Text comprehension and right hemisphere damage: A multiple case study

Abstract

Text comprehension is a complex task involving various linguistic and cognitive processes, which can be impaired in right hemisphere damage (RHD). The first aim of this study was to examine the impact of RHD on text comprehension while controlling for the texts’ cognitive load. The second goal was to investigate the possible links between text comprehension, semantic abilities (including the management of polysemy), memory and executive functions. Nine tasks were chosen to characterize the semantic and cognitive skills of 8 participants with RHD. Text comprehension was assessed with the French Text Comprehension Test (TCT), which includes texts with different semantic load. Descriptive and qualitative analyses were performed. Results showed that text comprehension impairments were dependent on the text characteristics (semantic load and/or need to update situation models). It is thus established that text comprehension is linked with the individual’s cognitive profile (working memory and executive functions) as well as his ability to use polysemy. This study supports the use of tests containing texts of different semantic loads, which will allow a comprehensive evaluation of the individual’s abilities in text comprehension. This in turn will guide speech and language therapists in providing more targeted interventions to their patients.