The Hypothesis testing approach to the assessment of language

This chapter discusses the hypothesis testing approach to the assessment of language processing in aphasia. This approach argues that the most effective assessment technique is to prioritize assessment, based initially on hypotheses formed from observation. These hypotheses relate symptoms to the effects of impairment in theoretical models of language processing. Assessment then continues as a cyclical process with continuous revision of the hypotheses, until the hypotheses are sufficiently well supported to provide a basis nom which to focus treatment. This hypothesis testing assessment is characteristic of the cognitive neuropsychological/psycholinguistic/neurolinguistic approaches to aphasia