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Developmental Psychology Apr 2022Toddlerhood is marked by advances in several lexico-semantic skills, including improvements in the size and structure of the lexicon and increased efficiency in lexical...
Toddlerhood is marked by advances in several lexico-semantic skills, including improvements in the size and structure of the lexicon and increased efficiency in lexical processing. This project seeks to delineate how early changes in vocabulary size and vocabulary structure support lexical processing (Experiment 1), and how these three skills together (vocabulary size, structure, and lexical processing) relate to later language outcomes at age 3 (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 explored how the size and semantic structure of toddlers' vocabulary from 18 to 24 months (N = 61) predicted performance on two lexical processing tasks (semantically related and semantically unrelated trials). Denser semantic connectivity (i.e., global level connectivity between near and far neighbors) positively associated with semantic interference during semantically related lexical processing, whereas denser category structure (i.e., lower-level connectivity between near neighbors) facilitated lexical processing in semantically unrelated trials. In Experiment 2, a subset of the same children (N = 49) returned at age 36 months and completed a comprehensive assessment of their language skills using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamental, Preschool 2 (CELF-P2). Here, earlier measures of lexico-semantic connectivity and lexical processing best predicted age 3 language skill. The findings support accounts that early vocabulary structure and lexical processing skills promote continued growth in language. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Child, Preschool; Humans; Language; Language Development; Language Tests; Semantics; Vocabulary
PubMed: 35343711
DOI: 10.1037/dev0001291 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jan 2023In the second year of life, infants begin to rapidly acquire the lexicon of their native language. A key learning mechanism underlying this acceleration is syntactic...
In the second year of life, infants begin to rapidly acquire the lexicon of their native language. A key learning mechanism underlying this acceleration is syntactic bootstrapping: the use of hidden cues in grammar to facilitate vocabulary learning. How infants forge the syntactic-semantic links that underlie this mechanism, however, remains speculative. A hurdle for theories is identifying computationally light strategies that have high precision within the complexity of the linguistic signal. Here, we presented 20-mo-old infants with novel grammatical elements in a complex natural language environment and measured their resultant vocabulary expansion. We found that infants can learn and exploit a natural language syntactic-semantic link in less than 30 min. The rapid speed of acquisition of a new syntactic bootstrap indicates that even emergent syntactic-semantic links can accelerate language learning. The results suggest that infants employ a cognitive network of efficient learning strategies to self-supervise language development.
Topics: Humans; Infant; Semantics; Learning; Language; Vocabulary; Linguistics; Language Development
PubMed: 36574655
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2209153119 -
The British Journal of Educational... Mar 2021Executive functions have been proposed to account for individual variation in reading comprehension beyond the contributions of decoding skills and language skills....
BACKGROUND
Executive functions have been proposed to account for individual variation in reading comprehension beyond the contributions of decoding skills and language skills. However, insight into the direct and indirect effects of multiple executive functions on fifth-grade reading comprehension, while accounting for decoding and language skills, is limited.
AIM
The present study investigated the direct and indirect effects of fourth-grade executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibition, and planning) on fifth-grade reading comprehension, after accounting for decoding and language skills.
SAMPLE
The sample included 113 fourth-grade children (including 65 boys and 48 girls; Age M = 9.89; SD = .44 years).
METHODS
The participants were tested on their executive functions (working memory, inhibition and planning), and their decoding skills, language skills (vocabulary and syntax knowledge) and reading comprehension, one year later.
RESULTS
Using structural equation modelling, the results indicated direct effects of working memory and planning on reading comprehension, as well as indirect effects of working memory and inhibition via decoding (χ = 2.46).
CONCLUSIONS
The results of the present study highlight the importance of executive functions for reading comprehension after taking variance in decoding and language skills into account: Both working memory and planning uniquely contributed to reading comprehension. In addition, working memory and inhibition also supported decoding. As a practical implication, educational professionals should not only consider the decoding and language skills children bring into the classroom, but their executive functions as well.
Topics: Child; Comprehension; Executive Function; Female; Humans; Male; Memory, Short-Term; Reading; Vocabulary
PubMed: 32441782
DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12355 -
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Feb 2022Multisensory integration (MSI) is the ability to combine temporally synchronous, amodally specified sensory information to create rich, coordinated perceptual...
