Traumatic brain injury survivors' ability to reduce idiosyncrasy in semantic organization

Seven adult survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 10 adults without neurological impairment performed two experimental tasks related to semantic organization. The study served as a replication and expansion of the research performed by Hux, Beukelman, Dombrovskis, and Snyder (1993). Both experimental tasks involved placing exemplar cards representing basic-level items within four categories on a visual display board to demonstrate strength of association with superordinate labels. One task provided participants with a means of demonstrating personal organizational strategies, and the second encouraged them to demonstrate strategies they thought others would use. Results confirmed that TBI survivors use idiosyncratic strategies to organize semantic information. The findings have implications for the treatment of people with acquired semantic disorders, especially regarding the design of augmentative and alternative communication devices.