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

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议的研究的主要目标是描绘的作用，记忆巩固儿童的文字学习。这项研究将比较两组人，一组是语言发育正常的人，另一组是受特定语言障碍（SLI）影响的人。作为一个群体，SLI儿童比他们未受影响的同龄人发展更小，更不稳定的词汇。在单词的初始收购的困难有助于词汇的问题，但鲜为人知的是，在单词学习的后期阶段，在此期间，单词的形式和意义的记忆是巩固的贡献。这种知识基础的差距的临床和教育意义是巨大的，因为强大的词汇发展对于成功的沟通，阅读和学术表现至关重要。目前的巩固模型认为睡眠对巩固至关重要。此外，最近的证据表明，患有SLI的儿童可能会遇到共病睡眠问题。因此，第二个目标是记录受SLI影响的个人的睡眠习惯，并确定睡眠在巩固单词形式和含义中所起的作用。该项目与公共卫生有关，特别是与大约7%受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的词汇问题特征的理解。此外，该项目可能有助于建立SLI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SLI是否相关;（2）记录正常发育儿童和受SLI影响的儿童巩固单词形式和含义的行为模式;（3）确定正常发育儿童和受SLI影响的儿童巩固单词形式和含义的程度取决于睡眠。这些目标的追求始于对SLI患者和非SLI患者的睡眠习惯的调查。接下来将进行两个实验。第一个将扩展成人巩固（杜梅，盖斯凯尔和冯，2004年）发表的工作，以正常发展的语言儿童。行为范式测量在涉及或不涉及睡眠的时间间隔内单词形式和含义的巩固。第二个实验将这一范式扩展到SLI儿童和他们正常发育的词汇匹配的同龄人。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的词汇缺陷特征的理解。此外，该项目可能有助于建立SLI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.