Don't Judge a Book by its Cover: Figurative Language Abilities in Individuals with Hearing Impairment

Transcription

1 Don't Judge a Book by its Cover: Figurative Language Abilities in Individuals with Hearing Impairment Gloria Schlisselberg Amy Zuckerman Trista DeFalco Donna M. Bradley ASHA Annual Convention, November 20, 2010

2 Challenges of Hearing Impairment Communication areas at risk Semantics Morphology Phonology Syntax Deficits/Delays in above aspects can create problems with development of metalinguistic abilities Qualls & Harris (2003)

3 Current Research Hearing impairment (HI)=Greater risk for language impairment (LI) Vocabulary deficits metalinguistic difficulties Degree of language impairment is positively correlated with degree of hearing loss No correlation between lexical knowledge and levels of hearing loss No correlation between degree of loss and LI Two distinct groups Those with HI and LI Those with HI and typical language abilities Wake, Hughes, Poulakis, Collins, & Rickards (2004); Berent, Kelly & Porter (2008); Jerger, Damian, Tye-Murray, Dougherty, Mehta, & Spence (2006); Delage & Tuller (2007) ; Blamey, Sarant, Paatsch, Barry, Bow, Wales, Wright, Psarros, Rattigan, & Tooher (2001); Paatsch, Blamey & Sarant (2004); Gilbertson & Kamhi (1995); Hawker, Ramirez- Inscoe, Bishop, Twomey, O Donoghue, & Moore (2008); Rittenhouse & Kenyon (1991); Wolgemuth, Kamhi, & Lee (1998)

4 Research Question & Hypothesis How will individuals with hearing impairment perform on a metalinguistic task featuring comprehension of idiomatic expressions? Individuals with hearing impairment will, with amplification or cochlear implantation, demonstrate typical metalinguistic abilities, specifically on comprehension of idioms task

5 Idioms Idioms are a form of figurative language Occurrence Spoken and written communication Jokes/riddles Classroom communication Books/written materials Idioms are the most widely used of all figurative language types Idioms are used 4.09 times per minute Comprehension of idioms begins in early childhood Continues throughout adulthood Repeated exposure to idioms leads to learning them Influenced by cultural experience Nippold, M.A., & Duthie, J.K. (2003)

6 Method Case Studies Single-instrument with multiple items Participant criteria Inclusionary congenital hearing impairment confirmed through audiological evaluation amplification or implantation MAE as their primary language Exclusionary an identified language impairment

7 Participant Data

8 Procedures 1. Approved IRB 2. Consent form 3. Case history 4. Script 5. Administration of vocabulary assessments Expressive Vocabulary Test-2 nd Edition (EVT-2) Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4 th Edition (PPVT-4) Ten minute break 6. Idiom Task: Designed to assess comprehension using three tasks Multiple choice Matching Fill-In with multiple choices

9 Multiple Choice Task What does the following expression mean: 1. He didn t bat an eye? a) he didn t show surprise b) he wasn t happy c) he couldn t see 2. A dime a dozen? a) common and easy to get b) rare and expensive c) a baker s dozen 3. A piece of cake? a) to include cake with a meal b) a sweet scenario c) accomplishing a task easily

10 Matching Task Meaning Idiom 1. to do whatever it takes to help to run like clockwork 2. to be extremely happy to grin and bear it 3. to endure something unpleasant to bend over backwards 4. to include everything to order the works 5. to happen privately to walk on air 6. to happen smoothly to be behind the scenes

11 Fill in the Blank Task Please circle the answer that best completes the idiom: I m glad we agree, and we re on the same. A. team B. page C. road He loves his daughter; she is the of his eye. A. apple B. iris C. light Since it was her first offense, the judge gave her a slap on the. A. hand B. foot C. wrist

12 100 Test Results EVT (% tile) PPVT (% tile) Idiom Task (%) 90 S c o r e s Participant A Participant B Participant C Participant D Participants

13 Discussion Idiom comprehension is a receptive taskmetalinguistic ability is not dependent upon expressive language EVT is not an accurate predictor of idiom comprehension; PPVT is a better predictor Speech-language intervention for people with hearing impairment should focus on figurative language and metalinguistic awareness

14 100 Comparisons of PPVT and Idiom Task R e s u l t s PPVT (% tile) Idiom Task (%) A B C D Participants

15 Limitations & Direction of Future Research Small sample size Participant criteria should have controlled for: First language Education range Age range No control group of typically hearing peers Emphasis on lexical knowledge, not exposure to idioms Examine exposure to idioms in conjunction with lexical knowledge Examine other aspects of language Group design Hearing impaired group Age-matched hearing group

16 References Berent, G., Kelly, R., & Porter, J. (2008). Deaf learners knowledge of English universal quantifiers. Language Learning, 58(2), Blamey, P. J., Sarant, J. Z., Paatsch, L. E., Barry, J. G., Bow, C. P., Wales, R. J., et al. (2001). Relationships among speech perception, production, language, hearing loss, and age in children with impaired hearing. JSLHR, 44, Delage, H. & Tuller, L. (2007). Language Development and mild to moderate hearing loss: Does language normalize with age? JSLHR, 50, Gilbertson, M., & Kamhi, A. (1995). Novel word learning in children with hearing impairment. JSLHR, 38, Hawker, Ramirez-Inscoe, Bishop, Twomey, O Donoghue, & Moore. (2008). Disproportion-ate language impairment in children using cochlear implants. Ear & Hearing,29, Jerger, S. (2006). Effects of childhood hearing loss on organization of semantic memory: Typicality and relatedness. Ear & Hearing, 26, Paatsch, L.E., Blamey, P.J., & Sarant, J.Z. (2004). Separating contributions of hearing, lexical knowledge, and speech productions to speech-perception scores in with hearing impairments. JSLHR, 47,(4), imagery and idiom comprehension: a comparison of school-aged children and adults. JSLHR, 46, Qualls, C.D. & Harris, J.L. (2003). Age, working memory, figurative language type, and reading ability: Influencing factors in African American adults comprehension of figurative language. AJSLP, 12 (1), Rittenhouse, R., & Kenyon, P. (1991). Conservation and metaphor acquisition in hearing-impaired children: Relationship with communication mode, hearing acuity, schooling, and age. American Annals of the Deaf, 136, Wake, M., Hughes, E. K., Poulakis, Z., Collins, C., & Rickards, F. W. (2004). Outcomes of children with mildprofound congenital hearing loss at 7 to 8 years: A population study. Ear and Hearing, 25, 1-8. Wolgemuth, K. S., Kamhi, A. G., & Lee, R. F. (1998). Metaphor performance in children with hearing impairment. LSHSS, 29, 216.