INFERENCE OF OBJECT USE FROM PANTOMIMED ACTIONS BY APHASICS AND PATIENTS WITH RIGHT-HEMISPHERE LESIONS

Twenty-four aphasic and fifteen right brain-damaged subjects were comp ared on their ability to identify the objects whose use was depicted i n a series of twenty videotaped pantomimes. Aphasics were inferior to right brain-damaged patients in inferring object use. Success was corr elated with Performance IQ, but not with language measures. Analysis o f movement features contributing to subjects' choices reveal speed of movement and object weight to be the most robust and hand shape and si ze to be the most fragile.