethnically diverse children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities who ranged in age from 4 to 22 years. Reliability parameters included internal consistency, interteacher agreement, teacher-parent agreement, and test-retest reliability. Factorial validity was assessed first by bivariate Spearman rank (ρ) correlations and then by examining the factor structure fit via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Convergent and discriminant validity was assessed by multiple regression analyses across the 2 instruments. Reliability coefficients (internal consistency, interteacher agreement, and test-retest reliability) of the BPI-01 and of the NCBRF subscales ranged from fair to excellent and from poor to excellent, respectively. The CFA suggested a poor fit between the present and the original BPI-01 and NCBRF factor structures, although item-total correlations were reasonable. Convergent and discriminant validity between the BPI-01 and the NCBRF, however, was strong. Limitations of the study are discussed and recommendations for future studies are presented.     

Indirect versus direct feedback in computer-based Prism Adaptation Therapy

Prism Adaptation Therapy (PAT) is an intervention method in the treatment of the attention disorder neglect (Frassinetti, Angeli, Meneghello, Avanzi, & Ladavas, 2002 Frassinetti, F., Angeli, V., Meneghello, F., Avanzi, S. and Ladavas, E. 2002. Long-lasting amelioration of visuospatial neglect by prism adaptation. Brain, 125: 608–623. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Rossetti et al., 1998 Rossetti, Y., Rode, G., Pisella, L., Farne, A., Li, L.Boisson, D. 1998. Prism adaptation to a rightward optical deviation rehabilitates left hemispatial neglect. Nature, 395(6698): 166–169. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The aim of this study was to investigate whether one session of PAT using a computer-attached touchscreen would produce similar after-effects to the conventional box normally used in PAT.

In four experiments, 81 healthy subjects and 7 brain-injured patients diagnosed with neglect were subjected to a single session of PAT under two conditions: (1) using the original box, and (2) using a computer-based implementation of PAT. The session of PAT included a pre-exposure step involving pointing at 30 targets without feedback; an exposure step involving pointing at 90 targets with prism goggles and feedback; and a post-exposure step involving pointing at 60 targets, with no goggles and no feedback.

The results indicate that the expected similarity in the after-effect produced by the two conditions seems to occur only if subjects receive feedback on pointing precision by seeing their fingertip during the exposure step. Attempts to provide feedback indirectly via icons on the computer screen failed to produce the expected size in the after-effect. The findings have direct implications for computer-based treatment of visuospatial disorders in the future and computer-assisted rehabilitation in general.     

Real-time production of unergative and unaccusative sentences in normal and agrammatic speakers: An eyetracking study

Background: Speakers with agrammatic aphasia have greater difficulty producing unaccusative (float) compared to unergative (bark) verbs (Kegl, 1995 Kegl, J. 1995. Levels of representation and units of access relevant to agrammatism. Brain and Language, 50: 151–200. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Lee & Thompson, 2004 Lee, M. and Thompson, C. K. 2004. Agrammatic aphasic production and comprehension of unaccusative verbs in sentence contexts. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 17: 315–330. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Thompson, 2003 Thompson, C. K. 2003. Unaccusative verb production in agrammatic aphasia: The argument structure complexity hypothesis. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 16: 151–167. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), putatively because the former involve movement of the theme to the subject position from the post-verbal position, and are therefore more complex than the latter (Burzio, 1986 Burzio, L. 1986. Italian syntax, Reidel: Dordrecht. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Perlmutter, 1978 Perlmutter, D. 1978. “Impersonal passives and the unaccusative hypothesis”. In Papers from the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, 157–189. University of California, Berkeley: Berkeley Linguistics Society.  [Google Scholar]). However, it is unclear if and how sentence production processes are affected by the linguistic distinction between these two types of verbs in normal and impaired speakers.

Aims: This study examined real-time production of sentences with unergative (the black dog is barking) vs unaccusative (the black tube is floating) verbs in healthy young speakers and individuals with agrammatic aphasia, using eyetracking.

Methods & Procedures: Participants' eye movements and speech were recorded while they produced a sentence using computer displayed written stimuli (e.g., black, dog, is barking).

