Papers by Lyndsey Nickels
Number is an important aspect of lexical syntax. While there has been substantial research devote... more Number is an important aspect of lexical syntax. While there has been substantial research devoted to number agreement at the level of the sentence, relatively less attention has been paid to the representation of number at the level of individual lexical items. In this paper, we propose a representational framework for the lexical syntax of number in spoken word production that we believe can account for much of the data regarding number in noun and noun phrase production. This framework considers the representation of regular and irregular nouns, and more unusual cases such as pluralia tantum (e.g. scissors), zero plurals (e.g. sheep) and mass nouns (e.g. garlic). We not only address bare noun production but also the production of determiner + noun phrases. While focusing on examples from English, we extend the framework to include languages with grammatical gender such as German.
Reading and Writing, 2009
This paper examines text structure and patterns of cohesion in stories written by a group of adul... more This paper examines text structure and patterns of cohesion in stories written by a group of adults with a history of childhood language impairment. The study aimed to extend our knowledge of writing difficulties in this group by building upon a study that examined clause level phenomena (Smith-Lock, Nickels, & Mortensen, this issue). Ten adults with a history of Language Impairment and 30 control participants were asked to write the story of Cinderella. Stories were analyzed for their generic structure and cohesion resources, both of which contribute to the organization and coherence of a text. Results revealed that patterns of text organization at the level of generic structure and measures of cohesion did not distinguish the performance of writers with a history of Language Impairment from the comparison group. A wide range of lexico-grammatical skills was evident within the Language Impaired group, with few individuals with Language Impairment falling outside the normal range of performance. It is suggested that generic structure and cohesion are a relative strength in the writing of adults with Language Impairment, within the constraints of their lexical and grammatical skills.
Cognitive neuropsychology, 2015
The use of data from people with cognitive impairments to inform theories of cognition is an esta... more The use of data from people with cognitive impairments to inform theories of cognition is an established methodology, particularly in the field of cognitive neuropsychology. However, it is less well known that studies that aim to improve cognitive functioning using treatment can also inform our understanding of cognition. This paper discusses a range of challenges that researchers face when testing theories of cognition and particularly when using treatment as a tool for doing so. It highlights the strengths of treatment methodology for testing causal relations and additionally discusses how generalization of treatment effects can shed light on the nature of cognitive representations and processes. These points are illustrated using examples from the Special Issue of Cognitive Neuropsychology entitled Treatment as a tool for investigating cognition.
Reading and Writing, 2009
Page 1. Story writing skills of adults with a history language-impairment Karen M. Smith-Lock Æ L... more Page 1. Story writing skills of adults with a history language-impairment Karen M. Smith-Lock Æ Lyndsey Nickels Æ Lynne Mortensen Published online: 10 September 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media BV 2008 Abstract ...
Neuropsychologia, 2015
This paper informs our understanding of the representation and processing of mass and count nouns... more This paper informs our understanding of the representation and processing of mass and count nouns through an investigation of the underlying causes of mass/count specific impairments in in two people with aphasia, DEH and GEC. The factors influencing the production of mass and count nouns and noun phrases was comprehensively assessed. The results showed that GEC's impairment affected mass noun naming, resulting in the production of semantic paraphasias and no responses. In contrast, DEH frequently substituted mass determiners with count determiners leading to ungrammatical noun phrases. In comparison to younger control group, a control group of older adults showed similar difficulties to DEH with mass noun phrases, although less severe, indicating effects of cognitive ageing on lexical and semantic processing. DEH and the elderly controls' results replicate and support previous findings regarding the lexical-syntactic representation of mass/count information. GEC's difficulties extend these findings by providing additional evidence for a semantic component in the representation of countability (e.g., a semantic feature/concept COUNTABLE for count nouns, UNCOUNTABLE for mass nouns) which contributes to mass and count noun selection. GEC's mass noun difficulties are suggested to result from weaker connection strength between noun lemmas and mass concepts compared to count concepts as a result of the overall lower frequency distribution of mass nouns.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2015
In healthy controls, picture naming performance can be facilitated by a single prior exposure to ... more In healthy controls, picture naming performance can be facilitated by a single prior exposure to the same picture ("priming"). This priming phenomenon is utilized in the treatment of aphasia, which often includes repeated picture naming as part of a therapeutic task. The current study sought to determine whether single and/or multiple exposures facilitate subsequent naming in aphasia and whether such facilitatory effects act through normal priming mechanisms. A functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm was employed to explore the beneficial effects of attempted naming in two individuals with aphasia and a control group. The timing and number of prior exposures was manipulated, with investigation of both short-term effects (single prior exposure over a period of minutes) and long-term effects (multiple presentations over a period of days). Following attempted naming, both short-term and long-term facilitated items showed improvement for controls, while only the long-term condition showed benefits at a behavioral level for the participants with aphasia. At a neural level, effects of long-term facilitation were noted in the left precuneus for one participant with aphasia, a result also identified for the equivalent contrast in controls. It appears that multiple attempts are required to improve naming performance in the presence of anomia and that for some individuals with aphasia the source of facilitation may be similar to unimpaired mechanisms engaged outside the language network.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2014
