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Journal of Speech, Language, and... Dec 2021This study investigated within-language and between-language associations between phonological memory, vocabulary, and grammar in French-English ( = 43) and...
PURPOSE
This study investigated within-language and between-language associations between phonological memory, vocabulary, and grammar in French-English ( = 43) and Spanish-English ( = 25) bilingual children at 30, 36, and 48 months. It was predicted that phonological memory would display both within-language and between-language relations to language development and that these relations would be stronger at the youngest age.
METHOD
Bilingual children participated in free-play sessions in both of their languages at each age, from which vocabulary and grammatical information (number of different words and mean length of utterance) was extracted. Vocabulary information was also obtained from parent inventories completed when the children were 30 months and a standardized receptive vocabulary test administered at 36 and 48 months. The children were also administered nonword repetition tests in both of their languages at each age.
RESULTS
Mixed logistic regression indicated that phonological memory was associated with vocabulary and grammar within the same language and phonological memory in the other language. In two of the four statistical models, phonological memory exhibited positive between-language relations, and in one model, it exhibited negative between-language relations to language development. Results also indicated that within-language and between-languages effects remained constant, or between-language associations decreased during the age range studied.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the findings provide some support for cross-language associations between phonological memory and lexical and grammatical skills.
Topics: Child; Child Language; Humans; Language Development; Language Tests; Linguistics; Multilingualism; Vocabulary
PubMed: 34731575
DOI: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00176 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2022Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically accompanied by atypical language development, which can be noticeable even before diagnosis. The siblings of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The Vocabulary of Infants with an Elevated Likelihood and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Infant Language Studies Using the CDI and MSEL.
Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are typically accompanied by atypical language development, which can be noticeable even before diagnosis. The siblings of children diagnosed with ASD are at elevated likelihood for ASD diagnosis and have been shown to have higher prevalence rates than the general population. In this paper, we systematically reviewed studies looking at the vocabulary size and development of infants with autism. One inclusion criterion was that infants were grouped either pre-diagnostically as elevated or typical likelihood or post-diagnostically as ASD or without ASD. This review focused on studies that tested infants up to 24 months of age and that assessed vocabulary either via the parent-completed MacArthur-Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI) or the clinician-administered Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Our systematic search yielded 76 studies. A meta-analysis was performed on these studies that compared the vocabulary scores of EL and TL infants pre-diagnostically and the scores of ASD and non-ASD infants post-diagnostically. Both pre- and post-diagnostically, it was found that the EL and ASD infants had smaller vocabularies than their TL and non-ASD peers, respectively. The effect sizes across studies were heterogenous, prompting additional moderator analyses of age and sub-group analyses of the language measure used (CDI or MSEL) as potential moderators of the effect size. Age was found to be a moderator both in the pre- and post-diagnostical groups, however, language measure was not a moderator in either diagnostic group. Interpretations and future research directions are discussed based on these findings.
Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child; Humans; Infant; Language; Language Development; Verbascum; Vocabulary
PubMed: 35162492
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031469 -
Neuropsychology Review Dec 2023Although attention and early associative learning in preverbal children is predominantly driven by rapid eye-movements in response to moving visual stimuli and... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Although attention and early associative learning in preverbal children is predominantly driven by rapid eye-movements in response to moving visual stimuli and sounds/words (e.g., associating the word "bottle" with the object), the literature examining the role of visual attention and memory in ongoing vocabulary development across childhood is limited. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis examined the association between visual memory and vocabulary development, including moderators such as age and task selection, in neurotypical children aged 2-to-12 years, from the brain-based perspective of cognitive neuroscience. Visual memory tasks were classified according to the visual characteristics of the stimuli and the neural networks known to preferentially process such information, including consideration of the distinction between the ventral visual stream (processing more static visuo-perceptual details, such as form or colour) and the more dynamic dorsal visual stream (processing spatial temporal action-driven information). Final classifications included spatio-temporal span tasks, visuo-perceptual or spatial concurrent array tasks, and executive judgment tasks. Visuo-perceptual concurrent array tasks, reliant on ventral stream processing, were moderately associated with vocabulary, while tasks measuring spatio-temporal spans, associated with dorsal stream processing, and executive judgment tasks (central executive), showed only weak correlations with vocabulary. These findings have important implications for health professionals and researchers interested in language, as they advocate for the development of more targeted language learning interventions that include specific and relevant aspects of visual processing and memory, such as ventral stream visuo-perceptual details (i.e., shape or colour).