Outcomes & Results: Both groups of speakers produced numerically fewer unaccusative sentences than unergative sentences. However, the eye movement data revealed significant differences in fixations between the adjective (black) vs the noun (tube) when producing unaccusatives, but not when producing unergatives for both groups. Interestingly, whereas healthy speakers showed this difference during speech, speakers with agrammatism showed this difference prior to speech onset.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the human sentence production system differentially processes unaccusatives vs unergatives. This distinction is preserved in individuals with agrammatism; however, the time course of sentence planning appears to differ from healthy speakers (Lee & Thompson, 2010 Lee, J. and Thompson, C. K. 2010. Real-time production of verb arguments and adjuncts in normal and agrammatic speakers: An eyetracking study. Language and Cognitive Processes., First published on 16 July 2010 (iFirst) [Google Scholar]).     

The prevention of depression in nursing home residents: A randomized clinical trial of cognitive–behavioral therapy

The prevention of depression in individuals who are at risk is important for affected individuals, their family members, and for society at large. This study presents the results of a randomized clinical trial aimed at the prevention of depression in nursing home residents. Residents were screened with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and a diagnostic interview. Those with elevated GDS scores who did not meet diagnostic criteria for depression were randomly assigned to a treatment or control (treatment as usual, TAU) condition. The treatment was an adaptation of the Coping with Stress program developed by Clarke et al. (1995 Clarke, GN, Hawkins, W, Murphy, M, Sheeber, L, Lewinsohn, PM and Seeley, JR. 1995. Targeted prevention of unipolar depressive disorder in an at-risk sample of high school adolescents: A randomized trial of group cognitive intervention. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34: 312–321. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar]; Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 312–321), and focused on various components typical of cognitive–behavioral treatment (CBT) programs (e.g. increasing pleasant events, reducing negative cognitions). Both groups were assessed on measures of depression before treatment, after treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up points. Compared with the TAU group, residents receiving the intervention showed considerable improvement over the 6-month follow-up on the GDS. Average scores on the GDS, for example, went from 14.0 to 9.4 in the CBT group over the course of treatment and follow-up, vs. scores from 13.4 to 12.3 for the TAU group over the same time. However, results on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at 3 months were nonsignificant. Overall, the results of this study suggest that a brief, group-based CBT program can have significant benefit in nursing home residents at risk for depression.     

Deep Brain Stimulation and the Role of the Neuropsychologist

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) now plays an important role in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, tremor, and dystonia. DBS may also have a role in the treatment of other disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, and depression. The neuropsychologist plays a crucial role in patient selection, follow-up, and management of intra-operative and post-operative effects (Pillon, 2002 Pillon , B. ( 2002 ). Neuropsychological assessment for management of patients with deep brain stimulation . Movement Disorders , 17 ( Suppl 3 ), S116 – 122 .[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]; Saint-Cyr & Trepanier, 2000 Trepanier , L. L. , Kumar , R. , Lozano , A. M. , Lang , A. E. , & Saint-Cyr , J. A. ( 2000 ). Neuropsychological outcome of GPi pallidotomy and GPi or STN deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease . Brain and Cognition , 42 ( 3 ), 324 – 347 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). There is now emerging evidence that DBS can induce mood, cognitive, and behavioral changes. These changes can have dramatic effects on patient outcome. There have been methodological problems with many of the studies of DBS on mood, cognition, and behavior. The neuropsychologist needs to be aware of these issues when following up patients, and constructing future studies. Additionally, this article will review all aspects of the DBS procedure that can result in mood, cognitive, and behavioral effects and what role(s) the neuropsychologist should play in screening and follow-up.     

Is left-handedness associated with a more pronounced age-related cognitive decline?

The effect of handedness on cognitive functioning has been the subject of much controversy. The influential “pathological left-handedness theory” posited by Coren and Halpern (1991 Coren, S. and Halpern, D. F. 1991. Left-handedness: A marker for decreased survival fitness. Psychological Bulletin, 109: 90–106. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) claims that left-handedness is probabilistically related to deviations from the neurological and cognitive norm. Many studies have failed to find negative effects of left-handedness on cognitive functioning, but most of these studies related handedness to cognition at one moment in time. Such studies do not exclude the possibility that sinistrality may be related to a more pronounced age-related longitudinal decline in cognitive functions. This hypothesis was tested in the present study. In a longitudinal study involving a large population sample of cognitively intact people aged at least 50 years at baseline, we evaluated the effect of handedness on age-related decline in four major cognitive domains: speed of information processing, verbal learning, long-term verbal memory, and executive functioning. The results failed to provide support for the hypothesis that sinistrality is associated with a more pronounced age-related cognitive decline. Recommendations for future studies are provided.     