Previous studies have found that children with reading difficulties need more exposures to acquir... more Previous studies have found that children with reading difficulties need more exposures to acquire the representations needed to support fluent reading than typically developing readers (e.g., . Building on existing orthographic learning paradigms, we report on an investigation of orthographic learning in poor readers using a new learning task tracking both the accuracy (untimed exposure duration) and fluency (200 ms exposure duration) of learning novel words over trials. In study 1, we used the paradigm to examine orthographic learning in children with specific poor reader profiles (nine with a surface profile, nine a phonological profile) and nine age-matched controls. Both profiles showed improvement over the learning cycles, but the children with surface profile showed impaired orthographic learning in spelling and orthographic choice tasks. Study 2 explored predictors of orthographic learning in a group of 91 poor readers using the same outcome measures as in Study 1. Consistent with earlier findings in typically developing readers, phonological decoding skill predicted orthographic learning. Moreover, orthographic knowledge significantly predicted orthographic learning over and beyond phonological decoding. The two studies provide insights into how poor readers learn novel words, and how their learning process may be compromised by less proficient orthographic and/or phonological skills.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2014
Comprehension and/or production of noun phrases and sentences requires the selection of lexical-s... more Comprehension and/or production of noun phrases and sentences requires the selection of lexical-syntactic attributes of nouns. These lexical-syntactic attributes include grammatical gender (masculine/feminine/neuter), number (singular/plural) and countability (mass/count). While there has been considerable discussion regarding gender and number, relatively little attention has focused on countability. Therefore, this article reviews empirical evidence for lexical-syntactic specification of nouns for countability. This includes evidence from studies of language production and comprehension with normal speakers and case studies which assess impairments of mass/count nouns in people with acquired brain damage. Current theories of language processing are reviewed and found to be lacking specification regarding countability. Subsequently, the theoretical implications of the empirical studies are discussed in the context of frameworks derived from these accounts of language production comprehension (Taler and. The review concludes that there is empirical support for specification of nouns for countability at a lexical-syntactic level.
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2012
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 2007
Topographical disorientation, the inability to find one&a... more Topographical disorientation, the inability to find one's way in large-scale environments, is a relatively common disorder. However, there are relatively few cognitive neuropsychological studies that investigate the nature of topographical cognition. Theoretical progress has been hindered by a number of factors including: terminological confusion; lack of theoretically driven assessment; the use of broad classifications for the nature of underlying impairments; and an ongoing failure to examine topographical skills in real-life settings. As a result, there is currently no well-established or widely accepted theoretical framework encompassing all aspects of this multifaceted area of cognition. In addition, there is a relative paucity of published case studies that include a comprehensive, theoretically based assessment of topographical disorientation, and treatment of the disorder has received virtually no formal investigation (with the exception of Davis & Coltheart, 1999). Thus, the current paper focuses on the development of a broad framework for understanding topographical cognition that integrates a number of recent theories of topographical orientation and mental imagery (Farah, 1984; Kosslyn, 1980; Riddoch & Humphreys, 1989). The aim of the paper is to present a preliminary framework that can be used as a basis for further refinement and development of theoretical proposals, and be employed by clinicians as a starting point for assessment planning.
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 2006
In contrast to the numerous treatment studies of spoken language deficits, there have been relati... more In contrast to the numerous treatment studies of spoken language deficits, there have been relatively few studies concerned with the treatment of spelling disorders. Among these, there have been only a small number that have targeted specific components of the spelling process. We describe a successful single case treatment study for FME, a woman with acquired dysgraphia, which was conducted within a cognitive neuropsychological framework. Pre-treatment assessment revealed a semantic deficit, impaired access to output orthography and probable additional degradation of the actual representations within the orthographic output lexicon. The treatment study was therefore directed towards relearning spellings by strengthening, and facilitating access to, specific orthographic representations for writing. In order to maximise the functional outcome for FME, treatment was focused on high frequency, irregular words. The treatment programme was carried out in two phases, one without and one with the use of mnemonics, and the results showed a selective training effect with the mnemonics alone. Treatment benefits were item specific but long lasting, and a significant improvement in FME's spelling performance was still evident at 2 months post-treatment. The current study confirms how cognitive neuropsychological theories and methods can be successfully applied to the assessment of acquired spelling impairments, and exemplifies how treatment with Correspondence should be sent to to
Neurocase, 2004
This article explores the relationship between the neologisms and perseverative errors produced b... more This article explores the relationship between the neologisms and perseverative errors produced by KVH, a man with severe neologistic jargon aphasia. Detailed examination of KVH's level of language processing breakdown revealed mild difficulties with phonological encoding and severe difficulties accessing the lexical form of the word. Many of KVH's neologisms contained phonemes perseverated from previous neologisms, suggesting an integral relationship between the production of neologisms and the perseveration of phonemes. Furthermore, KVH's patterns of whole word (total) and phonological (blended) perseverations reflected his proposed underlying language processing deficits, consistent with recent literature on perseveration (e.g., Cohen and Dehaene, 1998). However, the simple binary distinction of total and blended perseveration is proposed to be somewhat limited for understanding the underlying nature of KVH's complex neologistic errors. Possible explanations regarding the mechanisms underlying the production of KVH's neologistic and perseverative errors also are discussed.
