배경 및 목적: 본 연구는 과제 제시조건의 차이가 우반구 뇌손상 성인의 은유문장 해석에 어떠 한 영향을 미치는지에 대해 조사하고자 하였다. 방법: 우반구 뇌손상 성인 12명과 정상 성인 12명을 대상으로 문장, 그림, 문맥의 세 가지 과제 제시조건에서 은유이해 양상을 분석하였다. 모든 과제에서 은유문장 당 그 의미 해석에 대한 보기를 세 가지씩 제시하여(은유적 해석의 정답, 사전적 해석의 오답, 엉뚱한 해석의 오답) 피험자가 그 중 하나를 선택하도록 하였다. 그림조건에서는 은유문장을 들려주고 그림으로 구성된 보기를 제시하였고, 문장조건에서는 은유문장에 대한 보기를 문장으로 제시하였다. 문맥조건에서는 은유문장과 관련된 문맥을 포 함하여 들려주고 문장으로 구성된 보기를 제시하였다. 결과: 우반구 뇌손상 성인은 정상 성인 보다 모든 과제 제시조건에서 유의미하게 저조한 수행을 보였다. 또한 우반구 뇌손상 성인은 모든 과제 제시조건에서 은유이해 수행능력에 유의미한 차이를 보였는데 문맥이 주어진 과제 에서 수행이 가장 높았고 그림 과제에서 수행이 가장 저조하였다. 논의 및 결론: 본 연구의 결과는 우반구 뇌손상 성인들이 그림으로 제시되는 과제에서 은유이해의 어려움을 가장 많이 보이지만 문맥정보가 제시되었을 때는 그 수행이 향상되는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 은유이해 중재 시 문맥정보의 활용이 도움이 될 수 있음을 시사한다.

Background & Objectives: In the present study, we investigated the comprehension of metaphoric sentences in adults with right-hemisphere brain damage (RHD) in three experimental conditions: one visuo-verbal condition and two verbal conditions, including verbal with context and verbal without context. Methods: Twelve RHD adults and twelve normal subjects participated in this study. Under all three experimental conditions, the subjects listened to a list of metaphoric sentences. For each sentence, they were given three choices of interpretation, including a metaphoric interpretation, a literal interpretation, and an irrelevant interpretation. The subjects were asked to choose the most appropriate interpretation for each metaphoric sentence. The three choices of interpretation were presented as pictures under the visuo-verbal condition, and verbally under the two verbal conditions. The two verbal conditions differed in terms of whether the metaphoric sentence was preceded by a sentence that provided context for the metaphoric meaning. Results: A two-way ANOVA of group(2) × condition(3) revealed significant main effects of group and condition and a significant interaction between group and condition. The total number of correct metaphorical responses was significantly lower in the RHD adults relative to the normal adults. Although such a tendency was observed in all three conditions, the RHD adults showed greatest difficulty in comprehending metaphoric sentences under the visuo-verbal condition, as they tended to interpret the metaphoric sentences literally. Their performance was markedly better under the verbal with context condition than the other conditions. Discussion & Conclusion: RHD adults appear to experience difficulty in metaphor comprehension. However, their tendency for literal interpretation of metaphoric sentences varied depending on how the metaphoric sentences and possible meanings were presented. They were able to utilize contextual information in comprehending the metaphoric sentences. Contextual information for metaphors may facilitate metaphor comprehension for RHD adults.

Background & Objectives: In the present study, we investigated the comprehension of metaphoric sentences in adults with right-hemisphere brain damage (RHD) in three experimental conditions: one visuo-verbal condition and two verbal conditions, including verbal with context and verbal without context. Methods: Twelve RHD adults and twelve normal subjects participated in this study. Under all three experimental conditions, the subjects listened to a list of metaphoric sentences. For each sentence, they were given three choices of interpretation, including a metaphoric interpretation, a literal interpretation, and an irrelevant interpretation. The subjects were asked to choose the most appropriate interpretation for each metaphoric sentence. The three choices of interpretation were presented as pictures under the visuo-verbal condition, and verbally under the two verbal conditions. The two verbal conditions differed in terms of whether the metaphoric sentence was preceded by a sentence that provided context for the metaphoric meaning. Results: A two-way ANOVA of group(2) × condition(3) revealed significant main effects of group and condition and a significant interaction between group and condition. The total number of correct metaphorical responses was significantly lower in the RHD adults relative to the normal adults. Although such a tendency was observed in all three conditions, the RHD adults showed greatest difficulty in comprehending metaphoric sentences under the visuo-verbal condition, as they tended to interpret the metaphoric sentences literally. Their performance was markedly better under the verbal with context condition than the other conditions. Discussion & Conclusion: RHD adults appear to experience difficulty in metaphor comprehension. However, their tendency for literal interpretation of metaphoric sentences varied depending on how the metaphoric sentences and possible meanings were presented. They were able to utilize contextual information in comprehending the metaphoric sentences. Contextual information for metaphors may facilitate metaphor comprehension for RHD adults.

adults with right-hemisphere brain damage (RHD), comprehension of metaphor, context