Prism Adaptation Changes Perceptual Awareness for Chimeric Visual Objects but Not for Chimeric Faces in Spatial Neglect after Right-hemisphere Stroke

Prism adaptation can ameliorate some symptoms of left spatial neglect after right-hemisphere stroke. The mechanisms behind this remain unclear. Prism therapy may increase exploration towards the contralesional side, yet without improving perceptual awareness, as apparently for the left side of chimeric face stimuli (Ferber et al. 2003 Ferber, S, Danckert, J, Joanisse, M, Goltz, HC and Goodale, MA. 2003. Eye movements tell only half the story. Neurology, 60: 1826–9. [INFOTRIEVE][CSA][Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). However, other prism studies suggest that perceptual awareness might be improved (e.g., Maravita et al., 2003 Maravita, A, McNei, J, Malhotra, P and Greenwood, R. 2003. Husain M and Driver J Prism adaptation can improve contralesional tactile perception in neglect. Neurology, 60: 1829–31. [INFOTRIEVE][CSA][Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We tested the impact of prism therapy on visual awareness for the left side of chimeric objects as well as chimeric faces, in three neglect patients. Prism therapy dramatically improved awareness for the identity of the left side of chimeric non-face objects, but had no effect on judging expressions for chimeric faces. The latter may thus be unique in showing no prism benefit.     

Methodological Problems in the Neuropsychological Assessment of Effects of Exposure to Welding Fumes and Manganese

Recently, Kaiser (2003) Kaiser, J. 2003. Manganese: A high-octane dispute. Science, 300: 926–928.  [Google Scholar] raised concerns over the increase in brain damage claims reportedly due to exposure to welding fumes. In the present article, we discuss methodological problems in conducting neuropsychological research on the effects of welding exposure, using a recent paper by Bowler et al. (2003) Bowler, R. M., Gysens, S., Diamond, E., Booty, A., Hartney, C. and Roels, H. A. 2003. Neuropsychological sequelae of exposure to welding fumes in a group of occupationally exposed men. International Journal of Hygiene & Environmental Health, 206: 517–529. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] as an example to illustrate problems common in the neurotoxicity literature. Our analysis highlights difficulties in conducting such quasi-experimental investigations, including subject selection bias, litigation effects on symptom report and neuropsychological test performance, response bias, and scientifically inadequate casual reasoning.     

Assessing executive performance during cognitive rehabilitation

Executive functioning influences a host of other cognitive processes and people who attend neuropsychological services are more likely to display executive dysfunction than any other cognitive deficit (Stuss & Levine, 2002 Stuss, D. and Levine, B. 2002. Adult clinical neuropsychology: Lessons from studies of the frontal lobes. Annual Review of Psychology, 53: 401–433. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Impairment in executive functioning disrupts a person's ability to effectively employ their intact areas of functioning, and undermines effective self-management of other areas of dysfunction, hampering attempts to employ compensatory strategies. Therefore, assessment of a person's executive functioning is a high priority as part of a comprehensive neurorehabilitation plan. Guided by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model (ICF model; Peterson, 2005 Peterson, D. 2005. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: An introduction for rehabilitation psychologists. Rehabilitation Psychology, 50: 105–112. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), we suggest that an important development in the field is moving to formal assessment of executive performance in functional contexts, in addition to more traditional assessment of executive impairment. We outline a number of existing studies in this area, review current measures that can provide clinicians with useful information on these issues, and discuss how this research could be further advanced.     

Apparent Effect of Type of Compensation Seeking (Disability Versus Litigation) on Performance Validity Test Scores may be due to Other Factors

Neuropsychologists use performance validity tests (PVTs; Larrabee, 2012 Larrabee, G. J. (2012). Performance validity and symptom validity in neuropsychological assessment. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18, 1–7.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) to ensure that results of testing are reflective of the test taker’s true neurocognitive ability, and their use is recommended in all compensation-seeking settings. However, whether the type of compensation context (e.g., personal injury litigation versus disability seeking) impacts the nature and extent of neurocognitive symptom feigning has not been adequately investigated. PVT performance was compared in an archival data set of noncredible individuals in either a personal injury litigation (n = 163) or a disability-seeking context (n = 201). Individuals were deemed noncredible based on meeting Slick, Sherman, and Iverson’s (1999 Slick, D. J., Sherman, E. M. S., & Iverson, G. L. (1999). Diagnostic criteria for malingered neurocognitive dysfunction: Proposed standards for clinical practice and research. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 13, 545–561.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) criteria including failure on at least two PVTs and a lack of congruency between their low cognitive scores and normal function in activities of daily living (ADLs). In general, disability seekers tended to perform in a less sophisticated manner than did litigants (i.e., they failed more indicators and did so more extensively). Upon further investigation, these differences were in part accounted for by type of diagnoses feigned; those seeking compensation for mental health diagnoses were more likely to feign or exaggerate a wide variety of cognitive deficits, whereas those with claimed medical diagnoses (i.e., traumatic brain injury) were more targeted in their attempts to feign and/or exaggerate neurocognitive compromise.     

