The Rest of the Story: Effect of Subjective Familiarity on Word Retrieval Skills in Fluent Aphasia

The investigation examined influence of subjective familiarity on word retrieval and responsiveness to short, intensive aphasia treatment in a crossover treatment design using Phonological Components Analysis (PCA) and Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA). Accuracy and reaction time findings are reported for two adults with chronic, fluent aphasia (RM, RR). Stimulus familiarity was determined by participant self-rating. Subjective familiarity was more influential on RR than RM’s retrieval. Both participants demonstrated a direct relationship between accuracy and RT with increased accuracy and faster retrieval after SFA treatment. Further understanding of the effects of subjective familiarity on word retrieval and treatment methodologies is warranted