Pragmatic aspects of verbal communication in elderly people: A study of Polish seniors.

CONCLUSION & IMPLICATIONS: The relationship between age and pragmatic aspects of verbal communication skills is complex. The results indicate that treating seniors as a homogenous group in terms of pragmatic aspects of verbal communication functioning is incorrect. Age differentially affects the various aspects of communication functions. The level of cognitive functioning mediates the relationship between age and pragmatic aspects of verbal communication skills. What this paper adds What is already known on the subject? Behavioural and neuropsychological studies on elderly populations concentrate on many aspects of mnestic functions, executive functions, cognitive flexibility, fluency, cognitive control, working memory, semantic processing, arithmetic competences and perception speed. Significantly less research concerns communication processes, including verbal communication. Older and younger people have usually been compared in particular areas of communication: discourse, understanding of metaphors or prosody. At present there is a paucity of research regarding changes in communication functions at different stages of ageing and profiles of various aspects of verbal communication in old age. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The study indicates that normally ageing individuals are a non-homogeneous group in terms of pragmatic aspects of verbal communication. Various communication functions change at different rate at various stages of ageing. The study clari...
Source: International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Int J Lang Commun Disord Source Type: research