Multisensory integration (MSI) is the ability to combine temporally synchronous, amodally specified sensory information to create rich, coordinated perceptual experiences. In early development, attention is directed toward such information in both social contexts (e.g., human speakers) and nonsocial contexts (e.g., multimodal toys). Parenting behaviors may support and sculpt multisensory integration by providing children with opportunities to experience amodally specified information (e.g., contingent face-to-face interactions). This study examined (a) whether 24-month-olds' MSI abilities differed as a function of context (social or nonsocial) and competition for attention (low or high), (b) whether MSI predicted expressive vocabulary, and (c) whether maternal sensitivity (MS) was related to both MSI and language. A total of 32 24-month-olds were tested in the Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol, an audiovisual task that presents laterally positioned social/nonsocial events with and without a central distractor. Their mothers completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories and participated in a free-play period with their children for MS coding. Results showed MSI in both social and nonsocial conditions (i.e., toddlers paid more attention to the "match"), but only the ability to maintain attention to the social match was related to toddlers' expressive vocabulary. In addition, MS was positively correlated with toddlers' expressive language and social MSI performance. Taken together, the pattern of results shows important relations between emerging integration abilities and parenting behavior as well as the ability of both factors to positively influence word learning during early toddlerhood.
Topics: Child; Child Language; Female; Humans; Infant; Language Development; Mothers; Parenting; Vocabulary
PubMed: 34624708
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105304 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Dec 2022Executive functioning (EF) is an area of challenge for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) associated with a variety of downstream difficulties. Verbal fluency...
BACKGROUND
Executive functioning (EF) is an area of challenge for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) associated with a variety of downstream difficulties. Verbal fluency performance is one potential downstream effect that is commonly assessed in individuals with DS due to the measure's utility as a predictor of dementia. Verbal fluency requires individuals to inhibit irrelevant responses, shift between groupings of related words, and monitor to prevent repetition, all skills related to EF.
AIMS
This study aimed to determine the association between semantic verbal fluency performance and three EF subdomains (inhibition, shifting, and working memory) in youth with DS after taking into account vocabulary and cognitive ability.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
Neuropsychological assessments (verbal and visuospatial), and parent reports of EF, were completed at one time point by 69 youth with DS 6-17 years old and their caregivers. Expressive and receptive vocabulary skills and cognitive ability were also assessed.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
The results revealed that verbal fluency performance was significantly associated with neuropsychological assessments of EF and parent report of inhibition even after controlling for the effects of vocabulary and cognitive ability.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The findings highlight the underlying importance of EF in verbal fluency tasks in youth with DS.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Child; Down Syndrome; Executive Function; Neuropsychological Tests; Vocabulary; Memory, Short-Term
PubMed: 36209524
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104358 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2021Written vocabulary size plays a key role in children's reading development. We aim to study the relationship between Chinese written vocabulary size and cognitive,...
Written vocabulary size plays a key role in children's reading development. We aim to study the relationship between Chinese written vocabulary size and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors in primary school students. Using stratified cluster sampling, 1162 pupils from Grade 2~5 in Guangzhou were investigated. Chinese written vocabulary size, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral factors were assessed by the Chinese written vocabulary size assessment scale, the dyslexia checklist for Chinese children (DCCC) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), respectively. The scores of visual word recognition deficit ( = -3.32, 95% CI: -5.98, -0.66) and meaning comprehension deficit ( = -6.52, 95% CI: -9.39, -3.64) were negatively associated with Chinese written vocabulary size; the score of visual word recognition deficit (odds ratio (OR) = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.07) was the related factor of a delay in written vocabulary size. The score of meaning comprehension deficit was negatively associated with boys' Chinese written vocabulary size, while the score of auditory word recognition deficit was negatively associated with girls' Chinese written vocabulary size. The related factor of a delay in written vocabulary size was spelling deficit in boys and visual word recognition deficit in girls. There is a significant correlation between Chinese written vocabulary size and cognitive factors, but not emotional and behavioral factors in primary school students and these correlations are different when considering gender.
Topics: Child; China; Comprehension; Female; Humans; Male; Reading; Schools; Students; Vocabulary
PubMed: 34360088
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18157797 -
Child Development Jan 2023We examined the relation between socioeconomic status (SES), vocabulary, and reading in middle childhood, during the transition from primary (elementary) to secondary...
We examined the relation between socioeconomic status (SES), vocabulary, and reading in middle childhood, during the transition from primary (elementary) to secondary (high) school. Children (N = 279, 163 girls) completed assessments of everyday and curriculum-related vocabulary, (non)word reading, and reading comprehension at five timepoints from age 10 to 13. Piecewise linear mixed-effects models showed significant growth in everyday vocabulary and word reading between every time point. Curriculum vocabulary and reading comprehension showed significant growth during the school year, but not during the summer holidays. There were significant effects of SES on all measures except word reading; yet, SES differences did not widen over time. Our findings motivate targeted reading and vocabulary support for secondary school students from lower SES backgrounds.
