Word Learning in Children: Normal Development and Language Impairment

该研究项目的长期目标是确定影响儿童如何学习语言单词的因素，并利用这些证据开发一个跨正常和受损语言发育的单词学习综合模型。最终，该模型将用于构建临床诊断和治疗技术，以改善单词学习，最大限度地减少未来的语言习得缺陷。在计划的项目中，我们检查了声音表征贡献的相似性和差异（即，语音表示），全词形式（即，词汇表示）和含义（即，语义表示）到简单的联想学习（即，初始映射）和长期综合学习（即，扩展映射）。四个项目计划在每个项目中进行多项研究，以独立解决声音，全词形式和意义。在宏观层面上，项目A侧重于从学前到成年的单词学习的发展变化，项目B探讨了语言正常儿童和特定语言障碍儿童之间的单词学习差异。在微观层面上，项目C考察表征的增量变化是否会在单词学习中产生相应的增量变化。项目D探讨了新的和已知的表征之间的特定类型的关系是否会影响新表征的学习。项目C和D还调查了在暴露过程中是否可以操纵声音，全词形式和/或意义的属性以增强单词学习。由此产生的研究结果将提供必要的证据，以建立一个全面的模型，学习的声音，词的形式，和意义的表示，可用于开发理论动机的临床技术。这项研究的健康益处是，许多有语言障碍的儿童在学习新单词方面有困难，但这种缺陷的原因却知之甚少。早期的单词学习是至关重要的，因为它可以为阅读解码，阅读理解和学术成功奠定基础。进入小学时词汇量不足的孩子很难缩小与同龄人的差距。因此，有效的单词学习指导对于防止阅读和学业失败至关重要。理论上的诊断和治疗方法可以最大限度地减少这种风险。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of this research program is to determine the factors that influence how children learn the words of the language and use this evidence to develop a comprehensive model of word learning across normal and impaired language development. Ultimately, this model will be used to construct clinical diagnostic and treatment techniques to improve word learning, minimizing future deficits in language acquisition. Across planned projects, we examine similarities and differences in the contribution of representations of sounds (i.e., phonological representations), whole-word forms (i.e., lexical representations), and meaning (i.e., semantic representations) to both simple associative learning (i.e., initial mapping) and long-term integrative learning (i.e., extended mapping). Four projects are planned with multiple studies in each project to independently address sound, whole-word froms, and meaning. At the macroscopic level, Project A focuses on developmental changes in word learning from preschool to adulthood, and Project B explores word learning differences between children with normal language and those with specific language impairment. At the microscopic level, Project C examines whether incremental changes in representations produce corresponding incremental changes in word learning. Project D explores whether specific types of relationships between novel and known representations influence learning of new representations. Projects C and D also investigate whether properties of sounds, whole-word forms, and/or meaning can be manipulated during exposure to enhance word learning. The resulting findings will provide the necessary evidence to build a comprehensive model of the learning of sound, word-form, and meaning representations that can be used to develop theoretically motivated clinical techniques. The health benefit of this research is that many children with language impairments have difficulty learning new words, yet the cause of this deficit is poorly understood. Early word learning is critical because it may set the foundation for acquisition of reading decoding, reading comprehension, and academic success. Children who enter elementary school with vocabulary deficits have difficulty closing the gap with their peers. Thus, effective word learning instruction is critical in preventing reading and academic failure. Theoretically motivated diagnostic and treatment methods may minimize this risk.