ERIC Number: EJ1441121
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9102
Statistical Learning among Preschoolers with and without Developmental Language Disorder: Examining Effects of Language Status, Age, and Prior Learning
Leah L. Kapa; Heidi M. Mettler
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v67 n9 p3081-3093 2024
Purpose: Our goal was to compare statistical learning abilities between preschoolers with developmental language disorder (DLD) and peers with typical development (TD) by assessing their learning of two artificial grammars. Method: Four- and 5-year-olds with and without DLD were compared on their statistical learning ability using two artificial grammars. After learning an "aX" grammar, participants learned a relatively more complex "abX" grammar with a nonadjacent relationship between "a" and "X." Participants were tested on their generalization of the grammatical pattern to new sequences with novel X elements that conformed to ("aX," "abX") or violated ("Xa," "baX") the grammars. Results: Results revealed an interaction between age and language group. Four-year-olds with and without DLD performed equivalently on the "aX" and "abX" grammar tests, and neither of the 4-year-old groups' accuracy scores exceeded chance. In contrast, among 5-year-olds, TD participants scored significantly higher on "aX" tests compared to participants with DLD, but the groups' "abX" scores did not differ. Five-year-old participants with DLD did not exceed chance on any test, whereas 5-year-old TD participants' scores exceeded chance on all grammar learning outcomes. Regression analyses indicated that "aX" performance positively predicted learning outcomes on the subsequent "abX" grammar for TD participants. Conclusion: These results indicate that preschool-age participants with DLD show deficits relative to typical peers in statistical learning, but group differences vary with participant age and type of grammatical structure being tested.
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Developmental Delays, Language Impairments, Grammar, Generalization, Age Differences, Predictor Variables, Learning Processes
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arizona
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children
Grant or Contract Numbers: F32DC014188