Variability and Complexity in Sound Learning

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目考虑声音错误模式的复杂性和可变性的作用，以及它们在治疗语言障碍儿童中的可能相互作用。复杂性被认为是语言的一种普遍属性，这里用标记来定义。根据先前的治疗效果研究，预测在对声音系统中较复杂的方面进行治疗后，会比对较不复杂的声音进行治疗后出现更大的改善。该项目的第一个目标是进一步评估复杂性在影响儿童声音系统变化方面的作用。孩子对一个给定的目标英语发音所产生的错误的数量、程度和类型都具有可变性。根据之前的研究，预测对变化较大的声音进行治疗比对变化较小的声音进行治疗效果更好。因为之前没有实验研究对这一预测进行过评估，所以这个项目的第二个目标是考虑可变性在促进儿童声音系统变化中的作用。到目前为止，还没有研究评估复杂性如何与治疗声音选择的其他变量相互作用。因为复杂的声音也可以产生变量或非变量，这个项目的第三个目标是通过确定这两个变量对儿童声音系统的综合影响，实验性地评估复杂性和可变性之间的相互作用。18名患有语言障碍的单语英语儿童将参与其中，根据可变性和复杂性，每个儿童被分配到两种联合治疗条件下。这些条件将分别评估，并相互结合评估。这个项目的结果将为语言障碍的有效治疗提供指导，它们将有助于确定不同类型的可变性和相对复杂性之间的附加（或优先）关系。从理论上讲，这些结果将有助于建立对语音发展贡献最大的声音系统的具体方面。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This program considers the roles of complexity and of variability in sound error patterns and their possible interaction in the treatment of children with speech disorders. Complexity is appealed to as a universal property of language, defined here in terms of markedness. Based on previous treatment efficacy research, it is predicted that greater improvements will occur following treatment on more complex aspects of the sound system than on less complex sounds. The first goal of this project is to further evaluate the role of complexity in effecting change in children's sound systems. Variability is appealed to in terms of the number, extent, and type of errors that a child produces for a given target English sound. Based on previous research, it is predicted that greater gains will result from treatment on sounds that are produced more variably than on those produced less variably. Because no previous research has experimentally evaluated this prediction, the second goal of this project is to consider the role of variability in promoting change in children's sound systems. As of yet, no research has evaluated how complexity interacts with other variables for treatment sound selection. Because sounds that are complex can also be produced variably or non-variably, the third goal of this project is to experimentally evaluate the interaction between complexity and variability by determining the combined effects of the two variables on children's sound systems. Eighteen monolingual English-speaking children with speech disorders will participate, with each assigned to 2 combined treatment conditions based on variability and complexity. These conditions will be evaluated separately and in conjunction with one another. The results of this project will provide guidelines for effective treatment of speech disorders, and they will help in determining the additive (or precedence) relationships between different types of variability and relative complexity. Theoretically, the results will aid in establishing specific aspects of sound systems that contribute most to speech sound development.