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American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Vol.12 92-102 February 2003. doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2003/055)
© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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Age, Working Memory, Figurative Language Type, and Reading Ability

Influencing Factors in African American Adults' Comprehension of Figurative Language

Constance Dean Qualls 1
Joyce L. Harris 2
1 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
2 The University of Texas at Austin

cdq2{at}psu.edu

This study investigated the cognitive and linguistic factors presumed to be associated with adult comprehension of figurative language, including age, working memory (WM), figurative language type, and reading comprehension (RC). Forty younger (M=22 years) and 40 older (M=63 years) healthy African American adults completed WM and reading tasks, and the 60-item forced-choice multiple-category (20 idioms, 20 metaphors, and 20 metonyms) Figurative Language Comprehension Test. After controlling for WM and RC, the older adults outperformed the younger adults on idioms and metonyms. Metaphor comprehension was comparable between the groups. Findings demonstrate that WM and RC underlie adults' comprehension of figurative language and should be considered when interpreting performance on tests assessing figurative language competence in this population.

Key Words: figurative language, language comprehension, African American adults, working memory, metaphor in aging

Submitted on April 3, 2002
Accepted on May 22, 2002


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