NEWS & PROMOTIONS

​Test of Semantic Reasoning (TOSR)

Beth Lawrence, MA, CCC-SLP / Deena Seifert, MS, CCC-SLP

Ages: 7 - 17

Administration: Individual

   The Test of Semantic Reasoning (TOSR) is a new, standardized vocabulary assessment for children and adolescents ages 7 through 17. Semantic reasoning is the process by which new words are learned and retrieved from ones lexicon through analysis of multiple images that convey various contexts of the words meaning.

TOSR-1    Complete Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$175.00

TOSR-2    Manual  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.00

TOSR-3    Test Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80.00

TOSR-4    Record Forms (25) . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . .40.00

    The TOSR assesses breadth (the number of lexical entries one has) and depth (the extent of semantic representation for each known word) of vocabulary knowledge without taxing expressive language skills, providing an important new resource for individuals assessing children with possible language and literacy deficits. Breadth and depth are both important for literacy. Breadth is related to early decoding, and depth to later comprehension.

User Qualifications Required ... See Order Form Here

The TOSR assesses three narrow abilities defined in the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities:

• Lexical Knowledge (VL): The extent of vocabulary that can be understood in terms of correct word meanings
  

• Induction (I): The ability to discover the underlying characteristic that governs a problem or a set of materials
  

• General Sequential Reasoning (RG): The ability to start with stated rules, premises, or conditions, and to engage in one or more steps to reach a solution to a novel problem
  

   The TOSR was developed by two practicing speech-language pathologists and builds on their successful vocabulary instruction app, InferCabulary.It includes 90 sets of four high-quality color photographs that reflect a vocabulary word in a variety of contexts. The individual must use semantic reasoning to analyze the pictures and then select the single word from a choice of four that best represents the multiple contexts of the word represented by all the images.

   Information obtained from this assessment can provide educators, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists with information on children and adolescents basic receptive vocabulary knowledge, as well as their higher order thinking and reasoning in the semantic domain.