Verbal Perseveration in Aphasia during Word-String Repetition: Effects of a Filled versus Silent Interstimulus Interval

Verbal perseveration is experienced to varying degrees by many individuals with aphasia. Perseveration is defined as an inappropriate recurrence or repetition of a previously produced response in place of the target item. Despite numerous studies of factors influencing the occurrence of perseverations and several prominent accounts of their occurrence in aphasia (Cohen & Dehaene, 1998; Martin & Dell, 2004; 2007) there are only a few studies that address the treatment of perseveration in aphasia. The theoretical framework of the present study is Dell, Burger & Švec‟s (1997) account of perseverations: Perseverations are more likely to occur when activation of the target word is weak (reduced connection strength) and residual activation of a retrieved lexical representation is strong enough to be selected in error