Evaluation of Linguistic Demand in Multitasking Assessments
Abstract
Multi-tasking is a daily functional ability, and people who have language impairments along with cognitive impairments deserve to be appropriately assessed in a way that accommodates their linguistic impairment. Linguistic demand is how much the performance of any task is dependent on linguistic ability for successful completion of the task. This study was conducted to evaluate the linguistic demands of seven validated multitasking assessments and to discuss clinical implications and recommendations for clinical use. A linguistic analysis of the task instructions and materials was conducted. We analyzed the number of polysyllabic words, number of simple sentences, number of complex sentences, total number of words, total number of sentences, total number of different words, total number of syllables, and cohesion. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation showed that a component consisting of total number of words, total number of sentences, total number of different words, total number of syllables, and complex (not-simple) sentences explained 66.34% of the variance. We found that it is possible to objectively evaluate linguistic demand in functional tests, such as these multi-tasking assessments. Our results are consistent with previous work that shows that simple linguistic measures and analysis of task instructions and materials can be conducted to assess linguistic demand to more fairly assess individuals with language impairments or differences.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Jacqueline Hinckley, Dr. Rita Lenhardt
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2021 12:00 PM
End Date
4-9-2021 12:00 PM
Evaluation of Linguistic Demand in Multitasking Assessments
Alvin Sherman Library
Multi-tasking is a daily functional ability, and people who have language impairments along with cognitive impairments deserve to be appropriately assessed in a way that accommodates their linguistic impairment. Linguistic demand is how much the performance of any task is dependent on linguistic ability for successful completion of the task. This study was conducted to evaluate the linguistic demands of seven validated multitasking assessments and to discuss clinical implications and recommendations for clinical use. A linguistic analysis of the task instructions and materials was conducted. We analyzed the number of polysyllabic words, number of simple sentences, number of complex sentences, total number of words, total number of sentences, total number of different words, total number of syllables, and cohesion. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation showed that a component consisting of total number of words, total number of sentences, total number of different words, total number of syllables, and complex (not-simple) sentences explained 66.34% of the variance. We found that it is possible to objectively evaluate linguistic demand in functional tests, such as these multi-tasking assessments. Our results are consistent with previous work that shows that simple linguistic measures and analysis of task instructions and materials can be conducted to assess linguistic demand to more fairly assess individuals with language impairments or differences.
