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

描述(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，那些语言发育正常的人和那些受到特定语言障碍(SLI)影响的人。作为一个群体，患有SLI的儿童比他们未受影响的同龄人发展出更小、更不健壮的词汇。最初习得单词的困难导致了词汇问题，但人们对单词学习的后期阶段的贡献知之甚少，在此期间，对词形和词义的记忆得到巩固。知识库中这种差距的临床和教育意义是巨大的，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。目前的整合模型认为，与睡眠相关的时间是整合的关键。此外，最近的证据表明，患有SLI的儿童可能会经历共病的睡眠问题。因此，第二个目标是记录受SLI影响的个人的睡眠习惯，并确定睡眠在巩固词形和词义方面所起的作用。该项目与公共卫生有关，特别是与受SLI影响的人口中约7%的人的健康和福祉有关。该项目旨在增加对受影响个人特有的词汇问题的理解。此外，该项目可能有助于在SLI和睡眠问题之间建立联系，从而提出新的相关干预措施。该项目的三个具体目标是：(1)确定睡眠问题是否与SLI有关；(2)记录发育正常儿童和SLI影响儿童词形和词义巩固的行为模式；(3)确定发育正常儿童和SLI影响儿童词形和词义巩固依赖于睡眠的程度。对这些目标的追求始于对患有和不患有SLI的人的睡眠习惯的调查。接下来将进行两个实验。第一个项目将把已发表的成人巩固研究成果(杜迈、盖斯凯尔和冯，2004)推广到语言发育正常的儿童。行为范式衡量的是词形和词义在睡眠或不涉及睡眠的时间间隔内的巩固。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%的受特定语言障碍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人特有的词汇缺陷的了解。此外，该项目可能有助于在SLI和睡眠问题之间建立联系，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.