Relevance is in the eye and ear of the beholder: An example from populations with a neurological impairment

Citation
Lj. Garcia et al., Relevance is in the eye and ear of the beholder: An example from populations with a neurological impairment, APHASIOLOGY, 15(1), 2001, pp. 17-38
Citations number
80
Categorie Soggetti
Neurology
Journal title
APHASIOLOGY
ISSN journal
02687038 → ACNP
Volume
15
Issue
1
Year of publication
2001
Pages
17 - 38
Database
ISI
SICI code
0268-7038(200101)15:1<17:RIITEA>2.0.ZU;2-U
Abstract
Describing problems of relevance in clinical populations has been a subject of interest for both theoreticians and clinicians. The argument that conve rsational relevance is a product of listener interpretation is supported in the present paper. Study 1 examines the topic-shifting profiles of a socia l worker in conversation with normal elderly participants as compared to he r profiles in conversation with participants with dementia. Study 2 compare s semantic segments in conversations between this same social worker and a normal adult and a traumatically brain-injured adult. Qualitative differenc es were found in Study 1 in the types of topic shifts used, the possible re asons for these shifts, and the context to which the shifts related. In Stu dy 2, differences were found in the types of relationships between semantic segments and in the relative proportion of implicit and explicit segments. Support is given for considering conversational partners' roles in determi ning relevance.