Language and Cognitive Processes, 1995
... (1991a), it remains to be demonstrated that, using the same parameters, their model could als... more ... (1991a), it remains to be demonstrated that, using the same parameters, their model could alsosimulate the patterns ... EVALUATING MODELS OF SPOKEN WORD RECOGNITION ... IAA models) will spread to affect the network as a whole as activation reverberates between levels. ...
Language and Cognitive Processes, 2009
In this paper we investigate whether homophones have shared (eg, Dell, 1990; Levelt, Roelofs, &am... more In this paper we investigate whether homophones have shared (eg, Dell, 1990; Levelt, Roelofs, & Meyer, 1999) or independent (eg, Caramazza, Costa, Miozzo, & Bi, 2001) phonological representations. We carried out a homophone reading aloud task with low ...
Journal of Research in Reading, 2008
This paper presents a treatment study with a developmental dysgraphic girl, KM, and addresses the... more This paper presents a treatment study with a developmental dysgraphic girl, KM, and addresses the mechanisms by which orthographic learning of spelling rules might occur. Before treatment, KM's spelling of words and nonwords was impaired. Analyses of spelling errors ...
Journal of Research in Reading, 2010
In the last decade, an increasing number of single case studies that use a cognitive neuropsychol... more In the last decade, an increasing number of single case studies that use a cognitive neuropsychological approach to the remediation of developmental dyslexia (ie reading disorders) and dysgraphia (ie spelling disorders) have been published (eg Broom & Doctor, 1995; Brunsdon, ...
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 2008
Research on Tip of the Tongue (ToT) states has been used to determine whether access to syntactic... more Research on Tip of the Tongue (ToT) states has been used to determine whether access to syntactic information precedes access to phonological information. This paper argues that previous studies have used insufficient analyses when investigating the nature of seriality of access. In the first part of this paper, these complex issues are discussed and suitable analyses proposed. In the second part, new experimental data are presented. In Experiment 1, English speakers were asked to give information about mass/count status and initial phoneme of nouns, when in a ToT state. In Experiment 2, German speakers were asked to report grammatical gender and initial phoneme of nouns, when in a ToT state. Evidence that syntactic and phonological information are accessed independently was obtained for both languages. Implications for models of language production and further methodological issues in ToT research are discussed. 1 The distinction between a so-called lemma and a lexeme (word form) was proposed by . They define the lemma as a purely abstract semantic-syntactic entity, without any phonological information. 2 A distinction has been made in the literature between 'syntactic properties' and 'syntactic features'. describe 'syntactic properties' as fixed properties of the corresponding lemma, such as grammatical category and gender, which are lexically specified. 'Syntactic features' are frames connected to a lemma, such as number, whose actual value (e.g. 'singular' vs. 'plural') is determined by the speaker's intention (p. 577). In the context of this paper this distinction is not of importance and we will use the term syntactic feature indiscriminately.
Journal of Neurolinguistics, 1991
The performance of normal and aphasic subjects on a sentence-picture matching task shows that man... more The performance of normal and aphasic subjects on a sentence-picture matching task shows that many different factors can affect accuracy. The data presented in this paper suggest that, for normal subjects, reversal errors are not errors of sentence parsing or comprehension, but reflect 'late' stages of processing which mediate the translation between language and pictures. We argue that normal performance is significantly affected by the semantic or conceptual properties of the verbs used and by the interaction of verb meaning and sentence meaning.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2011
The self-teaching hypothesis proposes that orthographic learning takes place via phonological dec... more The self-teaching hypothesis proposes that orthographic learning takes place via phonological decoding in meaningful texts, that is, in context. Context is proposed to be important in learning to read, especially when decoding is only partial. However, little research has directly explored this hypothesis. The current study looked at the effect of context on orthographic learning and examined whether there were different effects for novel words given regular and irregular pronunciations. Two experiments were conducted using regular and irregular novel words, respectively. Second-grade children were asked to learn eight novel words either in stories or in a list of words. The results revealed no significant effect of context for the regular items. However, in an orthographic decision task, there was a facilitatory effect of context on irregular novel word learning. The findings support the view that contextual information is important to orthographic learning, but only when the words to be learned contain irregular spellingsound correspondences.
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Papers by Lyndsey Nickels