The Main Concept Analysis in Cantonese Aphasic Oral Discourse: External Validation and Monitoring Chronic Aphasia

Abstract

Purpose The 1st aim of this study was to further establish the external validity of the main concept (MC) analysis by examining its relationship with the Cantonese Linguistic Communication Measure (CLCM; Kong, 2006; Kong & Law, 2004)—an established quantitative system for narrative production—and the Cantonese version of the Western Aphasia Battery (CAB; Yiu, 1992). The 2nd purpose of the study was to evaluate how well the MC analysis reflects the stability of discourse production among chronic Cantonese speakers with aphasia. Method Sixteen participants with aphasia were evaluated on the MC analysis, CAB, and CLCM in the summer of 2008 and were subsequently reassessed in the summer of 2009. They encompassed a range of aphasia severity (with an Aphasia Quotient ranging between 30.2/100 and 94.8/100 at the time of the 1st evaluation). Results Significant associations were found between the MC measures and the corresponding CLCM indices and CAB performance scores that were relevant to the presence, accuracy, and completeness of content in oral narratives. Moreover, the MC analysis was found to yield comparable scores for chronic speakers on 2 occasions 1 year apart. Conclusion The present study has further established the external validity of MC analysis in Cantonese. Future investigations involving more speakers with aphasia will allow adequate description of its psychometric properties.