Cognitive Representation in Specific Language Impairment

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目旨在研究特殊语言障碍儿童的知识表征性质。基于处理的特殊语言障碍的解释主要集中在处理能力的限制在多大程度上导致了这些儿童的语言障碍。特别是，这些论述主要集中在较慢的处理速度或较低的信息访问效率在多大程度上导致特殊语言语言的容量限制。在这些说法中，很少强调被操纵的信息的性质。然而，最近有人提出，患有特殊语言障碍的儿童的心理表征可能与正常发育的儿童不同。具体来说，有研究表明，患有特殊语言障碍的儿童可能在处理更具体、更有基础的心理表征，因此与使用正常语言的同龄人使用的更抽象的表征相比，操作和存储起来更麻烦、更低效。这个项目的目的是调查与NL对照相比，患有特殊语言障碍的儿童在多大程度上依赖于更有基础的表征。共148名儿童将参与这个为期5年的项目，其中包括74名7-9岁的特殊语言障碍儿童，34名心理年龄（MA）、非语言智商、性别和社会经济地位（SES）匹配的正常语言对照组，以及40名性别、社会经济地位和定量知识（QK）匹配的低龄非语言语言对照组。共提出6项认知问题解决研究。研究1-4将检验基础与抽象问题表征对特殊语言障碍儿童（N = 34）和MA对照组（N = 34）解决问题的速度和准确性的影响。研究5和6将检查一组患有特殊语言障碍的儿童（N = 40）和一组更年轻的QM对照组（N = 40）的知识表征的性质和变化率。研究5将检查儿童对数学问题的自发解决方案，研究6将使用微遗传学设计来检查患有特殊语言障碍的儿童（N = 40）和QM对照组（N = 40）的数学知识表征的性质和变化速度。这个项目的结果将有助于提高我们对特殊语言障碍儿童处理缺陷本质的理解，并为开发有效的干预模式提供有价值的见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this project is to investigate the nature of knowledge representations in children with Specific Language Impairments (SLI). Processing based accounts of SLI have focused primarily on the extent to which limitations in processing capacity account for the language impairments seen in these children. In particular, these accounts have focused primarily on the extent to which slower rates of processing or less efficient access to information leads to capacity limitations in SLI. Within these accounts, little emphasis has been placed on the nature of the information being manipulated. Recently, however, it has been suggested that mental representations in children with SLI may differ from those of typically developing children. Specifically, it has been suggested that children with SLI may be working with mental representations that are more concrete and grounded in nature and thus more cumbersome and inefficient to manipulate and store as compared to more abstract representations used by their normal language peers. The purpose of this project is to investigate the extent to which children with SLI are relying on representations that are more grounded as compared to NL controls. A total of 148 children will participate in this 5-year project, including 74 children with SLI, 7-9 years of age, 34 normal language controls matched on mental age (MA), nonverbal l.Q., gender, and SES, and 40 younger NL controls matched on gender, SES, and quantitative knowledge (QK). A total of 6 cognitive problem solving studies are proposed. Studies 1-4 will examine the impact of grounded versus abstract problem representations on the speed and accuracy of problem solutions for children with SLI (N = 34) and MA controls (N = 34). Studies 5 and 6 will examine the nature and rate of change of knowledge representations for a group of children with SLI (N = 40) and a group of younger QM controls (N = 40). Study 5 will examine children's spontaneous problem solutions for mathematical problems and Study 6 will use a microgenetic design to examine the nature and rate of shifts in representations of mathematical knowledge for children with SLI (N = 40) and QM controls (N = 40). The outcomes of this project will serve to advance our understanding of the nature of processing deficits in children with SLI, and provide valuable insights into the development of effective models of intervention.