Development of the citizens measure into a tool to guide clinical practice and its utility for case managers

ABSTRACT

A measure of citizenship was developed and validated by Rowe and colleagues (O’Connell, Clayton, & Rowe, 2017 O’Connell, M. J., Clayton, A., & Rowe, M. (2017). Reliability and validity of a newly developed measure of citizenship among persons with mental illnesses. Community Mental Health Journal, 53(3), 367–374. doi:10.1007/s10597-016-0054-y[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The items clustered around the 5 Rs of citizenship as defined by Rowe et al.: relationships, rights, resources, roles, and rights, and a sense of belonging. Although a measure has its utility in clinical settings, to address time constraints and other administrative burdens expressed by providers in their day-to-day practice, a citizens tool was developed as a practical way that providers can enhance dialogue between providers and clients on citizenship for clients served in mental health and criminal justice reentry settings. This article describes the development of the tool, testing of the tool’s utility with case managers, and implications for practice.     

Chance in agrammatic sentence comprehension: What does it really mean? Evidence from eye movements of German agrammatic aphasic patients

Background: In addition to the canonical subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, German also allows for non-canonical order (OVS), and the case-marking system supports thematic role interpretation. Previous eye-tracking studies (Kamide et al., 2003 Kamide, Y., Scheepers, C. and Altmann, G. M. 2003. Integration of syntactic and semantic information in predictive processing: Cross-linguistic evidence from German and English. Journal of Psycholinguistics Research, 32: 37–54. doi: 10.1023/A:1021933015362 [Google Scholar]; Knoeferle, 2007 Knoeferle, P. 2007. “Comparing the time-course of processing initially ambiguous and unambiguous German SVO/OVS sentences in depicted events”. In Eye movement research. A window on mind and brain, Edited by: van Gompel, R., Fischer, M., Murray, W. and Hill, R. 517–531. Oxford, , UK/Amsterdam: Elsevier.  [Google Scholar]) have shown that unambiguous case information in non-canonical sentences is processed incrementally. For individuals with agrammatic aphasia, comprehension of non-canonical sentences is at chance level (Burchert et al., 2003 Burchert, F., De Bleser, R. and Sonntag, K. 2003. Does morphology make the difference? Agrammatic sentence comprehension in German. Brain and Language, 87: 323–342. doi: 10.1016/S0093-934X(03)00132-9[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The trace deletion hypothesis (Grodzinsky 1995 Grodzinsky, Y. 1995. A restrictive theory of agrammatic comprehension. Brain and Language, 50: 27–51. doi: 10.1006/brln.1995.1039[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2000 Grodzinsky, Y. 2000. The neurology of syntax: Language use without Broca's area. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23: 1–71. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X00002399[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) claims that this is due to structural impairments in syntactic representations, which force the individual with aphasia (IWA) to apply a guessing strategy. However, recent studies investigating online sentence processing in aphasia (Caplan et al., 2007 Caplan, D., Waters, G., DeDe, G., Michaud, J. and Reddy, A. 2007. A study of syntactic processing in aphasia I: Behavioral (psycholinguistic) aspects. Brain and Language, 101: 103–150. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2006.06.225[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Dickey et al., 2007 Dickey, M. W., Choy, J. J. and Thompson, C. K. 2007. Real-time comprehension of Wh-movement in aphasia: Evidence from eyetracking while listening. Brain and Language, 100: 1–22. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2006.06.004[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) found that divergences exist in IWAs' sentence-processing routines depending on whether they comprehended non-canonical sentences correctly or not, pointing rather to a processing deficit explanation.

Aims: The aim of the current study was to investigate agrammatic IWAs' online and offline sentence comprehension simultaneously in order to reveal what online sentence-processing strategies they rely on and how these differ from controls' processing routines. We further asked whether IWAs' offline chance performance for non-canonical sentences does indeed result from guessing.

