Using a phonological cueing hierarchy in the treatment of word retrieval disorders: what generalisation can we expect

Phonological cueing hierarchies have been used successfully in the treatment of word retrieval disorders (e.g., Hickin et al., 2002). Typically the benefits of the treatment are reported as being restricted to treated items. However, few of these studies have examined the relationships between treated and untreated stimuli. In particular, might it be the case that, while generalisation to unrelated stimuli does not occur, generalisation will be observed if stimuli are semantically or phonologically related to the treated items? This paper will report the results of an investigation designed to examine these possibilities. It will address the question of whether a phonological cueing hierarchy can result in generalisation to untreated items and whether this varies according to the relationship between the treated and untreated stimuli. The study will conclude that generalisation does not occur to untreated items, even when they are phonologically or semantically related to the treated items. However, generalisation is observed for homophones of the treated stimuli. The clinical and theoretical implications of these data will be discussed.