INFANT PERCEPTUAL ABILITIES AS COGNITIVE PRECURSORS

婴儿感知能力作为认知前体

• 批准号: 6520905
• 负责人: APRIL A BENASICH
• 金额: $ 33.24万
• 依托单位: RUTGERS THE STATE UNIV OF NJ NEWARK
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1994
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1994-01-01 至 2004-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6520905
• 关键词: behavioral /social science research tag; behavioral habituation /sensitization; child behavior; clinical research; cognition; human subject; infant human (0-1 year); language development; language disorders; learning disorders; longitudinal human study; low birth weight infant human; memory; middle childhood (6-11); neural information processing; operant conditionings; outcomes research; perception; phonology; premature infant human; preschool child (1-5); reading disorder; speech; syntax

The primary aim of the research proposed here is to examine the long- term relations between early perceptual-cognitive abilities (as indexed by habituation, recognition memory, and auditory temporal processing) and later cognitive and linguistic development. We specifically focus on language outcomes, including both receptive and expressive abilities, phonemic perception, and the acquisition of early reading skills as well as assessment of general cognitive outcomes. Determining in more detail the nature of the relationship between early perceptual-cognitive abilities and later language abilities would elucidate the perceptual and cognitive substrates of speech and language processes as well as illuminating the evolution of skills necessary for "reading readiness". The development of more precise measures for early identification of those children most at risk for later cognitive or linguistic disorders would also be facilitated. We have been pursuing these goals in two ways. First, by continuing to develop and refine our infant operant conditioning paradigm that facilitates assessment of auditory temporal processing (ATP) and by collecting cross-sectional, normative data on ATP for infants 6-10- months-of-age. Second, by examining prospectively the developmental course of early perceptual memory, information processing, and temporal processing in three infant populations expected to differ in the course of language development and the incidence of specific language impairment: normal term infants, preterm very low-birthweight (VLBW) infants, and infants from families with a positive history of specific language impairment (LI). No one, to our knowledge, has identified infants in families with a history of language-based learning-impairments (LI) and then followed these children through their early language acquisition period up to the age when reading is acquired. Moreover, even in normal populations, the developmental course of auditory temporal processing skills (a robust predictor of specific language impairment) have not been followed prospectively from infancy through early childhood. Therefore, we would like to extend longitudinal study in early infancy and assessed at 6,9,12,16, and 24 months will be followed and evaluated at ages 3, 4, 5, and 7 years. By ages 4 to 5 years, reading readiness skills can be assessed and at age seven, when most children are reading, a comprehensive language battery will be administered, including assessments of expressive and receptive language phonemic discrimination and production, syntactic complexity, and beginning reading skills.

本研究的主要目的是探讨早期感知认知能力（以习惯化、识别记忆和听觉时间处理为指标）与后期认知和语言发展之间的长期关系。我们特别关注语言成果，包括接受和表达能力，音素感知，早期阅读技能的获得以及一般认知成果的评估。更详细地确定早期的感知认知能力和后来的语言能力之间的关系的性质将阐明言语和语言过程的感知和认知基础，以及阐明“阅读准备”所必需的技能的演变。还将促进制定更精确的措施，以便及早查明那些最有可能在日后患上认知或语言障碍的儿童。我们一直在通过两种方式实现这些目标。首先，通过继续发展和完善我们的婴儿操作性条件反射范式，促进评估听觉时间处理（ATP）和收集横截面，规范数据ATP的婴儿6-10个月的年龄。第二，通过前瞻性地研究三个婴儿群体的早期知觉记忆，信息处理和时间处理的发展过程，这三个婴儿群体在语言发展过程和特定语言障碍的发生率方面存在差异：正常足月儿，早产极低出生体重儿（VLBW），以及来自有特定语言障碍（LI）阳性史家庭的婴儿。据我们所知，还没有人发现有语言学习障碍（LI）病史的家庭中的婴儿，然后跟踪这些儿童的早期语言习得阶段，直到阅读能力获得的年龄。此外，即使在正常人群中，听觉时间处理技能的发展过程（特定语言障碍的一个强有力的预测因素）也没有从婴儿期到幼儿期进行前瞻性跟踪。因此，我们希望在婴儿早期进行纵向研究，并在6、9、12、16和24个月时进行评估，并在3、4、5和7岁时进行随访和评估。到4至5岁时，可以评估阅读准备技能，到7岁时，大多数儿童都在阅读，将进行全面的语言测试，包括评估表达和接受语言的音素辨别和产生、句法复杂性和开始阅读技能。