Methods & Procedures: We used the visual-world paradigm and measured eye movements (as an index of online sentence processing) of controls (N?=?8) and individuals with aphasia (N?=?7) during a sentence–picture matching task. Additional offline measures were accuracy and reaction times.

Outcomes & Results: While the offline accuracy results corresponded to the pattern predicted by the TDH, IWAs' eye movements revealed systematic differences depending on the response accuracy.

Conclusions: These findings constitute evidence against attributing IWAs' chance performance for non-canonical structures to mere guessing. Instead, our results support processing deficit explanations and characterise the agrammatic parser as deterministic and inefficient: it is slowed down, affected by intermittent deficiencies in performing syntactic operations, and fails to compute reanalysis even when one is detected.     

Psychometric Evaluation of Romanian Translations of the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 and the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form

Psychometric properties of Romanian translations of the Behavior Problems Inventory-01 (BPI-01; Rojahn, Matson, Lott, Esbensen, & Smalls, 2001 Rojahn, J., Matson, J. L., Lott, D., Esbensen, A. J. and Smalls, Y. 2001. The Behavior Problems Inventory: An instrument for the assessment of self-injury, stereotyped behavior, and aggression/destruction in individuals with developmental disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31: 577–588. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form (NCBRF; Aman, Tassé, Rojahn, & Hammer, 1996 Aman, M. G., Tassé, M. J., Rojahn, J. and Hammer, D. 1996. The Nisonger CBRF: A child behavior rating form for children with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 17: 41–57. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) were explored. Respondents completed the instruments for 115 children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Internal consistency of both instruments' total scales was good to excellent (Cronbach's α ranging from .88 to .95) and the subscale internal consistencies were fair to excellent (with α ranging from .74 to .94). The results based on bivariate Spearman correlations and multiple regression analyses provided strong convergent and discriminant validity of both instruments. Overall, the Romanian versions of the behavior rating scales had very good reliability (internal consistencies) and convergent and discriminant validity. It is hoped that this study will be a catalyst for Romanian clinicians and researchers as well as for transcultural researchers working with Romanian individuals with intellectual disabilities to continue the exploration of the utility and psychometric quality not only of the BPI-01 and the NCBRF but also of other English language psychopathology assessment instruments.     

Psychometric Properties of the Scale for Suicide Ideation in China

The Chinese version of Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI; Beck, Kovacs, &; Weissman, 1979 Beck , A. T. , Kovacs , M. , &; Weissman , A. ( 1979 ). Assessment of suicidal intention: The scale for suicide ideation . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 47 , 343 – 352 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) was examined with high school students (n = 292) in rural China. Results indicated that the SSI had high internal reliability and high item-total correlations. The SSI was highly correlated with measures of trait anxiety, hopelessness, and favorable attitude towards suicide. These findings indicated that the Chinese version of the SSI has excellent psychometric properties for measuring suicidal ideation in Chinese populations.     

Service Utilization Patterns in Parents of Youth and Adults With Intellectual Disability Who Experienced Behavioral Crisis

Family caregivers play an important role in supporting people with intellectual disability (ID) and mental health problems or serious challenging behaviors across the life span. Relevant services for parents of people with ID may vary depending on the age of the child and the severity of mental health problems. Often, individuals with ID experience behavioral crisis, and the purpose of this study is to understand parents' service utilization patterns. Forty mothers of youth and adults with mild ID shared their experiences of crisis and commented on service needs, receipt, and effectiveness as well as on the barriers to service access using an adapted version of the Need for Help Questionnaire (Douma, Dekker, & Koot, 2006 Douma, J. C. H., Dekker, M. C. and Koot, H. M. 2006. Supporting parents of youths with intellectual disabilities and psychopathology. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 50: 570–581. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). All parents had high levels of service need. Although most parents noted that they received services, many found that service effectiveness was limited. A greater proportion of parents of youth rated the information and mental health care for their child as effective compared with parents of adults. Barriers to service access for parents of youth centered around perceptions of their child's problem behavior, whereas parents of adults focused on perceptions of the service system. Input from caregivers can help identify deficiencies in the system that lead them to crisis and help tailor services to meet their needs. Research is needed to further elucidate different ways of engaging parents of youth and of adults to help them promote mental health in people with ID and prevent behavioral crises from occurring.