We investigated the relationship between lexical activation and syntactic planning in children's sentences. Four- and 7-year-old children described transitive scenes following patient-related prime pictures and control pictures. We examined syntactic choices, and compared onset latency, sentence length, and dysfluency rates for active transitive sentences in the two conditions. Early activation of the patient in the primed condition did not lead to the production of patient-subject sentences, but it did have consequences for active transitive sentence production. Namely, onset latencies were longer and sentences were shorter in the primed condition. Dysfluency rates did not differ between the two conditions. Correlation analyses revealed a stronger pattern of association between working memory scores and language variables in the patient-primed condition. The results indicate that conflicts between lexical activation order and syntactic plans are a source of processing difficulty during children's sentence production.

This mixed-methods study evaluated the effect of a community-engaged arts program on the physical, emotional, and social well-being of seniors. Weekly workshops were offered over a three-year period at community centers where artists worked with four groups of seniors to produce a collective art piece or performance for public presentation. Participants completed pre- and post- questionnaires, and group interviews were conducted at the program’s end. Paired t-test analyses indicated that seniors experienced improvement in perceived overall health, experience of pain, and sense of community. Interpretive descriptive analysis of the group interviews revealed six themes that informed understanding : (1) providing structure and discipline; (2) facilitating coping; (3) requiring hard work and effort; (4) bringing out one’s artistic side; (5) promoting social involvement; and (6) making a contribution. These results are consistent with previous research and contribute to further understanding of how community-engaged arts can benefit the well-being of older people.

The preservation of self-identity in dementia is dependent upon internal (cognitive) and external (social) conditions. This study investigates the integrity of self (internal) and personae (external) in dementia as indexed by the verbal and nonverbal behaviours of dementia residents and their caregivers in a special care unit. Videotaped observations of spontaneous nursing staff-resident interactions were collected over a three-day period. The recordings were transcribed and subjected to detailed discourse analysis. Our analyses focused on several indexicals of self and personae including personal pronouns, proper nouns, interpersonal conflicts, and discursive positioning. The findings revealed that both self and personae are susceptible to decline in dementia. However, the results also provide evidence that even in severe dementia self and personae can be indexed in a variety of ways. We discuss the important role that caregivers can have in reinforcing self and personae in dementia.