Topics: Female; Humans; Child; Adolescent; Vocabulary; Comprehension; Schools; Social Class; Linear Models
PubMed: 36214376
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13862 -
Acta Psychologica Nov 2022Emerging evidence suggests that impaired speech may be related to reduced working memory (WM). The current study aimed to validate and compare the influence of...
Emerging evidence suggests that impaired speech may be related to reduced working memory (WM). The current study aimed to validate and compare the influence of articulation, short-term memory (STM), WM, and receptive vocabulary abilities of Pakistani children with speech sound disorder (SSD; N = 50) versus typically developing (TD; N = 30) children aged 7-13 years. Assessments included the Test for Assessment of Articulation and Phonology in Urdu (TAAPU), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4, translated to Urdu (U-PPVT-4), and Digit Memory Test (DMT) used to determine speech articulation, receptive vocabulary, and memory abilities respectively. The percentage correct consonants (PCC) score was used to divide the SSD group further into SSD severity groups. The TD and SSD groups significantly differed in performance on all tasks (p < 0.05). Moreover, the SSD severity groups showed significant differences (p < 0.0001) in performance on different components of TAAPU (total errors and substitution errors) and DMT tasks. However, the SSD severity groups did not show significant differences in performance on the U-PPVT-4. Correlational analyses indicate statistically significant correlations of PCC with STM, WM, and receptive vocabulary. Regression analyses suggested that both WM and STM contribute to speech intelligibility in children with SSD. Our findings in Urdu-speaking children support previous results in English-speaking children suggesting the articulation skills, receptive vocabulary, STM, and WM were less developed in children with SSD than in TD children.
Topics: Child; Humans; Speech Sound Disorder; Memory, Short-Term; Vocabulary; Language; Phonetics; Speech
PubMed: 36356337
DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103777 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Apr 2023The purpose of this study is to determine whether and how learning American Sign Language (ASL) is associated with spoken English skills in a sample of ASL-English...
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to determine whether and how learning American Sign Language (ASL) is associated with spoken English skills in a sample of ASL-English bilingual deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children.
METHOD
This cross-sectional study of vocabulary size included 56 DHH children between 8 and 60 months of age who were learning both ASL and spoken English and had hearing parents. English and ASL vocabulary were independently assessed via parent report checklists.
RESULTS
ASL vocabulary size positively correlated with spoken English vocabulary size. Spoken English vocabulary sizes in the ASL-English bilingual DHH children in the present sample were comparable to those in previous reports of monolingual DHH children who were learning only English. ASL-English bilingual DHH children had total vocabularies (combining ASL and English) that were equivalent to same-age hearing monolingual children. Children with large ASL vocabularies were more likely to have spoken English vocabularies in the average range based on norms for hearing monolingual children.
CONCLUSIONS
Contrary to predictions often cited in the literature, acquisition of sign language does not harm spoken vocabulary acquisition. This retrospective, correlational study cannot determine whether there is a causal relationship between sign language and spoken language vocabulary acquisition, but if a causal relationship exists, the evidence here suggests that the effect would be positive. Bilingual DHH children have age-expected vocabularies when considering the entirety of their language skills. We found no evidence to support recommendations that families with DHH children avoid learning sign language. Rather, our findings show that children with early ASL exposure can develop age-appropriate vocabulary skills in both ASL and spoken English.
Topics: Child; Humans; Sign Language; Retrospective Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Deafness; Language; Vocabulary; Language Development
PubMed: 36972338
DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00505 -
Behavioural Neurology 2015Since the very beginning of the aphasia history it has been well established that there are two major aphasic syndromes (Wernicke's-type and Broca's-type aphasia); each... (Review)
Review
Since the very beginning of the aphasia history it has been well established that there are two major aphasic syndromes (Wernicke's-type and Broca's-type aphasia); each one of them is related to the disturbance at a specific linguistic level (lexical/semantic and grammatical) and associated with a particular brain damage localization (temporal and frontal-subcortical). It is proposed that three stages in language evolution could be distinguished: (a) primitive communication systems similar to those observed in other animals, including nonhuman primates; (b) initial communication systems using sound combinations (lexicon) but without relationships among the elements (grammar); and (c) advanced communication systems including word-combinations (grammar). It is proposed that grammar probably originated from the internal representation of actions, resulting in the creation of verbs; this is an ability that depends on the so-called Broca's area and related brain networks. It is suggested that grammar is the basic ability for the development of so-called metacognitive executive functions. It is concluded that while the lexical/semantic language system (vocabulary) probably appeared during human evolution long before the contemporary man (Homo sapiens sapiens), the grammatical language historically represents a recent acquisition and is correlated with the development of complex cognition (metacognitive executive functions).
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Brain; Humans; Language; Linguistics; Semantics; Vocabulary
PubMed: 26124540
DOI: 10.1155/2015/872487