Connotative Judgements by Aphasic Patients on a Pictorial Adaptation of the Semantic Differential

A modified pictorial version of the semantic differential was administered to a group of aphasic patients in order to determine their sensitivity to the connotative or expressive meanings of spoken words, and comprehension of the connotation of abstract nouns was as well-preserved as comprehension ofThe connotations of concrete nouns.

Abstract

A modified pictorial version of the semantic differential was administered to a group of aphasic patients in order to determine their sensitivity to the connotative or expressive meanings of spoken words. The subjects' performance on this test of connotative comprehension correlated highly with their performance on tests of denotative comprehension; in addition the performance of the various subject groups on the test of connotation was consistent with established findings about the extent of comprehension deficits in various forms of aphasia. Contrary to earlier findings, comprehension of the connotation of abstract nouns was as well-preserved as comprehension of the connotation of concrete nouns. There was, however, an unexpectedly anomalous performance on the part of a small group of righthemisphere brain-damaged subjects. The complex nature of connotative meaning and the relationship between comprehension of denotation and connotation is considered.