Abstract
This study examined how retelling stories with a variety different background noise conditions affected the communicative experiences of people with aphasia (PWA). Participants included 11 adults with mild to moderate aphasia and 11 age- and gender-matched controls. Participants participated in a semi-structured interview immediately following the experimental measure where they were asked open-ended questions regarding their experience retelling stories and how those experiences related to their everyday lives. Results revealed three themes related to how participants responded to communicating in noise: (a) cognitive reactions, (b) emotional reactions, and (c) social reactions. The findings suggest that PWA exert more effort when speaking in noise and benefit from supportive communication partners more than control participants. Findings also suggest that PWA who reported a lack of strategies were more likely to adopt maladaptive strategies. Explicit training for communication partners and PWA may help PWA more effectively cope with the challenges of difficult noise situations which may lead to increased confidence and social participation.
Degree
MS
College and Department
David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders
Rights
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Hegewald, Riley Robertson, "The Impact of Background Noise on the Communicative Experience of People With Mild to Moderate Aphasia: A Qualitative Study" (2022). Theses and Dissertations. 9584.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/9584
Date Submitted
2022-06-16
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd12415
Keywords
aphasia, attention, language, distraction
Language
english