The Role of Consolidation and Sleep in Children's Word Learning

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的主要目的是描述记忆巩固在儿童单词学习中的作用。这项研究将比较两组人，一组语言发育正常的人，一组受特殊语言障碍（SLI）影响的人。作为一个群体，患有特殊语言障碍的孩子比他们未受影响的同龄人的词汇量更小，更不健壮。单词最初习得的困难是造成词汇问题的原因之一，但人们对单词学习后期的作用知之甚少，在这个阶段，单词形式和含义的记忆得到巩固。这种知识基础上的差距对临床和教育的影响是巨大的，因为强大的词汇发展对成功的交流、阅读和学习成绩至关重要。目前的巩固模型认为包括睡眠在内的时间对巩固至关重要。此外，最近的证据表明，患有特殊语言障碍的儿童可能会出现共病性睡眠问题。因此，第二个目标是记录受特殊语言障碍影响的个体的睡眠习惯，并确定睡眠在巩固单词形式和意义方面所起的作用。该项目与公共卫生有关，特别是与受特殊语言障碍影响的约7%人口的健康和福祉有关。该项目旨在增加对受影响个体特征的词汇问题的理解。此外，该项目可能有助于建立特殊语言障碍和睡眠问题之间的联系，从而提出新的相关干预措施。该项目的三个具体目标是：(1)确定睡眠问题和特殊语言障碍是否相关；(2)记录正常发育儿童和受特殊语言障碍影响的儿童巩固词形和词义的行为模式；(3)确定正常发育儿童和受特殊语言障碍影响的儿童巩固词形和词义的程度取决于睡眠。为了实现这些目标，首先要调查患有和不患有特殊语言障碍的个体的睡眠习惯。接下来将进行两个实验。第一部分将把已发表的关于成人巩固的研究（Dumay, Gaskell, & Feng, 2004）扩展到语言发育正常的儿童。行为范式测量的是单词形式和含义在有或没有睡眠的时间段内的巩固。第二个实验将这种模式扩展到患有特殊语言障碍的儿童和他们正常发展的词汇匹配的同龄人。该项目与公共卫生有关，特别是与大约7%受特殊语言障碍（SLI）影响的人口的健康和福祉有关。该项目旨在增加对受影响个体词汇缺陷特征的理解。此外，该项目可能有助于建立特殊语言障碍和睡眠问题之间的联系，从而提出新的相关干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The primary objective of the proposed research is to delineate the role of memory consolidation in children's word learning. The research will compare two groups, those whose language is developing normally and those who are affected by specific language impairment (SLI). As a group, children with SLI develop smaller, less robust vocabularies than their unaffected age-mates. Difficulties in the initial acquisition of words contribute to the vocabulary problem but little is known about the contribution of later stages of word learning, stages during which the memory of word forms and meanings is consolidated. The clinical and educational implications of this gap in the knowledge base are enormous as robust vocabulary development is vital for successful communication, reading, and academic performance. Current models of consolidation posit time involving sleep as essential to consolidation. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that children with SLI are likely to experience co-morbid sleep problems. Therefore, a second objective is to document the sleep habits of individuals affected by SLI and to determine the role that sleep plays in the consolidation of word forms and meanings. The project is relevant to public health, in particular to the health and well-being of roughly 7% of the population affected by SLI. The project stands to increase understanding of the vocabulary problems characteristic of affected individuals. Furthermore, the project may serve to establish a link between SLI and sleep problems, thereby suggesting new relevant interventions. The three specific aims of the project are (1) to determine whether sleep problems and SLI are associated; (2) to document behavioral patterns of consolidation of word forms and meanings in both normally developing children and those affected by SLI and (3) to determine the extent to which consolidation of word forms and meanings depends upon sleep in both normally developing children and those affected by SLI. The pursuit of these aims begins with a survey of the sleep habits of individuals with and without SLI. Two experiments will follow. The first will extend published work on adults' consolidation (Dumay, Gaskell, & Feng, 2004) to children with normally developing language. The behavioral paradigm measures consolidation of word forms and meanings over time intervals that do or do not involve sleep. The second experiment extends this paradigm to children with SLI and their normally developing vocabulary-matched peers. The project is relevant to public health, in particular to the health and well-being of roughly 7% of the population affected by specific language impairment (SLI). The project stands to increase understanding of the vocabulary deficits characteristic of affected individuals. Furthermore, the project may serve to establish a link between SLI and sleep problems, thereby suggesting new relevant interventions.