Topics: Child; Humans; Vocabulary; Memory; Visual Perception; Brain; Language
PubMed: 36136174
DOI: 10.1007/s11065-022-09561-4 -
CoDAS 2021to identify linguistic performance (expressive vocabulary, phonology and narrative) and cognitive performance (Verbal Short-Term Memory (VSTM)) of preschoolers living in...
PURPOSE
to identify linguistic performance (expressive vocabulary, phonology and narrative) and cognitive performance (Verbal Short-Term Memory (VSTM)) of preschoolers living in a quilombola community.
METHODS
Twenty-four quilombola preschoolers aged four (4) and five (5) years with no complaints in language development participated in the study. Most families were in the D-E class and maternal and paternal education was lower than high school. Their guardians answered a questionnaire about their previous development, family practices and socioeconomic aspects, while the assessment included tests of expressive vocabulary, phonology, narrative and verbal short-term memory. The data collected were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis to characterize family practices, socioeconomic aspects and linguistic and cognitive performance, inferential analysis used Fisher's exact test to compare performance between subjects aged 4 and 5 years and also to compare performance according to family practices.
RESULTS
78.3% of preschoolers performed adequately in vocabulary and 79.2% in phonology; and 63.6% had the narrative classified as descriptive. 82.6% had a VSTM task performance below the expected for age.
CONCLUSION
Although the preschoolers in this study had functional communication, their profile of language development and cognitive skills was more vulnerable and may have an impact on their school trajectory.
Topics: Child; Humans; Language; Language Development; Language Tests; Memory, Short-Term; Vocabulary
PubMed: 34932656
DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20212020048 -
AMIA ... Annual Symposium Proceedings.... 2021Finding concepts in large clinical ontologies can be challenging when queries use different vocabularies. A search algorithm that overcomes this problem is useful in...
Finding concepts in large clinical ontologies can be challenging when queries use different vocabularies. A search algorithm that overcomes this problem is useful in applications such as concept normalisation and ontology matching, where concepts can be referred to in different ways, using different synonyms. In this paper, we present a deep learning based approach to build a semantic search system for large clinical ontologies. We propose a Triplet-BERT model and a method that generates training data directly from the ontologies. The model is evaluated using five real benchmark data sets and the results show that our approach achieves high results on both free text to concept and concept to concept searching tasks, and outperforms all baseline methods.
Topics: Algorithms; Biological Ontologies; Humans; Semantics; Vocabulary; Vocabulary, Controlled
PubMed: 35308904
DOI: No ID Found -
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 -
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 -
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research Oct 2022The goal of this study was to describe how underlying vocabulary knowledge manifests into vocabulary usage, and in turn, how usage predicts writing quality among adult...
The goal of this study was to describe how underlying vocabulary knowledge manifests into vocabulary usage, and in turn, how usage predicts writing quality among adult basic education (ABE) learners. ABE learners were administered tasks that measured vocabulary knowledge, in the forms of both vocabulary breadth and depth. Participants were also given a composition writing task, and these samples were evaluated for overall writing quality and vocabulary usage. A mediating model was constructed to describe the relationships among variables. This model indicates that vocabulary depth is predictive of writing quality through the mediating variable of vocabulary usage after controlling for the direct contribution of vocabulary breadth. We found no evidence that vocabulary breadth contributes to writing quality when controlling for vocabulary depth and vocabulary usage. The results of the study reveal important relationships among vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary usage in written work that warrants further investigation in developing learners.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Vocabulary; Writing
PubMed: 35524832
DOI: 10.1007/s10936-022-09877-5