Age, Working Memory, Figurative Language Type, and Reading Ability: Influencing Factors in African American Adults' Comprehension of Figurative Language

This study investigated the cognitive & linguistic factors presumed to be associated with adult comprehension of figurative language, including age, working memory (WM), figurative language type, & reading comprehension (RC). Forty younger (M=22 years) & 40 older (M=63 years) healthy Afr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of speech-language pathology 2003-02, Vol.12 (1), p.92-102
Main Authors: Qualls, Constance Dean, Harris, Joyce L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age differences
Black American people
Comprehension
Reading
Working memory
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This study investigated the cognitive & linguistic factors presumed to be associated with adult comprehension of figurative language, including age, working memory (WM), figurative language type, & reading comprehension (RC). Forty younger (M=22 years) & 40 older (M=63 years) healthy African American adults completed WM & reading tasks, & the 60-item forced-choice multiple-category (20 idioms, 20 metaphors, & 20 metonyms) Figurative Language Comprehension Test. After controlling for WM & RC, the older adults outperformed the younger adults on idioms & metonyms. Metaphor comprehension was comparable between the groups. Findings demonstrate that WM & RC underlie adults' comprehension of figurative language & should be considered when interpreting performance on tests assessing figurative language competence in this population. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:1058-0360
DOI:10.1044/1058-0360