Research project Sign language abilities of older deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in Sweden
This study examines linguistic and spatial cognitive abilities in older Swedish deaf and hard-of-hearing signers, an under-researched and vulnerable group.
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Because sign languages rely more on spatial cognition than spoken languages, existing research on aging and spoken language does not fully capture older signers’ abilities. Many older signers also experienced delayed initial language exposure in childhood, and the long-term effects are unclear.
By comparing older and younger adult signers and accounting for background factors, the study aims to inform assessment tools and help interpreters and healthcare workers better meet older signers’ communication needs.
Older deaf signers in Sweden are an under-researched group, and descriptive information on how aging affects their Swedish sign language (STS) use and associated spatial cognitive skills is lacking.
This study aims to fill that gap by assessing the impact of aging on STS and related spatial cognition.
We will use a standard sample of older signers with no known cognitive impairments and compare them to a sample of younger deaf adults.
We ask:
- To what extent are expressive and receptive STS skills, spatial working memory, and spatial abilities in older signers affected by aging?
- Does delayed initial language exposure significantly affect expressive and receptive STS skills, spatial working memory, and spatial abilities in older signers?
Using a battery of tests for sign language and cognitive abilities, we will examine relationships among background factors, aging, cognition, and sign language proficiency using quantitative analyses.
Reference number: P24-0009